January 6, 2026 • 35 mins
Colin talks to Fox Sports NFL analyst Greg Olsen joins the show to breakdown the Bears v Packers match up and why Chicago’s defense could be a liability
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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 in
noon to three eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find
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dot com, or stream us live every day on the
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Well, you knew when he was playing football that he
was eventually going to broadcast football. Three Pro Bowls fourteen years,
Greg Olsen, Fox Sports. One of the good guys in
our business is joining us. We'll get to your Hurricanes
in just a little bit. We'll circle back because they
are in college football is better.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
When Miami's got swag, and man do they?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
So you had the Dolphins Patriots last weekend, and I
had said before the season, I had picked them as
my double year wind total. I said they're going to
make it as a wild card. I thought they'd win
nine ten games, a lot of it on beating the
Dolphins and beating the Jets. I didn't think they'd be
this good. Yes, Rabel and Josh McDaniel are part of it. So,
as Drake May, you did their game last week, do
(01:11):
they have the kind of roster that could win a
conference because to this point, I don't think people think that.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I think people think Vrabel.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
And Drake May and even I think they are another
draft away on the offensive front. When you watch them,
do you look and say championship roster.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
If you would have asked me three weeks ago, I
think my answer would be a little bit different.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
I think I would have been more hesitant.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
I spent last week really trying to give them, like
an honest evaluation. I know everyone makes a big deal
about their strength of schedule and their division, but after
spending a week studying them, watching what makes them good?
Speaker 5 (01:49):
Seeing that run game last week in Week eighteen.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Against the Dolphins really come to life and they were incredible.
Trevion Henderson and ramondre Steves and they ran all over
the place. With that past game, I think the defense
is good where they need to be good. You know,
it's we talked about on the broadcast last week. What's
unique about the defense. Maybe not a lot of stars.
They got Gonzaleses there. Obviously they're one pro bowler on
that side, but you know, they don't.
Speaker 5 (02:12):
Take the ball away at a real high level.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
They let teams, you know, score in the red zone,
but when you look at it, they don't give up points,
they don't give up explosives. You don't get to the
red zone often when you do, you score, So they're
good where it matters. All of a sudden, they get
into a hot streak of taking the ball away with
that offense, and then the run game that has more
value come postseason than maybe it does in the regular season.
(02:36):
And then on top of all that, I think the
AFC is completely wide open, So I think.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
The Patriots have that.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
I can make a strong an argument that the Patriots
make the Super Bowl is there's probably any in the
entire conference, and that's both a credit to them and
the season that they've had, and also just kind of
the lay of the land there in the AFC.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
I said, there's fourteen teams that make it in everybody
can lose except Buffalo and mahomes Is out, Burrows out,
Lamar's out. It's a bunch of bow knicks, Drake May.
It's like Jacksonville. It's like, okay, guys, you got to
win this opening round, and boy did they get a
tough matchup. Jacksonville's on fire. But I said, here's what
(03:17):
would worry me. They're a slow starting team that is
bad against a powerful offense. At home, they play from
behind constantly. I can't figure it out. Is it a
they don't like scripted stuff? How do you explain Buffalo
being behind in like six of eight weeks you've been
(03:37):
in You were in this league for so long. Most
top quarterbacks with winning coaches start strong.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
It's like a rule.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
You have a plan, you have a point of view,
you're efficient, you've got good personnel. I don't think you
can win. I don't think they'll beat Jacksonville. What do
you say to their offensive struggles before half?
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Well, I think it's a fascinating kind of deep dive.
And you know, I haven't had Buffalo in a couple
of weeks, so I had them call it three four
weeks ago in that home game. Incredible game in the
snow against Cincy and Burrow. But I think what's unique
about Buffalo is it feels like they've made their offense
built for the postseason. Right, So you think years ago,
(04:20):
Josh Allen is in the shotgun and every play the
ball's in his hand and he's running around crazy design
run scramble, runs and then obviously just operating as a
traditional dropback gun passer. Well, they've made a very conscious decision.
They said, Okay, in the postseason, we're run game and
being able to control the line of scrimmage has a
lot more value than it does maybe in the regular season,
(04:42):
where it's a very passing, offensive driven league until you
get into the playoffs. So James Cook is incredible as
good at.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
Back in the league.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
They're a very good run game, probably the second best,
second most efficient run game.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
In the league, maybe just behind the rams.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
That's built for the playoffs. So they've almost taken a
a little bit away from their MVP caliber quarterback because
the ball's not in his hands so much and it
is a little bit of a more ground and pound.
I don't think they love their perimeter receivers in a
traditional passing game. So it's play action, it's boots and nakeds,
it's rollout passes a little bit more like what we
(05:17):
see from teams that don't have a Josh Allen. But
I think it's a I don't think it's by accident.
I think they've made that decision of saying, listen, he
can still be Superman.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
When we need it.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
We saw it in the snow firsthand up in Buffalo
when they came back to beat Sincy. He made some
just ridiculous plays that he's probably the only guy in
the league that can make to win you those games.
So it's a little bit by design. They're going to
need their defense to play really well. They're going to
need their defense to go on the road and keep
this thing. Because when you become a run heavy team
and you want to take such a high percentage of
(05:48):
your snaps and give it to the ground game, that's fine,
but your ability to operate.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
In that mentality is only.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
Lasts as long as your defense's ability to keep the score. Now,
so playing from behind is fine, Playing too far from
behind gets them out of that mode, and now it
turns into hero ball and drop back past, which I'm
not I don't think that's really what they want to
be over long periods of time.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Okay, So I think most of us believe it's my
turn down the sound test. When you turn down the
volume and just watch Seattle, you're like, man, I remember
the Carolina team with Cam that got to the Super Bowl,
and there was an energy and a speed. It was like, Oh,
these guys, they're playing with confidence that's over as good
(06:33):
as they are, and that it happens. You've been there,
and I think it's Seattle great. Well, I don't love
their own line Donald in the playoffs. I don't know,
but I would.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
It worry you at all that Seattle is.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Really young, Donald doesn't have a lot of playoff experience
or do you just look at them and go, Man,
they've got dudes everywhere.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
They've hit on every draft pick.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Honestly, Greg, they I don't think they've missed in a
top draft pick in four or five years. How do
you view Seattle? What worries you or what doesn't?
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Yeah, I think I think Josh Schneider is in the
in the upper echelon top two or three, him the
Howie Roseman's I mean, you're talking about elite, elite front
office talent evaluators draft picks, and obviously that's the foundation
of why they've had so much success. So they deserve
a ton of credit there as far as and again,
I don't want to sound dramatic here, but if you
(07:32):
could if you could pick, Okay, what style would you
like an offense in a defense? Complimentary on one NFL
team and you can pick, okay, what plays in today's
modern NFL, it would look very early similar to both
the offense and the defense of Seattle. What I mean
by that is offensively the fad this year. You look
(07:53):
at the Rams, you look at Seattle, the top teams,
and you say.
Speaker 5 (07:57):
Okay, who are they?
Speaker 4 (07:58):
They are big bodies, they're two tight ends, multiple backs,
not all this eleven spread, everyone outside the numbers drop
back pass crazy. They are a big body, heavy personnel
passing team and they're going to run with high volume.
But they're always hot and explosive plays. They're trying to
throw it over your head.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
That's what they are.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
Offensively, I would argue that's the best style to play
in today's NFL. And then conversely, on the other side,
the reason offenses are doing this is they want you
to put a bunch of big bodies on the field.
They want you to play with linebackers and defensive linemen
and not as many d backs.
Speaker 5 (08:34):
So what does Seattle do.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
Mike McDonald had its built up through personnel and just
the talent which he has. They play virtually nickel and
dime the entire time. They do not ever have only
four defensive backs on the field. First down, second down,
third down doesn't matter because they understand the value of
defending the pass and we're going to hold up against
the run with the least amount of people as possible.
(08:57):
That is the formula of being really good. They happen
to have mastered it and have the people on the
and the ideology to execute it.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
On both sides.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
And that's why I think if you, if you put
a gun to my head and said right now, pick
one team, put your life on it, I'm probably between
La and Seattle, and I think Seattle is as well
rounded and as good top to bottom as any team.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
In the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Yeah, so you played in Chicago. You love Chicago. Part
of me thinks, listen, everything goes in stages, and the
stage this year was save Caleb stop, you know, eliminate sacks.
