December 16, 2024 • 34 mins
Colin tries to make sense of the Eagles who extend their winning streak to 10 games despite in-fighting among players and coaches. He tells you why he was right about Baker Mayfield and wrong about Bill Belichick. Plus, he talks to 3-time Pro Bowler Matt Hasselbeck about the Packers and if we should consider them real contenders in the NFC
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
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
Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio
or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Oh it is a Monday. It is not any Monday.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
We're getting clarity in the NFL trees everywhere on the
FS one set. Happy Holidays. Yes, it's official live in
Los Angeles. It's the Herd wherever you may be and
however you may be listening.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Thanks for making us part of your day.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
One hour from now, Colin Wright Wrong plus Matt Hasselbeck,
who has been such a great addition to the Herd. Jmac,
I gotta tell you a lot of blowouts yesterday. I
don't know if it was separation Sunday, but Philadelphia, you
used to live around there. They got layers and layers
(01:06):
of dudes.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Yeah, they just have a coaching issue that remains a problem,
even if you don't want to admit it.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Well, let's start with that. The Eagles are officially the
strangest great sports franchise, not just in the NFL, maybe
all of sports. Last twenty five years, They've had four coaches.
They've had Andy Reid, Chip Kelly, Doug Peterson, Nick Sirianni.
All but one have gotten to a Super Bowl, and
they fired three of them. And if Nick Siriani lost
(01:33):
his first playoff game this year, despite his record, which
is one of the top five winning percentage records of
all time.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
They fire him too.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
They got star receivers, complaining players going on local radio
banging on the culture. You've got Sirianni on the sidelines
getting into another beef. They run coordinators in and out
of the building. It's twenty four to seven drama. They
have all the qualities of a bad or poorly run franchise,
yet all the Eagles do win. I thought Pittsburgh's defense
(02:02):
was great, then I watched Jalen Hurts yesterday nineteen completions
to his top two receivers. I mean again, Pittsburgh is
well coached, great defense. They did whatever they wanted to,
and they were even good in the first quarter. The
Eagles are never good in the first quarter. And that's
another part about the Eagles that virtually makes no sense.
(02:25):
But I'm gonna pick him to win the Super Bowl.
I just I don't even know what to make of them.
They have the deepest roster in the league. They have
young stars, stars in their prime, old stars. Only team
in the league that has like three levels of greatness.
They have the most aggressive general manager, Howie Roseman. They
have the most physically aggressive head coach, their owner occasionally
(02:45):
Jeffrey Lourie, a brilliant man, sometimes medals owner, GM, head coach, quarterback.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
It is a lot of alpha.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
It is a lot of puff in your chest out
But I love their aggressiveness. They don't apologize who what
they are, who they are if they don't apologize, and
Buffalo love him, but I don't trust him. Kansas City's
barely beating anybody. They can't protect Mahomes, Baltimore. The playoffs
are their kryptonite. Detroit. I mean, they're running out of players.
(03:17):
I'm gonna take Philadelphia. They got five different ways to
beat you. The layering of talent incredible. Sirianni's opening press
conference was regrettable.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
He laughed at it.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I think he's one of those coaches and one of
those people in America. This is not a bad thing.
He wasn't quite ready for the job. He was bailing water,
and he had to go through coordinators. But I think
he's kind of found his way between the talk radio
and that city and the relentlessly aggressive fans. The city
matches the team, the team matches the city. They and
(03:50):
because their offense is so dramatic, you overlook their defense,
which is number one and number two on third down,
and so they held the Steelers to ten first downs.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
I mean, honestly, I was thinking about this morning.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
What the Eagles are is basically that couple that constantly
argues and nobody thinks the marriage will ever stay intact.
And they just had their forty fifth wedding anniversary. It
shouldn't make sense. It doesn't make sense. They got rookies
in the secondary drama on the sidelines, wide receivers don't
privately love the quarterback, young, old offensive line, d line,
(04:27):
crazy head coach, and it just works. And once again,
there's this scrutiny, and I'm as guilty as anybody. There's
this scrutiny around the organization because all their qualities are
what teams like Tennessee have and Carolina have. Philadelphia's running
through coaches who fires Andy Reid, Doug Peterson, wins a
(04:49):
super Bowl, goes Tontoe with Brady and Belichick, and they're
always left standing and they're always winning, and the scrutiny
just piles up.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
And Jalen Hurts aggress that yesterday.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
So that's which I went to see HW. The scrutin
is never never ending. It's nothing new. So that's something
that I find the thrilling. And I appreciate being told
I can't and that we can't. And I know that
I lead this team and it takes takes a lot
out of it and demands a lot out of you.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Listen, don't trust my picks, but I think Philadelphia is
gonna win the Super Bowl. And they're crazy and they're
arguing all the time, and they can't even go to
a holiday party and somebody's throwing salse at somebody else.
It just works, and they're so talented, and Jalen Hurts
has got this sort of stoicism. He's sort of this
(05:42):
calm uh. You know, big college programs. You know, Bama
says no thanks, Oklahoma's like we'll take you. And his personality,
he always feels like he's the cooler. Like in Vegas.
They they're the old story when somebody would get hot
at the poker table, they'd send over the cooler. Somebody
with bad luck like Jalen Hurts is the good luck,
(06:04):
but he just brings the temperature down in the room.
He's the perfect fit. It may be the most dysfunctional
perfect team ever. Good for them. So Buffalo beat Detroit.
And there's a lot to say about this game, but
let me just start by saying this. I started watching
football in nineteen seventy two. I was a little kid,
(06:25):
and I watched the first and on a black and
white TV, I watched the Washington Redskins beat lose to
the Miami Dolphins in a Super Bowl. That's the first
game I remember watching. I loved the NBA, the Portland
Trail Blazers in the early seventies, and that was the
first NFL game I remember watching. And then I became
like a Washington Husky fan, and I remember for Robin
Earl and Warren Moon and blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
You don't care.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
But Josh Allen's the most talented quarterback I've ever seen.
I'll die on that hill. Don't confuse trophies with talent.
Brady's got more trophies than Mahome. Patrick's more talented. I
always thought John Elway was like the greatest athlete. Remember
he was going to play either for the Yankees or
(07:08):
in the NFL. Greatest athlete to play quarterback. Compared to
Josh Allen, John Elway looks small and lumbering the kids. Unbelievable.
I've never seen a quarterback this good. I mean, size
are mobility eight plus plus plus plus. It's a little
Lebron in his prime. It's a little old Tawny, It's
a little tiger. Where you can put the best athletes
in the world out there, and he's a notch above that.
(07:31):
And I mean once Buffalo finally got a legit running
back so he could take the superman kpe off occasionally.
He doesn't have any kryptonite. I mean, since entering the NFL,
he has the second most rushing touchdowns. He's a quarterback,
he has the second most rushing touchdowns. You know who
number one is a running back, Derrick Henry. I mean,
(07:52):
Buffalo is allowed eighty six points in the last two
weeks and my take is, yeah, yeah, so what they'll
get to the super Bowl because Josh Allen in that
time has ten touchdowns. I worry about their defense. They
are getting some starters back, but I'm watching Mahomes, who's
obviously so gifted, limping around. They can't protect him, and
(08:12):
I'm saying, God, he is so vulnerable this team. Josh
Allen has not taken a sack in a month. A
good luck getting a hold of him. It's week fifteen.
He looks as fresh as newly cut flowers, big strong
arm moving. You can't get to him now. You should
be able to. There's enough to grab onto, but you
(08:34):
can't sack him. So I feel like I've always said
there's one athlete in my life that I didn't get
a seat perform Sandy Kofax like one athlete. I feel
like I kind of got jipped off. I was born
too late. We're all lucky we were born in a time.
You can watch Josh Allen because I've never seen anything
like it. Again, they're missing three defensive starters. It's not
(08:56):
pretty on the defensive end, but remember that, saying fast
than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a local mogatives,
able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
You remember that?
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Were they talking about Superman or Josh Allen? Because as
good as Mahomes is, he's not this and I love him.
And as good as Brady was, he's not Mahomes. That's
the best I've ever seen. For years, I thought it
was Elway. Even Sean McDermott. You just run. Sean McDermott
(09:27):
gets to see him at practice every day and he's
at a loss for words.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
I mean, just incredible, incredible performance week after week, and
what more can you say? I mean, it's we're watching
every week, We're watching an incredible player play incredibly consisting
week after week. And I'll let you guys film I
(09:55):
guess the SEMs for.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
The record, the last two weeks he's been able to
play indoors. So in a weird way, Buffalo, the cold
weather wind outdoor is a negative. Go look at his
last two weeks when he got to play indoors. The
Lions defense may beat up, Okay, it may beat up.
