September 3, 2024 • 33 mins
The 49ers are getting their All-Pro LT Trent Williams back right before the season starts and Colin explains why this year San Francisco is under so much pressure to win a Super Bowl. He ranks the top 10 NFL teams in the Herd Hierarchy before the NFL season kicks off. Plus, 7-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady joins the show to tell Colin what he's done to prepare for his first game as broadcaster for Fox Sports.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to
noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at
Foxsportsradio dot com, or stream us live every day on
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Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
All Right, here we go. It's Tuesday. It's officially football season,
no more days off. Ready to roll, live in Los Angeles.
It's the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you
may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day.
Forty minutes from now, Tom Brady the Goat, stops by
our show. Nick right as well, jmac rested focused, Ready
(00:53):
to roll. The Niners got their guys back the Sea
Man after a great college football weekend. Numbers were gigantic.
We'll get into that later, but good to see you again.
You ready to go? I'm ready. That's right. So here's
good news. Trent Williams, who I think we can mostly admit,
even if you're a non forty nine er fan, best
(01:14):
left tackle in football and what We've been saying on
this show, I love Brandon aiyuk. You better get Trent
Williams back because it's not the same team. This offense
is Shanahan, Trent Williams, and Christian McCaffrey in any order.
He's coming back. He signed a deal. He's back in
the Bay. So the noisiest off season in the NFL
(01:35):
is suddenly getting quieter. And I mean the Niners off
season made the Jets noisy off season feel like a monastery.
It was baggage, it was noise. Christian McCaffrey didn't play Brandon.
Now you get that horrible Ricky pearsall a shooting incident.
He is now out of a hospital. Prayers to him
and his family. Now, the Niners are an older team
(01:56):
and they're facing real pressure because Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle,
and Trent Williams have a lot of wear on those tires.
And you know who doesn't. Three of the best challengers
in the NFC, the Packers, the Lions and yes, the
Rams are really good, have six and seven year runways.
The Niners plane is about to take off. It's got
(02:19):
the heaviest cargo ever. It may only have one great
lift off yet, and I'm not sure I like the
landing gear. Now we're gonna see a team that is
facing real pressure. Kyle Shanahan, I need a trophy. I
need a trophy. The Jets don't have a trophy either,
to the Niners. A lot of regular season wins, so
(02:41):
that Jets Niners matchup the Baggage Bowl. You've had noise,
you've got stars, you got no trophies, and both think
it's their time. So I can't wait for that on
Monday Night Football, which is six days away. But the
Niners are interesting now because we've sort of been let's
be honest, we kind of know who the great quarter
in the NFL, and we've sort of been coddling brock Purty.
(03:04):
But this is the year that the York family owners
of this franchise, Shanahan and John Lynch, will make the
grown up decision do we pay this kid real money?
They'll know by Thanksgiving. But the schedule's tough. I think
the division, it may not be the AFC North or
the NFC North, but I think the division is still
(03:25):
really good. Keep your eye on Seattle. I think we're
gonna learn a lot about this team. A lot of noise,
a lot of baggage, a lot of cargo, very expensive
and older players. Deebo gets hurt. McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Kittle,
this is the best roster in the league. It is
(03:46):
absolutely the best roster, one of the older ones. But
the best roster Detroit may be close. Philadelphia good like
the Chiefs too. This is the best roster in the league.
And if Stafford Joe Burrow Mahomes were the quarterback, they'd
be heavy, over overwhelming favorites to win a Super Bowl.
And they're not. Now they're in the top three. But
now the pressure isn't just on everybody else not named
(04:09):
Brock party. Now it's on Brock pretty too. So let's
stop the coddling. Let's get this party started. Trent Williams
back in tow, Brandon Aiyuk back in camp. The noisiest
team in the NFL suddenly got quiet, and I can't
wait for the opener against the equally noisy and high
(04:30):
expectation Jets. All right, So I watched a lot of
college football this weekend, and the college football season got
great ratings for a lot of reasons. Get into that later.
But I was reading a takeaway an article this morning
that said, the headline reads ten takeaways from an eventful
(04:51):
college football Week one, and instead of going with ten,
I'm gonna slim that list down to one. Lincoln Riley
can coach. Yeah, he's really really good at coaching. The
same people who banged on Lincoln Riley for years try
to convince you that Jim Harbaugh couldn't coach either. Do
(05:13):
resumes matter anymore? I watched Lincoln Riley with less talent
on a neutral field and a younger team out coach
Brian Kelly out execute LSU, one of the top three
SEC football programs. This insatiable need to think you're smarter
than everybody, and you see something the rest of us
(05:34):
don't that Harbaugh and Lincoln Riley can't coach. Give me
a break. USC was a dead program four wins, thirty
Division one players, and they won eleven games the next year.
But like Harbaugh Michigan, they weren't really nearly as good
and they're still not as talented as Ohio State, Georgia, Bama,
(05:55):
or Texas. USC does not have this morning that kind
of talent, and they may not have oregons either, And
the criticism of Lincoln Riley that did to me that
was fair and that made sense and was reasonable. Was Okay,
Okay's one games. We know he can design plays, we
know he's pretty damn smart offensively, and man, what he
(06:18):
does with quarterbacks all of them is magic. But there
was one question, and it was reasonable, is can he
build his own culture? Because Oklahoma's always good, not much
of a rebuild in Oklahoma. A down year at Oklahoma's
like nine or ten wins, top five program. Ever, so
that criticism can he build his own staff in his
(06:39):
own culture was fair and his first try at it,
the defensive staff is terrible, but now he rebooted. Deanton
Lynn is now the defensive coordinator. He'll be in the
NFL in two years. This defensive staff is the first
time it wasn't the USC one US. He's been scoring
points forever. They scored him with Clay, Lincoln, Sark, Kiffin, Pete,
(07:04):
but it was the first time since Pete Carroll that
you watched a USC staff and you see other head
coaches on the staff beyond the head coach Lincoln Riley,
that you literally felt they were going up against an
SEC team with a ten million dollar a year coach,
and they out executed, they out coached, they outsmarted, they
(07:25):
out planned, they out adjusted. That's been missing. USC could
have won thirty seven to thirty four, and you wouldn't
feel the same way that you felt winning narrowly in
a lower scoring game because USC, with Caleb Williams and
you'll see how good he is in Chicago, had to
put on the cape to beat teams like Arizona. Now
(07:49):
they can go toe to toe coaching, execution, quarterback, secondary.
They looked like a real team. Again, are they a
twelve team playoff team? I think they are. I don't
think they're Ohio State. I don't think they're Georgia, Texas, Bama.
I don't think they have that kind of talent. But
(08:11):
it's not that they won, it's how they won. People
all over the country on social media were saying, look
at the tackling, which is like loving a carpenter because
he's good with a hammer and a nail. Shouldn't he
be isn't that the isn't that the foundational piece all
construction guys are good at No, that's how bad it's
been at USC. So Lincoln Riley, I know, I know
(08:34):
you're trying to tell us that you're magical. You can
see stuff the rest of us can't. With Harbon, Lincoln Riley.
You also try to sell us on NFTs, which are
now worthless. Here's Lincoln after the win.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
I don't coach for the media, don't. I don't coach
for headlines. We just try to do what's best in
our program, and we try to stay just incredibly committed
to it, regardless of what anybody says on the outside.
We know we've been building, were very confident in the
approach that we're taking with the people that were putting
in our program, players, staff, everyone, and I just know
(09:09):
I've been I'm not the most experienced guy, but I
have been through a couple of these. I have a
decent idea of what pretty good looks like, and.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
That was pretty good. Maybe not great, it's pretty good.
