September 10, 2026 • 31 mins
Colin Cowherd reacts to the Seattle Seahawks dramatic win over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl rematch. Colin gives his take on Sam Darnold's injury, Drake Maye's ugly interceptions and Drew Lock’s performance filling in for Darnold. How does he feel about both teams going forward the rest of the season? Colin is joined by Eli Manning. They discuss Jaxson Dart, Arch Manning and predict the biggest games of Week 1: 49ers-Rams, Bills-Texans & Cowboys-Giants.
Sign up for Polymarket with code COLIN and get $50 on us for your first trade
Presented by Bud Light. Stock up now on Bud Light! Head to https://budlight.com/locator to find a store near you.
Watch Week 1 of the NFL on Netflix, starting with the Los Angeles Rams, versus the San Francisco 49ers, Live only on Netflix Thursday, September 10 at 8:35 p.m. eastern
Wasabi Hot Cloud Storage, store more and do more with your data. Try them for free at Wasabi dot com. https://wasabi.com/
TIMELINE
2:00 Intro
2:30 Patriots-Seahawks
20:00 Eli Manning Interview
(Timestamps may vary based on advertisements.)
Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates!
#Volume
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Very excited to say that Bud Light is the title
sponsor of the Colin Coward podcast this NFL season. This
podcast presented by Bud Light. Easy to drink, easy to enjoy. Well,
it was a pretty ugly and discouraging first half with
Sam Darnold getting hurt. But Seattle, in a really, really
(00:28):
sloppy 13-10 win, their talent just overwhelms you. And that's
one of the great things about the NFL is if
you draft well, Philadelphia, Seattle, Detroit Lions, you can overcome injuries.
You can overcome losses. And, I mean, that's Seattle defense.
(00:50):
I mean, Drake May on that final drive had three
great plays. He twice ran for a first down, once
on fourth, once on third. Had a big, big completion
to the veteran, Mack Hollins. He throws this inexplicable interception
in the end zone. It's like, Drake, he's still a kid.
You know, you forget that. Like, this is year three.
(01:13):
This is the first game of year three, you know,
and he's still raw. He still makes bad decisions. And
we knew that coming out of Carolina. He was raw.
So this game has so many things to talk about.
First of all, the Sam Darnold injury reminded me of
a Ryan Fitzpatrick injury years ago where he jammed his
(01:37):
knee into the turf. and ended up pulling his hip,
and they thought it would be a six- to eight-week injury,
and he had to have a surgery, and he was
out for the season. You cross your fingers. Darnold has
played hurt. He's been beat up. A lot of those
games in New York, he is tough. I mean, Darnold
is like a Herbert or a Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes.
(02:02):
Jalen Hurts, he just plays hurt. And so, I mean,
you really have to force Sam Darnold out. He's got
to be in real pain to leave. I'm not a
huge Drew Locke fan. He reminds me a little bit
of Will Levitt. Will Levis, you know, both Southern guys,
good looking, confident, good arms. Don't love their judgment, make
(02:22):
weird throws. But, I mean, they're talented. I mean, Drew
Locke has a good arm. Will Levis has a good arm.
They're not dumb guys. They're kind of... sometimes overly confident,
a little too cool for school. Don't make me love
Drew Locke, but I thought he was good enough. Not
a very good red zone series, couple of penalties, but again,
(02:43):
he's a backup thrust into a starting role against a
very well-coached New England defense and a very good New
England team. I look at Brian Fleury. This was my
big concern. So, and I've said this before, in creative spaces, music, art, comedy, acting,
(03:06):
and offensive football, the creative side of football, you can
spot talent really early. It separates. Now, Samuel L. Jackson
or Rodney Dangerfield develop later. It happens, obviously. But the
Spielbergs and the Eddie Murphys and the Sean McVeighs and
the Richard Pryors, you just see in the creative fields,
(03:29):
it pops early. And a lot of these guys, the
Ben Olsons and the Shane Steikens and the McVeighs and
the Shanahan's and the Sean Payton's, You know, late 20s,
you know, that that hot zones like 33 years old
and the world goes, who is this? So a 47
year old former defensive coach who gets his first OC
(03:50):
job at 47. Yeah, worries me. Not that he couldn't
be capable. But he wouldn't be special, and he replaced
Clint Kubiak, who looks like he's really, really special. And
I've said this before. When a great offensive coach leaves,
like a Kyle Shanahan or a Ben Johnson leaves, I mean,
(04:13):
good luck replacing him. Liam Cohen leaves Tampa. They've never
quite looked the same. Good luck replacing him. So we'll
see how Brian Fleury looks. Really choppy. A lot of
offensive penalties. Again, how much is the first-time OC? How
much is Drew Locke? And let's be honest about Drew Locke.
(04:33):
This is not a rookie. It's not a second-year guy.
He's been in the league forever. So I think a
lot of the penalties, we can always blame the player.
We always love to blame the player. I didn't think
they looked terribly dialed up in this game. I just didn't.
But it's game one. Let's not overreact. Last year, the
Patriots lost game one to the Raiders and went to
(04:54):
the Super Bowl. Don't overreact. Two overwhelming takes. Drake May
had some really bad picks late in the game. Drake May,
three picks in the fourth quarter, only had one of
those in the fourth all of last season. So that's discouraging.
(05:14):
And again, A.J. Brown got hurt. So he gets thrust
into a weird situation where, okay, now Romeo Dobbs is
my number one. Romeo Dobbs has a drop problem. That's
why Green Bay bailed on him. By the way, that
game could have been sealed earlier. Romeo Dobbs drops a
ball out in the flat. That's the ball game, potentially.
That is potentially the ball game. Drake May would have
(05:36):
been free and clear. They could have been more conservative. Um,
instead they had to go back again and Drake may
throws a pick. And again, it's Seattle. It's on the road.
I don't think Drake may is going to have three
fourth quarter picks the rest of the season. Seattle is,
I mean, that they're just, they got talent everywhere. Um,
I mean, last year, week seven against the Texans, the
(05:59):
Seahawks had four turnovers and 13 penalties and beat playoff Houston. Um,
Week 11 against the Rams, they missed the game-winning field
goal as time expired. Against the Rams, they had four turnovers.
Week 16 against the Rams, they trailed 30-14, eight penalties,
(06:19):
three turnovers.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
They beat the Rams.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
So, I mean, Seattle's just got so much talent. That's
why when they went clean in the playoffs, they won
the Super Bowl. They just didn't make any mistakes. So,
I mean, Seattle last year, Rams, Texans, tonight. You know,
Seattle was sloppy. They have a backup quarterback, but they
have just hit on so many draft picks, and they
(06:44):
just have enough. Their veterans are really quality guys like
Leonard Williams. He's just such a great guy. One of
the best USC players ever. Big personality. People love him.
Team guy. I mean, they signed him, even at his age,
to an extension. They paid him big money. He's great
in the room. Super, super smart football player. So I
(07:06):
just look at Seattle, and it's like, yeah, they're missing
Nick Almanwari, and yeah, they're missing Sam Darnold, but you
still watch their speed. They're everywhere. Yeah. this game just
had so much. Like if Seattle loses, and they could
have without that great interception in the end zone, if
(07:27):
Seattle loses this game, what would we be saying? Oh, brutal.
