December 8, 2025 • 31 mins
Plus, 3 time National Champion Urban Meyer joins the show to give his thoughts on Miami and Alabama getting into the College Football Playoff over Notre Dame
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
And with that, Urban Meyer on a feisty college football
weekend is joining US live. Three time national champion, by
the way, he's at the Bellagio. He's getting voted into
the College Football Hall of Fame tomorrow. I've been the
bo Is Nice by the way, and you know I
got some pretty swanky restaurants in there. Make sure you
(00:45):
don't have to pick up the bill, and you won't.
So I said all things. Said Miami getting in Notre
Dame not I thought was the right call. I don't
care about two lane James Madison. They'd never make it
in my playoff. But Texas Alabama. You can argue both sides.
(01:08):
But Alabama did get into the SEZ Championship and Texas couldn't.
So there's your argument. You can't punish Alabama for getting
into the conference championship. Did you have one big problem
with the twelve teams?
Speaker 3 (01:21):
No, I actually think that Alabama going in was the
right thing. I took some heat on that just from
friends of mine, that how can you pick a three
lost team? And I said, they're number two in the
SEC and this year the toughest conference in college football.
It's always one of the top two. And same with
the Big Ten. I am such on a on a
you know, on a I'm passionate that the committee's and
(01:43):
I love the committe Mark D'Antonio is on the committee,
I think, and he's one of my dear friends. They
are faced within a possible situation. You know, Colin, if
you joined me, Ingram, mark Ingram, Matt Lioner, Brady Quinn,
myself and the Bear, and we're all really studying this game,
we would have completely different Top twelve. You know, you
just you have differences. They are forced with an untenable situation.
(02:05):
So Mike and I'm going to keep swinging as hard
as they can on this thing, and you have to
have playings. It'll be the most lucrative weekend in the
history of college football. You have a championship weekend. The
Big Ten the Big Ten, the SEC, the ACC, the
Big twelve, Mountain West, all of them. And then you
have playing games. And the playing games are there's no
more committee, it's just set. Yeah, it's not people making
(02:28):
decisions who win. Because someone asked me this question, it
was Notre Dame better than Miami at the end of
the year, and I maybe I don't know. I mean,
how do you I thought Indiana? I thought Ohias State
was better than Indiana. There's only one way to decide
that they played. And I'm a Notre Dame. Not I
love Notre Dame. I love Marcus so stopping with always
anti Notary.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
No, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
They played, so it's over. It's done. That move on
from that conversation. Well, they played early, it doesn't matter
they played. When you have people making decisions. And I
made this comment as my friend jaredy and Artol said
it too. It's the only multi billion dollar industry in
the history of the United States where volunteers are making decisions.
You can't do that.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yeah, listen, like you, I tend to in big games
go with the roster with a lot of NFL bodies.
If I like both coaches, the pass rush, the pass
rush that Indiana got on Ohio State just and I
mean this wasn't like schemey, it was bulldozer. It was bullying.
(03:33):
Were you surprised by the defensive front of Indiana pushing
Ohio State backwards for about three and a half hours?
Speaker 3 (03:40):
In many instances, I was to a degree I've seen
Indiana up close and personal. I made the comment it's
as well coached team as there is in my lifetime.
But Todd McShay also pointed out to me it's also
the littlest talented roster in the history of IU football
by far eight projected NFL draft picks. That's a combined
(04:02):
that's more than the last eight years combined.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
So it is a very talented team. I stood on
the field, Indiana's big, athletic and well coached. I use
the term they are an sec front looking team, and
they look like it in Innanapolis, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Listen, Fernando Mendoza carbon, that's that's my take. I love
After the game, he was like, you know, he was
so fired up. I don't know. That's about as good
a college quarterback, size, brains, competitiveness, What do you make
of him?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Well, he was on our podcast, and he was here
reminding me of J. C. Bett at T bow all
those guys that are smarter, actually way smarter than the coaches.
He talked us through the two minute drill against Penn
State like a like a coach would, like a coordinator would.
I've gotten to know the guy. I think. Here's what
I think about him as an NFL prespect got changed.
(04:57):
I made a comment before this game he should come back.
I don't think so. Now. I saw against a team
that had better talent than Indiana, and he won that
fricking game. He made a couple of ball placements, his accuracy,
the ball out quick. You know, he ran when he
had to. He got hit right square in the face
of the second first play of the game and toughed
(05:19):
his way through it. So I think you the nflready.
I didn't say that before this game.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Yeah, So Oklahoma and Alabama are going to play. I
think I like Alabama, but I don't feel good about it.
I think Miami can beat Texas A and m I
do because I think Miami's D line is like totally legit.
(05:45):
Do you see if as I put this up to
the college football Playoff? I don't think Miami beating Texas
A and m is an upset. I think they got
the four seeds right. If you had the gas based
on this, who plays in Natty Urban? What would be
your guest today?
Speaker 3 (06:03):
I'm saying Georgia against Ohio State in the semi, and
then I'm saying Oregon and I you and the semi,
and then I'm those are the final four, and then
I don't know. I think it's going to be incredible
football at the end of the season. I like the practice.
I like the way they did it. You know, I'm
going to say two words about Miami Carson Becky. Yeah,
(06:25):
if he takes care of the ball, they can win.
If he doesn't have to lose. That's that's time tested.
That's at Georgia, that's now at Miami. If he takes
care of the ball, You're right, that's That's the only
concern I have in that one.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
You're getting inducted into the Florida Ring of Honor, you're
getting inducted tomorrow into the College Football Hall of Fame,
and you didn't get a you didn't get a coach
during nil or you didn't get a coach during you know,
the playoff I said this about Kurt Signetti. I said
it used to be. I always felt college football was
(06:58):
a young man's game for a coach because you're on
the road too in a day's a year. But the
NIL you can sit in your office and write. You know,
you can just be a GM. You don't have to
get in a plane, you don't have to do all
that recruiting. Mark Marcus Freeman's a young guy, good looking,
young He's built for college football. He's going to get
an NFL offer with all the movement and the weirdness
(07:21):
of college football, a sport we love. If you were
Marcus Freeman, you just got told you're not in which
I think was a right move by the committee. Would
you stay in college football or would you take a
New York Giants level job? What do you do if
you're Marcus Freeman? Because that is going to be a
story the second the NFL season ends.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Marcus is my friend, he god asked me. But I
would say, you stay in college. You have controllables in college.
As a head coach in the NFL, I found you
just there's so many uncontrollables that you you don't have.
You know, whether it's the GM the you know, just
so you have an owner, you have all kinds of things.
In college, it's you and Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame.
(08:03):
No his great support from the AD and the president,
et cetera, et cetera. But Marcus Freeman, as I found out,
you give up so much when you take that next step,
and so much that's out of your control. And plus
you're gonna lose in the NFL. It's built, and I'm
not sure Marcus the Marcus I know he can't take
losing like I can't take losing. You're gonna win it
(08:23):
Notre Dame. Now, are you gonna win a national title?
I don't know, But look at their schedule. He's going
to play a season every year where he's favored in
the least nine or ten of those games, maybe more.
That doesn't happen at the next level.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
What did you make with USC being number one and recruiting?
In fact, number one was SC. A lot of people
thought Oregon was two. Marcus Freeman a great recruiters up there,
so was Bama. But what did you make of USC?
Did you feel like it means something?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Absolutely? And Lincoln Riley should be a great recruiter I've
always said this. You've heard me say this's many minute.