(10:18):
The Rams defense wasn't the Rams defense wasn't beat up.
When he's allowed to play indoors, weather's not a negative.
It's like high school stuff. It's like that Division one
high school player. He runs for two touchdowns, he throws
for two touchdowns, he catches touchdowns. Think about how great
you have to be to be a pro athlete. You
(10:38):
were the best player in your conference. Some of you,
if you ever played, were probably the best player in
your region, may have been the best player in your state.
That's how good you have to be. And what's remarkable
is the classic American story. He wasn't offered a college scholarship,
he ended up sending tapes out. He ends up at Wyoming,
(10:59):
where he was really talented but didn't get the great coaching.
And his first year in the NFL All Sorts Awards,
he was wreckless, a lot of interceptions, but you could
see this remarkable player, and now he's been transformed in
front of our eyes to however you want to describe this.
Can't take my eyes off him, I really do. I mean,
I feel like with Detroit falling apart, Philadelphia and Buffalo
(11:22):
with Mahomes limping and the Lions faulding apart, so much
of this league is attritionan And I know, I know
Philadelphia probably is favored because they have the better defense,
but I would sign up for Eagles Buffalo Bills today.
Yesterday Jim Nance said this is America's team. I don't
think he's wrong. It's not the Cowboys. I mean, I'm
(11:44):
not even gonna mention them in the first hour today.
I have nothing on my show today to mention the Cowboys.
If they come up, it's an accident. If that's the
America's team, I'm for it because he's a great American
athlete and a great American story. J Max, I know
recency biased, but when you in the last two weeks
playing indoors, that Rams defense is pretty good.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (12:04):
You also mentioned the Lions are banged up. Just breaking
here in the last five minutes. It reports are out
that David Montgomery, the hammer running back of the Lions
mcl injury, could be lost for the season.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Wow, just came out.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
So Gibbs is a little bit of the lightning.
Speaker 4 (12:20):
He's awesome that Montgomery was yesterday so much.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
We talked about this.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Remember the year Mahomes got to the Super Bowl and
had neither one of his starting tackles. It feels like
Detroit can win one way now, wild shootout.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
And your Packers. You talked about them in the offseason.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
They looked spicy last night.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Oh my gosh, they'd become a little bit of a
power running team.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
I would be afraid of that team.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
I'll tell you who. I'd be afraid of. Baker in
the bush. Yeah, I would want no part of the Buccaneers.
Can't run on them, can't.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Guard Mike Evans.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Baker's playing at his best, reckless, but with house money
because nobody thinks they're gonna win. Jason light has stacked
that roster for years. The GM one of the best
scouts ever in the league. Yeah, I would not if
I'm Philadelphia. I mean, by the way, I didn't take
the last team to beat Philly. I mean, I mean
they've given Detroit, Philly, Kansas City. They've given everybody troubles.
(13:18):
I mean what they did to the Chargers yesterday was
the number one defense in the league dropped a forty
burger in LA.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
That was wow. That was a wow out come.
Speaker 7 (13:29):
NFC kind of after the Eagles, there's like five or
six teams down with the Lions injured.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
I don't know it is.
Speaker 4 (13:34):
Washington in that group. Are they close?
Speaker 7 (13:35):
No?
Speaker 1 (13:36):
I think listen, I think Darnold and the Vikings and
Baker and the Bugs will be underdogs in these playoff games,
but there's something about Tampa's ability to defend the run.
You cannot. So now the Lions are down to one
running back, you will not run on Tampa.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
And also we got to get the Rams some credit.
Speaker 7 (13:52):
They're they're they're coming hard, and you know, Smith goes
down and you don't want to see that Rams offense
in the postseason, oh boy.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Be sure to catch live editions of the weekdays at
noon eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS
one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 8 (14:07):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 9 (14:12):
You could catch us weekdays from five to seven pm
Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and
of course the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 9 (14:21):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world.
Speaker 8 (14:25):
We have a lot of fun talking about the stories
behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture,
stories that well, other shows don't seem to have the
time to discuss.
Speaker 9 (14:34):
And the fact that we've been friends for the last
twenty years and still work together.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
I mean that says something right, So check us out.
Speaker 8 (14:39):
We like to get you involved too, take your phone calls,
chop it up as they say.
Speaker 9 (14:44):
I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
The most interactive show on planetar.
Speaker 8 (14:49):
Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app from five to
seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific, And if you
miss any of the live show, just search Covino and
Rich wherever you get your podcasts, and of course on social.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Media that's Cavino and Rich.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
We do it every Monday at this time. Where Colin
was right, where Colin was wrong, there's plenty of both.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Here we go where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
I warned you last week on Dan Campbell he doesn't
trust his defense, so now he's going hyper reckless.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
I really do like the man, but.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
I think they're no longer the hunted. They're the hunter.
And I think it's very hard to win a Super
Bowl when you're reckless. Now again, defensively, I don't know.
Maybe he feels like they have to take these big swings,
and I don't think they were going to win the
game anyway. But I said it last week and I'll
say it again. Reckless teams don't win the Super Bowl.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Where Colin was raw well.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
On November eighteenth, when the Cowboys lost to the Texans,
I said, they're in the middle of a soft tank. Well,
they've won three or four. Mike is playing great Ceedee
Lamb back to back touchdowns. Say what you want about
Cooper Rush. He moves the chains. So Mike McCarthy, there's
you know we've been saying this now. Mike McCarthy's a
good coach. I think he's going to retain his job
(16:06):
because he's winning these games and the team hasn't quit.
You look at the New York Giants and you wonder
if the team is quit. You watch the Cowboys. I
don't see it. McCarthy's probably coming back where Colin was
right when Baker signed that deal with Tampa, I said,
I would have no problem signing him. He's a good fit,
he's got the grit, he's got a chip on his shoulder,
and I think he's a really good leader. They now
(16:28):
lead the NFC. Salt he and Mike Evans totally in unison.
I think it is price point he's actually a bargain.
I was blown away yesterday. The Chargers had the number
one defense in the league and they dropped a forty
burger and they totally controlled this game. So I think
a lot for quarterbacks outside of the all time greats
(16:49):
is fit. Sam Darnold now has a good fit. Baker
chipping his shoulder Tampa is a great fit. Where Colin
was wrong, Uh yeah, I never thought i'd see Bill
Belichick take the third to fourth best coaching job in
the ACC. I admit I see him as a pro coach.
I don't know if he and Mike Lombardi and mostly
(17:10):
a pro staff are gonna feel collegiate. I said, I
feel like it's going to be a quicker, more rigid
version of Charlie Weiss, a pro guy who tried to
make college work. He says, you know, I always thought
about coaching college. I think this, in my opinion, is
more about the NFL turning their nose up in the
air at Bill Belichick and not wanting his rigidity and
(17:33):
personnel control. But I'll admit watching him in Carolina Blue,
it's a bit of.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
A shocker for me. Where Colin was right, I.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Picked the Rams to win the division. Before the season started,
Matt Stafford zero pick in five weeks. They now officially
lead the division. They started one and four, they were
all beat up in the on line and wide receiver.
They are seven and two since just like last year,
when they got healthy, they finished strong last year. Right now,
(18:03):
Cooper cups healthy, Puka Nakua their offensive line, Havenstein's back up.
This is a very, very good team. I do feel
like they're a draft away from hoisting another trophy. But
this is a team I thought would win this division.
Where Colin was wrong. In the last nine games, Lebron
(18:23):
is shooting twenty five from three and forty five percent
on field goals. I had said earlier this season, I
still considered him a top ten player, and I defended
him like mid November.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
He's not.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
He disappeared. His turnovers are up, his shooting is down.
He has lost his legs. Listen, I'm not this should
have happened five years ago. I'm shocked it took this long,
but that absence for whatever reasons. Speculate all you want.
He looked out of gas, and the first thing an
athlete loses is the legs. Fifty year old quarterback can
(18:57):
still grab a football and sling it, and Steph Curry
will be able to shoot when he's seventy, but it's
the legs and Lebron is not a top ten player.
Where Colin was right, I don't get the brock perty
for sixty million dollars discussion.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Well, what do you know?