Red zone series. Flurry drew lock. Brutal. What was it?
Five tries from the four-yard line settled for a field goal.
That's your ball game. But Seattle's talent overcomes it. We
could have said multiple times. I mean, Drake May was unbelievable. Yeah,
he made mistakes, but he ran for two first downs.
(07:50):
He finds the receiver on a third, fourth and fourth
and nine. Like this game is a game of inches,
not feet. Is that Drake May? Let's give New England
credit on the road in Seattle, all these turnovers. And
they should have won that game. I mean, once Drake May,
on a third down, scrambled for a first down, I
(08:13):
think Chris Collins was like, oh, all the advantage goes
to New England. That's why when he threw the pick,
you're like, what are you doing? If you're going to
throw that ball, you know, you got to throw it long.
You have to give the defender no chance to make
that catch. So, almost uninteresting first half, fascinating fourth quarter
(08:34):
with plays everywhere.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
And.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
You know, one of the things, yeah, I'm looking at
this right here. Yeah, I'll say this about Sam Darnall.
You know I love Darnall. But, you know, he leaves Carolina.
They're worse. He leaves Minnesota. They win five fewer games.
You know, he leaves Seattle in this game. And, I mean,
they didn't score in the first half. Like, it was
(08:58):
pretty rough. But I do think the advantage of having
like Drew Locke. Drew Locke, this is his second stint
with Seattle. And this happens in the NFL where you
bring a guy back. He kind of understands the culture
of the team. He gets the room. People in the
room like him and know him. Drew Locke's not a
threat to Sam Darnold. But what is a backup quarterback?
(09:18):
A backup quarterback is what Drew Locke did. Drew played
pretty well. He made two or three really big throws.
I mean, he had one to Cooper Cup called back
because of an offensive penalty. But a backup quarterback, I've
said this for years, if your starter goes out two games,
they can win one of them. If your starter goes
(09:38):
out four games, they can win two of them. But
don't expect long winning streaks. That's not what a backup
quarterback or they'd be a starter. If you have to
start up six games, they may not go three and three.
They may go two and four. But two, four game sample,
can they win every other game? And I thought Drew
Locke made enough good plays Again, he's got talent. He's
(10:03):
no dummy. He's been around the league. The Seahawks are
a great organization with a great culture. They brought him
back again, so they obviously like him. And he shined
in a couple of big moments. So, you know, Seattle
did what Seattle does. Sloppy turnovers, penalties, win. And, I mean,
(10:26):
that game was getting to a point before that JSN
touchdown where I text Josh, my producer. Hi, Josh. I said,
if they don't score on this drive, do you want
to do this 10 minutes early? He's like, I got
a feeling. Well, what do you know? JSN changed it.
JSN is such a unique talent. He is such– I
(10:50):
remember when Emmett Smith played for the Cowboys and one
of the knocks on Emmett Smith was he didn't have
breakaway speed, yet nobody ever caught him. And JSN's one
of those guys, nobody's like, oh, he's a burner. Jamar
Chase is like this. When Jamar Chase came out, his
speed's okay. Nobody ever catches Jamar Chase. Nobody ever catches JSN.
It's just deceptive speed. Ended up being a wildly entertaining
(11:16):
football game. So what are the big headlines? Darn old future.
I mean, tomorrow we're waiting for the results of, what
do they do? Do they do, do you do an MRI?
I'm not sure what you do. I'm not, I'm not
going to play a doctor on TV. Basically tomorrow, the
story is, is Darnold okay? Because again, Drew Locke can win. Okay. Remember,
(11:43):
New England didn't play any of their starters in the preseason.
And I think, um, I don't know if it was
Mike Tirico or Collinsworth, I thought, accurately pointed out, I
thought it was really good broadcasting, pointed out, these guys
look tired. I thought New England looked really, really tired.
(12:04):
Of course, they had the cross-country trip. I didn't think
Seattle looked tired. I thought New England looked tired. And
I was wondering, I was thinking about this, if you're
Josh McDaniel and Vrabel, you're like, okay, we're in Seattle.
We didn't play our starters in the preseason. Do we
just go for it? We go for the win. That's
the one thing about that interception. I can see the
(12:26):
New England staff saying, the Super Bowl champs, their roster's deeper.
We got them where we want them. Let's not play
for the tight. You're on the road. Let's go for
the win. Because I thought Seattle was... They were as
fast late as they were early. They were making plays
all over the field defensively. I thought New England looked
(12:48):
a little gassed. So, I mean, maybe it's not that inexplicable.
Maybe it's a go for it. If we can get
out of here with a win, let's not play for overtime.
I don't like our chances in that space. And I
don't think that's wrong on New England's part. I don't
think that's crazy. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I thought Seattle,
(13:08):
they have a deeper roster. I thought they looked fast
on the final interception. I mean, I didn't think that
was an issue. New England, you looked at the body language.
You looked at the sidelines. They look tired. Seattle will
do that to you. If you're listening to this, you're
probably not a casual NFL fan, as you know.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Neither am I.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Bud Light understands that our passion runs deep. They've given
us a chance to do more than just live and breathe.
Our NFL teams, we can drink them. Check out the
Bud Light NFL Team Cans. And more than that, you
can take your game day to the next level. Scan
the QR code on your Bud Light Team Can and
follow the instructions to enter for a chance to upgrade
your game day with prizes like NFL Plus Premium, NFL
(13:54):
Tailgating Essentials, and more. So if you do anything to
upgrade your game day, pick up your Bud Light team can. Easy, huh?
Bud Light, easy to drink, easy to enjoy. No purchase necessary.
Open to U.S. residents, 21 plus. See official rules at BudLight.com.
Upgrade your game day for free entries, prizes, and details.
Message and data rates may apply. Void or prohibited. Enjoy responsibly.
(14:17):
Copyright 2026 Anheuser-Busch. Bud Light Beer. Light Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.
2026 NFL Properties LLC, all NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of
the National Football League. Football's back, folks. You need to
change the way you invest in the NFL this season.
It's finally time to ditch your old sportsbook apps because
PolyMarket's here. PolyMarket is a legal prediction market now available
(14:39):
in all 50 states. The old sportsbooks, they're a relic
of the past. On PolyMarket, you can trade on all
things NFL. From a Sunday slate to who wins Rookie
of the Year to who performs the halftime show, we
hear from listeners all the time about sportsbooks driving them crazy,
trying to cash out live. They can block you as
often as they want, holding your money hostage. Polymarket gives
you the freedom to cash out instantly. If the momentum swings,
(15:04):
you sell off in real time. You're in control and
nobody can lock you out. You can also buy in
any time. So when the market dips, like if a
team starts slow, it drops to say 40%. That's not
a loss. That's when you buy in. At Polymarket, you
can buy cheap and ride the momentum back up. Polymarket
is so confident. They'll never go back to the old way.
They're issuing a challenge. They're giving you a $ 50 bonus
(15:27):
when you deposit just 10 bucks. Sign up right now.