And LSU is going to run the table the next
four or five weeks and blow people out. Go look
at their schedule, so stop telling me. LSU's no good.
LSU's almost always good. They won a national title with
that ors you're on, They got Brian Kelly, they'll be fine.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
J Mac.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
A lot of things going on so believe it or not.
During I took a couple of days off, and during
my brief labor intensive break, a lot of very, very
a lot of work going on. I was in a
small town that Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelsey and Taylor
Swift and Ryan Gosley, We're all in the town up
(09:56):
the hill at a party and the town was buzzing.
And my wife turned me and said, is there any
way you could text like Travis kelcey and say come
on over for beers? And I said, I think it's
going to be a hard night to pull them away.
But it got me thinking about why the Chiefs beyond
just talent, Because you and I know this, not all
(10:17):
dynasties are the same. They're not all great for networks
and leagues. They're not. Sometimes it can get repetitive and boring.
But I was thinking about that party in that little
town and what happened there. You would not have believed
what happened, and I was there to witness it. Oh.
Why I love what the Kansas City Chiefs have become.
(10:39):
Oh and we'll talk about that next.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays
in noon Easter non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
All right, we're back. I'm so fired up. You know,
I always knew i'd be Tom Brady's teammate. I figured
I'd be a slot corner, very twitchy. Let's bring him on,
Tom Brady the opener, Cowboy Browns. I always knew when
I was Connecticut, I'm like, you know what, I should
go down there, show battle Belichick my back pedal. But
(11:11):
you know, we're different kind of teammates. Let me start
with that. That's an interesting one.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
So you had your football career.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
That's not real interesting. So you exhale, you retire, you exhale,
and you probably gave yourself about four or five months
just kind of just take a deep breath. I saw
you slim down. You probably weren't sore for the first
time in twenty years. And then you start prepping you
sign with Fox. What have you been doing to prepare
for this opening broadcast for a year and a half.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Well, I've reached out to all the different people that
I've met over the years of in media and sports
and got their take on kind of what the job entailed,
and then ultimately how the preparation goes during the week
and then how do you be really good when you
come on air? And I've had a lot of time
I think over the course of my career in interviews,
(12:01):
production meetings, and being on camera that hopefully it's not
too far from what I've already experienced, knowing that there's
going to be a lot of things that are new
to this.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
So I think the most exciting part for me is
there's more.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
Of a structure to my life. But you've always enjoyed
playing football on the weekends. Now I get to work
on the weekends here in the fall. And obviously the
NFL football season is back, which is we're all excited
about that. I'm sure when you're walking into the studio today,
it's a different feeling because you know, this new cycle
around nift football is very exciting, and I'm excited to
(12:37):
get going. I got the best teammates in the world,
you know, KB and Aaron Tom and then everyone behind
the scenes in the.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
Truck, Zee Russ, their whole team.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
The chance to get to know those people more intimately
and to really put together something special for the audience
is what's exciting for me.
Speaker 5 (12:57):
So I'm ready for football season.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
I'm ready to get back out there and watch from
a different perspective. And we're fortunate to be in Cleveland
this weekend with a great game Cleveland Dallas, and it
can't get here soon enough.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
So when you look at this film, all these years
of experience, one of the things I asked myself about Cleveland.
I love the coach, I love the GM, I love
the old line. What's up with Deshaun Watson? I mean
you can play, he didn't play. Are you seeing anything
in this matchup just on film from last year that
you are saying, Man, I got to see this developed, Like,
(13:33):
is there a really interesting element that you can't wait
to see?
Speaker 4 (13:37):
I think there's a lot of storylines in this particular game.
But the interesting part about the NFL is nobody really
knows what they're going to be this season.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
You have hopes, you.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Bring in draft picks, free agents, and you try to
put together your team to say, all right, this is
the way that we want to play based on.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
Where our deficiencies were last year.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
Certainly Cleveland's defense was top of the league last year.
They want to continue that. They want to get to
Sean back. They brought in a whole offensive staff to
try to get him to play the way that he
played when he was in Houston. Yeah, and they want
to go out there and compete, not just for a
division title, but for more than that. And it's a
great kind of test for them to go against Dallas,
(14:19):
who you know, they want to get over the hump
as well. And they've got a lot of great players.
They've got a lot of great talent. You know, they
got to get to you know, I think coach McCarthy,
they have a great leader and coach McCarthy that really preaches, Hey,
we want to stay focused day after day. We want
to eliminate the distractions and and they've had quite a
few of that this offseason, but every team does. And
(14:40):
I feel like Dallas has handled it very well. And
it's a great opening game. This is what it's all about.
A lot of guys coming back from injury. You got
Treron Diggs up there. I want to see him play,
and I want to see what Dak does coming off
last season, his best season as a pro. So so
many great things to watch in this particular game. And again,
it's a perfect day for football. It seems like it's
(15:02):
going to be in Cleveland on Sunday. It's not always
like that there and someone who's been there a few times. Yeah,
but sixty five degrees and partly Claude's perfect perfect football weather.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Okay, Trent Williams back, And we've said this before. I
feel Trent Williams was more valuable. And I like Brandon Ayuk.
I think the team is Kyle Shanahan's brain, McCaffrey's legs,
and Trent Williams and Bosa. That's the soul of the team.
Tell me, what is the difference if you knew you
had Trent Williams and he didn't play, would it get
(15:31):
in your head? I think his signing is gigantic for
the Niners. You tell me how much it matters.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
I would be driving him to work every day. If
I was the quarterback, I'd be making sure Trent was
with me every single place I went. There's no better
protector in the NFL than Trent over the years, and
I think the way they use him, and obviously they
I think San Francisco's run game is incredible, the way
they scheme their run game up. But having Trent in there,
it's just an entirely different offense because of his athleticism,
(15:58):
his rare combination size of quickness of power. I mean,
he's just and he gets out there on the field,
he's he's a matchup advantage for the Niners every time
that he takes a snap out there. So when they
have him out there, they all feel confident. A lot
of those players are going to go to the left
side of the line of scrimmage right behind him. They
know that when he's in pass protection, he's going to
(16:20):
hold up as well as anybody, doesn't really matter who
he goes against. A tremendous player, and it's Nyer's a
you know, between the Aux signing and Trent.
Speaker 5 (16:29):
I mean that was a little worries some a few
weeks ago.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
I actually did a practice game in against the Saints
up in Santa Clara a couple weeks ago, and everyone's
cut a bit concern.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
But I think now a lot of those concerned are
ease when both those.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
Guys are back in the building and ready to take
their put their pads on it, go out to practice.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
And get ready to play game.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Okay, chiefs Ravens Thursday, Kansas City's done this dance and
they keep winning it I love Lamar, I love Baltimore.
I love the coach, I love the owner. I think
it's the best run franchise arguably last decade in the league.
I think Baltimore does everything well except when in late January,
you tell me, does it start wearing on you? Buffalo's
going through this Tom you start hearing you can't win
(17:10):
these games. Is the pressure on Kansas City to defend
the home field or Baltimore Thursday?
Speaker 4 (17:16):
I'd say a little bit more on Baltimore for that
exact reason. I think that when you have great leadership,
and I think of those Baltimore teams when they had
Ray Lewis and Ed Reid as their two primary leaders, they.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
Even though they may lost in a championship game.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
I actually saw this the other day, a clip from
Ray Lewis in the locker room matter they had lost
to US I think in twenty eleven in the championship game,
and how Ray talked about that team and how we
wanted to get them back on track going in the
next year. That's always what it's about. When you lose
in the playoffs, you want to think about our how
are we going to get over the hump next year?