The one team I do not understand in college sports
is University of Southern California. Why are they not Ohio State?
Why are they not Alabama? I don't I've always looked
at that program as the top three job. You have
everything right there. I'm looking on the TV right now
(09:16):
on beautiful uniforms, the history, the coliseum, I mean, and
more importantly, you get in a car and drive for
three hours, and you can fill a recruiting class. And
plus you drive it. Will you walk into every high school?
We're in that trojan or where are those colors? Everybody
knows who you are? So I congratulations. I'm glad they
stuck with Lincoln Raley. I'm a Lincoln. I like the guy.
(09:38):
I think he's an excellent coach. I think he just
had to get real serious about recruiting. And maybe he
Maybe it wasn't him, Maybe it's USC that says enough
of this stuff, let's get going. And I almost cuss.
So I'm glad I did it. But yeah, enough, enough's enough.
It's time for USC to be in the final for sure.
What we're talking about them not in the playoffs, Colin,
(09:59):
I don't usc. It's time to get going and this
is a good step.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Let's go one more question. I want to going back
to Ohio State Indiana. Now. I thought it was the
biggest game in the history of Indiana football. And they
crushed and they deserve all of it. I said before
the game, I said, I think Ohio State will be
fired up. But I mean, we just leave Michigan. We
got the playoff, we're national champions. I may hide a
(10:26):
little of my playbook. I thought it was a harder
game for Ohio State to coach in Indiana. Does that
make any sense?
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Oh, it makes a lot of sense. And I think
just looking there's nothing like battle scars. I used to
tell my team this all the time, going on the
Rode Dawtin Stadium. That's a scar win or lose your scarred,
which means you've been matured. You've been having to go
to Penn State, a team that had better players than you,
not by much now, but they did, and you have
to go drive it eighty was it eighty three yards?
(10:57):
After that sack to go win with zero timeouts? Your scars.
Ohio State winning that game without any stars, and they
went on the road to Washington. They beat a Texas
team that wasn't a very good when they played them.
Now they did what they had to do. But keep
this in mind, the quarterback Julian saying, through twenty five
passes in the fourth quarter all year, that means there's
(11:18):
no scars. Yeah, now he's got a couple of scars
on his face, or a couple of scars that team does.
They'll be better because of it. You just wish they
didn't lose a ring because of it.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Yeah. I still have the Buckeyes winning the Natty as
a congratulations. By the way, I've been to Blagio before.
They got a place called Spagos that has an unbelievable
locks caviar pizza. I didn't buy it. Somebody bought it
for me. I'm just telling if you're wandering by, you
might just want to sneak in there and order it.
Congratulations to you, coach, you know how much I think
(11:49):
he ha Congrats again.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Well you're a friend, Paul, and I'm going to name
drop you today that that played us at that spot.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
All right, that'll get your glass of lemonade for free.
It won't get you the pizza. I talked about you're
the best.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Call it.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Thank you all right, Urban Meyer, Yeah, the yeah. I
like Ohio State to win it. I think you know
we we'll I'm telling you, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio State. That's
what it looks like to me. It's so crazy. Remember
when I came out and I said, if you're your,
if you're USC, you have all the leverage. Notre Dame
(12:22):
needs you a lot more than you need them. By
the way, the La Times Bill Plashke finally came out
today and said, yeah that that Notre Dame game kept
us out of the playoff. Notre Dame is in a half.
They have one foot in the pool on their schedule.
So go look at Notre Dame schedule next year. Not
(12:42):
any good USC. Next year it's play Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Washington.
I think of Penn State. You don't need another game.
I'll say it again, I'll triple it, I'll quadruple it.
USC needs to go to Notre Dame and go we'll
play you every other year. The game has to be
done by October fifteenth. Where what every year we play?
(13:05):
We're not playing in the cold every other year. And
in fact, if I was USC. I'd say, not only
every other year, but two or three games in LA. Well, okay,
we don't need it. Okay, Okay, good luck to you
getting bounced out of the playoff again because you're playing
Panera Bread. Well, which one has been to the playoff
more recently?
Speaker 5 (13:23):
Us he hasn't been in year, doesn't matter what he doesn't.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
This morning on Notre Dame needs USC.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
I mean, they just got job by the committee. The
Good Old Boys Network hooked up Alabama. It's weird we
keep talking about the Miami Notre Dame opener, right, we
don't talk about the Alabama opener losing his double digit
favorites to Mighty FSU because that's not mentioned at all.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
It's so good because they came back and beat Georgia
in Georgia.
Speaker 5 (13:49):
Okay, and then they lost another one to Oklahoma. They
lost three games. Did you see the stat? In the
last three years, sixteen teams have lost their conference championship game.
Fifteen of them dropped in the rankings afterwards. Only one
that didn't is Alabama. Because the committee's stocked full of
sec homers or it's.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
The world's changed and we have a playoff now, so
we had a playoffs the last three years. My point is,
you gave me fifteen sixteen numbers. College football is pro
football now on campuses. It's a whole different motive. There's
bulls don't matter, it's totally the playoffs are going to sixteen.
You can pay high schoolers.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Go to twenty four.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But whatever the number.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
Needs to be.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Thinking about this, the thing that used to be a
death penalty in college sports paying a player, you now
market it. You now leak it. Yeah, hey we paid
a high school or a million. The industry is flipped
and things stuff that was illegal and a death penalty.
You are trying to market and promote that to the market.
(14:51):
By the way, did you see that? Like a lot
of it's not just Notre Dame saying no thanks to
a ballgame. They are a lot of folks are saying, ah,
I don't need it.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
You know why if you're third string wide receiver, Pops,
he's gonna go get offers in the portal. There's gonna
be like, you know, other teams are gonna be like,
hey we want this guy, will go give you money.
And now you lost a player because you showcased him
in a bowl game.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Does it mean anything. An exhibition game. Just end the
exhibition games.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
It's they're pointless.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Yeah, Philadelphia Eagles will be discussed. I'm reading this. Staff
just sent this. Alabama lost to a higher ranked Georgia
team in the SEC championship game. Yeah, I'm not losing
sleep on Bama in Texas out.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
I mean, is anybody arguing for Texas well?
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Texas beat Oklahoma, A and M game three games. I'm
saying Texas had they hammered Oklahoma, they hammered Vandy, and
they dominated A and M, but did Notre Dame forgetting
Notre Dame. Forget no, no, no, forget Notre Dame. Texas
to me, has three wildly impressive. What about their losses?
(16:02):
I'm more into I say this. If you're good on
the air, I don't care if you have a bad
day occasionally, but when you're great, your great. Texas has
days they've been great. Oh took hammer Oklahoma, hammer Vandy
on their best days. Texas was a top five team.
Everybody has bad days.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
That Oklahoma game is interesting.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
I remember it.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Matier was hurt. You kind of rushed back from the injury.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
I don't know how much that matter.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
You watch the second half of that A and M
Longhorn game. Texas looked good in that one. Yeah good.
They looked really good. They were fighting for their lives. Yeah, look, summer.
Bottom line in life, I'm gonna judge most people on
your highs. Can you deliver it a level that is
above significantly good? Texas had really substantial saturdays. I'm not
(16:49):
gonna punish my kids, my friends, my co workers for
calling in sick or having a bad day. I don't
know what's going on. It's college kids. College kids have
midterms and girls friends and breakups, and I mean, I
just I can't crush Texas because I lost to Florida.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
So who can you crush? Not getting on the phone
and scheduling bigger games?