Promo code's Colin, C-O-L-I-N. That's polymarket.us and use the promo
code Colin. Get a $ 50 bonus when you deposit just
10 bucks. 18 plus only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply.
Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading is risky. 100% loss
(15:48):
can occur. See polymarket.com slash TOS for more information. The
Polymarket US app serves as an independent software provider and
affiliate of Polymarket US and Polymarket Clearing, the CFTC-regulated exchange
and clearing organization. He's our friend, a two-time Super Bowl champ,
(16:11):
and a two-time Super Bowl MVP. Now when you say
the Manning name, I don't think about Eli. I think
about Arch, and we'll get to that in a second.
But I want to start with this because the season
starts tonight, right? You live in New York still. You
still live in New York. Yeah. Okay, so you saw,
(16:31):
I saw Sam Darnall at USC, all right, that West
Coast guy. You saw him in New York. I got
the good version. You got the bad version. How surprised
are you at his career ascension the last two years?
Speaker 3 (16:45):
I'm not surprised because I saw him at USC also.
I got to spend some time with him. He came
to the Manning Pansy Academy. He was in college. Got
to be around him with the Jets, watch him.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
And you saw a kid that was super talented. You
saw a kid that worked hard. He was into it.
He was committed.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
He just wasn't around the right people, the right place.
Goes to San Francisco, kind of grinds his way. Goes
to Minnesota and gets in the right system, has some talent,
has a couple receivers around him. And Justin Jefferson plays
extremely well, makes the playoffs, has one of the best
records in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
So to go to Seattle, again, surrounded with a good
run game, one of the best receivers ever.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
I mean, it's a it's a great story and just,
you know, proud of him because it's you know, it's
not easy. It's not easy in this league. And everybody
goes through struggles early on and to not lose his confidence.
You know, I'm not I'm not surprised by this.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Both you and him are great. egoless and coachable. I
think that goes along. Everybody likes Eli Manning. Everybody likes
Sam Darnold. I was at a function not long ago.
When you talk about Sam, he might as well be
a scout team linebacker. He doesn't hold himself above teammates.
(18:03):
He's a dude, right?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Egoless. He's one of the guys.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
He works hard. He's not looking to be famous. He
wants to play football. He wants to be a good
teammate and go win games because it's important to him.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
When you won your two Super Bowls, the only downside
of that success is the NFL then takes you and
puts you on every Sunday night and every Monday night.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
It's brutal.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Last year, the Chiefs Year before last year, they played
on every day but Tuesday. So the Seahawks now open
the season on a Wednesday. We'll get to the Rams
Niners in Australia. But when you were the year after
your Super Bowl wins, when you're just, I mean, you're basically...
The network looks at you as a ratings hit.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Right.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
How hard is it for a guy like you who's
pretty much, I mean, you're kind of a detail guy.
You're kind of a, I know your brother does not
like longer halftimes and changes in protocol. Did it drive
you nuts?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Well, I mean, I think you look at it. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
I mean, Hey, everybody loves a Sunday one o'clock game.
I mean, that's, it's kind of like, you know, exactly
what's coming. That's when you're used to practicing around that time.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
It's like just your, your routine and you love it.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
But I mean, it's, you also get up and you
get ready for the primetime games.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
And if you're going to be good, you got to
get good at primetime.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
You make in the playoffs, you're playing late at night,
you're in a Superbowl, you're at a weird time. You
got to be able to adjust to those things. So
when you're the team, you got to, you got to
get up. I mean, playing on a Wednesday night to
start the season, that's kind of not a bad way
to do it. You've got to get almost like an
extra bye week in there, get a long weekend off.
You're going through training camp. You need to end training
camp a little early, so you don't mind starting on
(19:52):
a Wednesday. That's kind of the way to do it.
So I think it's just, hey, you want to be good,
and you want to play in the prime time when
everyone's watching you. And you've got to win in those games,
and you can make a name for yourself and your
team if you can win in those big games.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
You have kids. I've got kids. Some things I feel
like I can nudge them a certain way. And then
there are other times it's just their personality. This is
who they are. I look at Jackson Dart, good looking, confident,
can't stay out of the blue tent, loves to run.
And my take is, can you coach that out of him?
(20:30):
Or is it kind of innate to who he is
and what is game? I mean, one of the reasons
I like him. He's a baller. Like he just takes,
he's got tons of confidence.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Yeah, and I think you want to coach that up.
I mean, I think there's– hey, you love the skill set.
You love the competitiveness. You love he's going out there.
He's giving it all. He's leaving it all out on
the field. You love those things about him. The teammates
rally around that. They appreciate that. And now you've got
to coach it up. Hey, how do you stay and
(21:03):
play 17 games? How do you stay out of the
blue tent? Those things of this not taking– those unnecessary hits. That's,
you know, a lot of the young quarterbacks knowing where
your protections are, where you're hot. So you're not just
taking these big hits, but also, hey, you got the
first down, let's slide and let's, you know, let's eliminate
some of these hits. You know, if you can eliminate
(21:23):
five or six hits a game over the course of
a season, that's a big toll. And so we got
to stay healthy and we got to do that. And
I think that's what John Harbaugh, you get a guy,
and I think Jackson is coachable.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
He does listen. It is important to him.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
He is taking it all in, and you just need
the right coach that's harping it every day. It's got
to become kind of second nature. He's got to do
it in practice. He's got to learn, hey, get down.
Don't try to get the extra three yards in the
first quarter. Fourth quarter, it's a different game. We've got
to go win football games.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
People came down, Eli, pretty harshly on Arch Manning. but
it was his first year starting. Your career was kind
of fascinating. I remember a seven and five year. Was
that your last year? I'm not sure. But you had
a lot of different years and it was turbulent for you.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
Yeah, well, so the year before was actually the 7-5 year.
My last year, we went 10-3, went 7-1 in the SEC.
So that was kind of my better year. The year before,
it wasn't as good a year. I actually had a
better sophomore year, not as good a junior year. And then,
you know, so it kind of made my decision whether
I wanted to come out early for the NFL draft
(22:33):
or not very easy.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
I said, hey, I got to come back and I
got to prove myself. you know, Hey, I'm a first rounder.
I want to be the first quarterback, all these things.
So I came and had a great senior year.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
I think, you know, like I think, and that's kind
of how you look at it or how I've looked
at it with arch.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
I mean, last year there, you know, the expectations, uh,
were not fair.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
I mean, he'd played in two games and all of
a sudden it's like, all right, he's going to win
the Heisman Trophy and he's going to do all these things. Like,
you got to play some games. You got to get hit.
You got to have some bad games. You need to
have bad games to learn from that. And no one
was giving him the opportunity or the chance.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
To have a bad game. It was like, all right,
he's already above that.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
Like, no, you got to That's part of playing in
college football. That's part of playing in games is to
have a terrible first half. Hey, can you turn it
around in the second half? Hey, you lose a game.