Speaker 5 (17:50):
What do we need to do?
Speaker 4 (17:51):
Where are our deficiencies? Where can we get a little better?
Where's our margin of air? Is it taking care of
the football? Is at third down? Is it scoring points
in the red? Is it production from a unit that
we haven't got a lot of production from tight end
group beings, running back group beings.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
How can we improve our team a little bit.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
So when we get these big games, we're more prepared
than the other team, got more margin of there, and
look to win a super Bowl is absolutely incredibly difficult.
Speaker 5 (18:17):
There's only one thing that does it.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
To do what the Chiefs have done is really remarkable,
and they want to try to do it again. That
challenge of them doing it is going to be as
hard a challenge as any team the NFL's ever had.
That's why it's never happened to win three in a row.
But the Chiefs are poised like they always are to
go in there. I don't think they believe their height.
They're very well coached, obviously a great quarterback, great leaders.
(18:43):
The defense played really well last year, so those guys
are prepared. Baltimore wants what the Chiefs got, and that's
why you lead the season off the way they have
it Ravens Chiefs. I'm excited to see that one get
underway too.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
I couldn't tell you the last time I was this
excited to watch the Chicago Bears play and the Washington Commanders.
And that's the great gift the NFL gives us is
that we watch these great college players for three and
four and five years, and all of a sudden, I
have an emotional investment. I can't wait to watch Jaden
and Caleb. Give me one thing that you'll see with
the one young quarterback. You may see it with Drake May.
(19:20):
The one thing that Tom Brady will see that I
can't that You'll be like, Okay, he's going to be okay,
He's going to be okay. What does a young quarterback?
Is it the feat? Is it the head movement? What
do you see that I can't that you would know
it's going to work?
Speaker 5 (19:36):
Well.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
I think there's lots of ways you can look at
a quarterback play, and I think it's very easily to
evaluate the physical aspect of the game. How well he
throws the ball, how fast his feed are when he
drops back in the pocket.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
Can you escape the pocket and make some plays on the.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Run, For me, I think the sustainable part about quarterbacking
is really what's up here is what's in the brain.
Are you snapping the ball and running good plays consistently
against the dee that you're out there watching as you're
reading the defenses. So so much of it to me
is our just is the coach giving the quarterback because
he's going to see it every day in practice.
Speaker 5 (20:10):
The coach and the players.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
Are they given the quarterback the freedom to make the
plays and the decisions that he needs to make to
get the team to win Because a lot of these
guys can throw the ball, a lot of them can
move in the pocket. Now, watching Caleb do it, he's
exceptional at it right, But to me, it's a deeper
level than that. When you're looking at starting quarterbacks in
the NFL, everybody should be able to throw the ball well,
everybody should be able to drop back and make accurate throws.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
It's what can you.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Do when you're in front on the road, in front
of seventy thousand people, and every single player in the
offensive puddles look at you and your eyes going, does
this guy have the confidence in himself to bring us
back when we're losing?
Speaker 5 (20:49):
In the fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
And I think that's the mark of what I see
in quarterbacks when I watch them. I want to say, Okay,
does this guy have the maturity.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
Does he have the poise? Does he have the.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
Composure to be at his best when his team needs
him the most?
Speaker 1 (21:01):
Ninety seconds? Drake may would just sit him? I don't
think there's a right answer. Would just sit him? Or
would you put his feet to the fire and let
it rip?
Speaker 4 (21:11):
So I mean, I'd gone on record to say that
I think it's best, in my opinion, for young quarterbacks
and rookie quarterbacks to.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Kind of watch a veteran do it.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
And there's so much that goes on, and quarterbacks need
to process so much information so quickly, and I think
if you can have someone I sat behind Drew Bledsell
my first year. What a great player he was, someone
that I got to watch and learn from. Aaron Rodgers
watched behind Brett Fahr, Patrick Mahomes, watch behind Alex Smith.
So when you have a real pro in front of you,
(21:44):
they can help with that learning curve, even though though
that young quarterback isn't necessarily going out there and losing
confidence in what his abilities are. So you know, ultimately,
those young players are going to get opportunities. The franchises
need those young quarterbacks to come in and take a
big state and lead that franchise on into the future.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
Right. I'd just like to give them a little.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Bit of time to acclimate themselves to the pro game,
the pro schedule, and it's a big difference between college
football and professional football.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
We've got about ninety seconds left. Week one is different
than it used to be. Tom nobody plays in the
preseason veterans. I mean the Jets and the Niners. Some
of these older teams are not playing anybody, so there
could be upsets galore. Is I mean if you had
a lean in Dallas Cleveland, because there's so many good
veteran players in that. We'll circle back for about ninety seconds. Now,
(22:33):
what do you think the game looks like? Cowboys Browns?
What does it look like to start?
Speaker 4 (22:38):
I think it's a defensive game. I think you got
two great defenses. Coach Zimmer is a huge addition to
that Dallas defense. They've got a lot of the same
players coming back on Dallas's defense. Cleveland does as well.
I mean both offenses. They're not quite the running games
they've had in the past due to some injuries, so
(22:58):
they've had some offense of line shuffling going around on
both teams. So I think it's gonna be a little
bit more of a passing game. And I don't know
if those passing games are quite in midseason form yet
with the way that these you know, CD wasn't in camp,
you know, that didn't have a lot of looks at that,
So again, some of these passing games may take a
little time to develop. So I think it's going to
be a really a very good defensive game. Two great coordinators,
(23:23):
a couple of the best defensive lines pass rushers in
the NFL going. So I don't think it's a zero
three nothing game, but I don't think it's a high flying, scoring,
all over the place game either.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Yeah, last week in Week one, it was I'm always
amazed the college kids play so well in week one
without preseason. These NFL games Week one, there's gonna be
a huge upset. Veterans don't play, so you don't know
what you're getting.
Speaker 4 (23:47):
You know, I think the pro football is a lot
more fair than college football. When you see these college
football games and you got a directional Tennessee School versus Alabama.
There's not much chance that it's tough for those teams
to come and compete against the big dogs. So in
the NFL, look, this is as fair as it gets,
which is why everyone loves this sport salary cap.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
It's it's so many things that you know.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
All these teams have the ability to recompromise their roster
and deal with them in the best possible way and
try to be the best team they could be.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
So creep out, Brady, Great seeing you, Good luck our two.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Next, be sure to catch live editions of The Herd
weekdays and noon eastern non am Pacific.
Speaker 6 (24:26):
He's Mike Karmen, I'm Dan Bayern. We have a fantasy
football podcast called I Want Your Flex.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
That's right, Dan.
Speaker 7 (24:32):
Every week we're gonna scour the waiver wire to find
the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup, sit starts,
fantasy football players rankings to get you ready to dominate
the competition.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
Listen to I Want Your Flex with Mike Carmon and
meet Dan Byer on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts and
wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Heard Hierarchy Tim Now go the top ten NFL teams
according to College Number two.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
I'm gonna go with the Atlanta Falcons. Kirk Cousins is
Dak Prescott. You'll be relevant, good and you can win
your division. Listen their offensive weapons. I think we're under
us last year, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Jean Robinson. They
have a top five or six offensive line. According to PFF,
I think Raheem Morris is the rare defensive coach who
(25:21):
understands offense. The bottom line is Kirk Cousins picked a
great division like Tom Brady did. He went to Tampa,
it was a bad division, and he had a good
offensive line. That's what Kirk Cousins has joined. I think
they can win twelve games. I don't think they'd win
twelve games in the NFC North, but in the NFC South,
(25:41):
I think they can run away with it. Best online,
best quarterback arguably in the division. Atlanta at ten, number nine.