He doesn't told a lot of picks. But I thought,
like Ben Johnson's job, we said before the season, I
(09:42):
don't really care about the record. He can't get sacks
sixty times. Cut those in half. Well, they kind of
in a third and he really hasn't told them, so
I almost feel like they kind of overachieve, Like they're ahead,
like I feel this way with New England and in Chicago,
like you're a kind of a head of where I
thought you were. I don't know if they feel that way.
(10:02):
But if Chicago lost at home to Green Bay, would
you say, hey, big jump, can't wait for next year?
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Or do you view them now at home? Quarterback?
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Is healthy, better, a line, tremendous weapons. Do you view
this as a no, this is disappointing if the Bears
lose at home.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
I'll be honest, I think in this playoffs AFC, NFC,
you know, would the Rams probably be disappointing if the
Rams lost again, it's the game that we're going to
call the Rams.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
You know, are they better than Carolina?
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Now? Carolina just beat them a couple weeks ago, But
so you probably could say across the board, I'm not
sure if there's any game that's just a glaring mismatch.
I think you can make an argument that green Bay
could win. You can make an argument how Chicago wins
home road, same with Philly and San France. I think
we could probably go through that exercise and make legitimate
arguments either way. But as far as Chicago, I said
(11:00):
during a preseason game all the way back in August
when we called their game, I thought it was the
best job in the league that was available. I thought, hey,
they get the best coach. But I thought there was
more wins built into that roster that a competent coach
and a guy like Ben Johnson, between scheme, ideology, you know, culture,
all the things that he was going to bring, I
(11:22):
thought the roster had a lot of wins built in.
Speaker 5 (11:24):
I feel that way hit a little bit right now.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
About the New York Giants going forward, Like there's the
talent at the right spots, there's the depth they've lost
that previously they had lost games they should have won,
and a little bit of dysfunction. Now you look at
this year, you could argue that they've maybe overachieved. Right
there was wins in there. There was an inevitable improvement
quarterback play, offensive line, both addition of personnel and scheme
(11:49):
and coaching and all of that. They're talented at the
skill positions. The defense still concerns me right now. The
defense is completely hanging their hat on taking the ball
away one of the best in the league. That's great
until that well drives up and you actually just have
to play on a snap by snap basis, so that
concerns me.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
A little bit.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
But yeah, I think improvement was inevitable. Did we think
it was going to be this many wins home playoff game?
Probably not. Now next year, could there be a little
bit of a regression? Absolutely? Are they going to lead
the league or be amongst the best in the league
and taking the ball away? History tells us that that's
not repeatable, That's not something that's easily sustainable.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
So there could be a regression.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
But for right now, I think Chicago, like every wildcard
team this weekend, has every has ever the same argument
to win a game as anybody else, and I think
that's what makes this year's playoffs so intriguing.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Yeah, be sure to catch live editions of The Herd
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Speaker 4 (12:55):
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Speaker 6 (12:59):
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Speaker 2 (13:09):
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Speaker 1 (13:24):
So you're gonna be at the Miami Hurricane Ole miss game.
I like Miami in that space. I always looked at
Miami as a protown with a very small intense a
hurricane following, but it was a protown. You know Riley
in the Heat, d Wade, you know the Dolphins shula
(13:44):
for years.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
I was surprised. If you'd have.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Told me where who's gonna spend a lot of money,
I would have guessed Oregon with Phil Knight, Notre Dame
Michigan huge endowments. I would not have guessed Miami would
step up and just you know, really go out and
get aggressive.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
So we know Miami's good.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Mario Crysto Baal has been one of the top two
or three recruiters for a decade in the sport. I'm
surprised as an outsider you went there at how committed
they have been to it and like functional like this
this nil stuff is, I mean it's a barnyard musical
like the big collectives, and I am surprised that Miami
(14:25):
just jumped up and said, we're going to be a
ballplayer here, We're going to commit. Are you surprised by
that because you are around the program for years.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
Yeah, I'm not surprised because the culture down there in
Miami and from the president and the athletic director all
the way down through the entire culture there at the
athletic department and just the faculty in general, like winning matters,
being a good football program that Miami is woven into
the identity of the school to the student body, and
you know, it kind of flies under the radar a
(14:54):
little bit because we are we are a small, little
private school. If you drove down US one, you know
A one A down in in Coral Gables, you might
drive right by.
Speaker 5 (15:02):
The entrance to the school and not even though it's there.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
So it's not one of these huge state schools that
takes over Tuscaloosa or Athens or you know, Gainesville. So
it is a little bit of a different culture, a
little bit of a different vibe down there in South Florida.
But I'll tell you, I've known Mario crystal Ball since
I was fifteen years old. He recruited me as a
freshman in high school. I met him at Miami and
then he recruited me at Rutgers and then ended up
coaching me. He was my ted end coach in college,
(15:26):
so we're very close. I had dinner with him shortly
after he got the job years back, and he was
very clear to the school for him to leave Oregon,
where he pretty much had a blank check to execute
the vision that he wanted to in essence do what
Dan Lanning has continued to do and kept them to
this level. The Oregon had given Mario that level of commitment,
(15:47):
so for him to come to Miami, yes, it was
as all the modern Yes, it's where.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
He wanted to be.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
He was not going to come to Miami without the
full support top to bottom, comprehensively across the board. And
part of that is the nil money, and he got
a lot of that guaranteed to him and on the table,
not just as talk. And it was a big reason
not only why he took the job, but certainly one
of the big reasons why they've been as successful. But
(16:12):
make no mistake about it, before you could pay guys,
and it really just became to the highest bidder. Us
Nick saban Us from his time at FIU, Like, there
might not be a better recruiter in the country than
Mario Christobal. He just happens to now be the head coach.
But the same guy that was recruiting us as a
GA back in the early two thousands, it's the same
(16:33):
guy now recruit and he'll call me need you know,
He's reaching out to everyone and anyone.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
He is relentless.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
He is a tireless worker, and I couldn't be happier
for him.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
For the record, when you played in the NFL forever,
but I bet when you if that game was tied
twenty eight to twenty eight, you would be so nervous.
Do you when you go watch Miami?
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Are you a wreck? Are you an emotional wreck?
Speaker 4 (16:57):
I'm an emotional wreck watching any game that I'm not
a part of that I have vested interest in the outcome.
Speaker 5 (17:03):
It could be a Miami game, it could.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Be my daughter's seventh grade basketball game, my son's like
I it's just the way I'm wired. Like if I
care about the outcome and the people that are involved,
I'm when I'm playing, I'm great, Like not a highly
emotional player. Was never the guy running around and acting
like that was never me as a player, as a coach,
(17:26):
as a dad, as a parent. I carry my emotions
a lot more on my sleeve. So yeah, I'm going
to be thrilled at the game in Arizona. I'm gonna
be there with a couple buddies, catch up with some teammates,
and yeah, we're going to be living and dying with
every with every snap because my hope is that they
make the national title in Miami and get to go
watch them again.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
It's gonna be great.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
I just I love that we have Indiana, Oregon, Ole,
Miss and Miami and the.
Speaker 5 (17:51):
Four teams you said before the year, right, that's.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
What you called. That's right. I've picked them all. Great.
See anybody, Greg Olsen appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (17:59):
Thanks call.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
I've said for years there the three teams are good.
When they went in college football, Texas, Miami and USC
feel like not quite college. They're college eighty percent, but
twenty twenty five percent pro football because of the city,
and Miami just feels big.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Welcome back, Hurricanes. It's great. Can't wait. Jmack with the news.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
No, no turn on the news. This is the herd
Line News.
Speaker 7 (18:27):
All right, speaking of welcome back, Welcome back DK Metcalf.
He's going to be back for the Steelers on Monday
night against the Texans.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Huge came back.
Speaker 7 (18:35):
After this incident with a fan.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
You know, I was gonna call him something.
Speaker 7 (18:39):
But uh in Detroit.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Metcalf is back.
Speaker 7 (18:43):
He would not speak about the incident, but did say
he's excited to return. His team missed him obviously in
the red zone. They cannot get anything right with DK.