Can you bounce back to next week? These are all
the moments that you've got to take in. And that's
what he was able to do last year.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
He got better as the season went.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
And you hope this year, hey, he can be ready
for these big games and going against an Ohio State
or you're going against– some of these SEC defenses that
you're prepared for it and you know what to expect.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
All right. You're partnering with Polymarket. So are we at
the volume. So am I. Let's talk Netflix Thursday, Rams
San Francisco. I like the Rams. I think they've had...
Three straight excellent drafts. I think they've separated from the
Niners in terms of personnel. Another season-ending injury a day
ago to the Niners on their defensive front. They're an
(24:05):
old team. Old teams tend to get injured more, and
when they're hurt, it takes longer to get back. Rams
feel like the play. You can trade them at 65%
on Pauley Market. I like the Rams. What say you?
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Well, I mean, obviously going to play in Australia is
interesting and two different takes. The Rams are going in
the day before. The 49ers have been there for a week.
I think that kind of goes into your play of
they're a little bit older team. Hey, let's get there.
Let's get acquainted to what we're doing and make sure
our guys are healthy and.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Ready to go.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
But, hey, McVay, he's 3-0 on international games, so he
must be knowing what to do. Stafford, you know, knowing
maybe not a quarterback playing– As, as well as anybody, especially,
you know, against the, uh, the 49ers, I think seven
touchdowns last year, no interceptions.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
So, um, you know, everybody's already basically already given.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Uh, the Rams, um, you know, LA, the, the Superbowl,
they're already saying, you know, Hey, you got the Superbowl,
it's all yours.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Uh, And no one can touch them. So are they
riding high? That'll be interesting.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
But, you know, Brock Purdy, Mike Evans, a new toy,
you know, there in San Francisco. So for Purdy, that'll
be that'll be good. McCaffrey is still one of the
best running backs in the NFL when healthy. And I
think he's healthy right now. So I think it could
be a high high scoring game.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
It's just a matter. Can San Francisco slow down that offense?
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Okay. Second game, Bills at the Texans. I like the Texans.
I think by a long shot, they have the best
defense in the league. Two great edge rushers. Will Anderson,
maybe defensive player of the year. Derek Stingley, maybe the
best corner cover. I have Buffalo getting to the Super Bowl,
but last year, New England did, and they lost to
(25:52):
the Raiders in week one. So I think Buffalo's excellent,
but it doesn't mean they're going to go to Houston
and beat the Texans. I like Houston. They trade at 48%
on Pauly Market right now. Eli, where do you lean?
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Yeah, I think this is one of the most exciting
games of the opening week. Two teams in the AFC
that are really thinking Super Bowl. Buffalo's been right on
the edge for a long time. Houston all of a
sudden kind of came out, was right there, one of
the best defenses there is.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
So I think this game.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
you know, and, and, and Houston's, you know, season's kind
of going to come down to CJ Stroud.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Can he back the plan at a high level?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Can he run that offense, make the explosive throws down
the field, be aggressive. They got the good defense. So
I think, you know, you know, can they, can they,
I think, you know, don't hold him back. Sometimes you
got a great defense. They tell the quarterback, Hey, don't
just make a mistake. He's got to go be aggressive
and throw the ball down the field to Collins. But again,
It's still Josh Allen. And Josh Allen is one of
(26:57):
the most clutch quarterbacks in the NFL. He makes plays
nonstop and you can have the perfect defense and he
still finds a way to make a play because he
escapes and creates. And so Joe Brady, new head coach,
Jim Leonard, new defense course, a lot of new moving
pieces happening there. Will they be able to get off
to a fast start? I think that's kind of the unknown.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
And finally, Cowboys at the Giants. I have predicted the
Giants will be my double their win total team from
last year. I think they're a playoff team. First of all,
I think they have elite edge rushers. I really love
their draft. Isaiah Likely, I think, is a really good
get for them. He'll be very productive in the Giants system.
(27:38):
I think their weapons, if Andrew Thomas is healthy, I
like their offensive line. Love their draft. Malachi Fields from
Notre Dame could end up being a great red zone
wide receiver, long. I like the Giants. You can get them.
They're trading at 40%. I like New York in the
opener at home where you land.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Hey, I mean, New York Giants have not beaten Dallas
in a meaningful game. I don't think until, you know,
last time was probably when Odell Beckham was playing there.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
And guess what? Odell's back.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
That might be a good sign for for the G-men
right there. So, like you said, Dallas, you know, they
lost one of their left guard and Smith. Giants have
a great defensive front. Can they get some pressure on
Dak Prescott? And, hey, is Neighbors back? Is Scadaboo back?
Are these guys healthy? They're such a big part of
(28:35):
that offense. And then Jackson Dart taking that second-year step
and staying healthy also.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
So health is a big issue for this week.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
And, hey, can the G-Men find a way to to
beat Dallas on the opening week. I feel like they
play each other every year. First game of the season
has not worked well in New York, so hopefully this
time they can figure out a way.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Before we let you go, Eli, you know, The league
has really changed. Nobody plays in the preseason anymore. I mean,
it's a lot of guessing. In fact, the preseason now
is kind of a decoy where teams will throw stuff
out and will not use any of it in week one.
(29:22):
Did you like preseason football? How would you have done
with no snaps or less than five in the preseason?
Speaker 3 (29:29):
I hated preseason football. The only time I got hurt
was in preseason. I got my helmet ripped off and
12 stitches in my head. And I hurt my elbow
with peppers rushing around the end.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
I'm, throwing.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
He hits the ball, but I still made a throw
and did something to my elbow and missed a couple
of weeks. So the only time I ever got injured
preseason football. So, you know, for that reason, I never
liked it. You know, you're not trying to show too
much and you can kind of get stuck with some,
some bad plays. You can look bad and then you,
you know, you feel terrible the next week. So I
(30:02):
was not a fan. So I would, I would have
liked this approach. Hey, let's go practice against the team
for a few days. You know, preseason, let's not show
anything and, and, and, and let the young guys get
out there.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Good talking to you.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
All right, Tom. Appreciate it, pal.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
This podcast presented by Bud Light. Easy to drink, easy
to enjoy. No data, no AI. It's just that simple.
Until now. The data your AI depends on has been
trapped behind ever-increasing cloud fees. Wasabi created hot cloud storage.
It's redefining cloud storage for the AI era delivering simple,
predictive cloud storage for AI analytics, media, and more. Your
(30:43):
data is free to move, fast access, and ready when
your AI needs it, giving your business a competitive edge.
So when your data moves freely, innovation moves faster. You're
going to have the freedom to train and build and
do more with your data. Hidden fees add up fast
as AI workloads grow. Wasabi's flat pricing eliminates all of it.
One rate, no surprises. Global scale, predictable pricing, Wasabi helps
(31:05):
organize focus on innovation instead of cloud bills. So companies
that are paying more in fees, that an actual storage
costs can fall behind. Don't let it happen. When your
AI needs data, you have a budget to meet, get Wasabi.
Learn more now, wasabi.com, Wasabi, the AI storage cloud, proud
partner of the Volume Podcast Network.