I think Philadelphia's loaded and they could be a top
five team. But I don't know what to make of
them now. They've got all new coordinators. But I thought
Saquon Barkley is literally Jalen Hurt's best friend. What a gift.
They lose their all pro center, but their tackles are excellent.
(26:03):
They spent money on defense and free agency. They have
stars all over the team. Hurts can move, Barkley always
better than average, a tight end AJ Brown. Where they weak.
I just don't know if I like the coach. Their
division is one of the weaker ones. I don't think
they have to be a great team to win ten games.
(26:24):
Philadelphia at nine, number eight the Texans. You know, I
was thinking sophomore slump, but there's a couple of numbers
that are amazing. Did you know they had the fewest
turnovers in the NFL last year with a rookie quarterback?
At fourteen, they are hyper efficient. CJ. Stroud makes no mistakes,
Demiko Ryans a rock star as a coach. Then they
(26:46):
add Stefan Diggs, Daniil Hunter, Rush End, Joe Mixon. I
like their roster last year. They added three high end starters. Again,
I don't know if the division's any good. Like Atlanta,
I think they could run away with this thing. Texans
at eight, number seven, Buffalo. They've won four straight division titles.
(27:06):
Good coach, good GM star quarterback, and you know their
offensive line. We know it's good at left tackle that
it's been musical chairs, but they did allow the few
of sacks in the league last year, and the defense
was number one under McDermott. They just do things well.
They protect Josh Josh is great, they defend the pass,
they get a good pass rush, and they draft well.
(27:27):
I don't think they'll miss to I think Stefan Diggs
is a better get for Houston than he is a
loss for Buffalo. I think they'll be fine. I think
they're good. The question is are they ever great? Because
Kansas City's made a habit of being not just good
but great. Buffalo at seven, number six, I think the
Niners pull back a little. I didn't like their off season,
(27:48):
and I think it's time to have a fair evaluation
of rock Perty to figure out can we give this
guy the bag they're getting old Debo, Trent, Christian McCaffrey, Kittle.
I think it's a big year, a lot of hype,
a lot of wins, and no trophies. They've been twenty
two and five. When Christian McCaffrey plays, if he plays,
they'll be very good. But their offensive line was not
(28:10):
good last year. Twenty first and Trent Williams cannot be
in game shape, and then they face the Jets in
the opener, So that's a rough start. The Jets defense
and your offense you got got. You have that terrible shooting,
you have Brandon Aiyuk gaining the camp Trent Williams. I
like the Niners a lot. I think their divisions better.
(28:30):
I only have him at six, number five. I think
Green Bay is fascinating. I think they may be too
young to win a Super Bowl, but not necessarily. Where
are they not good? Offensively? Good god weapons everywhere? Romeo Dobbs,
Jayden Reid, Christian Watson, Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs. Excellent offensive coach.
Their whole lines are always good. Now defensively, can they
(28:52):
generate a consistent pass rush? I don't know. Super Bowl
teams that have won don't always have great pass rushes.
They have the youngest rostering the league. The average age
is twenty five. There are college teams that are averaging
twenty three with their two deeps or at least their
starting rosters. This is a really, really young team, but
(29:12):
I think they're really special and I got em at five.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Number four.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Listen Baltimore is gonna be good. Here's all you need
to know. Everybody goes, oh, they only return two starters
in the offensive line. Yeah, Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum,
pro Bowl level guy. If you get your left tackle
in your center right, you'll figure out the rest. Baltimore's
O line is oh, was fine. They got an all
time left tackle in a great center and Lamar Jackson, who,
(29:39):
by the way, is twenty and one all time against
NFC opponents. So just put in about six w's when
they face the NFC. And again, I think he's got
the best receiving coreries had Mark Andrews back healthy. I
just trust the organization, you know what I mean, Like
they're they're just well run and it matters GM coach
quarterback Harbaugh to go on games again, like Buffalo, they'll
(30:02):
be good? Will they be great? Let's wait and see
number three most underrated team in the league last year.
I think the Rams are special. It is. I think
they are basically Green Bay with a superstar coach and
a superstar quarterback. I loved them last year. I think
they nailed the draft. I think they're very well run.
And here's the other thing about them. Five of their
(30:23):
first picks were defense, and they've been nailing the draft
for years. Cooper Cup was banged up last year. He's
finally healthy. Say what you will about the Rams. You
rolled your eyes when Uncle Colin told you they were
the safest over bet in the league, and you're rolling
your eyes now, And I tell you they're gonna win
this division and may win it comfortably. The Rams at three,
(30:48):
number two Detroit. I don't know how to criticize them.
They draft, they develop. I mean, they play fourteen of
their first fifteen games indoors. I mean, Chicago's got a
good defense, but Minnesota Green Bay average defenses. They're gonna
score a lot of points. They're gonna control football games.
Speaker 5 (31:09):
They're gonna do.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
I mean, they beat Kansas City week one last year,
and they never They were good the whole year. I mean,
they're just a really sound, well run football team, which
is unbelievable because five years ago they were the opposite
of that. But I mean, Jamier Gibbs, star back, star
tight ends, star receivers, and they still have. What worries
me is it's a losing historic culture. Do they know
(31:31):
how to win a big game? And there's something to that.
There is something about New England for years winning games
when they were outplayed or out talented because they knew
how to win close games. Buffalo Bills have that issue,
like they don't know how to win big games. Prove it.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
If Detroit's there, they could become the Buffalo of the NFC.
But man, do I like their talent? Number one Kansas
City noisy offseason blah blah blah. They're three best players
Chris Jones, Travis Kelcey and Mahomes. Who cares if they're noisy.
Their defense was excellent last year. It's now they lost
a corner, but it's just older, smarter players. I think
(32:07):
there's so much functionality about this team. I think the
hardest thing they face is apathy. It is very hard
to win three straight. I think their defense is elite.
Travis Kelsey is aging, but let's be honest, he was
great when it mattered in the postseason. I think one
of their tougher challenges is I think Carbond the Chargers
have always played him pretty tight. I think Denver's better
(32:28):
than people think, but uh, I have Cincinnati at eleven
and that's I feel pretty good about this. Jmax rolling
his eyes you guys, go ahead and laugh on the Rams.
I was right last year. I'm gonna be right this year.
Do you care about Super Bowl odds or not?
Speaker 5 (32:43):
Really?
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Not really?
Speaker 5 (32:44):
Rams are thirteenth in Super Bowl odds.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
He had third in your power rate. Now they're over under.
Last year was five wins. Why are you harping on
last year. We're in this year. Don't live in the past, buddy,
We're in the present. I bought three jet skis last
year with my ramswings. They're gonna get repossessed your certainly
that's funny, rarely funny, but you gotta go one there.
Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast.
Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox
Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to
noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at
Foxsportsradio dot com, or stream us live every day on
the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:27):
All Right, here we go. It's Tuesday. It's officially football season,
no more days off. Ready to roll, live in Los Angeles.
It's the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you
may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day.
Forty minutes from now, Tom Brady the Goat, stops by
our show. Nick right as well, jmac rested focused, Ready
(00:53):
to roll. The Niners got their guys back the Sea
Man after a great college football weekend. Numbers were gigantic.