They averaged twenty four points per game, five point three yards.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Now with DK Friar move Warren and that's a good player,
by the way. Oh yeah, I like it.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
And fourteen Kenneth Gainwall, Gainwell. Okay, now Aaron's got a
little bit to work with. So it's when you take
dkf out, it's like, okay, now I can kind of
you know, I can.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Not think vertically. There's nothing vertically.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
But now you look see I'm telling you three and
a half Pittsburgh at home, DK Friar, Ruth Warren, Gainwell, Aaron.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Having his best half.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
They're pass blocking, according to PFF is actually top five
in the league.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
They're run blocking. I think it's their pass blocking. He's
better than the against this time.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
I think my second favorite bet of the weekend is
Pittsburgh to cover.
Speaker 7 (19:38):
So you know, I like playing poker and stuff. My
son is starting to get into poker. I'll see your
DK Metcalf and raise you. Derek Stingley, who's one of
the best quarterbacks in the league. He's gonna be All
Pro this year. Just put Stingley on him. Hey, good luck,
So your jump balls. I got Stingley. And on the
other side, if you want to run away from Stingley,
we got Lasser. I mean, this is a really good defense.
(19:59):
I think you're the one carry around these Mike Tomlin
stats in your back pocket about postseason failures. He last
won a playoff game. I don't know if TikTok was
invented back it wasn't. It's been a minute, so well,
you know it's not.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Tac toe was barely a it's a long time ago.
Speaker 7 (20:14):
All right, Let's move on to uh boy, the La
Las Vegas Raiders.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Colin, what a dumpster fire.
Speaker 7 (20:21):
This organization is back to back one and done's Pete
Carroll now bounds. How about this Max Crosby situation. He's
been frustrated, he was put on ir Just bye, claiming
he's healthy. He countered by going on Instagram.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
And posting a video of him playing basketball.
Speaker 7 (20:36):
Anyways, Raiders GM John Spytech had this to say when
asked if Max Crosby is untouchable.
Speaker 8 (20:44):
I have a lot of respect for Max and how
much he loves to play the game. And I've had
the opportunity in the last several weeks to spend a
lot of time with Max, and I think it's been
well documented that he didn't love the idea of not
playing football, and I think you always want that from
your best players. In fact, I think that's why they're
your players. So I love Max e embodies what a
Raider is. We've I've been pretty upfront with that from
(21:06):
the day that I sat up here almost a year ago,
and I continue to believe that.
Speaker 7 (21:12):
So Max Crosby is twenty eight uls or twenty nine
in August. He's not as young as Micah Parsons, Micah
fetch two first and Kenny Clark.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
What kind of hole can you get for Crosby first
round pick? For sure? Yeah, I would not a high
first like in the twenties. Yeah, I mean if you
were the Dallas Cowboys.
Speaker 7 (21:37):
Cowboys have a couple of picks. I believe interesting you
think Cowboys would.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Make a movie.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
No, I don't think that was just I think there's
a lot of people that would like Max Crosby. I mean,
I think maybe you can argue for the Raiders it
is clean house.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
So what about a team like the Buffalo Bills. They
need a receiver.
Speaker 7 (21:57):
I like mackay Lemon the USC receiver to them in
the first But if you're the Bills, do you give
up your twenty fourth pick and say we'll take Crosby
next year? We get bos on one side, Crosby on
the other, we get at Oliver, We got our defensive front.
Maybe we make a push next year.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
I don't know. I'm just looking late first round the Niners.
Speaker 7 (22:14):
Could they give up their pick at twenty six, go
after Crosby quickly retool next year.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
They're a little long in the tooth. I would like
the Niners to get younger, you know, off the top
of my head, think about a team that's close to
a championship and just lacks a consistent pass round New.
Speaker 7 (22:33):
England Patriots drafting thirtieth twenty fourth in pressure rate.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
That makes sense. The New England Patriots. I mean, cause
they're their roster's pretty good. The defense doesn't have a
lot of game changes. They don't have that. They create pressure.
They're not necessarily a high sack team, but they create pressure.
Speaker 7 (22:52):
Yeah, but that's not gonna We'll see what happens against
Justin Herbert.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
I think I like the Chargers here.
Speaker 7 (22:59):
I think the Patriots need to be as badly Rabel
defensive guy. We'll see, but either way, we think there's
no point in keeping Crosby, right Either well, I think
it's time to start over.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Yeah, Mendoza off. I would go Kevin Stefanski. I would
go Mendoza. There's an argument to trade Max and just
get you know, there's also an argument that keep Max
because with Mendoza for four years, you're not paying him anything.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
You get Mendoza genty bowers. That's a good one.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
I mean, Crosby leads the NFL and tackles for losses
since he entered the league.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
So you're gonna get.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
A first and a second, a first and a third
and a fifth.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
I mean there's a.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Twenty eight year old dude. He is still unblockable in
single I mean, you put one man on him. You
lose the battle.
Speaker 7 (23:47):
Didn't you say the Cowboys won the trade for Micah
because they didn't have to pay him.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
No, I said, both teams got what they wanted. Cowboys
will get more young, inexpensive labor, and the and the
Packers get a closer because they generally lead games in
the fourth They need their Mariano Rivera.
Speaker 7 (24:05):
Yeah, all right, final story, Coln. Let's go back to
the NBA in this Trey Young situation that's emerging. So
it came out according to shams over at the other place, saying,
Trey and his agents that should be important are looking
for a trade partner. So Atlanta elected to not offer
(24:25):
Trey an extension. He has ninety five mil left on
his deal this year and then next year.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (24:31):
Somebody really smart on our staff said, well, listen, the
Bucks are really flailing right now.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
Yannas ain't staying.
Speaker 7 (24:37):
You could easily clean up your books by trading Yannis
getting Trey Young, who's going to sell some tickets.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
They have no backpend.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
He's the opposite of Yannis. He doesn't defend or rebound.
Speaker 7 (24:47):
He's an offensive guy.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
Clear.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
No, I think he's a really fun offensive player. I
really do.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
I but he is.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
He's not somebody that's going to defend, not going to
be loved in the locker room because it's kind of
his show.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Well, he might be humbled by this, colin. This is tough.
I mean, hey, we don't want to extend you, and
now we're trading Mett Trey Young. I like him.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
I think he's a good player, but he's one of
those guys, you know, the insiders in the NBA are like,
not terribly well liked. He doesn't defend, and the knock
is always is he a winning player? He's an exciting player,
but is he a winning player?
Speaker 7 (25:20):
Okay, so I don't know conference championship appearances Trey Young one,
Joel Andbiad zero.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
I don't know what that means.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
But the Hawks have a better net rating when he's
off the floor.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
That is also true. That's a big one.
Speaker 7 (25:32):
And defensively they're way better without him. Currently they're flailing.
How's this colin? For his career, Trey Young's averaging twenty
five and nine. No, those are crazy good numbers and
there's like no market for That's how the NBA has
changed with this new hard cap third eight prin nonsense.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
So also, the Lakers are a great example. Nobody defends anybody,
you know, Carmelo Anthony never defended anybody. How do you
do in the playoffs, James Harden didn't defend anybody. I'm sorry, guys,
but football and basketball, once the referees swallow their whistle
in the playoffs, physicality wins and guys like Trey Young
(26:09):
become much less crucial.
Speaker 7 (26:11):
His big moment will be taking a bow at MSc
in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Remember when he hit that game winning shot. That was
pretty awesome. That was the height of Trey Young. That
was the postseason. They had a great run and it's
all been downhill.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Jmck with the news, Well that's the news, and thanks
for stopping by the line.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
I mean, it's just the numbers. When Trey Young doesn't play,
the defense is better. When he does play, they give
up nine more points. I mean, he's literally like a
touchdown in football, when Trey Young is on the floor,
they give up nine more points. Because in the NBA
the coaching is so good. They just attack you. They
attack Trey Young. And so you know all of those analytics.
(26:50):
Now you don't have to watch games all night. GMS
don't have to watch games. You can go and look
at the analytics of who's good on the floor. I
said this about Lebron, James no longer defends so and
Lebron offensively. Jay McK and I went back and forth
on this when Lebron was hurt to start the season.
