December 20, 2024 • 40 mins
Blazing 5 picks. New UNLV football head coach Dan Mullen joins Colin to talk about the College Football Playoffs and his new job. Issues continue for the NBA as Colin believes the woes will continue to escalate in the years to come.
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 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 Sportsradio dot com,
or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app
by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening
to the Herd podcast. All right, here we go. What
(00:23):
a weekend of massive college football. The College Football Playoffs
starts tonight Indiana at Notre Dame, Texas and Clemson. Over
the weekend, Penn State's playing as well, live in Los Angeles.
It's the Herd wherever you may be and however you
may be listening. So Jmack, I having a terrible year
(00:43):
betting NFL, my worst ever. Most of the time, I'm
fifty five to fifty six percent, but it's been a
year in which favorites have done well. I tend to
take dogs, so I've been off all year. That's that's
the breaks. Nobody cares. But I will tell you today
I thought, I thought the single best bet of the
weekend was a college bet. Oh and so I thought,
I'm going to open it up. I'm gonna give people
(01:05):
an opportunity. It's a bet that you and I both
agree with. And it's never too.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Late to turn it around. Coward, you remember last year.
I think you started. I mean who could remembers nine? Yeah,
and you turn it around positive so like you could
do it. Yeah, I'm finished, strong man. It's not how
you start.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Say finished. I like your optimism. So here we go
on a Friday, my blazing five.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Let's blaze it up up.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
It's Collins Blazing five sponsored by Draftkakes. Indiana had Notre Tack.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
I like Indiana plus seven and a half. It's gonna
be in the upper twenties, wind chill in the upper teams.
I don't think either offense is going to be great.
I think the game will be fast. It will be
the run game, eating the clock. Indiana is really well coached,
coming off their most dominant performance of the year, crushing Purdue.
(01:57):
This is not Ohio State in Columbia. The weather will
be a factor. It'll slow down both offenses. A Notre
Dame's defense, by the way, USC got five hundred and
sixty yards against him, could have won that game without
pick sixes. The last two opponents that Notre Dame has
faced have both had over one hundred and ninety yards rushing,
so Indiana's the second highest scoring team in college football.
(02:20):
I think it is a game with a lot of running.
I really like Indiana's coach. I think Ohio State's a
different team in good weather than Notre Dame in bad weather.
I'll take the Irish to win, but I'm taking the
seven and a half points, twenty seven to twenty three
fighting Irish. Clemson at Texas. Both Jamack and I like
(02:41):
the Longhorns to cover. I don't know how Clemson scores.
I could argue, you know, are they really you know,
they don't really feel like a college football playoff team.
Texas is eleven to zero against everybody not named Georgia.
Their offense is sputtered, but I think their defense could
score against Clemson. Clemson's the only playoff team with three
losses from a week conference zero to two against SEC
(03:04):
teams outscored fifty one to seventeen, and again the Texas defense.
That's why their offense has been so conservative. They may
not need to score more than a touchdown or two.
I'm not sure how Clemson mounts long drives in this game.
I'm gonna swallow the twelve points. I think I'd prefer
to see Arcs manning at quarterback. Texas wins thirty to thirteen.
(03:29):
Rams said Jets at minus three. I'll take the Rams.
First of all, the game means a lot more. This
is a Jets team that had to fight like crazy
to come back and beat an awful, awful Jacksonville team. Also,
I get Stafford and McVeigh coming off extra time because
they played on Thursday. They control their own destiny. They
(03:49):
need to win this game. No turnovers and no sacks.
Last two games. The O line's finally healthy. By the way,
they are five and zero this year. When they don't
turn it over. The Jets, by the way, last four games,
you know they're one score games. They keep it close.
I think it'll be close, but the game means more.
It's been a noisy, noisy week for the Jet I'm
(04:10):
gonna take the Rams to win and cover twenty seven
to twenty three forty nine ers. At Dolphin, I'm gonna
take the Niners minus one to win straight out. Here's
my problem with Miami. People have figured them out. Tyreek
Hill has gone over one hundred yards once in the
last thirteen games. Tua has not completed a pass over
twenty yards in the air before Thanksgiving. And the Niners
(04:32):
are a bully. They're very good against teams that are
below five hundred. They average thirty two a game. They're
coming off extra rest four to oh against teams currently
under five hundred. They remind me a little of Baltimore
when you stack them up against the great team. The
Niners have flaws, can when they can bully an average
team like Miami, they win. I'll lay the one point
(04:56):
Niners win twenty eight to twenty four.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Patriots said Bills.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
I don't like big favorites, but the Bills have won
nine straight regular season home games minus fourteen all lay
the points they've scored thirty plus and eight straight games.
They don't allow sacks, so I don't think Josh Allen
will be rushed. They've only allowed thirteen sacks all year,
and they're outscoring their opponents at home by seventeen a game.
(05:23):
The Patriots have lost four straight they can't score. There's
questions about the coaching Listen, I get the best NFL
team at home that protects their quarterback against a Girodmeo
team that has gotten worse. Whatever they do offensively, people
have figured it out. Point differential. I think the Bills
(05:43):
cover thirty to thirteen our Draft Kings sportsbook. New customers
bet five bucks, get one hundred and fifty in bonus bets.
If your five dollars bet wins. Download the app. The
promo code has heard h e RD. When you sign up,
there we go. J Mack if you want to look
at the picks. I like the college games this weekend.
(06:05):
I kind of My take is I hate big favorites,
but Green Bay and Buffalo are not only big favorites,
they're playing really good football. And I think my favorite
bet of the week is Texas minus twelve. I don't
know how Clemson engineers any offense in that game. Yeah,
I like them.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
By the way, have you seen the images from South Bend, Indiana?
So you know, very cold. I got some buddies going
to the game. They are fired up.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I like Notre Dame. I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
I can't wait for the playoff games. Yeah, Texas as well,
I'm with you on that for you.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah, so I mean Notre Dame Indiana. I think people
look at Indiana and I think it's being overplayed that
they're a fraud. Ohio State good weather at home, that
was a tough place for Indiana. Yeah, okay, this first
of all, it's not going to be as loud because
people are going to be wrapped up. It is freezing.
(06:56):
And again this is a Notre Dame defense. I went
to the at the coliseum, USC moved the ball. They
got shredded through the area.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Yeah, so. And also I do think that Indiana is
closer in talent to Notre Dame than they are at
Texas or in Ohio State. I just I felt watching
that game. We were two series in and I'm like, okay,
this is big why football? They don't have the players
the Buckeyes do. And Ohio State, by the way, does
that to a lot of people? I don't think. But
(07:26):
I think Indiana can play a Penn State, a Notre Dame,
other teams that are good and compete. I don't.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
I fear how much like the winter break comes into
play because a lot of colleges, you know, the kids
are a back off campus, they're not there. I don't
know how juiced up these home stadiums are going to be.
They're calling for a white out in happy Valley of Yesday?
Is it going to be Are all the students still there?
They hanging or did they hang around after finals? Everybody
usually wants to get out of dodge. I don't know
what this is going to be like. We've never seen
this before.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yeah, no, I mean, and I think any time you've
never seen anything before, it makes it. I can't wait
to watch it toon. I'm going to the Doma cosm. Oh,
I'm gonna go watch it. I'm going to see what
it looks like. By the way, if you've never gone
to that thing, there's one in LA and Dallas, one
coming to Atlanta Detroit. If you've never been to that place.
In a snow game, it's incredible to see what the
players are going through. In the officials, I don't know
(08:13):
how you call a game and is official in snow games,
I don't know how you do it, by the way,
I just I want to show you something that's really
I like Jim Harbaugh a lot. I loved the last
night was so much about Jim Harbaugh going with the
old school kick in that football game that hadn't happened
since a fifty two yarder by Paul Horning. Of the
(08:37):
Packers in nineteen sixty two. So it was you know,
it was the end of the half, and it was
a fair catch and there was interference in a penalty,
and so there's a fair catch and you are allowed
to do this. Now none of us have ever seen
this thing before, but now you are on that penalty,
you can kick it from there. And the Chargers have
one of the best kickers in the league, and so
they're like, all right, we're gonna kick it before half.
(08:58):
And there's a big difference being down eleven, being down eight. Okay,
down eight, Okay, it's a one score game and two
point conversion. So Dick or the kicker bang hits it.
From that point on, the Chargers dominated, And I thought
it was a real glimpse of the culture that Jim
Harbaugh's created. It was it was a banged up football team.
(09:19):
You trail, but they're opportunistic. They bring back an old
school football play and here this is so classic. Here's
Harbaugh after making.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Loud and Bride like we've never sung it before. So
he goes out into the city. What who could possibly have.
Speaker 6 (09:52):
It better than that?
Speaker 1 (09:56):
He's a Jim fluencer, by the way. December fourteenth. Last season,
they gave up sixty points to the awful Raiders. This year,
they secured a playoff spot. Ninety seven percent chance they
make the playoffs. That's that game last night had Jim
Harbaugh written all over it.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
at noon eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (10:24):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. 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 1 (10:36):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 6 (10:38):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world. 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. And the fact
that we've been friends for the last twenty years and
still work together. I mean that says something, right, So
check us out. We like to get you involved. To
(10:59):
take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say,
I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
The most interactive show on planetar.
Speaker 6 (11:06):
Be sure to check out Cavino 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 Kobe on
Rich wherever you get your podcasts, and of course on
social media that's Covino and Rich. Well, he worked at
ESPN last couple of years of college football analysts Mississippi
State and Florida and the SEC.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
He know it's high end football. And now he's a
coach at UNLV, which has the best collective in the
Mountain West Conference. And he knows Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen.