Speaker 5 (17:13):
Wait, that's out of their player's hands, like they should
be determined.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
What it's not out of you know, coaches can say
I want to play better teams. Texas got on the
phone and said I'm gonna go to Columbus. Are you
crazy that they regret that? I respect him for doing it.
I do too, but I think they probably regret it.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
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Speaker 1 (18:05):
Subscribe, hit that thumbs up icon and comment away. All right,
let's not waste any time shows rolling j Mack with
the News. Turn on the news.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
This is the Herdline News.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
What a poor performance from Lamar Jackson, Colin and Ravens
played their way basically out of the playoffs with an
awful defensive showing. They were just not crisp offensively. And
it's been a minute, uh since the Ravens have really
looked great. Uh. Here's Lamar Jackson talking about some frustration
after the game.
Speaker 7 (18:43):
How would you just kind of describe your level of
pressuration at this point through the roof, we shouldn't.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
I feel like he's giving a game.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
We should have lost that game. You know it turned
over was unfortunately, but this on his like, so I.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Know what, M not good?
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Aaron Rodgers outplayed him. Forty two year old Aaron Rodgers
outplayed him.
Speaker 5 (19:03):
So I don't want to hear that Lamar's a two
time MVP or in the first couple of weeks he
was awesome. Right now, he's not a good quarterback. Colin
since Week ten fifty five percent completions. Yeah, what I
don't know. I mean, I asked you during the break,
is this the is this? Have we already seen the
best Lamar Jackson?
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Well? Is it all downhill from here? I tend to
believe he's not one hundred percent healthy people, you know, listen,
there's a lot of reasons quarterbacks. They can lose a
coordinator or like Herbert this year, you lose your tackles,
you play tougher teams. I mean, it's not totally linear,
but the drop. The one thing the eye test is
(19:40):
he doesn't have the juice or the burst he had
last year. He just doesn't. So did he get slow?
Has he taken too many shots? He's not a huge guy,
like a like a big Banner a cam or a
Josh Allen. But it doesn't look like he's the same now.
He and Zay Flowers, he and Mark Andrews have good relationship.
I think they should have won the game yesterday. I
still don't white understand the touchdown the gate in the
(20:02):
end zone, although I read the ruling rule book. Yeah,
but I mean I I just tend to trust the
Ravens to figure it out. So, just like college football,
let's let the season play out. Everybody's bailed on the Eagles.
What if they come out tonight and win by two touchdowns?
Speaker 4 (20:17):
They probably will?
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (20:19):
Are you ready for an NFL playoffs without Joe Burrow,
Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson Because I.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Was told they are. They're sticking around for the next decade.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
They're going to rule the roost.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
And that shows you how great Brady is. Like Brady,
I mean, I think there's a stat out there that
I think, I think this is it. Brady never played
a football game as a professional football player, not one
where his team was mathematically eliminated from the playoffs whole career.
So I mean, again, what separates Brady from everybody. Isn't
(20:51):
just the trophies. Tom was in a playoff race, either
making it or in it to the final whistle every
game of his career.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
We need to revisit the goat debate.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Brady's on the show Thursday in studio. Hey, don't get
greedy shit, all right?
Speaker 5 (21:08):
Next up, Colin listen. I got to defend my guy
JJ McCarthy. He's been awful this season, but whoa wait,
he was cooking yesterday three touchdowns, completed seventy percent of
his passes. You know, I get that. You know Washington
has a CFL caliber defense. But the Vikings snapped a
three game losing streak, and you always know if a
team gets shut out, bet on them. The next week,
(21:28):
Vikings an easy win.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Yeah and cover. This was a game that I it
was my one of my favorite bats of the week.
You talked me into it, did my homework until Jayden
Daniels was going to play for the record.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
Do you see him get dinged up again? That's a
great question. I was like sparring with some Washington beat report,
like what are you doing? He is he playing? I
don't get it. You're eliminated from the playoffs. He's hurt,
He's not one hundred percent. You want a third injury
this year?
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Hurt again?
Speaker 5 (21:54):
Dan Quinn like, what do you doing? Just play Mariota,
you're not now. The argument is he's young, you need
to snaps. Oh really, well he didn't look like he
needed steps last year the championship game.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
All right.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
J Mack with the news.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
Herd line.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
John and Eagles with a young man who covers them.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Next, be sure to catch live editions of the Herd
weekdays and Noone Easter not a em Pacific.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
It's not a home game, but they'll probably be a
fifty five sixty swing. Philadelphia Eagles are in town against
the Chargers tonight, which is a great Monday night football game.
Brooks Cabina is the Eagles beat writer for The Athletic.
By the way, he has covered the Houston Texans LSU football,
so he knows, he knows passionate fan bases. Now he
covers the Eagles, so you know, I've always felt Sirianni
(22:46):
is a motivator, kind of a CEO, a little bit
coordinator dependent McVeigh, Andy Reid Shanahan, maybe Demico Ryans maybe
not as coordinator dependent in terms of Demiko runs the defense.
I mean you know that you were, you know, but
I do think Nick there is something what's it like
to cover Nick? That there is something that works in
that locker room, even though I feel like he is
(23:09):
sort of depending on who's calling plays.
Speaker 7 (23:12):
Yeah, he does have offensive principles. He is an offensive
mind coach covering him the last couple of years, I mean,
there are things that he really believes in and to
see the coordinators over the last three years I started
covering where Brian Johnson was there than Kellen Moore to
this the things that he really operates on. Things that
I noticed that the organization likes about him is that
(23:33):
he's able to manage things from the top down, make
sure the process is working, whether that's how things are scheduled,
how coaches are using their time, what they need to
vote their time to, and his principles that he's had
from the offense in his career. He comes in and
make sure that these things are being addressed and the
play callers, which are interesting. Last year Kellen Moore, if
(23:54):
you look at the way the offense was run, that
was very different for what Kellen Moore was used to too.
They were running the ball more than the Eagles had
since the seventies, so like that was different than what
Kellen Moore does. I would say that's also to Nick
Sirianni's credit. They're making sure that they're all operating and
looking at what they need to do with the players
that they.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
Have this year.
Speaker 7 (24:11):
What's different is that as soon as Kellen Moore left,
you were looking at a coach who was looking for
another situation. Kellen Moore had had experience as a play caller, yeah,
and Kevin Pittulo did not, so they were latent to
the process. There was a lot of scrutiny around that decision,
but he trusted him because of all the time that
they had shared.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
He'd been around for all those things. And it hasn't
worked out quite yet.
Speaker 7 (24:35):
So right now, that's a lot of the question about
Nick Sirianni is how dependable is his process, How dependable
is his offensive choices of who he decides to let
run those meetings, call those plays, all of that.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
He's sticking to all of that right.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
Now, and right now it's on pace to be the
least efficient offense that he's had since he's been there,
and sticking with the process for the rest of the year.
With Kevin Toole making plays, we'll see if they're able
to get.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Out of that rut.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Brooks Kabina for the radio audience, Eagles beat writer for
The Athletic, formerly covered the Texans and LSU football. So
you know in baseball there's these you go to the postseason,
you come back and spring there's arm fatigue. I've said
with Saquon Barkley, is it o line injuries? Is it
all the carries fatigue? It's hard for these running backs.
It's the last position in football. You can hit it anytime,
(25:22):
anywhere from any position or is it play calling? Everybody
wants to know what happened to Saquon? What is it?
Speaker 4 (25:29):
It's a lot of things.