Austin Reeves and Luca are on fire, and they bring
(27:10):
Lebron back, and you're like, for a game or two,
he's like, Hey, I'll be a good teammate. But he's
just kind of floating around doing his own thing. JJ
Reddicks complained, I think more than once that we have
too many possessions that were just sort of ad libbing. Well,
why do you think that is? That wasn't a problem
when Luca and Austin Reeves were running the show.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
It's the hurd.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Easter, not a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Tom Brady joining us Thursday and each week through the
NFL playoffs, So the NFL playoff matchups, it's very, very
unique is that the team that faces the most pressure
is not the number one seeded Seattle Seahawks in the
NFC or the number one seeded Denver Broncos in the AFC.
(28:04):
Smack dab look at those Buffalo Bills left side of
your screen. Sixth scene at Jacksonville. EI are the favorite.
That's hard to explain. They're zero to eight in their
last eight road playoff games. They without Mahomes and Berwin,
the playoffs are the team that faces because of Josh
(28:25):
Allen's level of play and talent, are considered the team
that now has its clearest pathway to a super Bowl
since Josh Allen has been a Bill. The other thing
that kind of jumps out to you is if you
go look at the teams that have had the longest
(28:46):
stretch in the NFL of ten plus win seasons, the
Bills and Josh Allen are part of that. They're one
of seven teams that have had this extended ten plus
winning momentum for years. The problem for Buffalo is that
six the other seven teams, and obviously Brady Belichick Patriots
(29:08):
was one of them. The problem being the other six
of all not just reach the super Bowl. They've won
a super Bowl and so Buffalo has yet to reach one.
So the pressure is absolutely on Buffalo and Nick Wright
talked about that earlier.
Speaker 9 (29:25):
I don't know if it's a good or a bad
thing for the Bills that the Patrick Lamar and Joe
Burrow are all out of it. It's obviously a good
thing in that the field seems so much clearer. If
you're worried about them getting tight, that's where it could
be a bad thing.
Speaker 5 (29:43):
There has never.
Speaker 9 (29:43):
Been I say this confidently, having done no research on it,
but I know it's true. There has never been a
sixth seed in the history of the NFL Playoffs with
more pressure on them to make the super Bowl than
the Buffalo Bills.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Yeah. I mean, if you look at it, and we've
got a graphic to win ten plus games six seven, eight,
nine times, you've got I mean, look at the teams.
For the radio audience, I'll go slow here. These are
the most consecutive seasons of ten plus wins. The Patriots obviously,
multiple super bowls, of the forty nine ers, the Montana years,
(30:21):
multiple super Bowls, Kansas City. You know, there's a lot
of things involved here. Mahomes obviously super Bowls, then the Colts,
Peyton Manning super bowls, the Cowboys seventy five to eighty
one super Bowls, and then there's Buffalo in that list
of six teams that has yet to reach a Super Bowl.
(30:45):
And I gotta tell you, I do not think Vegas
makes a lot of mistakes. I had said before the season,
I thought, I thought the line on the Seahawks upgrading
with Sam Darnold the second year of Mike McDonald, I said,
I think the over under was like nine and a
half ten. I'm like, that's a rare Vegas mistake. Seattle
(31:06):
is going to be multiple wins better with Sam Donald
over Gino Smith and Mike McDonald in his second year.
That's a rare Vegas mistake. The number the future bet
was just too low New England. I understood, because when
you spend a lot of money on free agency, you
don't know how the piece is fit. And we didn't
really know quite that Drake may was certainly what he
is now. I do not get the Buffalo being favored
(31:30):
at Jacksonville.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
I don't get the number. I do not get the number.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Jacksonville has thumped playoff teams, fumped Denver, thumped the Chargers.
Jacksonville is the better team, and now Buffalo's run game
is better. But as J Mack noted yesterday, Trevor Lawrence
runs a lot and they run the ball well, so
(31:56):
I think Jack And the other thing that works against
Buffalo is their inability against quality teams to jump out
with momentum leads. They play behind way too much. So
it's and so in my hurt hierarchy, I've been doing
this for weeks.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
I don't know what to do with Buffalo.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
I know they're good, but I had them at ten
several weeks, and generally, the way I look at my
hurt hierarchy, the top four teams at any one point
I feel like are the four teams that could win
the Super Bowl. I don't see it with Buffalo. I
could be wrong. There are numbers that tell you they're
better than I think. But the fact they're a favorite
(32:41):
of Jacksonville, boy does that playing at Jacksonville's hand. Liam
Cohen all week is like, can you believe it? We're
a home dog to Buffalo? Can you believe the disrespect
for the Jacksonville Jaguars?
Speaker 3 (32:54):
What an advantage?
Speaker 1 (32:55):
No pressure, home dog house money can use the respect card,
which really plays with young athletes.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
They really get worked up over that.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
So yeah, Jmack has one picky loves he loves the Chargers.
I like Jacksonville and I'm sorry Dk Metcalf returning Tomlin
getting the Hawk three and a half at home. Tomlin's
record on Monday Night is insane, and Houston probably wins
but doesn't score.
Speaker 7 (33:26):
So I'm writing this one up some numbers for you.
Just gonna throw these numbers out. Patriots third worst red
zone defense, allowing touchdowns sixty seven percent of the time,
Chargers fourth best red zone defense. This is interesting, So
opponents who are in the playoffs. You know, the Patriots
played the fewest games against opponents in the playoffs four
(33:47):
three of them were in the first five weeks of
the season. So in the last like twelve weeks, they've
played one team that was in the playoffs, Buffalo, and
they lost.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
That's interesting. I mean, they got the weakest schedule.
Speaker 7 (33:59):
According to this guy, Aaron Schatz who does some Advanced towns,
they had the weakest schedule in over twenty five years
that they.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
In the league. They just played a lot of bad
for an NFC South team.
Speaker 7 (34:09):
Well, I mean, I don't you don't know what to
make some of this stuff, because man.
Speaker 3 (34:13):
Right now, I haven't done Blazing five yet.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
I would take Rams minus ten, agree, Jaguars plus a point,
Eagles minus four and a half.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
You gotta find some dogs in there. Pittsburgh is my
favorite dog. I gat I mean Pittsburgh.
Speaker 7 (34:32):
By the way, it's not that they've just lost like
six playoff games in a row. I think they're one
and five against his bread are ow and six. They're
not even competitive now. Some of those are against Mahomes.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
I do not I have I just Patriots Chargers.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
It's the late Sunday game, so the crowd is going
to be lubricated in Foxborough. It's hard to go on
the road and win those Sunday night games. That will
be the loudest crowd of the weekend.
Speaker 7 (34:58):
I think Bears are going to be juiced up for
a home game against the Packers, right well, I mean
that's a night game.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
You can you know what today?
Speaker 2 (35:05):
What is it?
Speaker 3 (35:05):
Ryan? Is it fifty degrees in Chicago today? Oh? Wow?
Ball me.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
Reportedly it's going to be the sun is going to
be out beaming on Saturday.
Speaker 7 (35:13):
The last Bears playoff game I bet on was the
double doink. I think remember that the kick donk doink loss.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
I'm so exciting. Yeah, then I get the Hurricanes ole miss.
Those should be good games as well. Oh.
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find
your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio
dot com, or stream us live every day on the
iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Well, you knew when he was playing football that he
was eventually going to broadcast football. Three Pro Bowls fourteen years,
Greg Olsen, Fox Sports. One of the good guys in
our business is joining us. We'll get to your Hurricanes
in just a little bit. We'll circle back because they
are in college football is better.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
When Miami's got swag, and man do they?
Speaker 1 (00:48):
So you had the Dolphins Patriots last weekend, and I
had said before the season, I had picked them as
my double year wind total. I said they're going to
make it as a wild card. I thought they'd win
nine ten games, a lot of it on beating the
Dolphins and beating the Jets. I didn't think they'd be
this good. Yes, Rabel and Josh McDaniel are part of it. So,
as Drake May, you did their game last week, do
(01:11):
they have the kind of roster that could win a
conference because to this point, I don't think people think that.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
I think people think Vrabel.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
And Drake May and even I think they are another
draft away on the offensive front. When you watch them,
do you look and say championship roster.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
If you would have asked me three weeks ago, I
think my answer would be a little bit different.