They work together years ago. He's now joining US live.
And I remember when the UNLV's facilities were in a dark,
dingy place and now sunshine everywhere for Dan Mullen. Good
for you. Okay, I want to start with this. So
I talked to Urban this week, and you know the
(11:47):
pressure of the SEC, you know the pressure big football.
And I've always said that Ohio State Dan is an
SEC team North. They're the only SEC team North. Ryan
Day bad perfor rmans do you like, So after a
bad game at Florida, you know, at Florida and you
get a month off, did it help you or hurt you?
(12:09):
What should I expect from Ohio State off that stinker
against Michigan.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Well, listen, it's gonna help their performance in the end
when they get on the field, because they're gonna be
a little angry when they get out there. But it hurts.
That is a long, miserable month of everybody telling you
how awful you are. I mean, it's just like it's
I mean, it's just dreary. It's miserable. You got to
find a way to motivate yourself and pick yourself up
out of it in those situations, which is not easy
(12:37):
to do as a coach. Listen, you know, fans are
so critical of coaches, like you know, I mean, I
think every person Ohio probably thought Ryan just walked up
and kicked their dog that was laying on the front,
you know, and they look at them that way. But
no one's harder on themselves than the coaches. There's no one. Want,
I hate to say it for all your Buckott fans
out there, there's no one in the state of Ohio
(12:58):
that wanted to win that game more than Ryan, and
they have put more into it, so I know he's
awful about it. He's going to be ready to get
back out there on the field. They need to pull
themselves out of that misery.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Well, you had a job like that in Florida, and
I want to pivot to the SEC. So Carson Beck's
not playing for Georgia. I don't think they can win
a Natty without that. And and I'll tell you I
think Texas. I love Texas, but offensively they're so good. Defensively,
they've gotten a little conservative offensively as a favorite because
I think Texas passes the eyeball test. Would you want
(13:29):
to be Texas where you're kind kind of scuffing a
little bit, but you're the you got the best roster.
Is that a place that's comfortable as a coach because
you were a favorite in a lot of big games
at Florida. Did you like being a little bit of
a dog or did you like being the big dog
coming in with a chest out?
Speaker 3 (13:48):
They're both a lot of fun. And listen, I spent
a lot of time at Missippi State. I don't think
I think we were the underdog about every single week
in the SEC right, and that was a lot of fun.
You have a little chip on your shoulder. I think
you just did us to both and as a coach
and you get your team to believe in that, it's
hard when you're in Texas, say let's go really get
that ship. You have to say, we have to play
to our standard, we have to play to our talent level.
(14:10):
We have to do the things that we're good. We
have to be as good as we are supposed to
do and perform that way every week. It's hard to
play the chip on the shoulder card when you're at Texas.
But I'll tell you what as a coach, both are fun.
Both are great challenges to go do it. But there's
no way they're going to get it. Texas has to
go and they have to say, hey, we've played like
a dominant team. When we've played people were better than
(14:31):
when we've played people were equal to We have not
shown that. And there are two games against Georgia you
saw their offense didn't show up. You know they're throwing
the ball, Well, you're watching these clips. They're throwing the
ball down the field scoring touchdowns. If you're gonna play Georgia.
You're gonna play the big teams. You have got to
hit explosive plays down the field throwing the football, and
they haven't been able to do that.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Yeah, you're not going to get thirteen play drives against
the Georgia Bulldogs. So I was thinking about this tonight.
If I was Marcus Freeman, I got the better roster.
I'm at home playing a blizzard. Yeah, Dan, I'd want
to run that puppy, eat the clock, get out of there,
I do. I wouldn't want to get tricky. I got
the better roster. I'm at home. Have you ever gone
into a game and maybe not because of where you coached,
(15:13):
where you're the favorite, you got the better roster. Weather,
it can be a problem. Maybe it's raining sideways in Starkville.
Notre Dame's in a weird spot tonight that the weather
is not their ally because sint because by the way
Indiana can run, they can run it. They're well coached.
If you were Notre Dame tonight, with this weather you're facing,
(15:34):
does it change the game plan? No.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Usually when you're the better team, you want to run
more plays, so you know you don't want to slow
it down because the if we have better players, better talent,
the more plays we run on the field, the better
opportunity our talented guys have to make something special happen.
I do those see with the weather and listen Notre Dame.
I know they're explosive to have good players with better roster.
They like to run the ball to listen. In TV terms,
(15:59):
I don't see a Phil coming in this game right now.
This one's gonna be over. It's gonna be over fast.
You better tuned in early. This is probably gonna go
as fast as that Army Navy did because both teams
are gonna be I think run the football, be conservative
and uh you know, might set football back and it's
gonna look like the four Horsemen might have unname this
one like the twenties playing.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Yeah, so listen. I like the transfer portal and the NIL.
I do think everything needs to be managed. I think
you need to have a cap with the NF. I mean, hell,
the NFL's got a salary cap. I think you should
have like a sixteen to seventeen million cap so the
gap between Ohio State and Purdue doesn't become forty million
to eight. And I also think the transfer portal. I
(16:42):
don't know exactly what you do. I think we're getting
a little caught up. The truth is USC lost some
good guys. They're gonna find some good guys. I don't
worry too much about it. Is there any and I
love the playoff? Is there anything that worries you from
somebody who has coached in the SEC you've broadcast now
you're in the Mountain West? Any worry you about all
these changes in college football?
Speaker 3 (17:04):
You know? The great thing being out of it for
the last couple of years and not having to deal
with the adjustments on a day to day basis when
you see it from the ten thousand foot view, I'm
more comfortable coming back into it and haven't seen it
and understand it. The second transfer portal window they have
after spring practice, I kind of wish they'd get rid
of that, Like, you know what, establish your roster. Show kids,
(17:25):
I'm going to go to this school. I'm going to
make a one year commitment, like we're just here for
a year. Coaches can manage their rosters. Players know they
have a chance to develop. This is their team. The
signing day, I think if they just tweak the calendar
in college football, they can help me. Hey, the money kids.
If they would, if they if the NSA would have
tried to find a way and figure out how to
pay the kids a long time ago, would give them
(17:46):
a little something, it would have helped them. We might
not be in this as crazy a situation as we are.
But you know what, the kids deserve some of the money.
There's a lot of money coming from all the different
TV networks, and the kids deserve some of that money.
The opportunity to go make it. The other thing, I think, though,
the hard one, that the message to give the kids,
and the message I'm trying to give the kids come here.
(18:07):
Don't forget about development at some point. You know, if
you're going to a school, a different school every year
for four years, when do you really learn in the system.
Why are you learning to develop? What are you learning
to go take that next step. I've coached quarterbacks my
whole life life. I don't want to I want to
have a quarterback back in coach develop and start learning
graduate level classes. Not just kind of we're going to
try to dumb it down because we have it for
(18:28):
a year and you can learn a system. I want guys,
make sure guys understand you need to really spend time
develop yourself, learn your trade, and not just be jumping
around from one year to the nuts. But hey, that's
the system and they're going to do it. I understand it.
It's great. We had a bunch of players go to
the portal after our bowl game the other night. The
gont to go look at opportunities here at UNLV. But
(18:50):
I mean my phone's blowing up with guys that want
to come play. You know, we have the opportunity. The
great thing I you said, the playoffs. I think we
have a great path to the playoffs, Eric, you and
to be look at boys, we have beaten Boise in
the championship game last year. I'm sitting on a bye
right now. I'm going to be hanging out with you.
We're having a good time in Vegas and we're sitting
on a bye going to watch you know, SMU Penn
State game to Barcie, who we're going to play in
(19:11):
the second round. So I love our path and I
think college football is doing some things the right way.
They just need to get everybody on same page to
tweak it to make it the best for the student athletes,
the players, the high school kids coming in. Just put
a little barrier around it and and just clean it
up a little bit and get out of it. We
can't get out of our own way sometimes.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Well, I just saw the world's best fake punt that
you and LV went over cal. You were in a tennis'
best fake pip I've ever seen in my life. And
I want to I want to say you had a
cushy job as a broadcaster. What did your wife say
when you said, hey, I want to go back and
coach again.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
She's she's like, like what I thought. We were kind
of retired with this broadcasting life, like somewhat, you know,
out of this world. And uh, you know what, it's crazy.
Got a lot of people say, what's going on is
you know, I've had a lot of people call with
interest offer different jobs over the last couple of years.
And it was just something that you said, I was
enjoying broadcasting. I was really enjoying TV. Somehow something about
(20:11):
this job hit a spark in me. You know, I
don't know if it's we have great facilities here, yep,
the Fatida Football Complex that family has done a great job,
had given us phillies. We played allegied stadium in an
NFL stadium, one of the nicest stadiums in football at
any level around the world. You're in a great market,
Las Vegas, a great place to live, as you know,
and you know, we have so much going on. It
(20:34):
kind of got me really excited. The path to the playoffs.
I'm thinking, I think I'm gonna go have some fun.
We're gonna go coach some ball, have some fun and
have a good time and see if we can get
ourselves in the playoffs and win a championship here at UNLV.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Yeah, the weather's a little better than Bristol, Connecticut. No
shot at my former employer. Hey, it's great to seeing you.