Speaker 7 (25:30):
You look at the offensive line, they've been banged up
sometimes and that's not just being out of games. Cam Jurgen's,
Lennon Dickerson. Both of those guys have dealt with some
injuries that they've played through. But Lane Johnson being out
at right tackle, that's a big thing for the offense line.
But even whenever he was there, they were struggling running
the ball and you look at the yard before contact
for Saquon Barky. Those are down this year, and you
(25:51):
look at this time with the Giants, that was a
lot of things that he hadn't managed, like making plays
out of what you've got.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
And they've tried a lot.
Speaker 7 (25:56):
Of different things throughout the year, whether that's trying to
run inside, outside and concepts using fullbacks.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
They lost their.
Speaker 7 (26:02):
Fullback on the first snap of the year this year,
and they've tried to use tight ends. You see concepts
where twelve personnel multiple tight ends and the tight ends
aren't blocking really well. A lot of the things that
they try just aren't working. One of the number one
things that you see is Jalen Hurts is less involved
in the run game.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
It's the least he's my design, it seems.
Speaker 7 (26:21):
To be, and it seems to be you think about
and Jalen's been asked about this several times. I've asked
him about it. Every year going into the playoffs. He's
managed some sort of injury and that comes out of
a lot of the contact.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
That he gets as a runner.
Speaker 7 (26:35):
But he has said multiple times that he's open to
whatever they have to do. And you look at a
game like the Chicago Bears, where they were struggling offensively
and all of a sudden he get a designed quarterback
run and that leads immediately to the touchdown. Past day
j Brown, I'm expecting to see more of that at
the end of the as the year progresses, because last
year the reason why Sacmon Barkley well, not the reason,
(26:56):
but one of the reasons is Jalen Hursts was playing
off from so much. K One said that himself a lot,
using the zone read concepts, using the quarterback runs, making
sure the defense is spread out and doesn't know what's there.
It's not that Jalen Hurts hasn't run. I think he's
up to about eighty rushes outside of touch pushes. But
that's one of the reasons out of many that they've
tried to figure out to get this run game going,
(27:17):
and without that, penalties are involved to the most false
starts they've had in the Syriani era. The most penalty
is all overall as an offense, and.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
That set them back.
Speaker 7 (27:26):
So you see these second and third down situations where
running the ball doesn't make quite much sense, but they're
not putting themselves in good positions.
Speaker 4 (27:33):
Some of the.
Speaker 7 (27:33):
Concepts they're using aren't working. It's a wholesale thing. At
this point.
Speaker 4 (27:37):
You've heard me Serenni addressed as such.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Seasons over, win a Super Bowl or not? Is AJ
Brown coming back? In your opinion? I mean it feels
a little noisy for you know, Listen, Philadelphia is the
one team in the league that could win a Super
Bowl with noise. The talk radio is loud, the domb Sirian.
It's a loud, passionate fan but it's the most unique
fan base, the harshest in the league. It's the hardest
(28:03):
place to coach. Bill Parcel said, there's Philly and everybody else.
AJ Brown seems a tad noisy. Do you think long term?
I mean, let's your gut feeling on back next year
or not.
Speaker 7 (28:15):
My gut feeling is I hesitate to reach on that
because I just don't know. It could go either way.
It seems to be a situation where AJ Brown. I
talked to him at the very beginning of the year.
I wanted to get to know because over the off
season after the Super Bowl, he was talking a lot
about fulfillment and what that meant for him and how
the Super Bowl didn't do that for him justify a
lot of his work, and I found him all athletes
(28:36):
to a certain extent like this, but he really does
justify himself through his work through the on field. There's
a lot of reasons for that in his life. I
wrote a story on that. You can find that easily
on Google and such. But the way that this offense
is set up here this year, he has not been
getting the ball in a lot of situations that he
normally did and some of the things that defenses are
(28:56):
doing to them, they're struggling against zone.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Some of the things that A J.
Speaker 7 (28:59):
Brown does, Well, you have a one on one guy
that can kill one man on man matchups that's not
happening as often. And the frustration that comes out of that.
He's dealt with that in his own way. You've seen
that managed throughout the locker room. My impression is a
lot of guys to understand what he's going through. And
it's kind of like you hear your friends say it
over and over and over and then and over, a
(29:22):
lot of people just start talking. Rememb talking to DeVante
Smith at his locker which is right next to him,
and the social media post that he's put out He's
just like, I'm in my own business.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
I don't even look at that.
Speaker 7 (29:31):
So the rest of the players, they're they're letting Aj
work through AJA things.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
And I think that's Nick Sirey on his credit too.
As he's managing all this, you start seeing a.
Speaker 7 (29:38):
Lot of the smoke and fire that comes out of
the social media world.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Honestly, for Philly, that's not that much.
Speaker 7 (29:45):
And if you have a star player who's tweeting or
going on Twitch and talking to his friends about how
his emotions are going, you could get a lot worse.
But to go into the off season, to your question,
it's really about how he feels where things are going,
where they clearly do not want to trade him this
year did and I can't see a situation we're going forward.
(30:07):
You have this GM and howid Roseman who moved heaven
and Earth to get wide receivers into his building.
Speaker 4 (30:12):
He's not going to part with that easily.
Speaker 7 (30:14):
So they have to have a plan beyond that, and
I just don't see a plan right now to replace
a guy that has done so much for them. And
they could fix things as the offense goes, and whether
that's with Kevin Detole.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
Or not, going forward.
Speaker 7 (30:27):
So a lot of questions have to get to that
point where you decide whether aj Brown is going to
be in filing next year.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Thirty seconds, Jalen hurts, what'd you like to cover him?
Speaker 7 (30:36):
I'm from Houston, he's from Channel for you. I've actually
known him going back to my high school years.
Speaker 4 (30:41):
He's the same. He's just just.
Speaker 7 (30:43):
Kind of a guy who put on the night's armor
and never took it off. He goes to bed with it,
wakes up with it. You know, you talk to him,
he's you know, stoic, and it gives you all the
serious answers.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
He's one of the things.
Speaker 7 (30:54):
I read his story on him last year going into
the playoffs, and I know, just a guy that's all
always calling people, calling the head coaches off off. He's
he last week he dated back, he said he was
looking back at film, back to high school.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
Even he's just relent with he's committed and all of that.
And he's a little bit.
Speaker 7 (31:13):
Uh you know, uh quiet, and the walls up a
lot of times.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
So it's hard to get that which win you're there.
There is substance.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Brooks Cabina look it up. Eagles writer, The Athletic great stuff,
nice job. We'll see you tomorrow.
Thanks for listening to The Herd podcast. Be sure to
catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in
noon to three eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find
your local station for The Herd at Fox Sports Radio
dot com, or stream US live every day on the
iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:24):
And with that, Urban Meyer on a feisty college football
weekend is joining US live. Three time national champion, by
the way, he's at the Bellagio. He's getting voted into
the College Football Hall of Fame tomorrow. I've been the
bo Is Nice by the way, and you know I
got some pretty swanky restaurants in there. Make sure you
(00:45):
don't have to pick up the bill, and you won't.
So I said all things. Said Miami getting in Notre
Dame not I thought was the right call. I don't
care about two lane James Madison. They'd never make it
in my playoff. But Texas Alabama. You can argue both sides.
(01:08):
But Alabama did get into the SEZ Championship and Texas couldn't.
So there's your argument. You can't punish Alabama for getting
into the conference championship. Did you have one big problem
with the twelve teams?