Speaker 1 (19:13):
They pulled San Francisco fans and forty percent believe brock
Purty should get in the twenty to thirty million dollar range.
So at least I agree with the Niners. Listening to
the four biggest games this year, one he was hurt,
and the three others he was easily the second best
quarterback in the field.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
I like him. He struggles in wet weather.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
I don't think he's a guy that can elevate average players.
I think he is a quarterback that can manage great players.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
I would pay him. I think he's a franchise guy.
He started talking fifty five to sixty million.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
We're talking Lamar, we're talking Mahomes, Alan Stafford. I don't
think that's for Brock Perdy and now Niner fans agree.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Where Colin was raw, well.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
I didn't think DeVante Adams was gonna matter for the Pack.
For the Jets, I felt like he bounced around. Aaron
was shot. But I gotta be on it. Those two
yesterday were great in the last four minutes of the game.
They were historic. Statistically, Davante's had over three hundred yards
in the last two games. And I'm critical of Aaron Rodgers,
so I have to be fair. I think in the
(20:12):
last three to four weeks Aaron has found his footing.
Davante Adams now Garrett Wilson from the reaction on the sideline,
may not love it, but I will tell you now,
between Garrett Wilson and Davonte Adams, Aaron has looked very comfortable.
I thought the season was over three four weeks ago.
They have played incredibly hard offensively, They've been very good
(20:35):
late in games. I's wrong on that I thought they
were done. Nope, they still got some life. Where Colin
was right, where Colin was wrong, and with that eighteen
years in the league. I love our Monday Show and
Matt Hasselbeck stops on end the three time pro bowler.
So I'm watching the Lions fall apart, and I know
Dan Campbell's kind of his DNA is he is a
(20:56):
go he's an alpha. He gotta take some shots. But
I wonder now if he's being I view him as
reckless because he just doesn't trust the defense. And I
do think sometimes coaches go, we can't stop anybody. Do
you think it's his DNA or do you think now
he's just lost trust in the defense. While he would
(21:18):
call that onside.
Speaker 10 (21:18):
Kick, No, I don't think it has anything to do
with the defense. I just think it's his DNA. He's
an emotional guy, and it's part of what you love
about him. You know, sometimes former players when they become coaches,
they have to learn how to like separate that I'm
getting geeked up to go cover a kickoff mentality and
have to learn how to be calm and just sort
of be discerning. And while all the chaos is going
(21:41):
on around you, you're not the guy hyping everybody up.
You're the guy that's sitting back almost like you know
the movie Bagger Vance when he steps up to the
t box, like everything else goes quiet and he's he's
he's like just completely engrossed and focused on the decision
that needs to be made. And I think you learn
as a young coach. I mean he's a little bit
of a young coach still. You learn from these moments,
(22:04):
and he's been very transparent at the podium talking about it,
and I think that's what people love about him is
he's very transparent. He owns up to his own mistakes.
And like you said, they are now the bully. They
were the guys that were getting picked on. They were swinging,
you know, taking a shot with house money sort of,
and now they need to play like one of the
best teams in all of football, which they are.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and Noone Eastern non a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
So Green Bay. The average age is twenty five years old.
They're like an old college team. And I watch him
last night and I just think that organization. You know,
I was saying this earlier, Matt, If Jordan Love would
have gone to half the league, they would have played
him first year battle line defensive coach.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
He's wrecked.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
They have been so smart, even adding Josh Jacobs. They're like,
we really like this kid, and he's got good young
tight end receiver. Let's give him a power running back.
So we didn't have to throw thirty five times. I
love how Green Bay develops quarterbacks. But I look at
this team and I thinks, just a bunch of kids.
They're twenty five years old. Go to your playoff experience.
(23:13):
Is that youth a liability when playoffs starting a month?
Speaker 10 (23:18):
No, not if you're completely naive and you have no
idea like how much pressure is really on you? And
I think that's the great thing about that team. And
you've seen it in other teams. I remember Tom Brady's
first year when he won the Super Bowl.
Speaker 11 (23:31):
I don't think he really knew.
Speaker 10 (23:32):
I remember, you know, in my first you know times
in the in the playoffs, like I didn't know, But
that was the beauty of it. You're just out there
like you were as a kid, cutting it loose, having fun.
And I would say Matt Lafleoor does not get enough
credit for what he is as a football coach.
Speaker 11 (23:47):
He just kind of gets glossed over. He's like, oh, yeah,
he's a Sean mcvig guy, you know whatever.
Speaker 10 (23:51):
Like, no, No, he is a legitimate, legitimate head football
coach both sides of the ball. He's done a great
job bringing in Jeff Affley to run the defense. They've
been bet know, really honestly, they've been the unsung team
this season. Like we even just talk about their division.
We talk about Detroit, we talk about Minnesota, and this
is a team that's done it. You know, we talk
about Detroit being banged up. Now green Bay was banged up.
(24:14):
Now they're getting healthy. I think they're a dangerous team
coming into the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
So as I watched the Bills. First of all, I
said this earlier. I always thought John Elway was the
most talented quarterback I'd ever seen. Showing my age, but
I thought that's I mean, he could have played Major
League Baseball. And then you watch Farv and then you
watch Mahomes And I'm not talking just trophies. I'm talking
like Bill Russell's got eleven rings, Michael's got six. I
(24:39):
thought Michael was more talented. It's not just trophies. Marino
never won one.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
He was brilliant. But I watched Josh Allen.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
He makes Elway look lumbering and small, like I I've
never seen anything like him as a former quarterback eighteen years,
you know, you were in rooms with guys like Farv.
How would you coach Josh, I mean, you don't want
to not ask him to do whatever he does. I
wonder if it's almost harder to coach a guy that's
(25:07):
as like good as Tiger and as primaro Tawny, how
would you coach him?
Speaker 10 (25:12):
Yeah, no, it's it's harder than people realize. I remember
my rookie year watching Andy Reid try to coach Brett
fav You want to keep.
Speaker 11 (25:19):
The amazing, the other worldly, but at the same.
Speaker 10 (25:22):
Time you want to protect him and his body and
obviously that football I saw with Andrew Luck when he
was getting coached, and you know, he's putting himself in
harm's way.
Speaker 11 (25:31):
I think it is.
Speaker 10 (25:32):
It's like also likes a curse and a blessing, being
as big and as physical and as fearless as he is.
But when you can get it right, and I believe
they've got it right, They've got designed runs late in
the game when you need it.
Speaker 11 (25:44):
They don't do it early, they do it more late.
Speaker 10 (25:46):
They do it when they've kind of warn you down
and they know exactly what you're doing. They're smart with him.
He's being smart with the football. That's why everybody this
week will be talking about him being the NFL NFL's MVP,
it's uh. I mean, if you were voting today, if
you had to decide today, he's the guy.
Speaker 6 (26:02):
Now.
Speaker 10 (26:02):
That doesn't mean he's gonna win it, and that doesn't
mean that they're going to hoist the Lombardy. But if
you're a Bills fanning, you ever thought, hey, this is
the year that our quarterback wins MVP, and this is
the year that the Bills finally, you know, hoist that Lombardy.
Like you're probably right, this is like your best chance
right now. And I think one of the coolest things
for them giving them confidence. People think of them as
(26:23):
just like I don't know, cold Weather team. They've shown
that they can be lights out, maybe not even maybe
even better in a dome. And guess what if you
think those players aren't talking about the fact that the
Super Bowls and a dome this this year, I promise
you quietly, they're whispering that to each other on the
flight home.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
So I want you to when I watched Philadelphia just
sort of take advantage of Pittsburgh. I mean, obviously TJ
watch remarkable, but it looked easier than it should And
I mean, you got nineteen catches between Davante Smith and A. J. Brown,
and Pittsburgh knew that was coming with all the talk
about AJ they knew.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
It was coming. Is it scheme? It looked so easy?
Is it the movement of Hurts?
Speaker 1 (27:08):
And I'm past questioning, Siriani, But as I watched that game,
I thought it shouldn't be quite this easy.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Is there a scheme? Is it? What makes it look?
Is it hurts? Is it play calling? What is it? Well?
Speaker 10 (27:25):
It certainly helps when Pittsburgh offense. Pittsburgh's offense doesn't play well.
They turned the ball over, they really weren't explosive, so
you're getting more opportunities. And I really thought, like exactly
like you said, they said, hey, come out and beat
us in the passing game. We're gonna stop Saquon First
he saw the RPO for the touchdown, and then, like
we've talked about it for you know, the whole season.