We'll get into that later, but good to see you again.
You ready to go? I'm ready. That's right. So here's
good news. Trent Williams, who I think we can mostly admit,
even if you're a non forty nine er fan, best
(01:14):
left tackle in football and what We've been saying on
this show, I love Brandon aiyuk. You better get Trent
Williams back because it's not the same team. This offense
is Shanahan, Trent Williams, and Christian McCaffrey in any order.
He's coming back. He signed a deal. He's back in
the Bay. So the noisiest off season in the NFL
(01:35):
is suddenly getting quieter. And I mean the Niners off
season made the Jets noisy off season feel like a monastery.
It was baggage, it was noise. Christian McCaffrey didn't play Brandon.
Now you get that horrible Ricky pearsall a shooting incident.
He is now out of a hospital. Prayers to him
and his family. Now, the Niners are an older team
(01:56):
and they're facing real pressure because Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle,
and Trent Williams have a lot of wear on those tires.
And you know who doesn't. Three of the best challengers
in the NFC, the Packers, the Lions and yes, the
Rams are really good, have six and seven year runways.
The Niners plane is about to take off. It's got
(02:19):
the heaviest cargo ever. It may only have one great
lift off yet, and I'm not sure I like the
landing gear. Now we're gonna see a team that is
facing real pressure. Kyle Shanahan, I need a trophy. I
need a trophy. The Jets don't have a trophy either,
to the Niners. A lot of regular season wins, so
(02:41):
that Jets Niners matchup the Baggage Bowl. You've had noise,
you've got stars, you got no trophies, and both think
it's their time. So I can't wait for that on
Monday Night Football, which is six days away. But the
Niners are interesting now because we've sort of been let's
be honest, we kind of know who the great quarter
in the NFL, and we've sort of been coddling brock Purty.
(03:04):
But this is the year that the York family owners
of this franchise, Shanahan and John Lynch, will make the
grown up decision do we pay this kid real money?
They'll know by Thanksgiving. But the schedule's tough. I think
the division, it may not be the AFC North or
the NFC North, but I think the division is still
(03:25):
really good. Keep your eye on Seattle. I think we're
gonna learn a lot about this team. A lot of noise,
a lot of baggage, a lot of cargo, very expensive
and older players. Deebo gets hurt. McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Kittle,
this is the best roster in the league. It is
(03:46):
absolutely the best roster, one of the older ones. But
the best roster Detroit may be close. Philadelphia good like
the Chiefs too. This is the best roster in the league.
And if Stafford Joe Burrow Mahomes were the quarterback, they'd
be heavy, over overwhelming favorites to win a Super Bowl.
And they're not. Now they're in the top three. But
now the pressure isn't just on everybody else not named
(04:09):
Brock party. Now it's on Brock pretty too. So let's
stop the coddling. Let's get this party started. Trent Williams
back in tow, Brandon Aiyuk back in camp. The noisiest
team in the NFL suddenly got quiet, and I can't
wait for the opener against the equally noisy and high
(04:30):
expectation Jets. All right, So I watched a lot of
college football this weekend, and the college football season got
great ratings for a lot of reasons. Get into that later.
But I was reading a takeaway an article this morning
that said, the headline reads ten takeaways from an eventful
(04:51):
college football Week one, and instead of going with ten,
I'm gonna slim that list down to one. Lincoln Riley
can coach. Yeah, he's really really good at coaching. The
same people who banged on Lincoln Riley for years try
to convince you that Jim Harbaugh couldn't coach either. Do
(05:13):
resumes matter anymore? I watched Lincoln Riley with less talent
on a neutral field and a younger team out coach
Brian Kelly out execute LSU, one of the top three
SEC football programs. This insatiable need to think you're smarter
than everybody, and you see something the rest of us
(05:34):
don't that Harbaugh and Lincoln Riley can't coach. Give me
a break. USC was a dead program four wins, thirty
Division one players, and they won eleven games the next year.
But like Harbaugh Michigan, they weren't really nearly as good
and they're still not as talented as Ohio State, Georgia, Bama,
(05:55):
or Texas. USC does not have this morning that kind
of talent, and they may not have oregons either, And
the criticism of Lincoln Riley that did to me that
was fair and that made sense and was reasonable. Was Okay,
Okay's one games. We know he can design plays, we
know he's pretty damn smart offensively, and man, what he
(06:18):
does with quarterbacks all of them is magic. But there
was one question, and it was reasonable, is can he
build his own culture? Because Oklahoma's always good, not much
of a rebuild in Oklahoma. A down year at Oklahoma's
like nine or ten wins, top five program. Ever, so
that criticism can he build his own staff in his
(06:39):
own culture was fair and his first try at it,
the defensive staff is terrible, but now he rebooted. Deanton
Lynn is now the defensive coordinator. He'll be in the
NFL in two years. This defensive staff is the first
time it wasn't the USC one US. He's been scoring
points forever. They scored him with Clay, Lincoln, Sark, Kiffin, Pete,
(07:04):
but it was the first time since Pete Carroll that
you watched a USC staff and you see other head
coaches on the staff beyond the head coach Lincoln Riley,
that you literally felt they were going up against an
SEC team with a ten million dollar a year coach,
and they out executed, they out coached, they outsmarted, they
(07:25):
out planned, they out adjusted. That's been missing. USC could
have won thirty seven to thirty four, and you wouldn't
feel the same way that you felt winning narrowly in
a lower scoring game because USC, with Caleb Williams and
you'll see how good he is in Chicago, had to
put on the cape to beat teams like Arizona. Now
(07:49):
they can go toe to toe coaching, execution, quarterback, secondary.
They looked like a real team. Again, are they a
twelve team playoff team? I think they are. I don't
think they're Ohio State. I don't think they're Georgia, Texas, Bama.
I don't think they have that kind of talent. But
(08:11):
it's not that they won, it's how they won. People
all over the country on social media were saying, look
at the tackling, which is like loving a carpenter because
he's good with a hammer and a nail. Shouldn't he
be isn't that the isn't that the foundational piece all
construction guys are good at No, that's how bad it's
been at USC. So Lincoln Riley, I know, I know
(08:34):
you're trying to tell us that you're magical. You can
see stuff the rest of us can't. With Harbon, Lincoln Riley.
You also try to sell us on NFTs, which are
now worthless. Here's Lincoln after the win.
Speaker 3 (08:48):
I don't coach for the media, don't. I don't coach
for headlines. We just try to do what's best in
our program, and we try to stay just incredibly committed
to it, regardless of what anybody says on the outside.
We know we've been building, were very confident in the
approach that we're taking with the people that were putting
in our program, players, staff, everyone, and I just know
(09:09):
I've been I'm not the most experienced guy, but I
have been through a couple of these. I have a
decent idea of what pretty good looks like, and.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
That was pretty good. Maybe not great, it's pretty good.
And LSU is going to run the table the next
four or five weeks and blow people out. Go look
at their schedule, so stop telling me. LSU's no good.
LSU's almost always good. They won a national title with
that ors you're on, They got Brian Kelly, they'll be fine.
Speaker 4 (09:32):
J Mac.
Speaker 1 (09:33):
A lot of things going on so believe it or not.
During I took a couple of days off, and during
my brief labor intensive break, a lot of very, very
a lot of work going on. I was in a
small town that Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelsey and Taylor
Swift and Ryan Gosley, We're all in the town up
(09:56):
the hill at a party and the town was buzzing.