Speaker 3 (01:21):
No, I actually think that Alabama going in was the
right thing. I took some heat on that just from
friends of mine, that how can you pick a three
lost team? And I said, they're number two in the
SEC and this year the toughest conference in college football.
It's always one of the top two. And same with
the Big Ten. I am such on a on a
you know, on a I'm passionate that the committee's and
(01:43):
I love the committe Mark D'Antonio is on the committee,
I think, and he's one of my dear friends. They
are faced within a possible situation. You know, Colin, if
you joined me, Ingram, mark Ingram, Matt Lioner, Brady Quinn,
myself and the Bear, and we're all really studying this game,
we would have completely different Top twelve. You know, you
just you have differences. They are forced with an untenable situation.
(02:05):
So Mike and I'm going to keep swinging as hard
as they can on this thing, and you have to
have playings. It'll be the most lucrative weekend in the
history of college football. You have a championship weekend. The
Big Ten the Big Ten, the SEC, the ACC, the
Big twelve, Mountain West, all of them. And then you
have playing games. And the playing games are there's no
more committee, it's just set. Yeah, it's not people making
(02:28):
decisions who win. Because someone asked me this question, it
was Notre Dame better than Miami at the end of
the year, and I maybe I don't know. I mean,
how do you I thought Indiana? I thought Ohias State
was better than Indiana. There's only one way to decide
that they played. And I'm a Notre Dame. Not I
love Notre Dame. I love Marcus so stopping with always
anti Notary.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
No, I'm not.
Speaker 3 (02:49):
They played, so it's over. It's done. That move on
from that conversation. Well, they played early, it doesn't matter
they played. When you have people making decisions. And I
made this comment as my friend jaredy and Artol said
it too. It's the only multi billion dollar industry in
the history of the United States where volunteers are making decisions.
You can't do that.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Yeah, listen, like you, I tend to in big games
go with the roster with a lot of NFL bodies.
If I like both coaches, the pass rush, the pass
rush that Indiana got on Ohio State just and I
mean this wasn't like schemey, it was bulldozer. It was bullying.
(03:33):
Were you surprised by the defensive front of Indiana pushing
Ohio State backwards for about three and a half hours?
Speaker 3 (03:40):
In many instances, I was to a degree I've seen
Indiana up close and personal. I made the comment it's
as well coached team as there is in my lifetime.
But Todd McShay also pointed out to me it's also
the littlest talented roster in the history of IU football
by far eight projected NFL draft picks. That's a combined
(04:02):
that's more than the last eight years combined.
Speaker 1 (04:04):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
So it is a very talented team. I stood on
the field, Indiana's big, athletic and well coached. I use
the term they are an sec front looking team, and
they look like it in Innanapolis, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
Listen, Fernando Mendoza carbon, that's that's my take. I love
After the game, he was like, you know, he was
so fired up. I don't know. That's about as good
a college quarterback, size, brains, competitiveness, What do you make
of him?
Speaker 3 (04:37):
Well, he was on our podcast, and he was here
reminding me of J. C. Bett at T bow all
those guys that are smarter, actually way smarter than the coaches.
He talked us through the two minute drill against Penn
State like a like a coach would, like a coordinator would.
I've gotten to know the guy. I think. Here's what
I think about him as an NFL prespect got changed.
(04:57):
I made a comment before this game he should come back.
I don't think so. Now. I saw against a team
that had better talent than Indiana, and he won that
fricking game. He made a couple of ball placements, his accuracy,
the ball out quick. You know, he ran when he
had to. He got hit right square in the face
of the second first play of the game and toughed
(05:19):
his way through it. So I think you the nflready.
I didn't say that before this game.
Speaker 1 (05:25):
Yeah, So Oklahoma and Alabama are going to play. I
think I like Alabama, but I don't feel good about it.
I think Miami can beat Texas A and m I
do because I think Miami's D line is like totally legit.
(05:45):
Do you see if as I put this up to
the college football Playoff? I don't think Miami beating Texas
A and m is an upset. I think they got
the four seeds right. If you had the gas based
on this, who plays in Natty Urban? What would be
your guest today?
Speaker 3 (06:03):
I'm saying Georgia against Ohio State in the semi, and
then I'm saying Oregon and I you and the semi,
and then I'm those are the final four, and then
I don't know. I think it's going to be incredible
football at the end of the season. I like the practice.
I like the way they did it. You know, I'm
going to say two words about Miami Carson Becky. Yeah,
(06:25):
if he takes care of the ball, they can win.
If he doesn't have to lose. That's that's time tested.
That's at Georgia, that's now at Miami. If he takes
care of the ball, You're right, that's That's the only
concern I have in that one.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
You're getting inducted into the Florida Ring of Honor, you're
getting inducted tomorrow into the College Football Hall of Fame,
and you didn't get a you didn't get a coach
during nil or you didn't get a coach during you know,
the playoff I said this about Kurt Signetti. I said
it used to be. I always felt college football was
(06:58):
a young man's game for a coach because you're on
the road too in a day's a year. But the
NIL you can sit in your office and write. You know,
you can just be a GM. You don't have to
get in a plane, you don't have to do all
that recruiting. Mark Marcus Freeman's a young guy, good looking,
young He's built for college football. He's going to get
an NFL offer with all the movement and the weirdness
(07:21):
of college football, a sport we love. If you were
Marcus Freeman, you just got told you're not in which
I think was a right move by the committee. Would
you stay in college football or would you take a
New York Giants level job? What do you do if
you're Marcus Freeman? Because that is going to be a
story the second the NFL season ends.
Speaker 3 (07:41):
Marcus is my friend, he god asked me. But I
would say, you stay in college. You have controllables in college.
As a head coach in the NFL, I found you
just there's so many uncontrollables that you you don't have.
You know, whether it's the GM the you know, just
so you have an owner, you have all kinds of things.
In college, it's you and Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame.
(08:03):
No his great support from the AD and the president,
et cetera, et cetera. But Marcus Freeman, as I found out,
you give up so much when you take that next step,
and so much that's out of your control. And plus
you're gonna lose in the NFL. It's built, and I'm
not sure Marcus the Marcus I know he can't take
losing like I can't take losing. You're gonna win it
(08:23):
Notre Dame. Now, are you gonna win a national title?
I don't know, But look at their schedule. He's going
to play a season every year where he's favored in
the least nine or ten of those games, maybe more.
That doesn't happen at the next level.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
What did you make with USC being number one and recruiting?
In fact, number one was SC. A lot of people
thought Oregon was two. Marcus Freeman a great recruiters up there,
so was Bama. But what did you make of USC?
Did you feel like it means something?
Speaker 3 (08:54):
Absolutely? And Lincoln Riley should be a great recruiter I've
always said this. You've heard me say this's many minute.
The one team I do not understand in college sports
is University of Southern California. Why are they not Ohio State?
Why are they not Alabama? I don't I've always looked
at that program as the top three job. You have
everything right there. I'm looking on the TV right now
(09:16):
on beautiful uniforms, the history, the coliseum, I mean, and
more importantly, you get in a car and drive for
three hours, and you can fill a recruiting class. And
plus you drive it. Will you walk into every high school?
We're in that trojan or where are those colors? Everybody
knows who you are? So I congratulations. I'm glad they
stuck with Lincoln Raley. I'm a Lincoln. I like the guy.
(09:38):
I think he's an excellent coach. I think he just
had to get real serious about recruiting. And maybe he
Maybe it wasn't him, Maybe it's USC that says enough
of this stuff, let's get going. And I almost cuss.