Philly has the weapons, They are capable, their quarterback is capable.
(27:48):
People are jumping on him because he's been a little
bit of a wait and see thrower, like I'm gonna
wait and see until it's open, then I'm gonna throw it,
and less of an anticipator the way you see guys
like Tua Tongue Bailoa, and so I just think this
is still a young quarterback who's who's maturing. He's talking
about you gotta water the grass if you want the
grass to look green, and you gotta you you know,
(28:08):
you have success in what you work on.
Speaker 11 (28:11):
Sure, I'll buy that.
Speaker 10 (28:13):
I just I really think, and I've said it all year,
I think Philly is one of the best teams in football.
People are quick to jump on board the Boo Birds
in Philly because they're out quick in Philly. I mean,
this is the fan base that Boo's Santa Claus. I mean,
you know, and everybody loves Santa Claus. So I really
think this is one of the best teams in football.
Their biggest issue is going to be, like we've seen,
(28:33):
sticking together and you know, keeping that humble mindset, that
beginner's mindset, and staying focus week week to week.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
So it's interesting bon Nicks really struggled in the first half.
And yet you know, Sean Payton and coaches kind of
tell me what they think of their quarterback by the
plays they call. So he didn't put bubble wrap on him.
They went out in the second half. They were out
played in the first They were aggressive, and it was
interesting because bow had a really I mean, he was
(29:04):
overshooting everybody. He had a rough first half. He it
was rough, and I thought, oh, this could go sideways.
And then the second half, I'm like, yeah, this is
just one of those games. So I want you to
go back to early in your career. I think it's
it's easy to let a first half dragged the second emotionally,
and yet Sean Payton's like, nope, just go make plays.
(29:26):
And I think that's hard for a coach if you
weren't as confident as Sean Payton to say no, we're
gonna throw the ball down the field. They should have
lost that game. Jonathan Taylor did him a favor. They
were totally outplayed, out schemed in the first half, and
yet they won a little on bow necks Peyton, But
a little on your career. Is it hard after a
rough first half to go, yeah, I'm just gonna forget
(29:48):
it amnesia. Is that harder than we think.
Speaker 10 (29:53):
It's a sign of a good team that you can
win a game when your quarterback doesn't play well. But
just speaking about Sean Payton. Sure, I can remember it.
Halftime early in my career, I wasn't playing well. Mike Hongrin,
the head coach, would come into the locker room and
instead of berating me because I was the one not
playing well in the first half, he would rip the
defense who was playing well. He would rip the special teams,
(30:16):
and he would say it in a way he'd be
like defense leaders, special teams, I.
Speaker 11 (30:20):
Got a young quarterback, like, I'm counting on you, not him,
I'm counting on you to step up.
Speaker 10 (30:25):
And it was almost like, oh crap, like like he's
it's actually worse than if he was ripping it.
Speaker 5 (30:31):
Now.
Speaker 11 (30:31):
I feel like, hey man, you better get your act together.
Speaker 10 (30:33):
And I think even just like for the offensive line
and the skill guys, they're saying like, hey man, we
got to pick our young quarterback up, like we got
to give him opportunities. And I know the stats weren't great,
so people are going to pile on Bonnicks and know
the turnovers, but he had some great plays that brought
him back into that game. Also, yes, was he aided
by the fact that the defense scored the special teams
came up huge.
Speaker 11 (30:53):
Yeah, And that's part of it. That's part of football.
Speaker 10 (30:56):
But I do think that this can give you confidence,
almost like a blessing in disguise that says, hey, we're
not about one guy. And everybody on that team's been
on a team where the quarterback got all the credit
and it's like, oh, it's just because of the quarterback,
and they knew the truth that this is a football team.
It's eleven guys at a time, and it's way more
than that to go into the success. And so when
(31:16):
you have a team that's more about the collection the
some of all the parts instead of just one guy
who gets to talk at the podium after the game,
I think there's something special there. And in Denver's building it,
they've got a foundation and just much like Mike Holngrin
did for us in Seattle, you can tell that Sean
Payton's done that quickly in Denver.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Finally, Mahomes gets pretzold in this football game. Obviously this
is a sport of attrition. He'll want to be out there.
If I'm Kansas City, I'm like, I'm not going to
play them against Houston. If Carson Wentz wins, I'm not
going to play him against Pittsburgh. That's easy for me
to say, even as a veteran quarterback, Matt would two
or three weeks off late in the season, would it
(31:58):
throw off your timing? Because Xavier Worthy is a young
kid at receiver, their timing is still building. Noah Gray
is still a young tight end, and I think to myself,
I think Andy would sit him and Mahomes would fight
like hell to get back on. But I do wonder
because their receiving corps is so young, if it could
(32:18):
be a punitive decision to sit him for two to
three weeks. It'd be different if I had Mike Evans
and I'd been throwing to him for four years.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
How would you manage Mahomes now with the injury.
Speaker 10 (32:33):
Yeah, I'm not worried about the timing. That gets overblown
for sure, no doubt about that. I'll just say that
Andy Reid has dealt with this before. He dealt with
it with Brett Favre, he dealt with it with Donovan McNabb.
I'm sure he's dealt with it with Patrick Mahomes. But really,
what you do is you go to a guy like
Patrick and you say, Okay, if you.
Speaker 11 (32:52):
Want to play, I will let you play. But the
ball has to come out on time, you have to
throw with rhythm.
Speaker 10 (32:57):
No worthy birds, no jump past it is none of
that stuff because he's going to want to play. And
I hear everyone talking about I'll just sit him and
all that kind of stuff. That's fine in theory, but
more of what it means to be a franchise quarterback,
And especially for a guy like Patrick mahomes Is, you're
sending a message to your team about mental and physical
(33:18):
toughness and whether he should sit.
Speaker 11 (33:21):
He probably should.
Speaker 10 (33:22):
Sit, if we're being real, but knowing who he is
and the competitor that he is, just watching him through
the years, he wants to be the guy that says,
without saying a word, hey guys, I know we're all
banged up. I know you're banged up. I know you're
banged up. I'm banged up. Like, let's rise above it.
It's not about what I can't do. Maybe I can't
run for fifteen yards, but it's about what I can do.
(33:44):
I can play like I'm forty years old from the
pocket and slice and dice whoever we're.
Speaker 11 (33:48):
Playing, I can do that.
Speaker 10 (33:50):
And so you know this game on Christmas that's coming up,
we got a Saturday game, like you know, or the
weeks that are coming up.
Speaker 11 (33:57):
He's gonna want to be out there.
Speaker 10 (33:58):
So I think if you're the coach, you just got
to basically say to him, Okay, you want to go
out there and be John Wayne, I'll let you do it.
But the second I see you taking unnecessary hits, you're
coming out on the sideline, And I think that's how
they'll approach that.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Yeah, you give us such great insight. That is such
a great answer to a question. I didn't see it coming.
Matt Hasselback. Look at that trophy room behind you that
I gotta be all the years I've been doing this,
look at that.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
What's your favorite one?
Speaker 10 (34:28):
Honestly, man, Like, none of it matters really, it's kind
of the journey. I guess maybe this one over here,
over this over here, these are like these are my
girls national championship trophies over there. So if your kids
ever have something, it means more to you than anything
that you ever did. But we got some good junk,
I'll say that, but it's it's more about the journey
and the memories and the teammates and the coaches and
(34:50):
all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Good answer, Dad, that's a good answer right there. Matt hasselback.
Good seeing you again, Maddy,
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
Fox Sports Radio dot com, or stream us live every
day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio
or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher
on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 3 (00:27):
Oh it is a Monday. It is not any Monday.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
We're getting clarity in the NFL trees everywhere on the
FS one set. Happy Holidays. Yes, it's official live in
Los Angeles. It's the Herd wherever you may be and
however you may be listening.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Thanks for making us part of your day.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
One hour from now, Colin Wright Wrong plus Matt Hasselbeck,
who has been such a great addition to the Herd. Jmac,
I gotta tell you a lot of blowouts yesterday. I
don't know if it was separation Sunday, but Philadelphia, you
used to live around there. They got layers and layers
(01:06):
of dudes.
Speaker 4 (01:07):
Yeah, they just have a coaching issue that remains a problem,
even if you don't want to admit it.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
Well, let's start with that. The Eagles are officially the
strangest great sports franchise, not just in the NFL, maybe
all of sports. Last twenty five years, They've had four coaches.