Speaker 5 (01:34):
I think I would have been more hesitant.
Speaker 4 (01:36):
I spent last week really trying to give them, like
an honest evaluation. I know everyone makes a big deal
about their strength of schedule and their division, but after
spending a week studying them, watching what makes them good?
Speaker 5 (01:49):
Seeing that run game last week in Week eighteen.
Speaker 4 (01:52):
Against the Dolphins really come to life and they were incredible.
Trevion Henderson and ramondre Steves and they ran all over
the place. With that past game, I think the defense
is good where they need to be good. You know,
it's we talked about on the broadcast last week. What's
unique about the defense. Maybe not a lot of stars.
They got Gonzaleses there. Obviously they're one pro bowler on
that side, but you know, they don't.
Speaker 5 (02:12):
Take the ball away at a real high level.
Speaker 4 (02:14):
They let teams, you know, score in the red zone,
but when you look at it, they don't give up points,
they don't give up explosives. You don't get to the
red zone often when you do, you score, So they're
good where it matters. All of a sudden, they get
into a hot streak of taking the ball away with
that offense, and then the run game that has more
value come postseason than maybe it does in the regular season.
(02:36):
And then on top of all that, I think the
AFC is completely wide open, So I think.
Speaker 5 (02:41):
The Patriots have that.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
I can make a strong an argument that the Patriots
make the Super Bowl is there's probably any in the
entire conference, and that's both a credit to them and
the season that they've had, and also just kind of
the lay of the land there in the AFC.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
I said, there's fourteen teams that make it in everybody
can lose except Buffalo and mahomes Is out, Burrows out,
Lamar's out. It's a bunch of bow knicks, Drake May.
It's like Jacksonville. It's like, okay, guys, you got to
win this opening round, and boy did they get a
tough matchup. Jacksonville's on fire. But I said, here's what
(03:17):
would worry me. They're a slow starting team that is
bad against a powerful offense. At home, they play from
behind constantly. I can't figure it out. Is it a
they don't like scripted stuff? How do you explain Buffalo
being behind in like six of eight weeks you've been
(03:37):
in You were in this league for so long. Most
top quarterbacks with winning coaches start strong.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
It's like a rule.
Speaker 1 (03:45):
You have a plan, you have a point of view,
you're efficient, you've got good personnel. I don't think you
can win. I don't think they'll beat Jacksonville. What do
you say to their offensive struggles before half?
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Well, I think it's a fascinating kind of deep dive.
And you know, I haven't had Buffalo in a couple
of weeks, so I had them call it three four
weeks ago in that home game. Incredible game in the
snow against Cincy and Burrow. But I think what's unique
about Buffalo is it feels like they've made their offense
built for the postseason. Right, So you think years ago,
(04:20):
Josh Allen is in the shotgun and every play the
ball's in his hand and he's running around crazy design
run scramble, runs and then obviously just operating as a
traditional dropback gun passer. Well, they've made a very conscious decision.
They said, Okay, in the postseason, we're run game and
being able to control the line of scrimmage has a
lot more value than it does maybe in the regular season,
(04:42):
where it's a very passing, offensive driven league until you
get into the playoffs. So James Cook is incredible as
good at.
Speaker 5 (04:49):
Back in the league.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
They're a very good run game, probably the second best,
second most efficient run game.
Speaker 5 (04:53):
In the league, maybe just behind the rams.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
That's built for the playoffs. So they've almost taken a
a little bit away from their MVP caliber quarterback because
the ball's not in his hands so much and it
is a little bit of a more ground and pound.
I don't think they love their perimeter receivers in a
traditional passing game. So it's play action, it's boots and nakeds,
it's rollout passes a little bit more like what we
(05:17):
see from teams that don't have a Josh Allen. But
I think it's a I don't think it's by accident.
I think they've made that decision of saying, listen, he
can still be Superman.
Speaker 5 (05:25):
When we need it.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
We saw it in the snow firsthand up in Buffalo
when they came back to beat Sincy. He made some
just ridiculous plays that he's probably the only guy in
the league that can make to win you those games.
So it's a little bit by design. They're going to
need their defense to play really well. They're going to
need their defense to go on the road and keep
this thing. Because when you become a run heavy team
and you want to take such a high percentage of
(05:48):
your snaps and give it to the ground game, that's fine,
but your ability to operate.
Speaker 5 (05:53):
In that mentality is only.
Speaker 4 (05:56):
Lasts as long as your defense's ability to keep the score. Now,
so playing from behind is fine, Playing too far from
behind gets them out of that mode, and now it
turns into hero ball and drop back past, which I'm
not I don't think that's really what they want to
be over long periods of time.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
Okay, So I think most of us believe it's my
turn down the sound test. When you turn down the
volume and just watch Seattle, you're like, man, I remember
the Carolina team with Cam that got to the Super Bowl,
and there was an energy and a speed. It was like, Oh,
these guys, they're playing with confidence that's over as good
(06:33):
as they are, and that it happens. You've been there,
and I think it's Seattle great. Well, I don't love
their own line Donald in the playoffs. I don't know,
but I would.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
It worry you at all that Seattle is.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
Really young, Donald doesn't have a lot of playoff experience
or do you just look at them and go, Man,
they've got dudes everywhere.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
They've hit on every draft pick.
Speaker 1 (07:00):
Honestly, Greg, they I don't think they've missed in a
top draft pick in four or five years. How do
you view Seattle? What worries you or what doesn't?
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Yeah, I think I think Josh Schneider is in the
in the upper echelon top two or three, him the
Howie Roseman's I mean, you're talking about elite, elite front
office talent evaluators draft picks, and obviously that's the foundation
of why they've had so much success. So they deserve
a ton of credit there as far as and again,
I don't want to sound dramatic here, but if you
(07:32):
could if you could pick, Okay, what style would you
like an offense in a defense? Complimentary on one NFL
team and you can pick, okay, what plays in today's
modern NFL, it would look very early similar to both
the offense and the defense of Seattle. What I mean
by that is offensively the fad this year. You look
(07:53):
at the Rams, you look at Seattle, the top teams,
and you say.
Speaker 5 (07:57):
Okay, who are they?
Speaker 4 (07:58):
They are big bodies, they're two tight ends, multiple backs,
not all this eleven spread, everyone outside the numbers drop
back pass crazy. They are a big body, heavy personnel
passing team and they're going to run with high volume.
But they're always hot and explosive plays. They're trying to
throw it over your head.
Speaker 5 (08:19):
That's what they are.
Speaker 4 (08:19):
Offensively, I would argue that's the best style to play
in today's NFL. And then conversely, on the other side,
the reason offenses are doing this is they want you
to put a bunch of big bodies on the field.
They want you to play with linebackers and defensive linemen
and not as many d backs.
Speaker 5 (08:34):
So what does Seattle do.
Speaker 4 (08:36):
Mike McDonald had its built up through personnel and just
the talent which he has. They play virtually nickel and
dime the entire time. They do not ever have only
four defensive backs on the field. First down, second down,
third down doesn't matter because they understand the value of
defending the pass and we're going to hold up against
the run with the least amount of people as possible.
(08:57):
That is the formula of being really good. They happen
to have mastered it and have the people on the
and the ideology to execute it.
Speaker 5 (09:04):
On both sides.
Speaker 4 (09:05):
And that's why I think if you, if you put
a gun to my head and said right now, pick
one team, put your life on it, I'm probably between
La and Seattle, and I think Seattle is as well
rounded and as good top to bottom as any team.
Speaker 5 (09:20):
In the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
Yeah, so you played in Chicago. You love Chicago. Part
of me thinks, listen, everything goes in stages, and the
stage this year was save Caleb stop, you know, eliminate sacks.
He doesn't told a lot of picks. But I thought,
like Ben Johnson's job, we said before the season, I
(09:42):
don't really care about the record. He can't get sacks
sixty times. Cut those in half. Well, they kind of
in a third and he really hasn't told them, so
I almost feel like they kind of overachieve, Like they're ahead,
like I feel this way with New England and in Chicago,
like you're a kind of a head of where I
thought you were. I don't know if they feel that way.
(10:02):
But if Chicago lost at home to Green Bay, would
you say, hey, big jump, can't wait for next year?
Speaker 3 (10:10):
Or do you view them now at home? Quarterback?