Very excited to say that Bud Light is the title
sponsor of the Colin Coward podcast this NFL season. This
podcast presented by Bud Light. Easy to drink, easy to enjoy. Well,
it was a pretty ugly and discouraging first half with
Sam Darnold getting hurt. But Seattle, in a really, really
(00:28):
sloppy 13-10 win, their talent just overwhelms you. And that's
one of the great things about the NFL is if
you draft well, Philadelphia, Seattle, Detroit Lions, you can overcome injuries.
You can overcome losses. And, I mean, that's Seattle defense.
(00:50):
I mean, Drake May on that final drive had three
great plays. He twice ran for a first down, once
on fourth, once on third. Had a big, big completion
to the veteran, Mack Hollins. He throws this inexplicable interception
in the end zone. It's like, Drake, he's still a kid.
You know, you forget that. Like, this is year three.
(01:13):
This is the first game of year three, you know,
and he's still raw. He still makes bad decisions. And
we knew that coming out of Carolina. He was raw.
So this game has so many things to talk about.
First of all, the Sam Darnold injury reminded me of
a Ryan Fitzpatrick injury years ago where he jammed his
(01:37):
knee into the turf. and ended up pulling his hip,
and they thought it would be a six- to eight-week injury,
and he had to have a surgery, and he was
out for the season. You cross your fingers. Darnold has
played hurt. He's been beat up. A lot of those
games in New York, he is tough. I mean, Darnold
is like a Herbert or a Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes.
(02:02):
Jalen Hurts, he just plays hurt. And so, I mean,
you really have to force Sam Darnold out. He's got
to be in real pain to leave. I'm not a
huge Drew Locke fan. He reminds me a little bit
of Will Levitt. Will Levis, you know, both Southern guys,
good looking, confident, good arms. Don't love their judgment, make
(02:22):
weird throws. But, I mean, they're talented. I mean, Drew
Locke has a good arm. Will Levis has a good arm.
They're not dumb guys. They're kind of... sometimes overly confident,
a little too cool for school. Don't make me love
Drew Locke, but I thought he was good enough. Not
a very good red zone series, couple of penalties, but again,
(02:43):
he's a backup thrust into a starting role against a
very well-coached New England defense and a very good New
England team. I look at Brian Fleury. This was my
big concern. So, and I've said this before, in creative spaces, music, art, comedy, acting,
(03:06):
and offensive football, the creative side of football, you can
spot talent really early. It separates. Now, Samuel L. Jackson
or Rodney Dangerfield develop later. It happens, obviously. But the
Spielbergs and the Eddie Murphys and the Sean McVeighs and
the Richard Pryors, you just see in the creative fields,
(03:29):
it pops early. And a lot of these guys, the
Ben Olsons and the Shane Steikens and the McVeighs and
the Shanahan's and the Sean Payton's, You know, late 20s,
you know, that that hot zones like 33 years old
and the world goes, who is this? So a 47
year old former defensive coach who gets his first OC
(03:50):
job at 47. Yeah, worries me. Not that he couldn't
be capable. But he wouldn't be special, and he replaced
Clint Kubiak, who looks like he's really, really special. And
I've said this before. When a great offensive coach leaves,
like a Kyle Shanahan or a Ben Johnson leaves, I mean,
(04:13):
good luck replacing him. Liam Cohen leaves Tampa. They've never
quite looked the same. Good luck replacing him. So we'll
see how Brian Fleury looks. Really choppy. A lot of
offensive penalties. Again, how much is the first-time OC? How
much is Drew Locke? And let's be honest about Drew Locke.
(04:33):
This is not a rookie. It's not a second-year guy.
He's been in the league forever. So I think a
lot of the penalties, we can always blame the player.
We always love to blame the player. I didn't think
they looked terribly dialed up in this game. I just didn't.
But it's game one. Let's not overreact. Last year, the
Patriots lost game one to the Raiders and went to
(04:54):
the Super Bowl. Don't overreact. Two overwhelming takes. Drake May
had some really bad picks late in the game. Drake May,
three picks in the fourth quarter, only had one of
those in the fourth all of last season. So that's discouraging.
(05:14):
And again, A.J. Brown got hurt. So he gets thrust
into a weird situation where, okay, now Romeo Dobbs is
my number one. Romeo Dobbs has a drop problem. That's
why Green Bay bailed on him. By the way, that
game could have been sealed earlier. Romeo Dobbs drops a
ball out in the flat. That's the ball game, potentially.
That is potentially the ball game. Drake May would have
(05:36):
been free and clear. They could have been more conservative. Um,
instead they had to go back again and Drake may
throws a pick. And again, it's Seattle. It's on the road.
I don't think Drake may is going to have three
fourth quarter picks the rest of the season. Seattle is,
I mean, that they're just, they got talent everywhere. Um,
I mean, last year, week seven against the Texans, the
(05:59):
Seahawks had four turnovers and 13 penalties and beat playoff Houston. Um,
Week 11 against the Rams, they missed the game-winning field
goal as time expired. Against the Rams, they had four turnovers.
Week 16 against the Rams, they trailed 30-14, eight penalties,
(06:19):
three turnovers.
Speaker 2 (06:20):
They beat the Rams.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
So, I mean, Seattle's just got so much talent. That's
why when they went clean in the playoffs, they won
the Super Bowl. They just didn't make any mistakes. So,
I mean, Seattle last year, Rams, Texans, tonight. You know,
Seattle was sloppy. They have a backup quarterback, but they
have just hit on so many draft picks, and they
(06:44):
just have enough. Their veterans are really quality guys like
Leonard Williams. He's just such a great guy. One of
the best USC players ever. Big personality. People love him.
Team guy. I mean, they signed him, even at his age,
to an extension. They paid him big money. He's great
in the room. Super, super smart football player. So I
(07:06):
just look at Seattle, and it's like, yeah, they're missing
Nick Almanwari, and yeah, they're missing Sam Darnold, but you
still watch their speed. They're everywhere. Yeah. this game just
had so much. Like if Seattle loses, and they could
have without that great interception in the end zone, if
(07:27):
Seattle loses this game, what would we be saying? Oh, brutal.
Red zone series. Flurry drew lock. Brutal. What was it?
Five tries from the four-yard line settled for a field goal.
That's your ball game. But Seattle's talent overcomes it. We
could have said multiple times. I mean, Drake May was unbelievable. Yeah,
he made mistakes, but he ran for two first downs.
(07:50):
He finds the receiver on a third, fourth and fourth
and nine. Like this game is a game of inches,
not feet. Is that Drake May? Let's give New England
credit on the road in Seattle, all these turnovers. And
they should have won that game. I mean, once Drake May,
on a third down, scrambled for a first down, I
(08:13):
think Chris Collins was like, oh, all the advantage goes
to New England. That's why when he threw the pick,
you're like, what are you doing? If you're going to
throw that ball, you know, you got to throw it long.
You have to give the defender no chance to make
that catch. So, almost uninteresting first half, fascinating fourth quarter
(08:34):
with plays everywhere.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
And.
Speaker 1 (08:37):
You know, one of the things, yeah, I'm looking at
this right here. Yeah, I'll say this about Sam Darnall.
You know I love Darnall. But, you know, he leaves Carolina.