They've had Andy Reid, Chip Kelly, Doug Peterson, Nick Sirianni.
All but one have gotten to a Super Bowl, and
they fired three of them. And if Nick Siriani lost
(01:33):
his first playoff game this year, despite his record, which
is one of the top five winning percentage records of
all time.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
They fire him too.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
They got star receivers, complaining players going on local radio
banging on the culture. You've got Sirianni on the sidelines
getting into another beef. They run coordinators in and out
of the building. It's twenty four to seven drama. They
have all the qualities of a bad or poorly run franchise,
yet all the Eagles do win. I thought Pittsburgh's defense
(02:02):
was great, then I watched Jalen Hurts yesterday nineteen completions
to his top two receivers. I mean again, Pittsburgh is
well coached, great defense. They did whatever they wanted to,
and they were even good in the first quarter. The
Eagles are never good in the first quarter. And that's
another part about the Eagles that virtually makes no sense.
(02:25):
But I'm gonna pick him to win the Super Bowl.
I just I don't even know what to make of them.
They have the deepest roster in the league. They have
young stars, stars in their prime, old stars. Only team
in the league that has like three levels of greatness.
They have the most aggressive general manager, Howie Roseman. They
have the most physically aggressive head coach, their owner occasionally
(02:45):
Jeffrey Lourie, a brilliant man, sometimes medals owner, GM, head coach, quarterback.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
It is a lot of alpha.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
It is a lot of puff in your chest out
But I love their aggressiveness. They don't apologize who what
they are, who they are if they don't apologize, and
Buffalo love him, but I don't trust him. Kansas City's
barely beating anybody. They can't protect Mahomes, Baltimore. The playoffs
are their kryptonite. Detroit. I mean, they're running out of players.
(03:17):
I'm gonna take Philadelphia. They got five different ways to
beat you. The layering of talent incredible. Sirianni's opening press
conference was regrettable.
Speaker 3 (03:27):
He laughed at it.
Speaker 1 (03:28):
I think he's one of those coaches and one of
those people in America. This is not a bad thing.
He wasn't quite ready for the job. He was bailing water,
and he had to go through coordinators. But I think
he's kind of found his way between the talk radio
and that city and the relentlessly aggressive fans. The city
matches the team, the team matches the city. They and
(03:50):
because their offense is so dramatic, you overlook their defense,
which is number one and number two on third down,
and so they held the Steelers to ten first downs.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
I mean, honestly, I was thinking about this morning.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
What the Eagles are is basically that couple that constantly
argues and nobody thinks the marriage will ever stay intact.
And they just had their forty fifth wedding anniversary. It
shouldn't make sense. It doesn't make sense. They got rookies
in the secondary drama on the sidelines, wide receivers don't
privately love the quarterback, young, old offensive line, d line,
(04:27):
crazy head coach, and it just works. And once again,
there's this scrutiny, and I'm as guilty as anybody. There's
this scrutiny around the organization because all their qualities are
what teams like Tennessee have and Carolina have. Philadelphia's running
through coaches who fires Andy Reid, Doug Peterson, wins a
(04:49):
super Bowl, goes Tontoe with Brady and Belichick, and they're
always left standing and they're always winning, and the scrutiny
just piles up.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
And Jalen Hurts aggress that yesterday.
Speaker 5 (05:02):
So that's which I went to see HW. The scrutin
is never never ending. It's nothing new. So that's something
that I find the thrilling. And I appreciate being told
I can't and that we can't. And I know that
I lead this team and it takes takes a lot
out of it and demands a lot out of you.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Listen, don't trust my picks, but I think Philadelphia is
gonna win the Super Bowl. And they're crazy and they're
arguing all the time, and they can't even go to
a holiday party and somebody's throwing salse at somebody else.
It just works, and they're so talented, and Jalen Hurts
has got this sort of stoicism. He's sort of this
(05:42):
calm uh. You know, big college programs. You know, Bama
says no thanks, Oklahoma's like we'll take you. And his personality,
he always feels like he's the cooler. Like in Vegas.
They they're the old story when somebody would get hot
at the poker table, they'd send over the cooler. Somebody
with bad luck like Jalen Hurts is the good luck,
(06:04):
but he just brings the temperature down in the room.
He's the perfect fit. It may be the most dysfunctional
perfect team ever. Good for them. So Buffalo beat Detroit.
And there's a lot to say about this game, but
let me just start by saying this. I started watching
football in nineteen seventy two. I was a little kid,
(06:25):
and I watched the first and on a black and
white TV, I watched the Washington Redskins beat lose to
the Miami Dolphins in a Super Bowl. That's the first
game I remember watching. I loved the NBA, the Portland
Trail Blazers in the early seventies, and that was the
first NFL game I remember watching. And then I became
like a Washington Husky fan, and I remember for Robin
Earl and Warren Moon and blah blah blah.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
You don't care.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
But Josh Allen's the most talented quarterback I've ever seen.
I'll die on that hill. Don't confuse trophies with talent.
Brady's got more trophies than Mahome. Patrick's more talented. I
always thought John Elway was like the greatest athlete. Remember
he was going to play either for the Yankees or
(07:08):
in the NFL. Greatest athlete to play quarterback. Compared to
Josh Allen, John Elway looks small and lumbering the kids. Unbelievable.
I've never seen a quarterback this good. I mean, size
are mobility eight plus plus plus plus. It's a little
Lebron in his prime. It's a little old Tawny, It's
a little tiger. Where you can put the best athletes
in the world out there, and he's a notch above that.
(07:31):
And I mean once Buffalo finally got a legit running
back so he could take the superman kpe off occasionally.
He doesn't have any kryptonite. I mean, since entering the NFL,
he has the second most rushing touchdowns. He's a quarterback,
he has the second most rushing touchdowns. You know who
number one is a running back, Derrick Henry. I mean,
(07:52):
Buffalo is allowed eighty six points in the last two
weeks and my take is, yeah, yeah, so what they'll
get to the super Bowl because Josh Allen in that
time has ten touchdowns. I worry about their defense. They
are getting some starters back, but I'm watching Mahomes, who's
obviously so gifted, limping around. They can't protect him, and
(08:12):
I'm saying, God, he is so vulnerable this team. Josh
Allen has not taken a sack in a month. A
good luck getting a hold of him. It's week fifteen.
He looks as fresh as newly cut flowers, big strong
arm moving. You can't get to him now. You should
be able to. There's enough to grab onto, but you
(08:34):
can't sack him. So I feel like I've always said
there's one athlete in my life that I didn't get
a seat perform Sandy Kofax like one athlete. I feel
like I kind of got jipped off. I was born
too late. We're all lucky we were born in a time.
You can watch Josh Allen because I've never seen anything
like it. Again, they're missing three defensive starters. It's not
(08:56):
pretty on the defensive end, but remember that, saying fast
than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a local mogatives,
able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
You remember that?
Speaker 1 (09:07):
Were they talking about Superman or Josh Allen? Because as
good as Mahomes is, he's not this and I love him.
And as good as Brady was, he's not Mahomes. That's
the best I've ever seen. For years, I thought it
was Elway. Even Sean McDermott. You just run. Sean McDermott
(09:27):
gets to see him at practice every day and he's
at a loss for words.
Speaker 6 (09:32):
I mean, just incredible, incredible performance week after week, and
what more can you say? I mean, it's we're watching
every week, We're watching an incredible player play incredibly consisting
week after week. And I'll let you guys film I
(09:55):
guess the SEMs for.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
The record, the last two weeks he's been able to
play indoors. So in a weird way, Buffalo, the cold
weather wind outdoor is a negative. Go look at his
last two weeks when he got to play indoors. The
Lions defense may beat up, Okay, it may beat up.
(10:18):
The Rams defense wasn't the Rams defense wasn't beat up.
When he's allowed to play indoors, weather's not a negative.
It's like high school stuff. It's like that Division one
high school player. He runs for two touchdowns, he throws
for two touchdowns, he catches touchdowns. Think about how great
you have to be to be a pro athlete. You
(10:38):
were the best player in your conference. Some of you,
if you ever played, were probably the best player in
your region, may have been the best player in your state.
That's how good you have to be. And what's remarkable
is the classic American story. He wasn't offered a college scholarship,
he ended up sending tapes out. He ends up at Wyoming,
(10:59):
where he was really talented but didn't get the great coaching.