So I'm glad I did it. But yeah, enough, enough's enough.
It's time for USC to be in the final for sure.
What we're talking about them not in the playoffs, Colin,
(09:59):
I don't usc. It's time to get going and this
is a good step.
Speaker 1 (10:05):
Let's go one more question. I want to going back
to Ohio State Indiana. Now. I thought it was the
biggest game in the history of Indiana football. And they
crushed and they deserve all of it. I said before
the game, I said, I think Ohio State will be
fired up. But I mean, we just leave Michigan. We
got the playoff, we're national champions. I may hide a
(10:26):
little of my playbook. I thought it was a harder
game for Ohio State to coach in Indiana. Does that
make any sense?
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Oh, it makes a lot of sense. And I think
just looking there's nothing like battle scars. I used to
tell my team this all the time, going on the
Rode Dawtin Stadium. That's a scar win or lose your scarred,
which means you've been matured. You've been having to go
to Penn State, a team that had better players than you,
not by much now, but they did, and you have
to go drive it eighty was it eighty three yards?
(10:57):
After that sack to go win with zero timeouts? Your scars.
Ohio State winning that game without any stars, and they
went on the road to Washington. They beat a Texas
team that wasn't a very good when they played them.
Now they did what they had to do. But keep
this in mind, the quarterback Julian saying, through twenty five
passes in the fourth quarter all year, that means there's
(11:18):
no scars. Yeah, now he's got a couple of scars
on his face, or a couple of scars that team does.
They'll be better because of it. You just wish they
didn't lose a ring because of it.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Yeah. I still have the Buckeyes winning the Natty as
a congratulations. By the way, I've been to Blagio before.
They got a place called Spagos that has an unbelievable
locks caviar pizza. I didn't buy it. Somebody bought it
for me. I'm just telling if you're wandering by, you
might just want to sneak in there and order it.
Congratulations to you, coach, you know how much I think
(11:49):
he ha Congrats again.
Speaker 3 (11:51):
Well you're a friend, Paul, and I'm going to name
drop you today that that played us at that spot.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
All right, that'll get your glass of lemonade for free.
It won't get you the pizza. I talked about you're
the best.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Call it.
Speaker 1 (12:00):
Thank you all right, Urban Meyer, Yeah, the yeah. I
like Ohio State to win it. I think you know
we we'll I'm telling you, Georgia, Indiana, Ohio State. That's
what it looks like to me. It's so crazy. Remember
when I came out and I said, if you're your,
if you're USC, you have all the leverage. Notre Dame
(12:22):
needs you a lot more than you need them. By
the way, the La Times Bill Plashke finally came out
today and said, yeah that that Notre Dame game kept
us out of the playoff. Notre Dame is in a half.
They have one foot in the pool on their schedule.
So go look at Notre Dame schedule next year. Not
(12:42):
any good USC. Next year it's play Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Washington.
I think of Penn State. You don't need another game.
I'll say it again, I'll triple it, I'll quadruple it.
USC needs to go to Notre Dame and go we'll
play you every other year. The game has to be
done by October fifteenth. Where what every year we play?
(13:05):
We're not playing in the cold every other year. And
in fact, if I was USC. I'd say, not only
every other year, but two or three games in LA. Well, okay,
we don't need it. Okay, Okay, good luck to you
getting bounced out of the playoff again because you're playing
Panera Bread. Well, which one has been to the playoff
more recently?
Speaker 5 (13:23):
Us he hasn't been in year, doesn't matter what he doesn't.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
This morning on Notre Dame needs USC.
Speaker 5 (13:30):
I mean, they just got job by the committee. The
Good Old Boys Network hooked up Alabama. It's weird we
keep talking about the Miami Notre Dame opener, right, we
don't talk about the Alabama opener losing his double digit
favorites to Mighty FSU because that's not mentioned at all.
Speaker 1 (13:45):
It's so good because they came back and beat Georgia
in Georgia.
Speaker 5 (13:49):
Okay, and then they lost another one to Oklahoma. They
lost three games. Did you see the stat? In the
last three years, sixteen teams have lost their conference championship game.
Fifteen of them dropped in the rankings afterwards. Only one
that didn't is Alabama. Because the committee's stocked full of
sec homers or it's.
Speaker 1 (14:07):
The world's changed and we have a playoff now, so
we had a playoffs the last three years. My point is,
you gave me fifteen sixteen numbers. College football is pro
football now on campuses. It's a whole different motive. There's
bulls don't matter, it's totally the playoffs are going to sixteen.
You can pay high schoolers.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
Go to twenty four.
Speaker 1 (14:28):
But whatever the number.
Speaker 4 (14:29):
Needs to be.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Thinking about this, the thing that used to be a
death penalty in college sports paying a player, you now
market it. You now leak it. Yeah, hey we paid
a high school or a million. The industry is flipped
and things stuff that was illegal and a death penalty.
You are trying to market and promote that to the market.
(14:51):
By the way, did you see that? Like a lot
of it's not just Notre Dame saying no thanks to
a ballgame. They are a lot of folks are saying, ah,
I don't need it.
Speaker 5 (14:58):
You know why if you're third string wide receiver, Pops,
he's gonna go get offers in the portal. There's gonna
be like, you know, other teams are gonna be like,
hey we want this guy, will go give you money.
And now you lost a player because you showcased him
in a bowl game.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
Does it mean anything. An exhibition game. Just end the
exhibition games.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
It's they're pointless.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Yeah, Philadelphia Eagles will be discussed. I'm reading this. Staff
just sent this. Alabama lost to a higher ranked Georgia
team in the SEC championship game. Yeah, I'm not losing
sleep on Bama in Texas out.
Speaker 2 (15:36):
I mean, is anybody arguing for Texas well?
Speaker 1 (15:39):
Texas beat Oklahoma, A and M game three games. I'm
saying Texas had they hammered Oklahoma, they hammered Vandy, and
they dominated A and M, but did Notre Dame forgetting
Notre Dame. Forget no, no, no, forget Notre Dame. Texas
to me, has three wildly impressive. What about their losses?
(16:02):
I'm more into I say this. If you're good on
the air, I don't care if you have a bad
day occasionally, but when you're great, your great. Texas has
days they've been great. Oh took hammer Oklahoma, hammer Vandy
on their best days. Texas was a top five team.
Everybody has bad days.
Speaker 2 (16:20):
That Oklahoma game is interesting.
Speaker 4 (16:21):
I remember it.
Speaker 1 (16:21):
Matier was hurt. You kind of rushed back from the injury.
Speaker 2 (16:25):
I don't know how much that matter.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
You watch the second half of that A and M
Longhorn game. Texas looked good in that one. Yeah good.
They looked really good. They were fighting for their lives. Yeah, look, summer.
Bottom line in life, I'm gonna judge most people on
your highs. Can you deliver it a level that is
above significantly good? Texas had really substantial saturdays. I'm not
(16:49):
gonna punish my kids, my friends, my co workers for
calling in sick or having a bad day. I don't
know what's going on. It's college kids. College kids have
midterms and girls friends and breakups, and I mean, I
just I can't crush Texas because I lost to Florida.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
I can't.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
So who can you crush? Not getting on the phone
and scheduling bigger games?
Speaker 5 (17:13):
Wait, that's out of their player's hands, like they should
be determined.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
What it's not out of you know, coaches can say
I want to play better teams. Texas got on the
phone and said I'm gonna go to Columbus. Are you
crazy that they regret that? I respect him for doing it.