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Is healthy, better, a line, tremendous weapons. Do you view
this as a no, this is disappointing if the Bears
lose at home.
Speaker 4 (10:25):
I'll be honest, I think in this playoffs AFC, NFC,
you know, would the Rams probably be disappointing if the
Rams lost again, it's the game that we're going to
call the Rams.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
You know, are they better than Carolina?
Speaker 4 (10:38):
Now? Carolina just beat them a couple weeks ago, But
so you probably could say across the board, I'm not
sure if there's any game that's just a glaring mismatch.
I think you can make an argument that green Bay
could win. You can make an argument how Chicago wins
home road, same with Philly and San France. I think
we could probably go through that exercise and make legitimate
arguments either way. But as far as Chicago, I said
(11:00):
during a preseason game all the way back in August
when we called their game, I thought it was the
best job in the league that was available. I thought, hey,
they get the best coach. But I thought there was
more wins built into that roster that a competent coach
and a guy like Ben Johnson, between scheme, ideology, you know, culture,
all the things that he was going to bring, I
(11:22):
thought the roster had a lot of wins built in.
Speaker 5 (11:24):
I feel that way hit a little bit right now.
Speaker 4 (11:26):
About the New York Giants going forward, Like there's the
talent at the right spots, there's the depth they've lost
that previously they had lost games they should have won,
and a little bit of dysfunction. Now you look at
this year, you could argue that they've maybe overachieved. Right
there was wins in there. There was an inevitable improvement
quarterback play, offensive line, both addition of personnel and scheme
(11:49):
and coaching and all of that. They're talented at the
skill positions. The defense still concerns me right now. The
defense is completely hanging their hat on taking the ball
away one of the best in the league. That's great
until that well drives up and you actually just have
to play on a snap by snap basis, so that
concerns me.
Speaker 5 (12:07):
A little bit.
Speaker 4 (12:08):
But yeah, I think improvement was inevitable. Did we think
it was going to be this many wins home playoff game?
Probably not. Now next year, could there be a little
bit of a regression? Absolutely? Are they going to lead
the league or be amongst the best in the league
and taking the ball away? History tells us that that's
not repeatable, That's not something that's easily sustainable.
Speaker 5 (12:28):
So there could be a regression.
Speaker 4 (12:30):
But for right now, I think Chicago, like every wildcard
team this weekend, has every has ever the same argument
to win a game as anybody else, and I think
that's what makes this year's playoffs so intriguing.
Speaker 2 (12:44):
Yeah, be sure to catch live editions of The Herd
weekdays and neon Easter nine am Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Hey It's Rob Parker and Calvin Washington from The Odd
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Speaker 6 (12:59):
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Speaker 2 (13:09):
That's Right.
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Speaker 1 (13:24):
So you're gonna be at the Miami Hurricane Ole miss game.
I like Miami in that space. I always looked at
Miami as a protown with a very small intense a
hurricane following, but it was a protown. You know Riley
in the Heat, d Wade, you know the Dolphins shula
(13:44):
for years.
Speaker 3 (13:46):
I was surprised. If you'd have.
Speaker 1 (13:47):
Told me where who's gonna spend a lot of money,
I would have guessed Oregon with Phil Knight, Notre Dame
Michigan huge endowments. I would not have guessed Miami would
step up and just you know, really go out and
get aggressive.
Speaker 3 (14:02):
So we know Miami's good.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Mario Crysto Baal has been one of the top two
or three recruiters for a decade in the sport. I'm
surprised as an outsider you went there at how committed
they have been to it and like functional like this
this nil stuff is, I mean it's a barnyard musical
like the big collectives, and I am surprised that Miami
(14:25):
just jumped up and said, we're going to be a
ballplayer here, We're going to commit. Are you surprised by
that because you are around the program for years.
Speaker 4 (14:33):
Yeah, I'm not surprised because the culture down there in
Miami and from the president and the athletic director all
the way down through the entire culture there at the
athletic department and just the faculty in general, like winning matters,
being a good football program that Miami is woven into
the identity of the school to the student body, and
you know, it kind of flies under the radar a
(14:54):
little bit because we are we are a small, little
private school. If you drove down US one, you know
A one A down in in Coral Gables, you might
drive right by.
Speaker 5 (15:02):
The entrance to the school and not even though it's there.
Speaker 4 (15:04):
So it's not one of these huge state schools that
takes over Tuscaloosa or Athens or you know, Gainesville. So
it is a little bit of a different culture, a
little bit of a different vibe down there in South Florida.
But I'll tell you, I've known Mario crystal Ball since
I was fifteen years old. He recruited me as a
freshman in high school. I met him at Miami and
then he recruited me at Rutgers and then ended up
coaching me. He was my ted end coach in college,
(15:26):
so we're very close. I had dinner with him shortly
after he got the job years back, and he was
very clear to the school for him to leave Oregon,
where he pretty much had a blank check to execute
the vision that he wanted to in essence do what
Dan Lanning has continued to do and kept them to
this level. The Oregon had given Mario that level of commitment,
(15:47):
so for him to come to Miami, yes, it was
as all the modern Yes, it's where.
Speaker 5 (15:50):
He wanted to be.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
He was not going to come to Miami without the
full support top to bottom, comprehensively across the board. And
part of that is the nil money, and he got
a lot of that guaranteed to him and on the table,
not just as talk. And it was a big reason
not only why he took the job, but certainly one
of the big reasons why they've been as successful. But
(16:12):
make no mistake about it, before you could pay guys,
and it really just became to the highest bidder. Us
Nick saban Us from his time at FIU, Like, there
might not be a better recruiter in the country than
Mario Christobal. He just happens to now be the head coach.
But the same guy that was recruiting us as a
GA back in the early two thousands, it's the same
(16:33):
guy now recruit and he'll call me need you know,
He's reaching out to everyone and anyone.
Speaker 5 (16:37):
He is relentless.
Speaker 4 (16:39):
He is a tireless worker, and I couldn't be happier
for him.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
For the record, when you played in the NFL forever,
but I bet when you if that game was tied
twenty eight to twenty eight, you would be so nervous.
Do you when you go watch Miami?
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Are you a wreck? Are you an emotional wreck?
Speaker 4 (16:57):
I'm an emotional wreck watching any game that I'm not
a part of that I have vested interest in the outcome.
Speaker 5 (17:03):
It could be a Miami game, it could.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Be my daughter's seventh grade basketball game, my son's like
I it's just the way I'm wired. Like if I
care about the outcome and the people that are involved,
I'm when I'm playing, I'm great, Like not a highly
emotional player. Was never the guy running around and acting
like that was never me as a player, as a coach,
(17:26):
as a dad, as a parent. I carry my emotions
a lot more on my sleeve. So yeah, I'm going
to be thrilled at the game in Arizona. I'm gonna
be there with a couple buddies, catch up with some teammates,
and yeah, we're going to be living and dying with
every with every snap because my hope is that they
make the national title in Miami and get to go
watch them again.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
It's gonna be great.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
I just I love that we have Indiana, Oregon, Ole,
Miss and Miami and the.
Speaker 5 (17:51):
Four teams you said before the year, right, that's.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
What you called. That's right. I've picked them all. Great.
See anybody, Greg Olsen appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (17:59):
Thanks call.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
I've said for years there the three teams are good.
When they went in college football, Texas, Miami and USC
feel like not quite college. They're college eighty percent, but
twenty twenty five percent pro football because of the city,
and Miami just feels big.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
Welcome back, Hurricanes. It's great. Can't wait. Jmack with the news.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
No, no turn on the news. This is the herd
Line News.
Speaker 7 (18:27):
All right, speaking of welcome back, Welcome back DK Metcalf.
He's going to be back for the Steelers on Monday
night against the Texans.
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Huge came back.
Speaker 7 (18:35):
After this incident with a fan.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
You know, I was gonna call him something.
Speaker 7 (18:39):
But uh in Detroit.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Metcalf is back.
Speaker 7 (18:43):
He would not speak about the incident, but did say
he's excited to return. His team missed him obviously in
the red zone. They cannot get anything right with DK.
They averaged twenty four points per game, five point three yards.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Now with DK Friar move Warren and that's a good player,
by the way. Oh yeah, I like it.