Say hi to the people at UNLV. Fatida family has
been amazing in that community. Unbelievable family. Dan Mullen, n LV,
the Mountain West, the God, a little collective money. Thank
you Dan for coming on the show. I do appreciate it.
(21:07):
He did a great job. You yep, yep. Yeah. I
did wonder when I saw him take that job. I thought,
I bet his wife thought, Okay, we're gonna do the
broadcasting thing. You know, it's interesting about recruiting now. It
used to be had to be on the road all
the time. What's happened a little bit now with a
collective the players come to you, they come on your
campus in the summer spring. It's like, all right, what
do you want to make Here's what we have. It's
(21:28):
a different ballgame. J Mac with the news, No turns.
This is the Herdline news. You know we like Texas
a lot.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Yes, in the game this weekend, but there the quarterback
situation is really starting to get tricky. Well Sark was
asked about the Quinn viewers archmanning stuff, specifically about this
potentially being yours's last game as a Longhorn, and Sark
was not happy with the question.
Speaker 7 (22:00):
You know, Quinn obviously needs to make a decision after
this season is over. But if this ends up being
his last game.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Hypotheticals, I'm not doing hypotheticals.
Speaker 7 (22:09):
Next one that it's not a hypothetical if this ends
up being his life's game. I have thought about his
Can you talk about his impact and that he's had
in the three years that he's been here, or he
has not had an impact.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
I'll answer the question as it pertains his impact.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Now, I'm not going to answer the question with a hypothetical.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
So do you want to rephrase the question?
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Yeah, I mean it's I get it. I'm not going
to take your question, which hasn't happened, and give you
an answer to frame for a column. It hasn't happened,
So I'm not gonna his last game again.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
But by the way, there's chatter there's Texas fans out
there who think, listen art just starting next year. If
Quinn isn't ready for the NFL or doesn't get a
high grade, he got transfer columns and he's gonna be
somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Then okay, but let's wait until it happens. Why should
I feed you a column that's fair.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
I'm just saying I don't know. I understand the question,
and I understand the non answer. Does that make sense?
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Is that?
Speaker 8 (23:07):
Is that okay to say.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
I don't I'm not blaming you for asking the question.
I've always said in my entire career when I ask questions,
you have a right not to answer. And if you
say I'm not going to answer, I'm not going to
reframe it and try to trick you, which the writer did.
So my take is if I was sarked, I wouldn't
have answered it either, I'd say, I'm not going to
take that narrative and give you a column. What do
(23:30):
you think about that? In fact, Sark said, would you
like to reframe it? And the guy, the stubborn media guy,
went back to it's like, I'm not going to give
you a column. Well where are you on this whole?
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Arch vers?
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Viewers like Arch is the better quarterback, He's more mobile.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
I like him. He's a better quarterback. Now.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
I think Arch Manning. Oh that's a lot. But I've
never been a Youers fan. I don't think he's a
first or second round pick. I think he's a fifth round.
I think he's no. I think he's it's a lot
of Kenny Pickett. To me, he's fine, he's back up.
I don't think he's a starter in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
I oh my, that's a take. Well.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
I didn't think Zach Wilson was a starter in the NFL.
I didn't think Daniel Jones was. I didn't think Timo
was second overall. Can you believe I called Doles before
they happened, and I knew Sam Darnold was magic.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Yeah, it just took six years to be clipped with
the magic finish. Let's go to the NBA. NBA fans
Nick Timberwolves trade, remember that in the summer massive Carl
Anthony Towns returned to Minnesota last night, former number one
pick by the Wolves. Set after the game, personally, this
game wasn't just another game, and if anyone told you otherwise,
(24:34):
that's a lie.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Kat went off.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
He had thirty two and twenty didn't miss a three pointer.
Anthony Edwards said that while he was mad as team lost,
he was happy to see Kat do well.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Nick's want to blowout.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Cat flexing man, whatever what. I've seen him.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Play fucking positive NBA and look at you.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
I've seen him play live four times. He's been great
three of them. But when I need him in big spots,
I've always had my questions. I still contend he's part.
He is part of a package that eventually goes after
Giannis and Milwaukee. I believe that with draft picks Karl
Anthony Towns, maybe OG is hot.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Take summer get arriving in the ear of the arts
adding better than you were. You know, if you think
yours right now, I think arts would be starting if
you were better.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
I think there's a lot of politics involved. I think
there's a lot of walking on eggshells to be involved.
I think this is the bottom line is if Art
starts Quinn yours like I'm out of here, then I
don't have the backup quarterback.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
I love him now.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Carl Antony Towns is one of the best games of
his career. I know, I know he's always been talented,
but thirty and twenty against his old team, it's like,
you're kind of impressive in you're and you want to
ship him.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
To Milwaukee O celebrate the NBA. NBA, maybe it's fantastic.
Final story.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Let's go back to the NFL. The Detroit Lions. It
felt like three weeks ago they were the darlings of
the NFL. But the injuries, oh my god, destroying this team.
A lot of people are starting to doubt the Lions,
the line coming down against the Bears. But defensive coordinator
Aaron Glenn, he's got no doubts.
Speaker 9 (26:09):
Quar twelve and two and the sky's falling. We're going
to the playoffs. Win a damn win a tournament. Why
the hell of sky hold for us? What do we
have to sit.
Speaker 5 (26:21):
Back and.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
Be sad?
Speaker 9 (26:23):
I mean, we didn't have to you guys who let
you guys do that ologized to co play football. But
why should we sit back and wallow and think the
sky's falling?
Speaker 3 (26:33):
It's dumb like that. Like that.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
He's good, he's good at the podium. He was a
mouthy cornerback back in Yeah, I've not got no problem
with By the way, I don't know this, I'm just
throwing it out there. How many former cornerbacks are NFL
head coaches. Dion's obviously a college coach. It's it's a
funny position that it's it's a big personality position. So
(26:57):
you'd think there'd be more like college coaches or corners.
Has there been an NFL coach who was a great corner?
Speaker 3 (27:04):
What was dan call? He was a tight end? Maybe?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Well he won the corner. Yeah, he didn't look real twitchy.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
You're right, there's some random positions out there, and a lot.
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Of it's a personality positions. So I would think there'd
be corners in college because you gotta sell. I mean,
Dio's a prime example, big person charisma. Yeah, he's got
that riz is that what they call it?
Speaker 3 (27:24):
The h oh?
Speaker 5 (27:25):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
I haven't used that. I just started using mid and lip.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Yeah, so Riz is on Christmas Eve making the cookies.
You want that to my house on Christmas Day? The
kid will laugh at you.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
I'll tell you. I'll tell you. I'm gonna stand on
business with Riz. Feel that was said correctly. We'll just
let its lie.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
Who cares?
Speaker 1 (27:45):
I thought that was all right. J Mack with the news, Well.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
That's the news, and thanks for stopping by the.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Herd Line News all sorts of stuff. I was great
watching that game last night. I don't know about everybody,
but I was watching that game last night. My takeaway was, oh,
we're watching playoff teams. If you go look at the
AFC right now, the playoff picture, it's done. I love Burrow,
but they're not winning three straight games and Denver's not
losing all these games. So I think the AFC playoff picture.
(28:14):
And here's what's funny. The NFL extended the seventeen games.
It's already done. We got three games left and they're
going to extend to another game. That's why I don't
like extending the NFL season ween is the league has
become more quarterback centric. Teams separate faster, folks. The AFC
playoffs are done. They're all over. Anthony Richardson can't win
(28:36):
three straight. Although I think they beat the Titans this weekend.
Miami's two finesse. They're not winning three straight games, and
I think you can give Joe Burrow an outside shot
outside five percent chance. But the NFL extends their season.
What's the point the AFC's done. We got three games,
go to the NFC. Now the NFC. I think if
the Rams win this weekend and the Niners lost and
(28:58):
Seattle loss, then it's starting to feel like it's done. Okay.
If so, I think there's a little bit on the
bottom of this, but we all know right now. Atlanta,
unless Penix comes up and lights the world on fire, Detroit, Philly, Tampa, Minnesota,
Green Bay are in. So what is interesting is the
(29:20):
NFL has expanded the season, and they're going to expand
it to eighteen is the last four to five weeks
of the regular season. Ninety percent of the playoff teams
are done. Don't you want I've said this about baseball
for years. Speed the game up, check, get rid of
the defensive shift, check, lop off forty games, get to
one hundred and twenty games, stop playing in cold winter weather.
(29:43):
You want to get your season done by about October
fifth because you start playing late October. Good luck with football,
all right? Hold on, hold on, good luck.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
You want to lop off how many games in the
baseball schedule?
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Twenty home games per team? Okay, twenty?
Speaker 3 (29:58):
You think the owner is going to good be I don't.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Think they will because they're all greedy. But my take
is baseball got rid of their time issue, got me
to watch more. They got rid of the defensive shift issue.
Now they have to create at least a little scarcity,
make the games matter little. I've said this for years.
If I was the NBA, I always felt sixty eight
regular season games create urgency. First round playoffs, three game series,
(30:24):
second round series five games five seven A seven round
first game first round playoff series one against an eight.
I have no reason. I mean, lebron never even barely
lost games against eight. S. Garvings are at play here.
This is a business for these billionaires. This is a
business for the league's. More games equal more money, pretty simple.
(30:47):
More game teams in the playoffs equal more teams get money.
I don't have a problem with more teams in the playoffs.