I do too, but I think they probably regret it.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
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Ben Mallor Show. Fox Sports Radio on YouTube.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Subscribe, hit that thumbs up icon and comment away. All right,
let's not waste any time shows rolling j Mack with
the News. Turn on the news.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
This is the Herdline News.
Speaker 5 (18:23):
What a poor performance from Lamar Jackson, Colin and Ravens
played their way basically out of the playoffs with an
awful defensive showing. They were just not crisp offensively. And
it's been a minute, uh since the Ravens have really
looked great. Uh. Here's Lamar Jackson talking about some frustration
after the game.
Speaker 7 (18:43):
How would you just kind of describe your level of
pressuration at this point through the roof, we shouldn't.
Speaker 3 (18:49):
I feel like he's giving a game.
Speaker 4 (18:50):
We should have lost that game. You know it turned
over was unfortunately, but this on his like, so I.
Speaker 2 (18:57):
Know what, M not good?
Speaker 1 (19:00):
Aaron Rodgers outplayed him. Forty two year old Aaron Rodgers
outplayed him.
Speaker 5 (19:03):
So I don't want to hear that Lamar's a two
time MVP or in the first couple of weeks he
was awesome. Right now, he's not a good quarterback. Colin
since Week ten fifty five percent completions. Yeah, what I
don't know. I mean, I asked you during the break,
is this the is this? Have we already seen the
best Lamar Jackson?
Speaker 1 (19:20):
Well? Is it all downhill from here? I tend to
believe he's not one hundred percent healthy people, you know, listen,
there's a lot of reasons quarterbacks. They can lose a
coordinator or like Herbert this year, you lose your tackles,
you play tougher teams. I mean, it's not totally linear,
but the drop. The one thing the eye test is
(19:40):
he doesn't have the juice or the burst he had
last year. He just doesn't. So did he get slow?
Has he taken too many shots? He's not a huge guy,
like a like a big Banner a cam or a
Josh Allen. But it doesn't look like he's the same now.
He and Zay Flowers, he and Mark Andrews have good relationship.
I think they should have won the game yesterday. I
still don't white understand the touchdown the gate in the
(20:02):
end zone, although I read the ruling rule book. Yeah,
but I mean I I just tend to trust the
Ravens to figure it out. So, just like college football,
let's let the season play out. Everybody's bailed on the Eagles.
What if they come out tonight and win by two touchdowns?
Speaker 4 (20:17):
They probably will?
Speaker 1 (20:18):
Uh?
Speaker 5 (20:19):
Are you ready for an NFL playoffs without Joe Burrow,
Patrick Mahomes or Lamar Jackson Because I.
Speaker 1 (20:24):
Was told they are. They're sticking around for the next decade.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
They're going to rule the roost.
Speaker 1 (20:29):
And that shows you how great Brady is. Like Brady,
I mean, I think there's a stat out there that
I think, I think this is it. Brady never played
a football game as a professional football player, not one
where his team was mathematically eliminated from the playoffs whole career.
So I mean, again, what separates Brady from everybody. Isn't
(20:51):
just the trophies. Tom was in a playoff race, either
making it or in it to the final whistle every
game of his career.
Speaker 5 (21:00):
We need to revisit the goat debate.
Speaker 1 (21:02):
Brady's on the show Thursday in studio. Hey, don't get
greedy shit, all right?
Speaker 5 (21:08):
Next up, Colin listen. I got to defend my guy
JJ McCarthy. He's been awful this season, but whoa wait,
he was cooking yesterday three touchdowns, completed seventy percent of
his passes. You know, I get that. You know Washington
has a CFL caliber defense. But the Vikings snapped a
three game losing streak, and you always know if a
team gets shut out, bet on them. The next week,
(21:28):
Vikings an easy win.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Yeah and cover. This was a game that I it
was my one of my favorite bats of the week.
You talked me into it, did my homework until Jayden
Daniels was going to play for the record.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
Do you see him get dinged up again? That's a
great question. I was like sparring with some Washington beat report,
like what are you doing? He is he playing? I
don't get it. You're eliminated from the playoffs. He's hurt,
He's not one hundred percent. You want a third injury
this year?
Speaker 1 (21:51):
Hurt again?
Speaker 5 (21:54):
Dan Quinn like, what do you doing? Just play Mariota,
you're not now. The argument is he's young, you need
to snaps. Oh really, well he didn't look like he
needed steps last year the championship game.
Speaker 4 (22:05):
All right.
Speaker 1 (22:05):
J Mack with the news.
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
Herd line.
Speaker 1 (22:11):
John and Eagles with a young man who covers them.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Next, be sure to catch live editions of the Herd
weekdays and Noone Easter not a em Pacific.
Speaker 1 (22:23):
It's not a home game, but they'll probably be a
fifty five sixty swing. Philadelphia Eagles are in town against
the Chargers tonight, which is a great Monday night football game.
Brooks Cabina is the Eagles beat writer for The Athletic.
By the way, he has covered the Houston Texans LSU football,
so he knows, he knows passionate fan bases. Now he
covers the Eagles, so you know, I've always felt Sirianni
(22:46):
is a motivator, kind of a CEO, a little bit
coordinator dependent McVeigh, Andy Reid Shanahan, maybe Demico Ryans maybe
not as coordinator dependent in terms of Demiko runs the defense.
I mean you know that you were, you know, but
I do think Nick there is something what's it like
to cover Nick? That there is something that works in
that locker room, even though I feel like he is
(23:09):
sort of depending on who's calling plays.
Speaker 7 (23:12):
Yeah, he does have offensive principles. He is an offensive
mind coach covering him the last couple of years, I mean,
there are things that he really believes in and to
see the coordinators over the last three years I started
covering where Brian Johnson was there than Kellen Moore to
this the things that he really operates on. Things that
I noticed that the organization likes about him is that
(23:33):
he's able to manage things from the top down, make
sure the process is working, whether that's how things are scheduled,
how coaches are using their time, what they need to
vote their time to, and his principles that he's had
from the offense in his career. He comes in and
make sure that these things are being addressed and the
play callers, which are interesting. Last year Kellen Moore, if
(23:54):
you look at the way the offense was run, that
was very different for what Kellen Moore was used to too.
They were running the ball more than the Eagles had
since the seventies, so like that was different than what
Kellen Moore does. I would say that's also to Nick
Sirianni's credit. They're making sure that they're all operating and
looking at what they need to do with the players
that they.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
Have this year.
Speaker 7 (24:11):
What's different is that as soon as Kellen Moore left,
you were looking at a coach who was looking for
another situation. Kellen Moore had had experience as a play caller, yeah,
and Kevin Pittulo did not, so they were latent to
the process. There was a lot of scrutiny around that decision,
but he trusted him because of all the time that
they had shared.
Speaker 4 (24:31):
He'd been around for all those things. And it hasn't
worked out quite yet.
Speaker 7 (24:35):
So right now, that's a lot of the question about
Nick Sirianni is how dependable is his process, How dependable
is his offensive choices of who he decides to let
run those meetings, call those plays, all of that.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
He's sticking to all of that right.
Speaker 7 (24:49):
Now, and right now it's on pace to be the
least efficient offense that he's had since he's been there,
and sticking with the process for the rest of the year.
With Kevin Toole making plays, we'll see if they're able
to get.
Speaker 3 (25:00):
Out of that rut.