And his first year in the NFL All Sorts Awards,
he was wreckless, a lot of interceptions, but you could
see this remarkable player, and now he's been transformed in
front of our eyes to however you want to describe this.
Can't take my eyes off him, I really do. I mean,
I feel like with Detroit falling apart, Philadelphia and Buffalo
(11:22):
with Mahomes limping and the Lions faulding apart, so much
of this league is attritionan And I know, I know
Philadelphia probably is favored because they have the better defense,
but I would sign up for Eagles Buffalo Bills today.
Yesterday Jim Nance said this is America's team. I don't
think he's wrong. It's not the Cowboys. I mean, I'm
(11:44):
not even gonna mention them in the first hour today.
I have nothing on my show today to mention the Cowboys.
If they come up, it's an accident. If that's the
America's team, I'm for it because he's a great American
athlete and a great American story. J Max, I know
recency biased, but when you in the last two weeks
playing indoors, that Rams defense is pretty good.
Speaker 3 (12:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Yeah.
Speaker 7 (12:04):
You also mentioned the Lions are banged up. Just breaking
here in the last five minutes. It reports are out
that David Montgomery, the hammer running back of the Lions
mcl injury, could be lost for the season.
Speaker 4 (12:17):
Wow, just came out.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
So Gibbs is a little bit of the lightning.
Speaker 4 (12:20):
He's awesome that Montgomery was yesterday so much.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
We talked about this.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
Remember the year Mahomes got to the Super Bowl and
had neither one of his starting tackles. It feels like
Detroit can win one way now, wild shootout.
Speaker 4 (12:35):
And your Packers. You talked about them in the offseason.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
They looked spicy last night.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Oh my gosh, they'd become a little bit of a
power running team.
Speaker 4 (12:43):
I would be afraid of that team.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
I'll tell you who. I'd be afraid of. Baker in
the bush. Yeah, I would want no part of the Buccaneers.
Can't run on them, can't.
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Guard Mike Evans.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
Baker's playing at his best, reckless, but with house money
because nobody thinks they're gonna win. Jason light has stacked
that roster for years. The GM one of the best
scouts ever in the league. Yeah, I would not if
I'm Philadelphia. I mean, by the way, I didn't take
the last team to beat Philly. I mean, I mean
they've given Detroit, Philly, Kansas City. They've given everybody troubles.
(13:18):
I mean what they did to the Chargers yesterday was
the number one defense in the league dropped a forty
burger in LA.
Speaker 3 (13:25):
That was wow. That was a wow out come.
Speaker 7 (13:29):
NFC kind of after the Eagles, there's like five or
six teams down with the Lions injured.
Speaker 3 (13:33):
I don't know it is.
Speaker 4 (13:34):
Washington in that group. Are they close?
Speaker 7 (13:35):
No?
Speaker 1 (13:36):
I think listen, I think Darnold and the Vikings and
Baker and the Bugs will be underdogs in these playoff games,
but there's something about Tampa's ability to defend the run.
You cannot. So now the Lions are down to one
running back, you will not run on Tampa.
Speaker 4 (13:51):
And also we got to get the Rams some credit.
Speaker 7 (13:52):
They're they're they're coming hard, and you know, Smith goes
down and you don't want to see that Rams offense
in the postseason, oh boy.
Speaker 2 (13:58):
Be sure to catch live editions of the weekdays at
noon eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS
one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 8 (14:07):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 9 (14:12):
You could catch us weekdays from five to seven pm
Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and
of course the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 9 (14:21):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world.
Speaker 8 (14:25):
We have a lot of fun talking about the stories
behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture,
stories that well, other shows don't seem to have the
time to discuss.
Speaker 9 (14:34):
And the fact that we've been friends for the last
twenty years and still work together.
Speaker 3 (14:37):
I mean that says something right, So check us out.
Speaker 8 (14:39):
We like to get you involved too, take your phone calls,
chop it up as they say.
Speaker 9 (14:44):
I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe.
Speaker 3 (14:47):
The most interactive show on planetar.
Speaker 8 (14:49):
Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on
Fox Sports Radio and the iHeartRadio app from five to
seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific, And if you
miss any of the live show, just search Covino and
Rich wherever you get your podcasts, and of course on social.
Speaker 3 (15:00):
Media that's Cavino and Rich.
Speaker 1 (15:04):
We do it every Monday at this time. Where Colin
was right, where Colin was wrong, there's plenty of both.
Speaker 3 (15:08):
Here we go where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (15:11):
I warned you last week on Dan Campbell he doesn't
trust his defense, so now he's going hyper reckless.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
I really do like the man, but.
Speaker 1 (15:18):
I think they're no longer the hunted. They're the hunter.
And I think it's very hard to win a Super
Bowl when you're reckless. Now again, defensively, I don't know.
Maybe he feels like they have to take these big swings,
and I don't think they were going to win the
game anyway. But I said it last week and I'll
say it again. Reckless teams don't win the Super Bowl.
Speaker 3 (15:41):
Where Colin was raw well.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
On November eighteenth, when the Cowboys lost to the Texans,
I said, they're in the middle of a soft tank. Well,
they've won three or four. Mike is playing great Ceedee
Lamb back to back touchdowns. Say what you want about
Cooper Rush. He moves the chains. So Mike McCarthy, there's
you know we've been saying this now. Mike McCarthy's a
good coach. I think he's going to retain his job
(16:06):
because he's winning these games and the team hasn't quit.
You look at the New York Giants and you wonder
if the team is quit. You watch the Cowboys. I
don't see it. McCarthy's probably coming back where Colin was
right when Baker signed that deal with Tampa, I said,
I would have no problem signing him. He's a good fit,
he's got the grit, he's got a chip on his shoulder,
and I think he's a really good leader. They now
(16:28):
lead the NFC. Salt he and Mike Evans totally in unison.
I think it is price point he's actually a bargain.
I was blown away yesterday. The Chargers had the number
one defense in the league and they dropped a forty
burger and they totally controlled this game. So I think
a lot for quarterbacks outside of the all time greats
(16:49):
is fit. Sam Darnold now has a good fit. Baker
chipping his shoulder Tampa is a great fit. Where Colin
was wrong, Uh yeah, I never thought i'd see Bill
Belichick take the third to fourth best coaching job in
the ACC. I admit I see him as a pro coach.
I don't know if he and Mike Lombardi and mostly
(17:10):
a pro staff are gonna feel collegiate. I said, I
feel like it's going to be a quicker, more rigid
version of Charlie Weiss, a pro guy who tried to
make college work. He says, you know, I always thought
about coaching college. I think this, in my opinion, is
more about the NFL turning their nose up in the
air at Bill Belichick and not wanting his rigidity and
(17:33):
personnel control. But I'll admit watching him in Carolina Blue,
it's a bit of.
Speaker 3 (17:39):
A shocker for me. Where Colin was right, I.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
Picked the Rams to win the division. Before the season started,
Matt Stafford zero pick in five weeks. They now officially
lead the division. They started one and four, they were
all beat up in the on line and wide receiver.
They are seven and two since just like last year,
when they got healthy, they finished strong last year. Right now,
(18:03):
Cooper cups healthy, Puka Nakua their offensive line, Havenstein's back up.
This is a very, very good team. I do feel
like they're a draft away from hoisting another trophy. But
this is a team I thought would win this division.
Where Colin was wrong. In the last nine games, Lebron
(18:23):
is shooting twenty five from three and forty five percent
on field goals. I had said earlier this season, I
still considered him a top ten player, and I defended
him like mid November.
Speaker 3 (18:35):
He's not.
Speaker 1 (18:36):
He disappeared. His turnovers are up, his shooting is down.
He has lost his legs. Listen, I'm not this should
have happened five years ago. I'm shocked it took this long,
but that absence for whatever reasons. Speculate all you want.
He looked out of gas, and the first thing an
athlete loses is the legs. Fifty year old quarterback can
(18:57):
still grab a football and sling it, and Steph Curry
will be able to shoot when he's seventy, but it's
the legs and Lebron is not a top ten player.
Where Colin was right, I don't get the brock perty
for sixty million dollars discussion.
Speaker 3 (19:11):
Well, what do you know?
Speaker 1 (19:13):
They pulled San Francisco fans and forty percent believe brock
Purty should get in the twenty to thirty million dollar range.
So at least I agree with the Niners. Listening to
the four biggest games this year, one he was hurt,
and the three others he was easily the second best
quarterback in the field.