I have a problem as we have this phone. People
are now on their phone more than watching TV. They're
almost on streaming and social more than TV. Yeah, okay,
so the games have to matter. Hockey's regular season down,
NBA regular season hemorrhaging. It's part of that is there's
(31:12):
a lot of arguments. Some of it is as we
are more distracted, and we're all more distracted. You have
to make the games matter. You can't make hockey, baseball
and NBA regular season matter. The baseball ratings last year meh.
The playoffs were cute. But again, but that's from the
our perspective. Look on the inside, the owners are making
(31:36):
money hand over fist. They don't care that ratings are down.
It doesn't impact them.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
The only people who should care about the ratings are
the TV broadcast partners.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
Right, yes, but if they got these But I will
tell you this prime example Baseball. Right now, Fox and
ESPN are not opening up their wallets for base That's
when the discussions really well, and that's when they're starting.
I mean, Baseball signed to deal with Roku this year.
I'm not joking. It was thirty million dollars. Each team
(32:04):
got a million. I mean that that is desperate that's
like embarrassing the NBA. It may be a business, but
any business that's trending in the wrong direction, be careful.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
They just got their new deal. They are fluss with cash.
It was what a billion dollar deal. I mean, they
got so much money, Colin, They're not really worried about this.
I would not be shocked if.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
You heard from the NBA.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
But remember here in the coming television. The television revenue
in these sports is like thirty percent of it. Attendance
is also tendance is not really that big of an issue.
Well if again, when businesses start to erode, Baseball attendance
wasn't an issue. Then about five years ago it's an issue.
Then three years ago it became a real issue. Now
(32:45):
the television money has become again. Drip drip, drip is right,
it's just like the cable people cutting cable. But did
you see what the Suns owner did this week? I
loved it. Awesome better.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
I think we should.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
See more billionaires doing this, the teams you own. Yeah,
these NBA guys make it all this money. Matt what's
the last name? Yeah, basically said two dollars menu for
food everything. I thought it was great. That's amazing.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
One of my.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Favorite dude, bro, I went to the Chargers game. Do
you know how much a beer costs in an NFL fourteen?
Speaker 2 (33:13):
No, eighteen dollars for one drink, and then like three
tacos are like twenty five dollars. I mean, Colin, the
prices are exorbative. But I gand it to these guys.
They're business guys. They're making tons of money. That's all
they care about.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
I think. I think there are lines in the sand
we're getting close to crossing, and we're not fans. All
this TV streamer money's great. That's thirty percent of the revenue.
The other thirty percent before you get to marketing and
merchandising and parking and sales and tickets and suites. It's
regular guys going to games, regular people going to games.
(33:48):
So the TV money pays a lot of the bills.
It doesn't pay all of them. It doesn't pay all
of them.
Speaker 4 (33:52):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
at noonon East. They're not a em Pacific A.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
Special day of Football Tomorrow on Cats.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
The next chapter in a bitter historic rivalry, as Russell
Wilson and the Steelers take on Lamar Jackson in the Ravens.
It all kicks off tomorrow at four eastern on Fox.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
So it's really an interesting game for a lot of reasons.
It's always very close. Steelers are big underdogs and Tomlin
is the best underdog coach of his generation. So Russell
Wilson's playing for a million two a year and he's
the steal in the league because you know, Denver's paying
them all that money. So if you watch the you know,
the hard knocks thing that's going on in season, you
(34:33):
can tell he loves Pittsburgh and he and Sierra like
they found a place that likes him. And this game's
really interesting. It feels it's it's very important because Lamar Jackson,
the two time MVP, maybe the MVP this year's on
the other side of the field. So you can kind
of juxtapose the two and say, Okay, here's what a
star looks like. How close is Russell to that? So
(34:54):
in the two games without George Pickens, Russell has thrown
for one hundred and fifty eight yards against Cleveland one
hundred and twenty eight yards against Philly. I don't mind
paying my quarterback, but I'm gonna struggle paying my quarterback
if he is tied. His production is overwhelmingly tied to
one receiver, and without Pickings, it's not the same offense.
(35:17):
So this story has always been from the very beginning
of this story, even in the summer, we talked about it.
The Steelers season was all about December first on. They
had the hardest six game stretch I'd ever seen to
end the season. It was at Joe Burrow, at Philly,
at Baltimore, Kansas City, Joe Burrow. And it not only
(35:39):
will define the Steelers season, because I mean, we all
know Pittsburgh's pretty good, but I think it will define
the future of Russell Wilson. So if he's going toe
to toe with Burrow and he looks like easily the
second best quarterback and then tomorrow easily the second best quarterback,
and he's absolutely beholden to George Pickens, you know, is
(36:03):
this thing just going to be a fling or is
Pittsburgh gonna put a ring on it? And that's what
it kind of feels like to me. So Mike Tomlin
talked about the relationship and on facing the Ravens this weekend.
Speaker 10 (36:15):
Really excited about this opportunity for obvious reasons. It's a
divisual game, it's a road divisual game, It's Baltimore, and
I understand the nature of this rivalry and the amount
of tension that it brings, and it's exciting and humbling
to be a part of it. We're highly familiar with
these guys, but the same thing could be said. I'm
sure for them, they're highly familiar with us. I think
(36:37):
that's what makes these games so exciting.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
I will say Russ has this going for him for
the previous five years. Pittsburgh's offense was a tough watch
the last year with Big Ben. Then there's Mason Rudolph
and Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. He gives them some juice.
And we always know Pittsburgh drafts well. If they develop well,
(37:00):
they're well coached, they're inspired. A great underdog team. The
question though, in a division with Burrow and Lamar Jackson,
you got to put points up. He just got put
points up and they've had you know, they've had great
success against Lamar. So but if you want to win,
there's just too many good quarterbacks. You're watching Herbert in
the second half. If you want to start winning multiple
playoff games, you got to have some juice. The best
(37:22):
quarterbacks in the league are in the AFC, and so
I do think Russell gives them not only juice, but
he gives them kind of clarity. He's kind of elusive,
though not as much as he used to be. He
throws a beautiful deep ball, better than the previous four quarterbacks.
So Jordan Schultz was on, He was on an hour ago,
and you know his what he's hearing is this thing
(37:45):
may becomes semi long term.
Speaker 8 (37:48):
Before the season, when they moved on from Kenny Pickett,
the Steelers really wanted to make sure that they could
find not just a bridge, but potentially a long term solution.
They bring ausae in Fields, they bring in Russell Wilson.
I think they believe they have found that solution with
Russell Wilson. We have seen a version of Russell Wilson
(38:09):
that compares favorably to Seattle Russell. The biggest thing that
Russell has going for him is a relationship with Mike Tomlin.
And because of that that dates way back to when
they met for multiple hours before russ signed, Tomlin really
advocated him to ownership. Said this is the guy I
can build around.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
So Russell Wilson's got a very unique career. The Seattle
years where were he was excellent, but he always felt
a little overlooked, looked and disrespected. You know, he kind
of felt like Pete got the credit, Marshaun Lynch, Richard Sherman,
the defense got the credit. So Russell was very good,
but he mostly felt overlooked. But it worked. The Denver
(38:52):
experiment be the savior did not work at all. That's
not what Russell is. The Pittsburgh situation is actually the
best of both where they do need him clearly, so
it's got you know, it's got a Denver field. They
need him. But like Seattle, they're really good when it
(39:16):
comes to the other stuff beyond quarterback. They draft well,
they develop well, they get after the opposing quarterback. So
I feel like you got a little Seattle where he
doesn't have to be the savior. You have a little
Denver where there is true value like that. There he's
gonna change this thing. He's gonna make it better the offense.
So cause Denver for years, we gotta be fair here.
(39:38):
Before Russell Wilson, they had a quarterback issue. They had
they were they were got. They were starting to feel
like Chicago, You're like, they can't get quarterback right. So
I think I think there's basically two levels of quarterback
contracts in the NFL. There's the sign of early Herbert Burrough,
(39:59):
Lamar Mahomes, Alan Stafford, just get it, get it done.
Then there's the for the time being, he's our best option.
We like him, we don't love him. And I think
that that is kind of in the Russell where we're
gonna spend some rock party. We like him, we know
his limitations. Russell Wilson, we like him, he helps us,
(40:21):
he's necessary. We also know he's passed his crime. I
think Sam Donald could get into that. Like teams Indianapolis,
you gonna like him, they don't think he's Mahomes or Allen.
So in my take is the Jordan Love has moved
into the big class. That one I don't doubt. But
I think Russell falls into the brock Purty Sam Donald's
(40:42):
next team situation. There's absolute value. But let's not get
silly here, Let's not get crazy. I don't want to
see any fives. I don't want to see five and
I'm gonna push back on the four may have to
start with a three hour three next
Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three Eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find
your local station for The Herd at Fox Sportsradio dot com,
or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app
by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening
to the Herd podcast. All right, here we go. What
(00:23):
a weekend of massive college football. The College Football Playoffs
starts tonight Indiana at Notre Dame, Texas and Clemson. Over
the weekend, Penn State's playing as well, live in Los Angeles.
It's the Herd wherever you may be and however you
may be listening. So Jmack, I having a terrible year
(00:43):
betting NFL, my worst ever. Most of the time, I'm
fifty five to fifty six percent, but it's been a
year in which favorites have done well. I tend to
take dogs, so I've been off all year. That's that's
the breaks. Nobody cares. But I will tell you today
I thought, I thought the single best bet of the
weekend was a college bet. Oh and so I thought,
I'm going to open it up. I'm gonna give people
(01:05):
an opportunity. It's a bet that you and I both
agree with. And it's never too.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Late to turn it around. Coward, you remember last year.