Speaker 1 (25:02):
Brooks Kabina for the radio audience, Eagles beat writer for
The Athletic, formerly covered the Texans and LSU football. So
you know in baseball there's these you go to the postseason,
you come back and spring there's arm fatigue. I've said
with Saquon Barkley, is it o line injuries? Is it
all the carries fatigue? It's hard for these running backs.
It's the last position in football. You can hit it anytime,
(25:22):
anywhere from any position or is it play calling? Everybody
wants to know what happened to Saquon? What is it?
Speaker 4 (25:29):
It's a lot of things.
Speaker 7 (25:30):
You look at the offensive line, they've been banged up
sometimes and that's not just being out of games. Cam Jurgen's,
Lennon Dickerson. Both of those guys have dealt with some
injuries that they've played through. But Lane Johnson being out
at right tackle, that's a big thing for the offense line.
But even whenever he was there, they were struggling running
the ball and you look at the yard before contact
for Saquon Barky. Those are down this year, and you
(25:51):
look at this time with the Giants, that was a
lot of things that he hadn't managed, like making plays
out of what you've got.
Speaker 4 (25:56):
And they've tried a lot.
Speaker 7 (25:56):
Of different things throughout the year, whether that's trying to
run inside, outside and concepts using fullbacks.
Speaker 4 (26:02):
They lost their.
Speaker 7 (26:02):
Fullback on the first snap of the year this year,
and they've tried to use tight ends. You see concepts
where twelve personnel multiple tight ends and the tight ends
aren't blocking really well. A lot of the things that
they try just aren't working. One of the number one
things that you see is Jalen Hurts is less involved
in the run game.
Speaker 4 (26:18):
It's the least he's my design, it seems.
Speaker 7 (26:21):
To be, and it seems to be you think about
and Jalen's been asked about this several times. I've asked
him about it. Every year going into the playoffs. He's
managed some sort of injury and that comes out of
a lot of the contact.
Speaker 4 (26:33):
That he gets as a runner.
Speaker 7 (26:35):
But he has said multiple times that he's open to
whatever they have to do. And you look at a
game like the Chicago Bears, where they were struggling offensively
and all of a sudden he get a designed quarterback
run and that leads immediately to the touchdown. Past day
j Brown, I'm expecting to see more of that at
the end of the as the year progresses, because last
year the reason why Sacmon Barkley well, not the reason,
(26:56):
but one of the reasons is Jalen Hursts was playing
off from so much. K One said that himself a lot,
using the zone read concepts, using the quarterback runs, making
sure the defense is spread out and doesn't know what's there.
It's not that Jalen Hurts hasn't run. I think he's
up to about eighty rushes outside of touch pushes. But
that's one of the reasons out of many that they've
tried to figure out to get this run game going,
(27:17):
and without that, penalties are involved to the most false
starts they've had in the Syriani era. The most penalty
is all overall as an offense, and.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
That set them back.
Speaker 7 (27:26):
So you see these second and third down situations where
running the ball doesn't make quite much sense, but they're
not putting themselves in good positions.
Speaker 4 (27:33):
Some of the.
Speaker 7 (27:33):
Concepts they're using aren't working. It's a wholesale thing. At
this point.
Speaker 4 (27:37):
You've heard me Serenni addressed as such.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
Seasons over, win a Super Bowl or not? Is AJ
Brown coming back? In your opinion? I mean it feels
a little noisy for you know, Listen, Philadelphia is the
one team in the league that could win a Super
Bowl with noise. The talk radio is loud, the domb Sirian.
It's a loud, passionate fan but it's the most unique
fan base, the harshest in the league. It's the hardest
(28:03):
place to coach. Bill Parcel said, there's Philly and everybody else.
AJ Brown seems a tad noisy. Do you think long term?
I mean, let's your gut feeling on back next year
or not.
Speaker 7 (28:15):
My gut feeling is I hesitate to reach on that
because I just don't know. It could go either way.
It seems to be a situation where AJ Brown. I
talked to him at the very beginning of the year.
I wanted to get to know because over the off
season after the Super Bowl, he was talking a lot
about fulfillment and what that meant for him and how
the Super Bowl didn't do that for him justify a
lot of his work, and I found him all athletes
(28:36):
to a certain extent like this, but he really does
justify himself through his work through the on field. There's
a lot of reasons for that in his life. I
wrote a story on that. You can find that easily
on Google and such. But the way that this offense
is set up here this year, he has not been
getting the ball in a lot of situations that he
normally did and some of the things that defenses are
(28:56):
doing to them, they're struggling against zone.
Speaker 4 (28:58):
Some of the things that A J.
Speaker 7 (28:59):
Brown does, Well, you have a one on one guy
that can kill one man on man matchups that's not
happening as often. And the frustration that comes out of that.
He's dealt with that in his own way. You've seen
that managed throughout the locker room. My impression is a
lot of guys to understand what he's going through. And
it's kind of like you hear your friends say it
over and over and over and then and over, a
(29:22):
lot of people just start talking. Rememb talking to DeVante
Smith at his locker which is right next to him,
and the social media post that he's put out He's
just like, I'm in my own business.
Speaker 4 (29:30):
I don't even look at that.
Speaker 7 (29:31):
So the rest of the players, they're they're letting Aj
work through AJA things.
Speaker 4 (29:35):
And I think that's Nick Sirey on his credit too.
As he's managing all this, you start seeing a.
Speaker 7 (29:38):
Lot of the smoke and fire that comes out of
the social media world.
Speaker 4 (29:43):
Honestly, for Philly, that's not that much.
Speaker 7 (29:45):
And if you have a star player who's tweeting or
going on Twitch and talking to his friends about how
his emotions are going, you could get a lot worse.
But to go into the off season, to your question,
it's really about how he feels where things are going,
where they clearly do not want to trade him this
year did and I can't see a situation we're going forward.
(30:07):
You have this GM and howid Roseman who moved heaven
and Earth to get wide receivers into his building.
Speaker 4 (30:12):
He's not going to part with that easily.
Speaker 7 (30:14):
So they have to have a plan beyond that, and
I just don't see a plan right now to replace
a guy that has done so much for them. And
they could fix things as the offense goes, and whether
that's with Kevin Detole.
Speaker 4 (30:26):
Or not, going forward.
Speaker 7 (30:27):
So a lot of questions have to get to that
point where you decide whether aj Brown is going to
be in filing next year.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Thirty seconds, Jalen hurts, what'd you like to cover him?
Speaker 7 (30:36):
I'm from Houston, he's from Channel for you. I've actually
known him going back to my high school years.
Speaker 4 (30:41):
He's the same. He's just just.
Speaker 7 (30:43):
Kind of a guy who put on the night's armor
and never took it off. He goes to bed with it,
wakes up with it. You know, you talk to him,
he's you know, stoic, and it gives you all the
serious answers.
Speaker 4 (30:53):
He's one of the things.
Speaker 7 (30:54):
I read his story on him last year going into
the playoffs, and I know, just a guy that's all
always calling people, calling the head coaches off off. He's
he last week he dated back, he said he was
looking back at film, back to high school.
Speaker 4 (31:08):
Even he's just relent with he's committed and all of that.
And he's a little bit.
Speaker 7 (31:13):
Uh you know, uh quiet, and the walls up a
lot of times.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
So it's hard to get that which win you're there.
There is substance.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
Brooks Cabina look it up. Eagles writer, The Athletic great stuff,
nice job. We'll see you tomorrow.
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