And my wife turned me and said, is there any
way you could text like Travis kelcey and say come
on over for beers? And I said, I think it's
going to be a hard night to pull them away.
But it got me thinking about why the Chiefs beyond
just talent, Because you and I know this, not all
(10:17):
dynasties are the same. They're not all great for networks
and leagues. They're not. Sometimes it can get repetitive and boring.
But I was thinking about that party in that little
town and what happened there. You would not have believed
what happened, and I was there to witness it. Oh.
Why I love what the Kansas City Chiefs have become.
(10:39):
Oh and we'll talk about that next.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays
in noon Easter non am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (10:50):
All right, we're back. I'm so fired up. You know,
I always knew i'd be Tom Brady's teammate. I figured
I'd be a slot corner, very twitchy. Let's bring him on,
Tom Brady the opener, Cowboy Browns. I always knew when
I was Connecticut, I'm like, you know what, I should
go down there, show battle Belichick my back pedal. But
(11:11):
you know, we're different kind of teammates. Let me start
with that. That's an interesting one.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
So you had your football career.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
That's not real interesting. So you exhale, you retire, you exhale,
and you probably gave yourself about four or five months
just kind of just take a deep breath. I saw
you slim down. You probably weren't sore for the first
time in twenty years. And then you start prepping you
sign with Fox. What have you been doing to prepare
for this opening broadcast for a year and a half.
Speaker 4 (11:40):
Well, I've reached out to all the different people that
I've met over the years of in media and sports
and got their take on kind of what the job entailed,
and then ultimately how the preparation goes during the week
and then how do you be really good when you
come on air? And I've had a lot of time
I think over the course of my career in interviews,
(12:01):
production meetings, and being on camera that hopefully it's not
too far from what I've already experienced, knowing that there's
going to be a lot of things that are new
to this.
Speaker 5 (12:10):
So I think the most exciting part for me is
there's more.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
Of a structure to my life. But you've always enjoyed
playing football on the weekends. Now I get to work
on the weekends here in the fall. And obviously the
NFL football season is back, which is we're all excited
about that. I'm sure when you're walking into the studio today,
it's a different feeling because you know, this new cycle
around nift football is very exciting, and I'm excited to
(12:37):
get going. I got the best teammates in the world,
you know, KB and Aaron Tom and then everyone behind
the scenes in the.
Speaker 5 (12:45):
Truck, Zee Russ, their whole team.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
The chance to get to know those people more intimately
and to really put together something special for the audience
is what's exciting for me.
Speaker 5 (12:57):
So I'm ready for football season.
Speaker 4 (12:59):
I'm ready to get back out there and watch from
a different perspective. And we're fortunate to be in Cleveland
this weekend with a great game Cleveland Dallas, and it
can't get here soon enough.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
So when you look at this film, all these years
of experience, one of the things I asked myself about Cleveland.
I love the coach, I love the GM, I love
the old line. What's up with Deshaun Watson? I mean
you can play, he didn't play. Are you seeing anything
in this matchup just on film from last year that
you are saying, Man, I got to see this developed, Like,
(13:33):
is there a really interesting element that you can't wait
to see?
Speaker 4 (13:37):
I think there's a lot of storylines in this particular game.
But the interesting part about the NFL is nobody really
knows what they're going to be this season.
Speaker 5 (13:46):
You have hopes, you.
Speaker 4 (13:47):
Bring in draft picks, free agents, and you try to
put together your team to say, all right, this is
the way that we want to play based on.
Speaker 5 (13:55):
Where our deficiencies were last year.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
Certainly Cleveland's defense was top of the league last year.
They want to continue that. They want to get to
Sean back. They brought in a whole offensive staff to
try to get him to play the way that he
played when he was in Houston. Yeah, and they want
to go out there and compete, not just for a
division title, but for more than that. And it's a
great kind of test for them to go against Dallas,
(14:19):
who you know, they want to get over the hump
as well. And they've got a lot of great players.
They've got a lot of great talent. You know, they
got to get to you know, I think coach McCarthy,
they have a great leader and coach McCarthy that really preaches, Hey,
we want to stay focused day after day. We want
to eliminate the distractions and and they've had quite a
few of that this offseason, but every team does. And
(14:40):
I feel like Dallas has handled it very well. And
it's a great opening game. This is what it's all about.
A lot of guys coming back from injury. You got
Treron Diggs up there. I want to see him play,
and I want to see what Dak does coming off
last season, his best season as a pro. So so
many great things to watch in this particular game. And again,
it's a perfect day for football. It seems like it's
(15:02):
going to be in Cleveland on Sunday. It's not always
like that there and someone who's been there a few times. Yeah,
but sixty five degrees and partly Claude's perfect perfect football weather.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
Okay, Trent Williams back, And we've said this before. I
feel Trent Williams was more valuable. And I like Brandon Ayuk.
I think the team is Kyle Shanahan's brain, McCaffrey's legs,
and Trent Williams and Bosa. That's the soul of the team.
Tell me, what is the difference if you knew you
had Trent Williams and he didn't play, would it get
(15:31):
in your head? I think his signing is gigantic for
the Niners. You tell me how much it matters.
Speaker 4 (15:37):
I would be driving him to work every day. If
I was the quarterback, I'd be making sure Trent was
with me every single place I went. There's no better
protector in the NFL than Trent over the years, and
I think the way they use him, and obviously they
I think San Francisco's run game is incredible, the way
they scheme their run game up. But having Trent in there,
it's just an entirely different offense because of his athleticism,
(15:58):
his rare combination size of quickness of power. I mean,
he's just and he gets out there on the field,
he's he's a matchup advantage for the Niners every time
that he takes a snap out there. So when they
have him out there, they all feel confident. A lot
of those players are going to go to the left
side of the line of scrimmage right behind him. They
know that when he's in pass protection, he's going to
(16:20):
hold up as well as anybody, doesn't really matter who
he goes against. A tremendous player, and it's Nyer's a
you know, between the Aux signing and Trent.
Speaker 5 (16:29):
I mean that was a little worries some a few
weeks ago.
Speaker 4 (16:31):
I actually did a practice game in against the Saints
up in Santa Clara a couple weeks ago, and everyone's
cut a bit concern.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
But I think now a lot of those concerned are
ease when both those.
Speaker 4 (16:41):
Guys are back in the building and ready to take
their put their pads on it, go out to practice.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
And get ready to play game.
Speaker 1 (16:48):
Okay, chiefs Ravens Thursday, Kansas City's done this dance and
they keep winning it I love Lamar, I love Baltimore.
I love the coach, I love the owner. I think
it's the best run franchise arguably last decade in the league.
I think Baltimore does everything well except when in late January,
you tell me, does it start wearing on you? Buffalo's
going through this Tom you start hearing you can't win
(17:10):
these games. Is the pressure on Kansas City to defend
the home field or Baltimore Thursday?
Speaker 4 (17:16):
I'd say a little bit more on Baltimore for that
exact reason. I think that when you have great leadership,
and I think of those Baltimore teams when they had
Ray Lewis and Ed Reid as their two primary leaders, they.
Speaker 5 (17:28):
Even though they may lost in a championship game.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
I actually saw this the other day, a clip from
Ray Lewis in the locker room matter they had lost
to US I think in twenty eleven in the championship game,
and how Ray talked about that team and how we
wanted to get them back on track going in the
next year. That's always what it's about. When you lose
in the playoffs, you want to think about our how
are we going to get over the hump next year?
Speaker 5 (17:50):
What do we need to do?
Speaker 4 (17:51):
Where are our deficiencies? Where can we get a little better?