They're worse. He leaves Minnesota. They win five fewer games.
You know, he leaves Seattle in this game. And, I mean,
they didn't score in the first half. Like, it was
(08:58):
pretty rough. But I do think the advantage of having
like Drew Locke. Drew Locke, this is his second stint
with Seattle. And this happens in the NFL where you
bring a guy back. He kind of understands the culture
of the team. He gets the room. People in the
room like him and know him. Drew Locke's not a
threat to Sam Darnold. But what is a backup quarterback?
(09:18):
A backup quarterback is what Drew Locke did. Drew played
pretty well. He made two or three really big throws.
I mean, he had one to Cooper Cup called back
because of an offensive penalty. But a backup quarterback, I've
said this for years, if your starter goes out two games,
they can win one of them. If your starter goes
(09:38):
out four games, they can win two of them. But
don't expect long winning streaks. That's not what a backup
quarterback or they'd be a starter. If you have to
start up six games, they may not go three and three.
They may go two and four. But two, four game sample,
can they win every other game? And I thought Drew
Locke made enough good plays Again, he's got talent. He's
(10:03):
no dummy. He's been around the league. The Seahawks are
a great organization with a great culture. They brought him
back again, so they obviously like him. And he shined
in a couple of big moments. So, you know, Seattle
did what Seattle does. Sloppy turnovers, penalties, win. And, I mean,
(10:26):
that game was getting to a point before that JSN
touchdown where I text Josh, my producer. Hi, Josh. I said,
if they don't score on this drive, do you want
to do this 10 minutes early? He's like, I got
a feeling. Well, what do you know? JSN changed it.
JSN is such a unique talent. He is such– I
(10:50):
remember when Emmett Smith played for the Cowboys and one
of the knocks on Emmett Smith was he didn't have
breakaway speed, yet nobody ever caught him. And JSN's one
of those guys, nobody's like, oh, he's a burner. Jamar
Chase is like this. When Jamar Chase came out, his
speed's okay. Nobody ever catches Jamar Chase. Nobody ever catches JSN.
It's just deceptive speed. Ended up being a wildly entertaining
(11:16):
football game. So what are the big headlines? Darn old future.
I mean, tomorrow we're waiting for the results of, what
do they do? Do they do, do you do an MRI?
I'm not sure what you do. I'm not, I'm not
going to play a doctor on TV. Basically tomorrow, the
story is, is Darnold okay? Because again, Drew Locke can win. Okay. Remember,
(11:43):
New England didn't play any of their starters in the preseason.
And I think, um, I don't know if it was
Mike Tirico or Collinsworth, I thought, accurately pointed out, I
thought it was really good broadcasting, pointed out, these guys
look tired. I thought New England looked really, really tired.
(12:04):
Of course, they had the cross-country trip. I didn't think
Seattle looked tired. I thought New England looked tired. And
I was wondering, I was thinking about this, if you're
Josh McDaniel and Vrabel, you're like, okay, we're in Seattle.
We didn't play our starters in the preseason. Do we
just go for it? We go for the win. That's
the one thing about that interception. I can see the
(12:26):
New England staff saying, the Super Bowl champs, their roster's deeper.
We got them where we want them. Let's not play
for the tight. You're on the road. Let's go for
the win. Because I thought Seattle was... They were as
fast late as they were early. They were making plays
all over the field defensively. I thought New England looked
(12:48):
a little gassed. So, I mean, maybe it's not that inexplicable.
Maybe it's a go for it. If we can get
out of here with a win, let's not play for overtime.
I don't like our chances in that space. And I
don't think that's wrong on New England's part. I don't
think that's crazy. Maybe I'm wrong here, but I thought Seattle,
(13:08):
they have a deeper roster. I thought they looked fast
on the final interception. I mean, I didn't think that
was an issue. New England, you looked at the body language.
You looked at the sidelines. They look tired. Seattle will
do that to you. If you're listening to this, you're
probably not a casual NFL fan, as you know.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Neither am I.
Speaker 1 (13:31):
Bud Light understands that our passion runs deep. They've given
us a chance to do more than just live and breathe.
Our NFL teams, we can drink them. Check out the
Bud Light NFL Team Cans. And more than that, you
can take your game day to the next level. Scan
the QR code on your Bud Light Team Can and
follow the instructions to enter for a chance to upgrade
your game day with prizes like NFL Plus Premium, NFL
(13:54):
Tailgating Essentials, and more. So if you do anything to
upgrade your game day, pick up your Bud Light team can. Easy, huh?
Bud Light, easy to drink, easy to enjoy. No purchase necessary.
Open to U.S. residents, 21 plus. See official rules at BudLight.com.
Upgrade your game day for free entries, prizes, and details.
Message and data rates may apply. Void or prohibited. Enjoy responsibly.
(14:17):
Copyright 2026 Anheuser-Busch. Bud Light Beer. Light Beer, St. Louis, Missouri.
2026 NFL Properties LLC, all NFL-related trademarks are trademarks of
the National Football League. Football's back, folks. You need to
change the way you invest in the NFL this season.
It's finally time to ditch your old sportsbook apps because
PolyMarket's here. PolyMarket is a legal prediction market now available
(14:39):
in all 50 states. The old sportsbooks, they're a relic
of the past. On PolyMarket, you can trade on all
things NFL. From a Sunday slate to who wins Rookie
of the Year to who performs the halftime show, we
hear from listeners all the time about sportsbooks driving them crazy,
trying to cash out live. They can block you as
often as they want, holding your money hostage. Polymarket gives
you the freedom to cash out instantly. If the momentum swings,
(15:04):
you sell off in real time. You're in control and
nobody can lock you out. You can also buy in
any time. So when the market dips, like if a
team starts slow, it drops to say 40%. That's not
a loss. That's when you buy in. At Polymarket, you
can buy cheap and ride the momentum back up. Polymarket
is so confident. They'll never go back to the old way.
They're issuing a challenge. They're giving you a $ 50 bonus
(15:27):
when you deposit just 10 bucks. Sign up right now.
Promo code's Colin, C-O-L-I-N. That's polymarket.us and use the promo
code Colin. Get a $ 50 bonus when you deposit just
10 bucks. 18 plus only. Restrictions and eligibility requirements apply.
Not available in all jurisdictions. Trading is risky. 100% loss
(15:48):
can occur. See polymarket.com slash TOS for more information. The
Polymarket US app serves as an independent software provider and
affiliate of Polymarket US and Polymarket Clearing, the CFTC-regulated exchange
and clearing organization. He's our friend, a two-time Super Bowl champ,
(16:11):
and a two-time Super Bowl MVP. Now when you say
the Manning name, I don't think about Eli. I think
about Arch, and we'll get to that in a second.
But I want to start with this because the season
starts tonight, right? You live in New York still. You
still live in New York. Yeah. Okay, so you saw,
(16:31):
I saw Sam Darnall at USC, all right, that West
Coast guy. You saw him in New York. I got
the good version. You got the bad version. How surprised
are you at his career ascension the last two years?
Speaker 3 (16:45):
I'm not surprised because I saw him at USC also.