I think you started. I mean who could remembers nine? Yeah,
and you turn it around positive so like you could
do it. Yeah, I'm finished, strong man. It's not how
you start.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Say finished. I like your optimism. So here we go
on a Friday, my blazing five.
Speaker 3 (01:29):
Let's blaze it up up.
Speaker 4 (01:30):
It's Collins Blazing five sponsored by Draftkakes. Indiana had Notre Tack.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
I like Indiana plus seven and a half. It's gonna
be in the upper twenties, wind chill in the upper teams.
I don't think either offense is going to be great.
I think the game will be fast. It will be
the run game, eating the clock. Indiana is really well coached,
coming off their most dominant performance of the year, crushing Purdue.
(01:57):
This is not Ohio State in Columbia. The weather will
be a factor. It'll slow down both offenses. A Notre
Dame's defense, by the way, USC got five hundred and
sixty yards against him, could have won that game without
pick sixes. The last two opponents that Notre Dame has
faced have both had over one hundred and ninety yards rushing,
so Indiana's the second highest scoring team in college football.
(02:20):
I think it is a game with a lot of running.
I really like Indiana's coach. I think Ohio State's a
different team in good weather than Notre Dame in bad weather.
I'll take the Irish to win, but I'm taking the
seven and a half points, twenty seven to twenty three
fighting Irish. Clemson at Texas. Both Jamack and I like
(02:41):
the Longhorns to cover. I don't know how Clemson scores.
I could argue, you know, are they really you know,
they don't really feel like a college football playoff team.
Texas is eleven to zero against everybody not named Georgia.
Their offense is sputtered, but I think their defense could
score against Clemson. Clemson's the only playoff team with three
losses from a week conference zero to two against SEC
(03:04):
teams outscored fifty one to seventeen, and again the Texas defense.
That's why their offense has been so conservative. They may
not need to score more than a touchdown or two.
I'm not sure how Clemson mounts long drives in this game.
I'm gonna swallow the twelve points. I think I'd prefer
to see Arcs manning at quarterback. Texas wins thirty to thirteen.
(03:29):
Rams said Jets at minus three. I'll take the Rams.
First of all, the game means a lot more. This
is a Jets team that had to fight like crazy
to come back and beat an awful, awful Jacksonville team. Also,
I get Stafford and McVeigh coming off extra time because
they played on Thursday. They control their own destiny. They
(03:49):
need to win this game. No turnovers and no sacks.
Last two games. The O line's finally healthy. By the way,
they are five and zero this year. When they don't
turn it over. The Jets, by the way, last four games,
you know they're one score games. They keep it close.
I think it'll be close, but the game means more.
It's been a noisy, noisy week for the Jet I'm
(04:10):
gonna take the Rams to win and cover twenty seven
to twenty three forty nine ers. At Dolphin, I'm gonna
take the Niners minus one to win straight out. Here's
my problem with Miami. People have figured them out. Tyreek
Hill has gone over one hundred yards once in the
last thirteen games. Tua has not completed a pass over
twenty yards in the air before Thanksgiving. And the Niners
(04:32):
are a bully. They're very good against teams that are
below five hundred. They average thirty two a game. They're
coming off extra rest four to oh against teams currently
under five hundred. They remind me a little of Baltimore
when you stack them up against the great team. The
Niners have flaws, can when they can bully an average
team like Miami, they win. I'll lay the one point
(04:56):
Niners win twenty eight to twenty four.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
Patriots said Bills.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
I don't like big favorites, but the Bills have won
nine straight regular season home games minus fourteen all lay
the points they've scored thirty plus and eight straight games.
They don't allow sacks, so I don't think Josh Allen
will be rushed. They've only allowed thirteen sacks all year,
and they're outscoring their opponents at home by seventeen a game.
(05:23):
The Patriots have lost four straight they can't score. There's
questions about the coaching Listen, I get the best NFL
team at home that protects their quarterback against a Girodmeo
team that has gotten worse. Whatever they do offensively, people
have figured it out. Point differential. I think the Bills
(05:43):
cover thirty to thirteen our Draft Kings sportsbook. New customers
bet five bucks, get one hundred and fifty in bonus bets.
If your five dollars bet wins. Download the app. The
promo code has heard h e RD. When you sign up,
there we go. J Mack if you want to look
at the picks. I like the college games this weekend.
(06:05):
I kind of My take is I hate big favorites,
but Green Bay and Buffalo are not only big favorites,
they're playing really good football. And I think my favorite
bet of the week is Texas minus twelve. I don't
know how Clemson engineers any offense in that game. Yeah,
I like them.
Speaker 2 (06:22):
By the way, have you seen the images from South Bend, Indiana?
So you know, very cold. I got some buddies going
to the game. They are fired up.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I like Notre Dame. I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
I can't wait for the playoff games. Yeah, Texas as well,
I'm with you on that for you.
Speaker 1 (06:36):
Yeah, so I mean Notre Dame Indiana. I think people
look at Indiana and I think it's being overplayed that
they're a fraud. Ohio State good weather at home, that
was a tough place for Indiana. Yeah, okay, this first
of all, it's not going to be as loud because
people are going to be wrapped up. It is freezing.
(06:56):
And again this is a Notre Dame defense. I went
to the at the coliseum, USC moved the ball. They
got shredded through the area.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (07:04):
Yeah, so. And also I do think that Indiana is
closer in talent to Notre Dame than they are at
Texas or in Ohio State. I just I felt watching
that game. We were two series in and I'm like, okay,
this is big why football? They don't have the players
the Buckeyes do. And Ohio State, by the way, does
that to a lot of people? I don't think. But
(07:26):
I think Indiana can play a Penn State, a Notre Dame,
other teams that are good and compete. I don't.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
I fear how much like the winter break comes into
play because a lot of colleges, you know, the kids
are a back off campus, they're not there. I don't
know how juiced up these home stadiums are going to be.
They're calling for a white out in happy Valley of Yesday?
Is it going to be Are all the students still there?
They hanging or did they hang around after finals? Everybody
usually wants to get out of dodge. I don't know
what this is going to be like. We've never seen
this before.
Speaker 1 (07:52):
Yeah, no, I mean, and I think any time you've
never seen anything before, it makes it. I can't wait
to watch it toon. I'm going to the Doma cosm. Oh,
I'm gonna go watch it. I'm going to see what
it looks like. By the way, if you've never gone
to that thing, there's one in LA and Dallas, one
coming to Atlanta Detroit. If you've never been to that place.
In a snow game, it's incredible to see what the
players are going through. In the officials, I don't know
(08:13):
how you call a game and is official in snow games,
I don't know how you do it, by the way,
I just I want to show you something that's really
I like Jim Harbaugh a lot. I loved the last
night was so much about Jim Harbaugh going with the
old school kick in that football game that hadn't happened
since a fifty two yarder by Paul Horning. Of the
(08:37):
Packers in nineteen sixty two. So it was you know,
it was the end of the half, and it was
a fair catch and there was interference in a penalty,
and so there's a fair catch and you are allowed
to do this. Now none of us have ever seen
this thing before, but now you are on that penalty,
you can kick it from there. And the Chargers have
one of the best kickers in the league, and so
they're like, all right, we're gonna kick it before half.
(08:58):
And there's a big difference being down eleven, being down eight. Okay,
down eight, Okay, it's a one score game and two
point conversion. So Dick or the kicker bang hits it.
From that point on, the Chargers dominated, And I thought
it was a real glimpse of the culture that Jim
Harbaugh's created. It was it was a banged up football team.
(09:19):
You trail, but they're opportunistic. They bring back an old
school football play and here this is so classic. Here's
Harbaugh after making.
Speaker 5 (09:30):
Loud and Bride like we've never sung it before. So
he goes out into the city. What who could possibly have.
Speaker 6 (09:52):
It better than that?
Speaker 1 (09:56):
He's a Jim fluencer, by the way. December fourteenth. Last season,
they gave up sixty points to the awful Raiders. This year,
they secured a playoff spot. Ninety seven percent chance they
make the playoffs. That's that game last night had Jim
Harbaugh written all over it.
Speaker 4 (10:15):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
at noon eastern nine am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio
FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 6 (10:24):
Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich David and together we're
Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. 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 1 (10:36):
Why should you listen to Covino and Rich.
Speaker 6 (10:38):
We talk about everything life, sports, relationships, what's going on
in the world. 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. And the fact
that we've been friends for the last twenty years and
still work together. I mean that says something, right, So
check us out. We like to get you involved. To
(10:59):
take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say,
I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe.
Speaker 1 (11:04):
The most interactive show on planetar.
Speaker 6 (11:06):
Be sure to check out Cavino 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 Kobe on
Rich wherever you get your podcasts, and of course on
social media that's Covino and Rich. Well, he worked at
ESPN last couple of years of college football analysts Mississippi
State and Florida and the SEC.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
He know it's high end football. And now he's a
coach at UNLV, which has the best collective in the
Mountain West Conference. And he knows Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen.
They work together years ago. He's now joining US live.
And I remember when the UNLV's facilities were in a dark,
dingy place and now sunshine everywhere for Dan Mullen. Good
for you. Okay, I want to start with this. So
I talked to Urban this week, and you know the
(11:47):
pressure of the SEC, you know the pressure big football.
And I've always said that Ohio State Dan is an
SEC team North. They're the only SEC team North. Ryan
Day bad perfor rmans do you like, So after a
bad game at Florida, you know, at Florida and you
get a month off, did it help you or hurt you?