Where's our margin of air? Is it taking care of
the football? Is at third down? Is it scoring points
in the red? Is it production from a unit that
we haven't got a lot of production from tight end
group beings, running back group beings.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
How can we improve our team a little bit.
Speaker 4 (18:07):
So when we get these big games, we're more prepared
than the other team, got more margin of there, and
look to win a super Bowl is absolutely incredibly difficult.
Speaker 5 (18:17):
There's only one thing that does it.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
To do what the Chiefs have done is really remarkable,
and they want to try to do it again. That
challenge of them doing it is going to be as
hard a challenge as any team the NFL's ever had.
That's why it's never happened to win three in a row.
But the Chiefs are poised like they always are to
go in there. I don't think they believe their height.
They're very well coached, obviously a great quarterback, great leaders.
(18:43):
The defense played really well last year, so those guys
are prepared. Baltimore wants what the Chiefs got, and that's
why you lead the season off the way they have
it Ravens Chiefs. I'm excited to see that one get
underway too.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
I couldn't tell you the last time I was this
excited to watch the Chicago Bears play and the Washington Commanders.
And that's the great gift the NFL gives us is
that we watch these great college players for three and
four and five years, and all of a sudden, I
have an emotional investment. I can't wait to watch Jaden
and Caleb. Give me one thing that you'll see with
the one young quarterback. You may see it with Drake May.
(19:20):
The one thing that Tom Brady will see that I
can't that You'll be like, Okay, he's going to be okay,
He's going to be okay. What does a young quarterback?
Is it the feat? Is it the head movement? What
do you see that I can't that you would know
it's going to work?
Speaker 5 (19:36):
Well.
Speaker 4 (19:37):
I think there's lots of ways you can look at
a quarterback play, and I think it's very easily to
evaluate the physical aspect of the game. How well he
throws the ball, how fast his feed are when he
drops back in the pocket.
Speaker 5 (19:47):
Can you escape the pocket and make some plays on the.
Speaker 4 (19:49):
Run, For me, I think the sustainable part about quarterbacking
is really what's up here is what's in the brain.
Are you snapping the ball and running good plays consistently
against the dee that you're out there watching as you're
reading the defenses. So so much of it to me
is our just is the coach giving the quarterback because
he's going to see it every day in practice.
Speaker 5 (20:10):
The coach and the players.
Speaker 4 (20:12):
Are they given the quarterback the freedom to make the
plays and the decisions that he needs to make to
get the team to win Because a lot of these
guys can throw the ball, a lot of them can
move in the pocket. Now, watching Caleb do it, he's
exceptional at it right, But to me, it's a deeper
level than that. When you're looking at starting quarterbacks in
the NFL, everybody should be able to throw the ball well,
everybody should be able to drop back and make accurate throws.
Speaker 5 (20:35):
It's what can you.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Do when you're in front on the road, in front
of seventy thousand people, and every single player in the
offensive puddles look at you and your eyes going, does
this guy have the confidence in himself to bring us
back when we're losing?
Speaker 5 (20:49):
In the fourth quarter.
Speaker 4 (20:50):
And I think that's the mark of what I see
in quarterbacks when I watch them. I want to say, Okay,
does this guy have the maturity.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
Does he have the poise? Does he have the.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
Composure to be at his best when his team needs
him the most?
Speaker 1 (21:01):
Ninety seconds? Drake may would just sit him? I don't
think there's a right answer. Would just sit him? Or
would you put his feet to the fire and let
it rip?
Speaker 4 (21:11):
So I mean, I'd gone on record to say that
I think it's best, in my opinion, for young quarterbacks
and rookie quarterbacks to.
Speaker 5 (21:20):
Kind of watch a veteran do it.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
And there's so much that goes on, and quarterbacks need
to process so much information so quickly, and I think
if you can have someone I sat behind Drew Bledsell
my first year. What a great player he was, someone
that I got to watch and learn from. Aaron Rodgers
watched behind Brett Fahr, Patrick Mahomes, watch behind Alex Smith.
So when you have a real pro in front of you,
(21:44):
they can help with that learning curve, even though though
that young quarterback isn't necessarily going out there and losing
confidence in what his abilities are. So you know, ultimately,
those young players are going to get opportunities. The franchises
need those young quarterbacks to come in and take a
big state and lead that franchise on into the future.
Speaker 5 (22:02):
Right. I'd just like to give them a little.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
Bit of time to acclimate themselves to the pro game,
the pro schedule, and it's a big difference between college
football and professional football.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
We've got about ninety seconds left. Week one is different
than it used to be. Tom nobody plays in the
preseason veterans. I mean the Jets and the Niners. Some
of these older teams are not playing anybody, so there
could be upsets galore. Is I mean if you had
a lean in Dallas Cleveland, because there's so many good
veteran players in that. We'll circle back for about ninety seconds. Now,
(22:33):
what do you think the game looks like? Cowboys Browns?
What does it look like to start?
Speaker 4 (22:38):
I think it's a defensive game. I think you got
two great defenses. Coach Zimmer is a huge addition to
that Dallas defense. They've got a lot of the same
players coming back on Dallas's defense. Cleveland does as well.
I mean both offenses. They're not quite the running games
they've had in the past due to some injuries, so
(22:58):
they've had some offense of line shuffling going around on
both teams. So I think it's gonna be a little
bit more of a passing game. And I don't know
if those passing games are quite in midseason form yet
with the way that these you know, CD wasn't in camp,
you know, that didn't have a lot of looks at that,
So again, some of these passing games may take a
little time to develop. So I think it's going to
be a really a very good defensive game. Two great coordinators,
(23:23):
a couple of the best defensive lines pass rushers in
the NFL going. So I don't think it's a zero
three nothing game, but I don't think it's a high flying, scoring,
all over the place game either.
Speaker 1 (23:33):
Yeah, last week in Week one, it was I'm always
amazed the college kids play so well in week one
without preseason. These NFL games Week one, there's gonna be
a huge upset. Veterans don't play, so you don't know
what you're getting.
Speaker 4 (23:47):
You know, I think the pro football is a lot
more fair than college football. When you see these college
football games and you got a directional Tennessee School versus Alabama.
There's not much chance that it's tough for those teams
to come and compete against the big dogs. So in
the NFL, look, this is as fair as it gets,
which is why everyone loves this sport salary cap.
Speaker 5 (24:06):
It's it's so many things that you know.
Speaker 4 (24:08):
All these teams have the ability to recompromise their roster
and deal with them in the best possible way and
try to be the best team they could be.
Speaker 1 (24:16):
So creep out, Brady, Great seeing you, Good luck our two.
Speaker 2 (24:20):
Next, be sure to catch live editions of The Herd
weekdays and noon eastern non am Pacific.
Speaker 6 (24:26):
He's Mike Karmen, I'm Dan Bayern. We have a fantasy
football podcast called I Want Your Flex.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
That's right, Dan.
Speaker 7 (24:32):
Every week we're gonna scour the waiver wire to find
the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup, sit starts,
fantasy football players rankings to get you ready to dominate
the competition.
Speaker 6 (24:43):
Listen to I Want Your Flex with Mike Carmon and
meet Dan Byer on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts and
wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Heard Hierarchy Tim Now go the top ten NFL teams
according to College Number two.