I got to spend some time with him. He came
to the Manning Pansy Academy. He was in college. Got
to be around him with the Jets, watch him.
Speaker 2 (16:57):
And you saw a kid that was super talented. You
saw a kid that worked hard. He was into it.
He was committed.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
He just wasn't around the right people, the right place.
Goes to San Francisco, kind of grinds his way. Goes
to Minnesota and gets in the right system, has some talent,
has a couple receivers around him. And Justin Jefferson plays
extremely well, makes the playoffs, has one of the best
records in the NFL.
Speaker 2 (17:21):
So to go to Seattle, again, surrounded with a good
run game, one of the best receivers ever.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
I mean, it's a it's a great story and just,
you know, proud of him because it's you know, it's
not easy. It's not easy in this league. And everybody
goes through struggles early on and to not lose his confidence.
You know, I'm not I'm not surprised by this.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Both you and him are great. egoless and coachable. I
think that goes along. Everybody likes Eli Manning. Everybody likes
Sam Darnold. I was at a function not long ago.
When you talk about Sam, he might as well be
a scout team linebacker. He doesn't hold himself above teammates.
(18:03):
He's a dude, right?
Speaker 2 (18:05):
Egoless. He's one of the guys.
Speaker 3 (18:08):
He works hard. He's not looking to be famous. He
wants to play football. He wants to be a good
teammate and go win games because it's important to him.
Speaker 1 (18:17):
When you won your two Super Bowls, the only downside
of that success is the NFL then takes you and
puts you on every Sunday night and every Monday night.
Speaker 2 (18:27):
It's brutal.
Speaker 1 (18:28):
Last year, the Chiefs Year before last year, they played
on every day but Tuesday. So the Seahawks now open
the season on a Wednesday. We'll get to the Rams
Niners in Australia. But when you were the year after
your Super Bowl wins, when you're just, I mean, you're basically...
The network looks at you as a ratings hit.
Speaker 2 (18:51):
Right.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
How hard is it for a guy like you who's
pretty much, I mean, you're kind of a detail guy.
You're kind of a, I know your brother does not
like longer halftimes and changes in protocol. Did it drive
you nuts?
Speaker 2 (19:07):
Well, I mean, I think you look at it. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
I mean, Hey, everybody loves a Sunday one o'clock game.
I mean, that's, it's kind of like, you know, exactly
what's coming. That's when you're used to practicing around that time.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
It's like just your, your routine and you love it.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
But I mean, it's, you also get up and you
get ready for the primetime games.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
And if you're going to be good, you got to
get good at primetime.
Speaker 3 (19:30):
You make in the playoffs, you're playing late at night,
you're in a Superbowl, you're at a weird time. You
got to be able to adjust to those things. So
when you're the team, you got to, you got to
get up. I mean, playing on a Wednesday night to
start the season, that's kind of not a bad way
to do it. You've got to get almost like an
extra bye week in there, get a long weekend off.
You're going through training camp. You need to end training
camp a little early, so you don't mind starting on
(19:52):
a Wednesday. That's kind of the way to do it.
So I think it's just, hey, you want to be good,
and you want to play in the prime time when
everyone's watching you. And you've got to win in those games,
and you can make a name for yourself and your
team if you can win in those big games.
Speaker 1 (20:08):
You have kids. I've got kids. Some things I feel
like I can nudge them a certain way. And then
there are other times it's just their personality. This is
who they are. I look at Jackson Dart, good looking, confident,
can't stay out of the blue tent, loves to run.
And my take is, can you coach that out of him?
(20:30):
Or is it kind of innate to who he is
and what is game? I mean, one of the reasons
I like him. He's a baller. Like he just takes,
he's got tons of confidence.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Yeah, and I think you want to coach that up.
I mean, I think there's– hey, you love the skill set.
You love the competitiveness. You love he's going out there.
He's giving it all. He's leaving it all out on
the field. You love those things about him. The teammates
rally around that. They appreciate that. And now you've got
to coach it up. Hey, how do you stay and
(21:03):
play 17 games? How do you stay out of the
blue tent? Those things of this not taking– those unnecessary hits. That's,
you know, a lot of the young quarterbacks knowing where
your protections are, where you're hot. So you're not just
taking these big hits, but also, hey, you got the
first down, let's slide and let's, you know, let's eliminate
some of these hits. You know, if you can eliminate
(21:23):
five or six hits a game over the course of
a season, that's a big toll. And so we got
to stay healthy and we got to do that. And
I think that's what John Harbaugh, you get a guy,
and I think Jackson is coachable.
Speaker 2 (21:33):
He does listen. It is important to him.
Speaker 3 (21:35):
He is taking it all in, and you just need
the right coach that's harping it every day. It's got
to become kind of second nature. He's got to do
it in practice. He's got to learn, hey, get down.
Don't try to get the extra three yards in the
first quarter. Fourth quarter, it's a different game. We've got
to go win football games.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
People came down, Eli, pretty harshly on Arch Manning. but
it was his first year starting. Your career was kind
of fascinating. I remember a seven and five year. Was
that your last year? I'm not sure. But you had
a lot of different years and it was turbulent for you.
Speaker 3 (22:12):
Yeah, well, so the year before was actually the 7-5 year.
My last year, we went 10-3, went 7-1 in the SEC.
So that was kind of my better year. The year before,
it wasn't as good a year. I actually had a
better sophomore year, not as good a junior year. And then,
you know, so it kind of made my decision whether
I wanted to come out early for the NFL draft
(22:33):
or not very easy.
Speaker 2 (22:34):
I said, hey, I got to come back and I
got to prove myself. you know, Hey, I'm a first rounder.
I want to be the first quarterback, all these things.
So I came and had a great senior year.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
I think, you know, like I think, and that's kind
of how you look at it or how I've looked
at it with arch.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
I mean, last year there, you know, the expectations, uh,
were not fair.
Speaker 3 (22:53):
I mean, he'd played in two games and all of
a sudden it's like, all right, he's going to win
the Heisman Trophy and he's going to do all these things. Like,
you got to play some games. You got to get hit.
You got to have some bad games. You need to
have bad games to learn from that. And no one
was giving him the opportunity or the chance.
Speaker 2 (23:08):
To have a bad game. It was like, all right,
he's already above that.
Speaker 3 (23:10):
Like, no, you got to That's part of playing in
college football. That's part of playing in games is to
have a terrible first half. Hey, can you turn it
around in the second half? Hey, you lose a game.
Can you bounce back to next week? These are all
the moments that you've got to take in. And that's
what he was able to do last year.
Speaker 2 (23:28):
He got better as the season went.
Speaker 3 (23:30):
And you hope this year, hey, he can be ready
for these big games and going against an Ohio State
or you're going against– some of these SEC defenses that
you're prepared for it and you know what to expect.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
All right. You're partnering with Polymarket. So are we at
the volume. So am I. Let's talk Netflix Thursday, Rams
San Francisco. I like the Rams. I think they've had...