(12:09):
What should I expect from Ohio State off that stinker
against Michigan.
Speaker 3 (12:15):
Well, listen, it's gonna help their performance in the end
when they get on the field, because they're gonna be
a little angry when they get out there. But it hurts.
That is a long, miserable month of everybody telling you
how awful you are. I mean, it's just like it's
I mean, it's just dreary. It's miserable. You got to
find a way to motivate yourself and pick yourself up
out of it in those situations, which is not easy
(12:37):
to do as a coach. Listen, you know, fans are
so critical of coaches, like you know, I mean, I
think every person Ohio probably thought Ryan just walked up
and kicked their dog that was laying on the front,
you know, and they look at them that way. But
no one's harder on themselves than the coaches. There's no one. Want,
I hate to say it for all your Buckott fans
out there, there's no one in the state of Ohio
(12:58):
that wanted to win that game more than Ryan, and
they have put more into it, so I know he's
awful about it. He's going to be ready to get
back out there on the field. They need to pull
themselves out of that misery.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Well, you had a job like that in Florida, and
I want to pivot to the SEC. So Carson Beck's
not playing for Georgia. I don't think they can win
a Natty without that. And and I'll tell you I
think Texas. I love Texas, but offensively they're so good. Defensively,
they've gotten a little conservative offensively as a favorite because
I think Texas passes the eyeball test. Would you want
(13:29):
to be Texas where you're kind kind of scuffing a
little bit, but you're the you got the best roster.
Is that a place that's comfortable as a coach because
you were a favorite in a lot of big games
at Florida. Did you like being a little bit of
a dog or did you like being the big dog
coming in with a chest out?
Speaker 3 (13:48):
They're both a lot of fun. And listen, I spent
a lot of time at Missippi State. I don't think
I think we were the underdog about every single week
in the SEC right, and that was a lot of fun.
You have a little chip on your shoulder. I think
you just did us to both and as a coach
and you get your team to believe in that, it's
hard when you're in Texas, say let's go really get
that ship. You have to say, we have to play
to our standard, we have to play to our talent level.
(14:10):
We have to do the things that we're good. We
have to be as good as we are supposed to
do and perform that way every week. It's hard to
play the chip on the shoulder card when you're at Texas.
But I'll tell you what as a coach, both are fun.
Both are great challenges to go do it. But there's
no way they're going to get it. Texas has to
go and they have to say, hey, we've played like
a dominant team. When we've played people were better than
(14:31):
when we've played people were equal to We have not
shown that. And there are two games against Georgia you
saw their offense didn't show up. You know they're throwing
the ball, Well, you're watching these clips. They're throwing the
ball down the field scoring touchdowns. If you're gonna play Georgia.
You're gonna play the big teams. You have got to
hit explosive plays down the field throwing the football, and
they haven't been able to do that.
Speaker 1 (14:51):
Yeah, you're not going to get thirteen play drives against
the Georgia Bulldogs. So I was thinking about this tonight.
If I was Marcus Freeman, I got the better roster.
I'm at home playing a blizzard. Yeah, Dan, I'd want
to run that puppy, eat the clock, get out of there,
I do. I wouldn't want to get tricky. I got
the better roster. I'm at home. Have you ever gone
into a game and maybe not because of where you coached,
(15:13):
where you're the favorite, you got the better roster. Weather,
it can be a problem. Maybe it's raining sideways in Starkville.
Notre Dame's in a weird spot tonight that the weather
is not their ally because sint because by the way
Indiana can run, they can run it. They're well coached.
If you were Notre Dame tonight, with this weather you're facing,
(15:34):
does it change the game plan? No.
Speaker 3 (15:38):
Usually when you're the better team, you want to run
more plays, so you know you don't want to slow
it down because the if we have better players, better talent,
the more plays we run on the field, the better
opportunity our talented guys have to make something special happen.
I do those see with the weather and listen Notre Dame.
I know they're explosive to have good players with better roster.
They like to run the ball to listen. In TV terms,
(15:59):
I don't see a Phil coming in this game right now.
This one's gonna be over. It's gonna be over fast.
You better tuned in early. This is probably gonna go
as fast as that Army Navy did because both teams
are gonna be I think run the football, be conservative
and uh you know, might set football back and it's
gonna look like the four Horsemen might have unname this
one like the twenties playing.
Speaker 1 (16:20):
Yeah, so listen. I like the transfer portal and the NIL.
I do think everything needs to be managed. I think
you need to have a cap with the NF. I mean, hell,
the NFL's got a salary cap. I think you should
have like a sixteen to seventeen million cap so the
gap between Ohio State and Purdue doesn't become forty million
to eight. And I also think the transfer portal. I
(16:42):
don't know exactly what you do. I think we're getting
a little caught up. The truth is USC lost some
good guys. They're gonna find some good guys. I don't
worry too much about it. Is there any and I
love the playoff? Is there anything that worries you from
somebody who has coached in the SEC you've broadcast now
you're in the Mountain West? Any worry you about all
these changes in college football?
Speaker 3 (17:04):
You know? The great thing being out of it for
the last couple of years and not having to deal
with the adjustments on a day to day basis when
you see it from the ten thousand foot view, I'm
more comfortable coming back into it and haven't seen it
and understand it. The second transfer portal window they have
after spring practice, I kind of wish they'd get rid
of that, Like, you know what, establish your roster. Show kids,
(17:25):
I'm going to go to this school. I'm going to
make a one year commitment, like we're just here for
a year. Coaches can manage their rosters. Players know they
have a chance to develop. This is their team. The
signing day, I think if they just tweak the calendar
in college football, they can help me. Hey, the money kids.
If they would, if they if the NSA would have
tried to find a way and figure out how to
pay the kids a long time ago, would give them
(17:46):
a little something, it would have helped them. We might
not be in this as crazy a situation as we are.
But you know what, the kids deserve some of the money.
There's a lot of money coming from all the different
TV networks, and the kids deserve some of that money.
The opportunity to go make it. The other thing, I think, though,
the hard one, that the message to give the kids,
and the message I'm trying to give the kids come here.
(18:07):
Don't forget about development at some point. You know, if
you're going to a school, a different school every year
for four years, when do you really learn in the system.
Why are you learning to develop? What are you learning
to go take that next step. I've coached quarterbacks my
whole life life. I don't want to I want to
have a quarterback back in coach develop and start learning
graduate level classes. Not just kind of we're going to
try to dumb it down because we have it for
(18:28):
a year and you can learn a system. I want guys,
make sure guys understand you need to really spend time
develop yourself, learn your trade, and not just be jumping
around from one year to the nuts. But hey, that's
the system and they're going to do it. I understand it.
It's great. We had a bunch of players go to
the portal after our bowl game the other night. The
gont to go look at opportunities here at UNLV. But
(18:50):
I mean my phone's blowing up with guys that want
to come play. You know, we have the opportunity. The
great thing I you said, the playoffs. I think we
have a great path to the playoffs, Eric, you and
to be look at boys, we have beaten Boise in
the championship game last year. I'm sitting on a bye
right now. I'm going to be hanging out with you.
We're having a good time in Vegas and we're sitting
on a bye going to watch you know, SMU Penn
State game to Barcie, who we're going to play in
(19:11):
the second round. So I love our path and I
think college football is doing some things the right way.
They just need to get everybody on same page to
tweak it to make it the best for the student athletes,
the players, the high school kids coming in. Just put
a little barrier around it and and just clean it
up a little bit and get out of it. We
can't get out of our own way sometimes.
Speaker 1 (19:32):
Well, I just saw the world's best fake punt that
you and LV went over cal. You were in a tennis'
best fake pip I've ever seen in my life. And
I want to I want to say you had a
cushy job as a broadcaster. What did your wife say
when you said, hey, I want to go back and
coach again.
Speaker 3 (19:47):
She's she's like, like what I thought. We were kind
of retired with this broadcasting life, like somewhat, you know,
out of this world. And uh, you know what, it's crazy.
Got a lot of people say, what's going on is
you know, I've had a lot of people call with
interest offer different jobs over the last couple of years.
And it was just something that you said, I was
enjoying broadcasting. I was really enjoying TV. Somehow something about
(20:11):
this job hit a spark in me. You know, I
don't know if it's we have great facilities here, yep,
the Fatida Football Complex that family has done a great job,
had given us phillies. We played allegied stadium in an
NFL stadium, one of the nicest stadiums in football at
any level around the world. You're in a great market,
Las Vegas, a great place to live, as you know,
and you know, we have so much going on. It
(20:34):
kind of got me really excited. The path to the playoffs.
I'm thinking, I think I'm gonna go have some fun.
We're gonna go coach some ball, have some fun and
have a good time and see if we can get
ourselves in the playoffs and win a championship here at UNLV.
Speaker 1 (20:47):
Yeah, the weather's a little better than Bristol, Connecticut. No
shot at my former employer. Hey, it's great to seeing you.
Say hi to the people at UNLV. Fatida family has
been amazing in that community. Unbelievable family. Dan Mullen, n LV,
the Mountain West, the God, a little collective money. Thank
you Dan for coming on the show. I do appreciate it.
(21:07):
He did a great job. You yep, yep. Yeah. I
did wonder when I saw him take that job. I thought,
I bet his wife thought, Okay, we're gonna do the
broadcasting thing. You know, it's interesting about recruiting now. It
used to be had to be on the road all
the time. What's happened a little bit now with a
collective the players come to you, they come on your
campus in the summer spring. It's like, all right, what
do you want to make Here's what we have. It's
(21:28):
a different ballgame. J Mac with the news, No turns.