Speaker 1 (19:03):
And fourteen Kenneth Gainwall, Gainwell. Okay, now Aaron's got a
little bit to work with. So it's when you take
dkf out, it's like, okay, now I can kind of
you know, I can.
Speaker 3 (19:14):
Not think vertically. There's nothing vertically.
Speaker 1 (19:16):
But now you look see I'm telling you three and
a half Pittsburgh at home, DK Friar, Ruth Warren, Gainwell, Aaron.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
Having his best half.
Speaker 1 (19:25):
They're pass blocking, according to PFF is actually top five
in the league.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
They're run blocking. I think it's their pass blocking. He's
better than the against this time.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
I think my second favorite bet of the weekend is
Pittsburgh to cover.
Speaker 7 (19:38):
So you know, I like playing poker and stuff. My
son is starting to get into poker. I'll see your
DK Metcalf and raise you. Derek Stingley, who's one of
the best quarterbacks in the league. He's gonna be All
Pro this year. Just put Stingley on him. Hey, good luck,
So your jump balls. I got Stingley. And on the
other side, if you want to run away from Stingley,
we got Lasser. I mean, this is a really good defense.
(19:59):
I think you're the one carry around these Mike Tomlin
stats in your back pocket about postseason failures. He last
won a playoff game. I don't know if TikTok was
invented back it wasn't. It's been a minute, so well,
you know it's not.
Speaker 3 (20:11):
Tac toe was barely a it's a long time ago.
Speaker 7 (20:14):
All right, Let's move on to uh boy, the La
Las Vegas Raiders.
Speaker 3 (20:19):
Colin, what a dumpster fire.
Speaker 7 (20:21):
This organization is back to back one and done's Pete
Carroll now bounds. How about this Max Crosby situation. He's
been frustrated, he was put on ir Just bye, claiming
he's healthy. He countered by going on Instagram.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
And posting a video of him playing basketball.
Speaker 7 (20:36):
Anyways, Raiders GM John Spytech had this to say when
asked if Max Crosby is untouchable.
Speaker 8 (20:44):
I have a lot of respect for Max and how
much he loves to play the game. And I've had
the opportunity in the last several weeks to spend a
lot of time with Max, and I think it's been
well documented that he didn't love the idea of not
playing football, and I think you always want that from
your best players. In fact, I think that's why they're
your players. So I love Max e embodies what a
Raider is. We've I've been pretty upfront with that from
(21:06):
the day that I sat up here almost a year ago,
and I continue to believe that.
Speaker 7 (21:12):
So Max Crosby is twenty eight uls or twenty nine
in August. He's not as young as Micah Parsons, Micah
fetch two first and Kenny Clark.
Speaker 3 (21:23):
What kind of hole can you get for Crosby first
round pick? For sure? Yeah, I would not a high
first like in the twenties. Yeah, I mean if you
were the Dallas Cowboys.
Speaker 7 (21:37):
Cowboys have a couple of picks. I believe interesting you
think Cowboys would.
Speaker 3 (21:41):
Make a movie.
Speaker 1 (21:42):
No, I don't think that was just I think there's
a lot of people that would like Max Crosby. I mean,
I think maybe you can argue for the Raiders it
is clean house.
Speaker 3 (21:53):
So what about a team like the Buffalo Bills. They
need a receiver.
Speaker 7 (21:57):
I like mackay Lemon the USC receiver to them in
the first But if you're the Bills, do you give
up your twenty fourth pick and say we'll take Crosby
next year? We get bos on one side, Crosby on
the other, we get at Oliver, We got our defensive front.
Maybe we make a push next year.
Speaker 3 (22:11):
I don't know. I'm just looking late first round the Niners.
Speaker 7 (22:14):
Could they give up their pick at twenty six, go
after Crosby quickly retool next year.
Speaker 2 (22:20):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
They're a little long in the tooth. I would like
the Niners to get younger, you know, off the top
of my head, think about a team that's close to
a championship and just lacks a consistent pass round New.
Speaker 7 (22:33):
England Patriots drafting thirtieth twenty fourth in pressure rate.
Speaker 1 (22:37):
That makes sense. The New England Patriots. I mean, cause
they're their roster's pretty good. The defense doesn't have a
lot of game changes. They don't have that. They create pressure.
They're not necessarily a high sack team, but they create pressure.
Speaker 7 (22:52):
Yeah, but that's not gonna We'll see what happens against
Justin Herbert.
Speaker 3 (22:56):
I think I like the Chargers here.
Speaker 7 (22:59):
I think the Patriots need to be as badly Rabel
defensive guy. We'll see, but either way, we think there's
no point in keeping Crosby, right Either well, I think
it's time to start over.
Speaker 1 (23:08):
Yeah, Mendoza off. I would go Kevin Stefanski. I would
go Mendoza. There's an argument to trade Max and just
get you know, there's also an argument that keep Max
because with Mendoza for four years, you're not paying him anything.
Speaker 3 (23:24):
You get Mendoza genty bowers. That's a good one.
Speaker 1 (23:27):
I mean, Crosby leads the NFL and tackles for losses
since he entered the league.
Speaker 3 (23:32):
So you're gonna get.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
A first and a second, a first and a third
and a fifth.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
I mean there's a.
Speaker 1 (23:38):
Twenty eight year old dude. He is still unblockable in
single I mean, you put one man on him. You
lose the battle.
Speaker 7 (23:47):
Didn't you say the Cowboys won the trade for Micah
because they didn't have to pay him.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
No, I said, both teams got what they wanted. Cowboys
will get more young, inexpensive labor, and the and the
Packers get a closer because they generally lead games in
the fourth They need their Mariano Rivera.
Speaker 7 (24:05):
Yeah, all right, final story, Coln. Let's go back to
the NBA in this Trey Young situation that's emerging. So
it came out according to shams over at the other place, saying,
Trey and his agents that should be important are looking
for a trade partner. So Atlanta elected to not offer
(24:25):
Trey an extension. He has ninety five mil left on
his deal this year and then next year.
Speaker 3 (24:30):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (24:31):
Somebody really smart on our staff said, well, listen, the
Bucks are really flailing right now.
Speaker 3 (24:36):
Yannas ain't staying.
Speaker 7 (24:37):
You could easily clean up your books by trading Yannis
getting Trey Young, who's going to sell some tickets.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
They have no backpend.
Speaker 1 (24:43):
He's the opposite of Yannis. He doesn't defend or rebound.
Speaker 7 (24:47):
He's an offensive guy.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
Clear.
Speaker 1 (24:49):
No, I think he's a really fun offensive player. I
really do.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
I but he is.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
He's not somebody that's going to defend, not going to
be loved in the locker room because it's kind of
his show.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Well, he might be humbled by this, colin. This is tough.
I mean, hey, we don't want to extend you, and
now we're trading Mett Trey Young. I like him.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
I think he's a good player, but he's one of
those guys, you know, the insiders in the NBA are like,
not terribly well liked. He doesn't defend, and the knock
is always is he a winning player? He's an exciting player,
but is he a winning player?
Speaker 7 (25:20):
Okay, so I don't know conference championship appearances Trey Young one,
Joel Andbiad zero.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
I don't know what that means.
Speaker 1 (25:26):
But the Hawks have a better net rating when he's
off the floor.
Speaker 3 (25:30):
That is also true. That's a big one.
Speaker 7 (25:32):
And defensively they're way better without him. Currently they're flailing.
How's this colin? For his career, Trey Young's averaging twenty
five and nine. No, those are crazy good numbers and
there's like no market for That's how the NBA has
changed with this new hard cap third eight prin nonsense.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
So also, the Lakers are a great example. Nobody defends anybody,
you know, Carmelo Anthony never defended anybody. How do you
do in the playoffs, James Harden didn't defend anybody. I'm sorry, guys,
but football and basketball, once the referees swallow their whistle
in the playoffs, physicality wins and guys like Trey Young
(26:09):
become much less crucial.
Speaker 7 (26:11):
His big moment will be taking a bow at MSc
in the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (26:13):
Remember when he hit that game winning shot. That was
pretty awesome. That was the height of Trey Young. That
was the postseason. They had a great run and it's
all been downhill.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
Jmck with the news, Well that's the news, and thanks
for stopping by the line.