Speaker 1 (25:00):
I'm gonna go with the Atlanta Falcons. Kirk Cousins is
Dak Prescott. You'll be relevant, good and you can win
your division. Listen their offensive weapons. I think we're under
us last year, Drake London, Kyle Pitts, Jean Robinson. They
have a top five or six offensive line. According to PFF,
I think Raheem Morris is the rare defensive coach who
(25:21):
understands offense. The bottom line is Kirk Cousins picked a
great division like Tom Brady did. He went to Tampa,
it was a bad division, and he had a good
offensive line. That's what Kirk Cousins has joined. I think
they can win twelve games. I don't think they'd win
twelve games in the NFC North, but in the NFC South,
(25:41):
I think they can run away with it. Best online,
best quarterback arguably in the division. Atlanta at ten, number nine.
I think Philadelphia's loaded and they could be a top
five team. But I don't know what to make of
them now. They've got all new coordinators. But I thought
Saquon Barkley is literally Jalen Hurt's best friend. What a gift.
They lose their all pro center, but their tackles are excellent.
(26:03):
They spent money on defense and free agency. They have
stars all over the team. Hurts can move, Barkley always
better than average, a tight end AJ Brown. Where they weak.
I just don't know if I like the coach. Their
division is one of the weaker ones. I don't think
they have to be a great team to win ten games.
(26:24):
Philadelphia at nine, number eight the Texans. You know, I
was thinking sophomore slump, but there's a couple of numbers
that are amazing. Did you know they had the fewest
turnovers in the NFL last year with a rookie quarterback?
At fourteen, they are hyper efficient. CJ. Stroud makes no mistakes,
Demiko Ryans a rock star as a coach. Then they
(26:46):
add Stefan Diggs, Daniil Hunter, Rush End, Joe Mixon. I
like their roster last year. They added three high end starters. Again,
I don't know if the division's any good. Like Atlanta,
I think they could run away with this thing. Texans
at eight, number seven, Buffalo. They've won four straight division titles.
(27:06):
Good coach, good GM star quarterback, and you know their
offensive line. We know it's good at left tackle that
it's been musical chairs, but they did allow the few
of sacks in the league last year, and the defense
was number one under McDermott. They just do things well.
They protect Josh Josh is great, they defend the pass,
they get a good pass rush, and they draft well.
(27:27):
I don't think they'll miss to I think Stefan Diggs
is a better get for Houston than he is a
loss for Buffalo. I think they'll be fine. I think
they're good. The question is are they ever great? Because
Kansas City's made a habit of being not just good
but great. Buffalo at seven, number six, I think the
Niners pull back a little. I didn't like their off season,
(27:48):
and I think it's time to have a fair evaluation
of rock Perty to figure out can we give this
guy the bag they're getting old Debo, Trent, Christian McCaffrey, Kittle.
I think it's a big year, a lot of hype,
a lot of wins, and no trophies. They've been twenty
two and five. When Christian McCaffrey plays, if he plays,
they'll be very good. But their offensive line was not
(28:10):
good last year. Twenty first and Trent Williams cannot be
in game shape, and then they face the Jets in
the opener, So that's a rough start. The Jets defense
and your offense you got got. You have that terrible shooting,
you have Brandon Aiyuk gaining the camp Trent Williams. I
like the Niners a lot. I think their divisions better.
(28:30):
I only have him at six, number five. I think
Green Bay is fascinating. I think they may be too
young to win a Super Bowl, but not necessarily. Where
are they not good? Offensively? Good god weapons everywhere? Romeo Dobbs,
Jayden Reid, Christian Watson, Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs. Excellent offensive coach.
Their whole lines are always good. Now defensively, can they
(28:52):
generate a consistent pass rush? I don't know. Super Bowl
teams that have won don't always have great pass rushes.
They have the youngest rostering the league. The average age
is twenty five. There are college teams that are averaging
twenty three with their two deeps or at least their
starting rosters. This is a really, really young team, but
(29:12):
I think they're really special and I got em at five.
Speaker 2 (29:15):
Number four.
Speaker 1 (29:16):
Listen Baltimore is gonna be good. Here's all you need
to know. Everybody goes, oh, they only return two starters
in the offensive line. Yeah, Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum,
pro Bowl level guy. If you get your left tackle
in your center right, you'll figure out the rest. Baltimore's
O line is oh, was fine. They got an all
time left tackle in a great center and Lamar Jackson, who,
(29:39):
by the way, is twenty and one all time against
NFC opponents. So just put in about six w's when
they face the NFC. And again, I think he's got
the best receiving coreries had Mark Andrews back healthy. I
just trust the organization, you know what I mean, Like
they're they're just well run and it matters GM coach
quarterback Harbaugh to go on games again, like Buffalo, they'll
(30:02):
be good? Will they be great? Let's wait and see
number three most underrated team in the league last year.
I think the Rams are special. It is. I think
they are basically Green Bay with a superstar coach and
a superstar quarterback. I loved them last year. I think
they nailed the draft. I think they're very well run.
And here's the other thing about them. Five of their
(30:23):
first picks were defense, and they've been nailing the draft
for years. Cooper Cup was banged up last year. He's
finally healthy. Say what you will about the Rams. You
rolled your eyes when Uncle Colin told you they were
the safest over bet in the league, and you're rolling
your eyes now, And I tell you they're gonna win
this division and may win it comfortably. The Rams at three,
(30:48):
number two Detroit. I don't know how to criticize them.
They draft, they develop. I mean, they play fourteen of
their first fifteen games indoors. I mean, Chicago's got a
good defense, but Minnesota Green Bay average defenses. They're gonna
score a lot of points. They're gonna control football games.
Speaker 5 (31:09):
They're gonna do.
Speaker 1 (31:10):
I mean, they beat Kansas City week one last year,
and they never They were good the whole year. I mean,
they're just a really sound, well run football team, which
is unbelievable because five years ago they were the opposite
of that. But I mean, Jamier Gibbs, star back, star
tight ends, star receivers, and they still have. What worries
me is it's a losing historic culture. Do they know
(31:31):
how to win a big game? And there's something to that.
There is something about New England for years winning games
when they were outplayed or out talented because they knew
how to win close games. Buffalo Bills have that issue,
like they don't know how to win big games. Prove it.
Speaker 5 (31:46):
I don't know.
Speaker 1 (31:46):
If Detroit's there, they could become the Buffalo of the NFC.
But man, do I like their talent? Number one Kansas
City noisy offseason blah blah blah. They're three best players
Chris Jones, Travis Kelcey and Mahomes. Who cares if they're noisy.
Their defense was excellent last year. It's now they lost
a corner, but it's just older, smarter players. I think
(32:07):
there's so much functionality about this team. I think the
hardest thing they face is apathy. It is very hard
to win three straight. I think their defense is elite.
Travis Kelsey is aging, but let's be honest, he was
great when it mattered in the postseason. I think one
of their tougher challenges is I think Carbond the Chargers
have always played him pretty tight. I think Denver's better
(32:28):
than people think, but uh, I have Cincinnati at eleven
and that's I feel pretty good about this. Jmax rolling
his eyes you guys, go ahead and laugh on the Rams.
I was right last year. I'm gonna be right this year.
Do you care about Super Bowl odds or not?
Speaker 5 (32:43):
Really?
Speaker 1 (32:44):
Not really?
Speaker 5 (32:44):
Rams are thirteenth in Super Bowl odds.
Speaker 1 (32:46):
He had third in your power rate. Now they're over under.
Last year was five wins. Why are you harping on
last year. We're in this year. Don't live in the past, buddy,
We're in the present. I bought three jet skis last
year with my ramswings. They're gonna get repossessed your certainly
that's funny, rarely funny, but you gotta go one there.
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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