This is the Herdline news. You know we like Texas
a lot.
Speaker 2 (21:43):
Yes, in the game this weekend, but there the quarterback
situation is really starting to get tricky. Well Sark was
asked about the Quinn viewers archmanning stuff, specifically about this
potentially being yours's last game as a Longhorn, and Sark
was not happy with the question.
Speaker 7 (22:00):
You know, Quinn obviously needs to make a decision after
this season is over. But if this ends up being
his last game.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
Hypotheticals, I'm not doing hypotheticals.
Speaker 7 (22:09):
Next one that it's not a hypothetical if this ends
up being his life's game. I have thought about his
Can you talk about his impact and that he's had
in the three years that he's been here, or he
has not had an impact.
Speaker 4 (22:24):
I'll answer the question as it pertains his impact.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
Now, I'm not going to answer the question with a hypothetical.
Speaker 3 (22:30):
So do you want to rephrase the question?
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Yeah, I mean it's I get it. I'm not going
to take your question, which hasn't happened, and give you
an answer to frame for a column. It hasn't happened,
So I'm not gonna his last game again.
Speaker 2 (22:46):
But by the way, there's chatter there's Texas fans out
there who think, listen art just starting next year. If
Quinn isn't ready for the NFL or doesn't get a
high grade, he got transfer columns and he's gonna be
somewhere else.
Speaker 1 (22:56):
Then okay, but let's wait until it happens. Why should
I feed you a column that's fair.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
I'm just saying I don't know. I understand the question,
and I understand the non answer. Does that make sense?
Speaker 3 (23:07):
Is that?
Speaker 8 (23:07):
Is that okay to say.
Speaker 1 (23:09):
I don't I'm not blaming you for asking the question.
I've always said in my entire career when I ask questions,
you have a right not to answer. And if you
say I'm not going to answer, I'm not going to
reframe it and try to trick you, which the writer did.
So my take is if I was sarked, I wouldn't
have answered it either, I'd say, I'm not going to
take that narrative and give you a column. What do
(23:30):
you think about that? In fact, Sark said, would you
like to reframe it? And the guy, the stubborn media guy,
went back to it's like, I'm not going to give
you a column. Well where are you on this whole?
Speaker 3 (23:39):
Arch vers?
Speaker 1 (23:40):
Viewers like Arch is the better quarterback, He's more mobile.
Speaker 3 (23:42):
I like him. He's a better quarterback. Now.
Speaker 1 (23:44):
I think Arch Manning. Oh that's a lot. But I've
never been a Youers fan. I don't think he's a
first or second round pick. I think he's a fifth round.
I think he's no. I think he's it's a lot
of Kenny Pickett. To me, he's fine, he's back up.
I don't think he's a starter in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (23:59):
I oh my, that's a take. Well.
Speaker 1 (24:01):
I didn't think Zach Wilson was a starter in the NFL.
I didn't think Daniel Jones was. I didn't think Timo
was second overall. Can you believe I called Doles before
they happened, and I knew Sam Darnold was magic.
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Yeah, it just took six years to be clipped with
the magic finish. Let's go to the NBA. NBA fans
Nick Timberwolves trade, remember that in the summer massive Carl
Anthony Towns returned to Minnesota last night, former number one
pick by the Wolves. Set after the game, personally, this
game wasn't just another game, and if anyone told you otherwise,
(24:34):
that's a lie.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
Kat went off.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
He had thirty two and twenty didn't miss a three pointer.
Anthony Edwards said that while he was mad as team lost,
he was happy to see Kat do well.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Nick's want to blowout.
Speaker 1 (24:47):
Cat flexing man, whatever what. I've seen him.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
Play fucking positive NBA and look at you.
Speaker 1 (24:55):
I've seen him play live four times. He's been great
three of them. But when I need him in big spots,
I've always had my questions. I still contend he's part.
He is part of a package that eventually goes after
Giannis and Milwaukee. I believe that with draft picks Karl
Anthony Towns, maybe OG is hot.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Take summer get arriving in the ear of the arts
adding better than you were. You know, if you think
yours right now, I think arts would be starting if
you were better.
Speaker 1 (25:24):
I think there's a lot of politics involved. I think
there's a lot of walking on eggshells to be involved.
I think this is the bottom line is if Art
starts Quinn yours like I'm out of here, then I
don't have the backup quarterback.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
I love him now.
Speaker 2 (25:36):
Carl Antony Towns is one of the best games of
his career. I know, I know he's always been talented,
but thirty and twenty against his old team, it's like,
you're kind of impressive in you're and you want to
ship him.
Speaker 1 (25:45):
To Milwaukee O celebrate the NBA. NBA, maybe it's fantastic.
Final story.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
Let's go back to the NFL. The Detroit Lions. It
felt like three weeks ago they were the darlings of
the NFL. But the injuries, oh my god, destroying this team.
A lot of people are starting to doubt the Lions,
the line coming down against the Bears. But defensive coordinator
Aaron Glenn, he's got no doubts.
Speaker 9 (26:09):
Quar twelve and two and the sky's falling. We're going
to the playoffs. Win a damn win a tournament. Why
the hell of sky hold for us? What do we
have to sit.
Speaker 5 (26:21):
Back and.
Speaker 3 (26:23):
Be sad?
Speaker 9 (26:23):
I mean, we didn't have to you guys who let
you guys do that ologized to co play football. But
why should we sit back and wallow and think the
sky's falling?
Speaker 3 (26:33):
It's dumb like that. Like that.
Speaker 1 (26:37):
He's good, he's good at the podium. He was a
mouthy cornerback back in Yeah, I've not got no problem
with By the way, I don't know this, I'm just
throwing it out there. How many former cornerbacks are NFL
head coaches. Dion's obviously a college coach. It's it's a
funny position that it's it's a big personality position. So
(26:57):
you'd think there'd be more like college coaches or corners.
Has there been an NFL coach who was a great corner?
Speaker 3 (27:04):
What was dan call? He was a tight end? Maybe?
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Well he won the corner. Yeah, he didn't look real twitchy.
Speaker 2 (27:10):
You're right, there's some random positions out there, and a lot.
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Of it's a personality positions. So I would think there'd
be corners in college because you gotta sell. I mean,
Dio's a prime example, big person charisma. Yeah, he's got
that riz is that what they call it?
Speaker 3 (27:24):
The h oh?
Speaker 5 (27:25):
I like that.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
I haven't used that. I just started using mid and lip.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
Yeah, so Riz is on Christmas Eve making the cookies.
You want that to my house on Christmas Day? The
kid will laugh at you.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
I'll tell you. I'll tell you. I'm gonna stand on
business with Riz. Feel that was said correctly. We'll just
let its lie.
Speaker 3 (27:44):
Who cares?
Speaker 1 (27:45):
I thought that was all right. J Mack with the news, Well.
Speaker 4 (27:50):
That's the news, and thanks for stopping by the.
Speaker 1 (27:52):
Herd Line News all sorts of stuff. I was great
watching that game last night. I don't know about everybody,
but I was watching that game last night. My takeaway was, oh,
we're watching playoff teams. If you go look at the
AFC right now, the playoff picture, it's done. I love Burrow,
but they're not winning three straight games and Denver's not
losing all these games. So I think the AFC playoff picture.
(28:14):
And here's what's funny. The NFL extended the seventeen games.
It's already done. We got three games left and they're
going to extend to another game. That's why I don't
like extending the NFL season ween is the league has
become more quarterback centric. Teams separate faster, folks. The AFC
playoffs are done. They're all over. Anthony Richardson can't win
(28:36):
three straight. Although I think they beat the Titans this weekend.
Miami's two finesse. They're not winning three straight games, and
I think you can give Joe Burrow an outside shot
outside five percent chance. But the NFL extends their season.
What's the point the AFC's done. We got three games,
go to the NFC. Now the NFC. I think if
the Rams win this weekend and the Niners lost and
(28:58):
Seattle loss, then it's starting to feel like it's done. Okay.
If so, I think there's a little bit on the
bottom of this, but we all know right now. Atlanta,
unless Penix comes up and lights the world on fire, Detroit, Philly, Tampa, Minnesota,
Green Bay are in. So what is interesting is the
(29:20):
NFL has expanded the season, and they're going to expand
it to eighteen is the last four to five weeks
of the regular season. Ninety percent of the playoff teams
are done. Don't you want I've said this about baseball
for years. Speed the game up, check, get rid of
the defensive shift, check, lop off forty games, get to
one hundred and twenty games, stop playing in cold winter weather.
(29:43):
You want to get your season done by about October
fifth because you start playing late October. Good luck with football,
all right? Hold on, hold on, good luck.
Speaker 2 (29:52):
You want to lop off how many games in the
baseball schedule?
Speaker 1 (29:55):
Twenty home games per team? Okay, twenty?
Speaker 3 (29:58):
You think the owner is going to good be I don't.
Speaker 1 (30:00):
Think they will because they're all greedy. But my take
is baseball got rid of their time issue, got me
to watch more. They got rid of the defensive shift issue.
Now they have to create at least a little scarcity,
make the games matter little. I've said this for years.
If I was the NBA, I always felt sixty eight
regular season games create urgency. First round playoffs, three game series,
(30:24):
second round series five games five seven A seven round
first game first round playoff series one against an eight.