Speaker 1 (26:27):
I mean, it's just the numbers. When Trey Young doesn't play,
the defense is better. When he does play, they give
up nine more points. I mean, he's literally like a
touchdown in football, when Trey Young is on the floor,
they give up nine more points. Because in the NBA
the coaching is so good. They just attack you. They
attack Trey Young. And so you know all of those analytics.
(26:50):
Now you don't have to watch games all night. GMS
don't have to watch games. You can go and look
at the analytics of who's good on the floor. I
said this about Lebron, James no longer defends so and
Lebron offensively. Jay McK and I went back and forth
on this when Lebron was hurt to start the season.
Austin Reeves and Luca are on fire, and they bring
(27:10):
Lebron back, and you're like, for a game or two,
he's like, Hey, I'll be a good teammate. But he's
just kind of floating around doing his own thing. JJ
Reddicks complained, I think more than once that we have
too many possessions that were just sort of ad libbing. Well,
why do you think that is? That wasn't a problem
when Luca and Austin Reeves were running the show.
Speaker 3 (27:28):
It's the hurd.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon Easter, not a Empacific.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Tom Brady joining us Thursday and each week through the
NFL playoffs, So the NFL playoff matchups, it's very, very
unique is that the team that faces the most pressure
is not the number one seeded Seattle Seahawks in the
NFC or the number one seeded Denver Broncos in the AFC.
(28:04):
Smack dab look at those Buffalo Bills left side of
your screen. Sixth scene at Jacksonville. EI are the favorite.
That's hard to explain. They're zero to eight in their
last eight road playoff games. They without Mahomes and Berwin,
the playoffs are the team that faces because of Josh
(28:25):
Allen's level of play and talent, are considered the team
that now has its clearest pathway to a super Bowl
since Josh Allen has been a Bill. The other thing
that kind of jumps out to you is if you
go look at the teams that have had the longest
(28:46):
stretch in the NFL of ten plus win seasons, the
Bills and Josh Allen are part of that. They're one
of seven teams that have had this extended ten plus
winning momentum for years. The problem for Buffalo is that
six the other seven teams, and obviously Brady Belichick Patriots
(29:08):
was one of them. The problem being the other six
of all not just reach the super Bowl. They've won
a super Bowl and so Buffalo has yet to reach one.
So the pressure is absolutely on Buffalo and Nick Wright
talked about that earlier.
Speaker 9 (29:25):
I don't know if it's a good or a bad
thing for the Bills that the Patrick Lamar and Joe
Burrow are all out of it. It's obviously a good
thing in that the field seems so much clearer. If
you're worried about them getting tight, that's where it could
be a bad thing.
Speaker 5 (29:43):
There has never.
Speaker 9 (29:43):
Been I say this confidently, having done no research on it,
but I know it's true. There has never been a
sixth seed in the history of the NFL Playoffs with
more pressure on them to make the super Bowl than
the Buffalo Bills.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Yeah. I mean, if you look at it, and we've
got a graphic to win ten plus games six seven, eight,
nine times, you've got I mean, look at the teams.
For the radio audience, I'll go slow here. These are
the most consecutive seasons of ten plus wins. The Patriots obviously,
multiple super bowls, of the forty nine ers, the Montana years,
(30:21):
multiple super Bowls, Kansas City. You know, there's a lot
of things involved here. Mahomes obviously super Bowls, then the Colts,
Peyton Manning super bowls, the Cowboys seventy five to eighty
one super Bowls, and then there's Buffalo in that list
of six teams that has yet to reach a Super Bowl.
(30:45):
And I gotta tell you, I do not think Vegas
makes a lot of mistakes. I had said before the season,
I thought, I thought the line on the Seahawks upgrading
with Sam Darnold the second year of Mike McDonald, I said,
I think the over under was like nine and a
half ten. I'm like, that's a rare Vegas mistake. Seattle
(31:06):
is going to be multiple wins better with Sam Donald
over Gino Smith and Mike McDonald in his second year.
That's a rare Vegas mistake. The number the future bet
was just too low New England. I understood, because when
you spend a lot of money on free agency, you
don't know how the piece is fit. And we didn't
really know quite that Drake may was certainly what he
is now. I do not get the Buffalo being favored
(31:30):
at Jacksonville.
Speaker 3 (31:32):
I don't get the number. I do not get the number.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
Jacksonville has thumped playoff teams, fumped Denver, thumped the Chargers.
Jacksonville is the better team, and now Buffalo's run game
is better. But as J Mack noted yesterday, Trevor Lawrence
runs a lot and they run the ball well, so
(31:56):
I think Jack And the other thing that works against
Buffalo is their inability against quality teams to jump out
with momentum leads. They play behind way too much. So
it's and so in my hurt hierarchy, I've been doing
this for weeks.
Speaker 3 (32:15):
I don't know what to do with Buffalo.
Speaker 1 (32:17):
I know they're good, but I had them at ten
several weeks, and generally, the way I look at my
hurt hierarchy, the top four teams at any one point
I feel like are the four teams that could win
the Super Bowl. I don't see it with Buffalo. I
could be wrong. There are numbers that tell you they're
better than I think. But the fact they're a favorite
(32:41):
of Jacksonville, boy does that playing at Jacksonville's hand. Liam
Cohen all week is like, can you believe it? We're
a home dog to Buffalo? Can you believe the disrespect
for the Jacksonville Jaguars?
Speaker 3 (32:54):
What an advantage?
Speaker 1 (32:55):
No pressure, home dog house money can use the respect card,
which really plays with young athletes.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
They really get worked up over that.
Speaker 1 (33:05):
So yeah, Jmack has one picky loves he loves the Chargers.
I like Jacksonville and I'm sorry Dk Metcalf returning Tomlin
getting the Hawk three and a half at home. Tomlin's
record on Monday Night is insane, and Houston probably wins
but doesn't score.
Speaker 7 (33:26):
So I'm writing this one up some numbers for you.
Just gonna throw these numbers out. Patriots third worst red
zone defense, allowing touchdowns sixty seven percent of the time,
Chargers fourth best red zone defense. This is interesting, So
opponents who are in the playoffs. You know, the Patriots
played the fewest games against opponents in the playoffs four
(33:47):
three of them were in the first five weeks of
the season. So in the last like twelve weeks, they've
played one team that was in the playoffs, Buffalo, and
they lost.
Speaker 3 (33:57):
That's interesting. I mean, they got the weakest schedule.
Speaker 7 (33:59):
According to this guy, Aaron Schatz who does some Advanced towns,
they had the weakest schedule in over twenty five years
that they.
Speaker 3 (34:06):
In the league. They just played a lot of bad
for an NFC South team.
Speaker 7 (34:09):
Well, I mean, I don't you don't know what to
make some of this stuff, because man.
Speaker 3 (34:13):
Right now, I haven't done Blazing five yet.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
I would take Rams minus ten, agree, Jaguars plus a point,
Eagles minus four and a half.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
You gotta find some dogs in there. Pittsburgh is my
favorite dog. I gat I mean Pittsburgh.
Speaker 7 (34:32):
By the way, it's not that they've just lost like
six playoff games in a row. I think they're one
and five against his bread are ow and six. They're
not even competitive now. Some of those are against Mahomes.
Speaker 3 (34:41):
I do not I have I just Patriots Chargers.
Speaker 1 (34:47):
It's the late Sunday game, so the crowd is going
to be lubricated in Foxborough. It's hard to go on
the road and win those Sunday night games. That will
be the loudest crowd of the weekend.
Speaker 7 (34:58):
I think Bears are going to be juiced up for
a home game against the Packers, right well, I mean
that's a night game.
Speaker 3 (35:03):
You can you know what today?
Speaker 2 (35:05):
What is it?
Speaker 3 (35:05):
Ryan? Is it fifty degrees in Chicago today? Oh? Wow?
Ball me.
Speaker 1 (35:08):
Reportedly it's going to be the sun is going to
be out beaming on Saturday.
Speaker 7 (35:13):
The last Bears playoff game I bet on was the
double doink. I think remember that the kick donk doink loss.
Speaker 3 (35:20):
I'm so exciting. Yeah, then I get the Hurricanes ole miss.
Those should be good games as well. Oh.
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Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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