Speaker 3 (19:28):
I like him. He struggles in wet weather.
Speaker 1 (19:31):
I don't think he's a guy that can elevate average players.
I think he is a quarterback that can manage great players.
Speaker 3 (19:38):
I would pay him. I think he's a franchise guy.
He started talking fifty five to sixty million.
Speaker 1 (19:43):
We're talking Lamar, we're talking Mahomes, Alan Stafford. I don't
think that's for Brock Perdy and now Niner fans agree.
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Where Colin was raw, well.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
I didn't think DeVante Adams was gonna matter for the Pack.
For the Jets, I felt like he bounced around. Aaron
was shot. But I gotta be on it. Those two
yesterday were great in the last four minutes of the game.
They were historic. Statistically, Davante's had over three hundred yards
in the last two games. And I'm critical of Aaron Rodgers,
so I have to be fair. I think in the
(20:12):
last three to four weeks Aaron has found his footing.
Davante Adams now Garrett Wilson from the reaction on the sideline,
may not love it, but I will tell you now,
between Garrett Wilson and Davonte Adams, Aaron has looked very comfortable.
I thought the season was over three four weeks ago.
They have played incredibly hard offensively, They've been very good
(20:35):
late in games. I's wrong on that I thought they
were done. Nope, they still got some life. Where Colin
was right, where Colin was wrong, and with that eighteen
years in the league. I love our Monday Show and
Matt Hasselbeck stops on end the three time pro bowler.
So I'm watching the Lions fall apart, and I know
Dan Campbell's kind of his DNA is he is a
(20:56):
go he's an alpha. He gotta take some shots. But
I wonder now if he's being I view him as
reckless because he just doesn't trust the defense. And I
do think sometimes coaches go, we can't stop anybody. Do
you think it's his DNA or do you think now
he's just lost trust in the defense. While he would
(21:18):
call that onside.
Speaker 10 (21:18):
Kick, No, I don't think it has anything to do
with the defense. I just think it's his DNA. He's
an emotional guy, and it's part of what you love
about him. You know, sometimes former players when they become coaches,
they have to learn how to like separate that I'm
getting geeked up to go cover a kickoff mentality and
have to learn how to be calm and just sort
of be discerning. And while all the chaos is going
(21:41):
on around you, you're not the guy hyping everybody up.
You're the guy that's sitting back almost like you know
the movie Bagger Vance when he steps up to the
t box, like everything else goes quiet and he's he's
he's like just completely engrossed and focused on the decision
that needs to be made. And I think you learn
as a young coach. I mean he's a little bit
of a young coach still. You learn from these moments,
(22:04):
and he's been very transparent at the podium talking about it,
and I think that's what people love about him is
he's very transparent. He owns up to his own mistakes.
And like you said, they are now the bully. They
were the guys that were getting picked on. They were swinging,
you know, taking a shot with house money sort of,
and now they need to play like one of the
best teams in all of football, which they are.
Speaker 2 (22:24):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and Noone Eastern non a em Pacific on Fox Sports
Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
So Green Bay. The average age is twenty five years old.
They're like an old college team. And I watch him
last night and I just think that organization. You know,
I was saying this earlier, Matt, If Jordan Love would
have gone to half the league, they would have played
him first year battle line defensive coach.
Speaker 3 (22:51):
He's wrecked.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
They have been so smart, even adding Josh Jacobs. They're like,
we really like this kid, and he's got good young
tight end receiver. Let's give him a power running back.
So we didn't have to throw thirty five times. I
love how Green Bay develops quarterbacks. But I look at
this team and I thinks, just a bunch of kids.
They're twenty five years old. Go to your playoff experience.
(23:13):
Is that youth a liability when playoffs starting a month?
Speaker 10 (23:18):
No, not if you're completely naive and you have no
idea like how much pressure is really on you? And
I think that's the great thing about that team. And
you've seen it in other teams. I remember Tom Brady's
first year when he won the Super Bowl.
Speaker 11 (23:31):
I don't think he really knew.
Speaker 10 (23:32):
I remember, you know, in my first you know times
in the in the playoffs, like I didn't know, But
that was the beauty of it. You're just out there
like you were as a kid, cutting it loose, having fun.
And I would say Matt Lafleoor does not get enough
credit for what he is as a football coach.
Speaker 11 (23:47):
He just kind of gets glossed over. He's like, oh, yeah,
he's a Sean mcvig guy, you know whatever.
Speaker 10 (23:51):
Like, no, No, he is a legitimate, legitimate head football
coach both sides of the ball. He's done a great
job bringing in Jeff Affley to run the defense. They've
been bet know, really honestly, they've been the unsung team
this season. Like we even just talk about their division.
We talk about Detroit, we talk about Minnesota, and this
is a team that's done it. You know, we talk
about Detroit being banged up. Now green Bay was banged up.
(24:14):
Now they're getting healthy. I think they're a dangerous team
coming into the playoffs.
Speaker 1 (24:19):
So as I watched the Bills. First of all, I
said this earlier. I always thought John Elway was the
most talented quarterback I'd ever seen. Showing my age, but
I thought that's I mean, he could have played Major
League Baseball. And then you watch Farv and then you
watch Mahomes And I'm not talking just trophies. I'm talking
like Bill Russell's got eleven rings, Michael's got six. I
(24:39):
thought Michael was more talented. It's not just trophies. Marino
never won one.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
He was brilliant. But I watched Josh Allen.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
He makes Elway look lumbering and small, like I I've
never seen anything like him as a former quarterback eighteen years,
you know, you were in rooms with guys like Farv.
How would you coach Josh, I mean, you don't want
to not ask him to do whatever he does. I
wonder if it's almost harder to coach a guy that's
(25:07):
as like good as Tiger and as primaro Tawny, how
would you coach him?
Speaker 10 (25:12):
Yeah, no, it's it's harder than people realize. I remember
my rookie year watching Andy Reid try to coach Brett
fav You want to keep.
Speaker 11 (25:19):
The amazing, the other worldly, but at the same.
Speaker 10 (25:22):
Time you want to protect him and his body and
obviously that football I saw with Andrew Luck when he
was getting coached, and you know, he's putting himself in
harm's way.
Speaker 11 (25:31):
I think it is.
Speaker 10 (25:32):
It's like also likes a curse and a blessing, being
as big and as physical and as fearless as he is.
But when you can get it right, and I believe
they've got it right, They've got designed runs late in
the game when you need it.
Speaker 11 (25:44):
They don't do it early, they do it more late.
Speaker 10 (25:46):
They do it when they've kind of warn you down
and they know exactly what you're doing. They're smart with him.
He's being smart with the football. That's why everybody this
week will be talking about him being the NFL NFL's MVP,
it's uh. I mean, if you were voting today, if
you had to decide today, he's the guy.
Speaker 6 (26:02):
Now.
Speaker 10 (26:02):
That doesn't mean he's gonna win it, and that doesn't
mean that they're going to hoist the Lombardy. But if
you're a Bills fanning, you ever thought, hey, this is
the year that our quarterback wins MVP, and this is
the year that the Bills finally, you know, hoist that Lombardy.
Like you're probably right, this is like your best chance
right now. And I think one of the coolest things
for them giving them confidence. People think of them as
(26:23):
just like I don't know, cold Weather team. They've shown
that they can be lights out, maybe not even maybe
even better in a dome. And guess what if you
think those players aren't talking about the fact that the
Super Bowls and a dome this this year, I promise
you quietly, they're whispering that to each other on the
flight home.
Speaker 1 (26:41):
So I want you to when I watched Philadelphia just
sort of take advantage of Pittsburgh. I mean, obviously TJ
watch remarkable, but it looked easier than it should And
I mean, you got nineteen catches between Davante Smith and A. J. Brown,
and Pittsburgh knew that was coming with all the talk
about AJ they knew.
Speaker 3 (27:02):
It was coming. Is it scheme? It looked so easy?
Is it the movement of Hurts?
Speaker 1 (27:08):
And I'm past questioning, Siriani, But as I watched that game,
I thought it shouldn't be quite this easy.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
Is there a scheme? Is it? What makes it look?
Is it hurts? Is it play calling? What is it? Well?
Speaker 10 (27:25):
It certainly helps when Pittsburgh offense. Pittsburgh's offense doesn't play well.
They turned the ball over, they really weren't explosive, so
you're getting more opportunities. And I really thought, like exactly
like you said, they said, hey, come out and beat
us in the passing game. We're gonna stop Saquon First
he saw the RPO for the touchdown, and then, like
we've talked about it for you know, the whole season.