Three straight excellent drafts. I think they've separated from the
Niners in terms of personnel. Another season-ending injury a day
ago to the Niners on their defensive front. They're an
(24:05):
old team. Old teams tend to get injured more, and
when they're hurt, it takes longer to get back. Rams
feel like the play. You can trade them at 65%
on Pauley Market. I like the Rams. What say you?
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Well, I mean, obviously going to play in Australia is
interesting and two different takes. The Rams are going in
the day before. The 49ers have been there for a week.
I think that kind of goes into your play of
they're a little bit older team. Hey, let's get there.
Let's get acquainted to what we're doing and make sure
our guys are healthy and.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
Ready to go.
Speaker 3 (24:38):
But, hey, McVay, he's 3-0 on international games, so he
must be knowing what to do. Stafford, you know, knowing
maybe not a quarterback playing– As, as well as anybody, especially,
you know, against the, uh, the 49ers, I think seven
touchdowns last year, no interceptions.
Speaker 2 (24:54):
So, um, you know, everybody's already basically already given.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Uh, the Rams, um, you know, LA, the, the Superbowl,
they're already saying, you know, Hey, you got the Superbowl,
it's all yours.
Speaker 2 (25:04):
Uh, And no one can touch them. So are they
riding high? That'll be interesting.
Speaker 3 (25:09):
But, you know, Brock Purdy, Mike Evans, a new toy,
you know, there in San Francisco. So for Purdy, that'll
be that'll be good. McCaffrey is still one of the
best running backs in the NFL when healthy. And I
think he's healthy right now. So I think it could
be a high high scoring game.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
It's just a matter. Can San Francisco slow down that offense?
Speaker 1 (25:31):
Okay. Second game, Bills at the Texans. I like the Texans.
I think by a long shot, they have the best
defense in the league. Two great edge rushers. Will Anderson,
maybe defensive player of the year. Derek Stingley, maybe the
best corner cover. I have Buffalo getting to the Super Bowl,
but last year, New England did, and they lost to
(25:52):
the Raiders in week one. So I think Buffalo's excellent,
but it doesn't mean they're going to go to Houston
and beat the Texans. I like Houston. They trade at 48%
on Pauly Market right now. Eli, where do you lean?
Speaker 3 (26:06):
Yeah, I think this is one of the most exciting
games of the opening week. Two teams in the AFC
that are really thinking Super Bowl. Buffalo's been right on
the edge for a long time. Houston all of a
sudden kind of came out, was right there, one of
the best defenses there is.
Speaker 2 (26:24):
So I think this game.
Speaker 3 (26:26):
you know, and, and, and Houston's, you know, season's kind
of going to come down to CJ Stroud.
Speaker 2 (26:32):
Can he back the plan at a high level?
Speaker 3 (26:35):
Can he run that offense, make the explosive throws down
the field, be aggressive. They got the good defense. So
I think, you know, you know, can they, can they,
I think, you know, don't hold him back. Sometimes you
got a great defense. They tell the quarterback, Hey, don't
just make a mistake. He's got to go be aggressive
and throw the ball down the field to Collins. But again,
It's still Josh Allen. And Josh Allen is one of
(26:57):
the most clutch quarterbacks in the NFL. He makes plays
nonstop and you can have the perfect defense and he
still finds a way to make a play because he
escapes and creates. And so Joe Brady, new head coach,
Jim Leonard, new defense course, a lot of new moving
pieces happening there. Will they be able to get off
to a fast start? I think that's kind of the unknown.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
And finally, Cowboys at the Giants. I have predicted the
Giants will be my double their win total team from
last year. I think they're a playoff team. First of all,
I think they have elite edge rushers. I really love
their draft. Isaiah Likely, I think, is a really good
get for them. He'll be very productive in the Giants system.
(27:38):
I think their weapons, if Andrew Thomas is healthy, I
like their offensive line. Love their draft. Malachi Fields from
Notre Dame could end up being a great red zone
wide receiver, long. I like the Giants. You can get them.
They're trading at 40%. I like New York in the
opener at home where you land.
Speaker 3 (28:01):
Hey, I mean, New York Giants have not beaten Dallas
in a meaningful game. I don't think until, you know,
last time was probably when Odell Beckham was playing there.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
And guess what? Odell's back.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
That might be a good sign for for the G-men
right there. So, like you said, Dallas, you know, they
lost one of their left guard and Smith. Giants have
a great defensive front. Can they get some pressure on
Dak Prescott? And, hey, is Neighbors back? Is Scadaboo back?
Are these guys healthy? They're such a big part of
(28:35):
that offense. And then Jackson Dart taking that second-year step
and staying healthy also.
Speaker 2 (28:41):
So health is a big issue for this week.
Speaker 3 (28:44):
And, hey, can the G-Men find a way to to
beat Dallas on the opening week. I feel like they
play each other every year. First game of the season
has not worked well in New York, so hopefully this
time they can figure out a way.
Speaker 1 (29:00):
Before we let you go, Eli, you know, The league
has really changed. Nobody plays in the preseason anymore. I mean,
it's a lot of guessing. In fact, the preseason now
is kind of a decoy where teams will throw stuff
out and will not use any of it in week one.
(29:22):
Did you like preseason football? How would you have done
with no snaps or less than five in the preseason?
Speaker 3 (29:29):
I hated preseason football. The only time I got hurt
was in preseason. I got my helmet ripped off and
12 stitches in my head. And I hurt my elbow
with peppers rushing around the end.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
I'm, throwing.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
He hits the ball, but I still made a throw
and did something to my elbow and missed a couple
of weeks. So the only time I ever got injured
preseason football. So, you know, for that reason, I never
liked it. You know, you're not trying to show too
much and you can kind of get stuck with some,
some bad plays. You can look bad and then you,
you know, you feel terrible the next week. So I
(30:02):
was not a fan. So I would, I would have
liked this approach. Hey, let's go practice against the team
for a few days. You know, preseason, let's not show
anything and, and, and, and let the young guys get
out there.
Speaker 1 (30:14):
Good talking to you.
Speaker 2 (30:15):
All right, Tom. Appreciate it, pal.
Speaker 1 (30:20):
This podcast presented by Bud Light. Easy to drink, easy
to enjoy. No data, no AI. It's just that simple.
Until now. The data your AI depends on has been
trapped behind ever-increasing cloud fees. Wasabi created hot cloud storage.
It's redefining cloud storage for the AI era delivering simple,
predictive cloud storage for AI analytics, media, and more. Your
(30:43):
data is free to move, fast access, and ready when
your AI needs it, giving your business a competitive edge.
So when your data moves freely, innovation moves faster. You're
going to have the freedom to train and build and
do more with your data. Hidden fees add up fast
as AI workloads grow. Wasabi's flat pricing eliminates all of it.
One rate, no surprises. Global scale, predictable pricing, Wasabi helps
(31:05):
organize focus on innovation instead of cloud bills. So companies
that are paying more in fees, that an actual storage
costs can fall behind. Don't let it happen. When your
AI needs data, you have a budget to meet, get Wasabi.
Learn more now, wasabi.com, Wasabi, the AI storage cloud, proud
partner of the Volume Podcast Network.
Host
Colin Cowherd
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Bobby Bones Show
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.