I have no reason. I mean, lebron never even barely
lost games against eight. S. Garvings are at play here.
This is a business for these billionaires. This is a
business for the league's. More games equal more money, pretty simple.
(30:47):
More game teams in the playoffs equal more teams get money.
I don't have a problem with more teams in the playoffs.
I have a problem as we have this phone. People
are now on their phone more than watching TV. They're
almost on streaming and social more than TV. Yeah, okay,
so the games have to matter. Hockey's regular season down,
NBA regular season hemorrhaging. It's part of that is there's
(31:12):
a lot of arguments. Some of it is as we
are more distracted, and we're all more distracted. You have
to make the games matter. You can't make hockey, baseball
and NBA regular season matter. The baseball ratings last year meh.
The playoffs were cute. But again, but that's from the
our perspective. Look on the inside, the owners are making
(31:36):
money hand over fist. They don't care that ratings are down.
It doesn't impact them.
Speaker 2 (31:40):
The only people who should care about the ratings are
the TV broadcast partners.
Speaker 1 (31:44):
Right, yes, but if they got these But I will
tell you this prime example Baseball. Right now, Fox and
ESPN are not opening up their wallets for base That's
when the discussions really well, and that's when they're starting.
I mean, Baseball signed to deal with Roku this year.
I'm not joking. It was thirty million dollars. Each team
(32:04):
got a million. I mean that that is desperate that's
like embarrassing the NBA. It may be a business, but
any business that's trending in the wrong direction, be careful.
Speaker 2 (32:15):
They just got their new deal. They are fluss with cash.
It was what a billion dollar deal. I mean, they
got so much money, Colin, They're not really worried about this.
I would not be shocked if.
Speaker 3 (32:23):
You heard from the NBA.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
But remember here in the coming television. The television revenue
in these sports is like thirty percent of it. Attendance
is also tendance is not really that big of an issue.
Well if again, when businesses start to erode, Baseball attendance
wasn't an issue. Then about five years ago it's an issue.
Then three years ago it became a real issue. Now
(32:45):
the television money has become again. Drip drip, drip is right,
it's just like the cable people cutting cable. But did
you see what the Suns owner did this week? I
loved it. Awesome better.
Speaker 3 (32:55):
I think we should.
Speaker 1 (32:56):
See more billionaires doing this, the teams you own. Yeah,
these NBA guys make it all this money. Matt what's
the last name? Yeah, basically said two dollars menu for
food everything. I thought it was great. That's amazing.
Speaker 3 (33:08):
One of my.
Speaker 1 (33:08):
Favorite dude, bro, I went to the Chargers game. Do
you know how much a beer costs in an NFL fourteen?
Speaker 2 (33:13):
No, eighteen dollars for one drink, and then like three
tacos are like twenty five dollars. I mean, Colin, the
prices are exorbative. But I gand it to these guys.
They're business guys. They're making tons of money. That's all
they care about.
Speaker 1 (33:28):
I think. I think there are lines in the sand
we're getting close to crossing, and we're not fans. All
this TV streamer money's great. That's thirty percent of the revenue.
The other thirty percent before you get to marketing and
merchandising and parking and sales and tickets and suites. It's
regular guys going to games, regular people going to games.
(33:48):
So the TV money pays a lot of the bills.
It doesn't pay all of them. It doesn't pay all
of them.
Speaker 4 (33:52):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
at noonon East. They're not a em Pacific A.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
Special day of Football Tomorrow on Cats.
Speaker 2 (34:01):
The next chapter in a bitter historic rivalry, as Russell
Wilson and the Steelers take on Lamar Jackson in the Ravens.
It all kicks off tomorrow at four eastern on Fox.
Speaker 1 (34:11):
So it's really an interesting game for a lot of reasons.
It's always very close. Steelers are big underdogs and Tomlin
is the best underdog coach of his generation. So Russell
Wilson's playing for a million two a year and he's
the steal in the league because you know, Denver's paying
them all that money. So if you watch the you know,
the hard knocks thing that's going on in season, you
(34:33):
can tell he loves Pittsburgh and he and Sierra like
they found a place that likes him. And this game's
really interesting. It feels it's it's very important because Lamar Jackson,
the two time MVP, maybe the MVP this year's on
the other side of the field. So you can kind
of juxtapose the two and say, Okay, here's what a
star looks like. How close is Russell to that? So
(34:54):
in the two games without George Pickens, Russell has thrown
for one hundred and fifty eight yards against Cleveland one
hundred and twenty eight yards against Philly. I don't mind
paying my quarterback, but I'm gonna struggle paying my quarterback
if he is tied. His production is overwhelmingly tied to
one receiver, and without Pickings, it's not the same offense.
(35:17):
So this story has always been from the very beginning
of this story, even in the summer, we talked about it.
The Steelers season was all about December first on. They
had the hardest six game stretch I'd ever seen to
end the season. It was at Joe Burrow, at Philly,
at Baltimore, Kansas City, Joe Burrow. And it not only
(35:39):
will define the Steelers season, because I mean, we all
know Pittsburgh's pretty good, but I think it will define
the future of Russell Wilson. So if he's going toe
to toe with Burrow and he looks like easily the
second best quarterback and then tomorrow easily the second best quarterback,
and he's absolutely beholden to George Pickens, you know, is
(36:03):
this thing just going to be a fling or is
Pittsburgh gonna put a ring on it? And that's what
it kind of feels like to me. So Mike Tomlin
talked about the relationship and on facing the Ravens this weekend.
Speaker 10 (36:15):
Really excited about this opportunity for obvious reasons. It's a
divisual game, it's a road divisual game, It's Baltimore, and
I understand the nature of this rivalry and the amount
of tension that it brings, and it's exciting and humbling
to be a part of it. We're highly familiar with
these guys, but the same thing could be said. I'm
sure for them, they're highly familiar with us. I think
(36:37):
that's what makes these games so exciting.
Speaker 1 (36:40):
I will say Russ has this going for him for
the previous five years. Pittsburgh's offense was a tough watch
the last year with Big Ben. Then there's Mason Rudolph
and Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. He gives them some juice.
And we always know Pittsburgh drafts well. If they develop well,
(37:00):
they're well coached, they're inspired. A great underdog team. The
question though, in a division with Burrow and Lamar Jackson,
you got to put points up. He just got put
points up and they've had you know, they've had great
success against Lamar. So but if you want to win,
there's just too many good quarterbacks. You're watching Herbert in
the second half. If you want to start winning multiple
playoff games, you got to have some juice. The best
(37:22):
quarterbacks in the league are in the AFC, and so
I do think Russell gives them not only juice, but
he gives them kind of clarity. He's kind of elusive,
though not as much as he used to be. He
throws a beautiful deep ball, better than the previous four quarterbacks.
So Jordan Schultz was on, He was on an hour ago,
and you know his what he's hearing is this thing
(37:45):
may becomes semi long term.
Speaker 8 (37:48):
Before the season, when they moved on from Kenny Pickett,
the Steelers really wanted to make sure that they could
find not just a bridge, but potentially a long term solution.
They bring ausae in Fields, they bring in Russell Wilson.
I think they believe they have found that solution with
Russell Wilson. We have seen a version of Russell Wilson
(38:09):
that compares favorably to Seattle Russell. The biggest thing that
Russell has going for him is a relationship with Mike Tomlin.
And because of that that dates way back to when
they met for multiple hours before russ signed, Tomlin really
advocated him to ownership. Said this is the guy I
can build around.
Speaker 1 (38:28):
So Russell Wilson's got a very unique career. The Seattle
years where were he was excellent, but he always felt
a little overlooked, looked and disrespected. You know, he kind
of felt like Pete got the credit, Marshaun Lynch, Richard Sherman,
the defense got the credit. So Russell was very good,
but he mostly felt overlooked. But it worked. The Denver
(38:52):
experiment be the savior did not work at all. That's
not what Russell is. The Pittsburgh situation is actually the
best of both where they do need him clearly, so
it's got you know, it's got a Denver field. They
need him. But like Seattle, they're really good when it
(39:16):
comes to the other stuff beyond quarterback. They draft well,
they develop well, they get after the opposing quarterback. So
I feel like you got a little Seattle where he
doesn't have to be the savior. You have a little
Denver where there is true value like that. There he's
gonna change this thing. He's gonna make it better the offense.
So cause Denver for years, we gotta be fair here.
(39:38):
Before Russell Wilson, they had a quarterback issue. They had
they were they were got. They were starting to feel
like Chicago, You're like, they can't get quarterback right. So
I think I think there's basically two levels of quarterback
contracts in the NFL. There's the sign of early Herbert Burrough,
(39:59):
Lamar Mahomes, Alan Stafford, just get it, get it done.
Then there's the for the time being, he's our best option.
We like him, we don't love him. And I think
that that is kind of in the Russell where we're
gonna spend some rock party. We like him, we know
his limitations. Russell Wilson, we like him, he helps us,
(40:21):
he's necessary. We also know he's passed his crime. I
think Sam Donald could get into that. Like teams Indianapolis,
you gonna like him, they don't think he's Mahomes or Allen.
So in my take is the Jordan Love has moved
into the big class. That one I don't doubt. But
I think Russell falls into the brock Purty Sam Donald's
(40:42):
next team situation. There's absolute value. But let's not get
silly here, Let's not get crazy. I don't want to
see any fives. I don't want to see five and
I'm gonna push back on the four may have to
start with a three hour three next
Hosts And Creators
Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.