Philly has the weapons, They are capable, their quarterback is capable.
(27:48):
People are jumping on him because he's been a little
bit of a wait and see thrower, like I'm gonna
wait and see until it's open, then I'm gonna throw it,
and less of an anticipator the way you see guys
like Tua Tongue Bailoa, and so I just think this
is still a young quarterback who's who's maturing. He's talking
about you gotta water the grass if you want the
grass to look green, and you gotta you you know,
(28:08):
you have success in what you work on.
Speaker 11 (28:11):
Sure, I'll buy that.
Speaker 10 (28:13):
I just I really think, and I've said it all year,
I think Philly is one of the best teams in football.
People are quick to jump on board the Boo Birds
in Philly because they're out quick in Philly. I mean,
this is the fan base that Boo's Santa Claus. I mean,
you know, and everybody loves Santa Claus. So I really
think this is one of the best teams in football.
Their biggest issue is going to be, like we've seen,
(28:33):
sticking together and you know, keeping that humble mindset, that
beginner's mindset, and staying focus week week to week.
Speaker 1 (28:41):
So it's interesting bon Nicks really struggled in the first half.
And yet you know, Sean Payton and coaches kind of
tell me what they think of their quarterback by the
plays they call. So he didn't put bubble wrap on him.
They went out in the second half. They were out
played in the first They were aggressive, and it was
interesting because bow had a really I mean, he was
(29:04):
overshooting everybody. He had a rough first half. He it
was rough, and I thought, oh, this could go sideways.
And then the second half, I'm like, yeah, this is
just one of those games. So I want you to
go back to early in your career. I think it's
it's easy to let a first half dragged the second emotionally,
and yet Sean Payton's like, nope, just go make plays.
(29:26):
And I think that's hard for a coach if you
weren't as confident as Sean Payton to say no, we're
gonna throw the ball down the field. They should have
lost that game. Jonathan Taylor did him a favor. They
were totally outplayed, out schemed in the first half, and
yet they won a little on bow necks Peyton, But
a little on your career. Is it hard after a
rough first half to go, yeah, I'm just gonna forget
(29:48):
it amnesia. Is that harder than we think.
Speaker 10 (29:53):
It's a sign of a good team that you can
win a game when your quarterback doesn't play well. But
just speaking about Sean Payton. Sure, I can remember it.
Halftime early in my career, I wasn't playing well. Mike Hongrin,
the head coach, would come into the locker room and
instead of berating me because I was the one not
playing well in the first half, he would rip the
defense who was playing well. He would rip the special teams,
(30:16):
and he would say it in a way he'd be
like defense leaders, special teams, I.
Speaker 11 (30:20):
Got a young quarterback, like, I'm counting on you, not him,
I'm counting on you to step up.
Speaker 10 (30:25):
And it was almost like, oh crap, like like he's
it's actually worse than if he was ripping it.
Speaker 5 (30:31):
Now.
Speaker 11 (30:31):
I feel like, hey man, you better get your act together.
Speaker 10 (30:33):
And I think even just like for the offensive line
and the skill guys, they're saying like, hey man, we
got to pick our young quarterback up, like we got
to give him opportunities. And I know the stats weren't great,
so people are going to pile on Bonnicks and know
the turnovers, but he had some great plays that brought
him back into that game. Also, yes, was he aided
by the fact that the defense scored the special teams
came up huge.
Speaker 11 (30:53):
Yeah, And that's part of it. That's part of football.
Speaker 10 (30:56):
But I do think that this can give you confidence,
almost like a blessing in disguise that says, hey, we're
not about one guy. And everybody on that team's been
on a team where the quarterback got all the credit
and it's like, oh, it's just because of the quarterback,
and they knew the truth that this is a football team.
It's eleven guys at a time, and it's way more
than that to go into the success. And so when
(31:16):
you have a team that's more about the collection the
some of all the parts instead of just one guy
who gets to talk at the podium after the game,
I think there's something special there. And in Denver's building it,
they've got a foundation and just much like Mike Holngrin
did for us in Seattle, you can tell that Sean
Payton's done that quickly in Denver.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Finally, Mahomes gets pretzold in this football game. Obviously this
is a sport of attrition. He'll want to be out there.
If I'm Kansas City, I'm like, I'm not going to
play them against Houston. If Carson Wentz wins, I'm not
going to play him against Pittsburgh. That's easy for me
to say, even as a veteran quarterback, Matt would two
or three weeks off late in the season, would it
(31:58):
throw off your timing? Because Xavier Worthy is a young
kid at receiver, their timing is still building. Noah Gray
is still a young tight end, and I think to myself,
I think Andy would sit him and Mahomes would fight
like hell to get back on. But I do wonder
because their receiving corps is so young, if it could
(32:18):
be a punitive decision to sit him for two to
three weeks. It'd be different if I had Mike Evans
and I'd been throwing to him for four years.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
How would you manage Mahomes now with the injury.
Speaker 10 (32:33):
Yeah, I'm not worried about the timing. That gets overblown
for sure, no doubt about that. I'll just say that
Andy Reid has dealt with this before. He dealt with
it with Brett Favre, he dealt with it with Donovan McNabb.
I'm sure he's dealt with it with Patrick Mahomes. But really,
what you do is you go to a guy like
Patrick and you say, Okay, if you.
Speaker 11 (32:52):
Want to play, I will let you play. But the
ball has to come out on time, you have to
throw with rhythm.
Speaker 10 (32:57):
No worthy birds, no jump past it is none of
that stuff because he's going to want to play. And
I hear everyone talking about I'll just sit him and
all that kind of stuff. That's fine in theory, but
more of what it means to be a franchise quarterback,
And especially for a guy like Patrick mahomes Is, you're
sending a message to your team about mental and physical
(33:18):
toughness and whether he should sit.
Speaker 11 (33:21):
He probably should.
Speaker 10 (33:22):
Sit, if we're being real, but knowing who he is
and the competitor that he is, just watching him through
the years, he wants to be the guy that says,
without saying a word, hey guys, I know we're all
banged up. I know you're banged up. I know you're
banged up. I'm banged up. Like, let's rise above it.
It's not about what I can't do. Maybe I can't
run for fifteen yards, but it's about what I can do.
(33:44):
I can play like I'm forty years old from the
pocket and slice and dice whoever we're.
Speaker 11 (33:48):
Playing, I can do that.
Speaker 10 (33:50):
And so you know this game on Christmas that's coming up,
we got a Saturday game, like you know, or the
weeks that are coming up.
Speaker 11 (33:57):
He's gonna want to be out there.
Speaker 10 (33:58):
So I think if you're the coach, you just got
to basically say to him, Okay, you want to go
out there and be John Wayne, I'll let you do it.
But the second I see you taking unnecessary hits, you're
coming out on the sideline, And I think that's how
they'll approach that.
Speaker 1 (34:12):
Yeah, you give us such great insight. That is such
a great answer to a question. I didn't see it coming.
Matt Hasselback. Look at that trophy room behind you that
I gotta be all the years I've been doing this,
look at that.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
What's your favorite one?
Speaker 10 (34:28):
Honestly, man, Like, none of it matters really, it's kind
of the journey. I guess maybe this one over here,
over this over here, these are like these are my
girls national championship trophies over there. So if your kids
ever have something, it means more to you than anything
that you ever did. But we got some good junk,
I'll say that, but it's it's more about the journey
and the memories and the teammates and the coaches and
(34:50):
all that kind of stuff.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
Good answer, Dad, that's a good answer right there. Matt hasselback.
Good seeing you again, Maddy,
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
Popular Podcasts
True Crime Tonight
If you eat, sleep, and breathe true crime, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT is serving up your nightly fix. Five nights a week, KT STUDIOS & iHEART RADIO invite listeners to pull up a seat for an unfiltered look at the biggest cases making headlines, celebrity scandals, and the trials everyone is watching. With a mix of expert analysis, hot takes, and listener call-ins, TRUE CRIME TONIGHT goes beyond the headlines to uncover the twists, turns, and unanswered questions that keep us all obsessed—because, at TRUE CRIME TONIGHT, there’s a seat for everyone. Whether breaking down crime scene forensics, scrutinizing serial killers, or debating the most binge-worthy true crime docs, True Crime Tonight is the fresh, fast-paced, and slightly addictive home for true crime lovers.
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
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.