December 5, 2024 • 40 mins
Looking at the bottom of the NFL, it's worse than you think
Greg Cosell from NFL Films joins the show to talk about Russell Wilson's success inside the Steelers offense
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:21):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:26):
Here we go Hour two and a Thursday. Lions Packers
Tonight live in LA. It's The Herd. Greg Cosell in
five minutes, Jordan Schultz an hour from now. The very
latest on some breaking stories beon Dawkins of the Buffalo Bills.
You know, Jay mac I was thinking about this week.
We talked about this last week, is that you don't
want to become the NBA if you're the NFL. The
(00:47):
NBA's got very top heavy, five or six really good
championship level teams, that's it, a very large middle that's
pretty soft. Lakers are in that middle to bottom middle,
and then Drek in the bottom eight nine teams. For
the first time that I can remember, and I could
be wrong, I think the NFL, because they're so quarterback centric,
(01:08):
you have one of you're done right now, there's eight
teams with three wins or fewer. So the bottom of
the NFL is as bad as I remember it, and
Dallas isn't even in that group, and we don't think
they're any good. So the middle is very uh and
it may change, but it's very Arizona. It's the Rams,
it's the Cowboys, it's the and if the Rams get
(01:30):
hammered by Buffalo, they're definitely in that soft middle. So
one of the great things about the NFL. You've always
had about eight teams that you think can win it.
Then the middle to upper middle is massive and a
very tiny bottom. It does feel like the bottom has expanded.
And my reasoning for that is when you make the
quarterback the be all and all to your sport, if
(01:54):
you don't have one, your toast, So.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
How do you avoid making the quarterback the be all end?
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Well, the the NFL, after that CTE lawsuit where they
wrote a billion dollar check, made the rules very quarterback protective.
They wanted to extend the careers of the quarterbacks that
are good. Now the good news is this is the
good news. The hit rate for quarterbacks is going up.
It used to be a fifty to fifty proposition in
the first round. It's much better than that now. Of
(02:20):
the last I think it's the last twenty seven first
round quarterback picks only ten what you would call busts.
And remember four of those are from the COVID year
where they were all overvalued.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Is Bryce Young in that bus?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
No, I think Bryce Young you cannot make a judgment
on you. I do not believe you can.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Listen, we judged CJ. Stroud after his rookie year.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
No, it's not easy as spot exceptional. It's harder to spot.
Not gonna make it.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
It's Stroud exceptional. We now have more data half a season.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I think he's a very solid franchise quarterback. Remember you
watched the American Idol. It's really easy to go, oh God,
Carrie Underwood's a rock star. It's harder to guess where
somebody that's okay is gonna land? Are they gonna do
lounge singing? Are they gonna just do bar mitzvahs? Like
you can't tell. It's very hard to delineate kind of
good to sort of good but great. Herbert first game,
(03:17):
WHOA Joe Burrow's second game?
Speaker 4 (03:19):
Wow, Herbert's multiple seasons of good Now Stroud. I've just
got asked. They got him Joe Mixon, and they got
him Stefan Diggs. Now I don't dig's got her well.
Their old line is outside of it's awful.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
It's very bad.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
He can't do anything.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
It feels like it was Stroud and it was Bryce Young,
and now Bryce Young's creeping up in Stroud.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Is I think that's fair.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
I need another year before I say c J. Stroud's
definitely a franchise quot.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, I think I think CJ. Stroud's better than Bryce Young,
But I do think ones come down. One's moved up,
and I think the offensive coaching is better, So that
is going to increase the hit rate on quarterbacks making it.
How do I know that? Gino Smith, Baker, Mayfield, Sam Darnold.
Guys get reborn now when they get better offense coaches.
So that doesn't it used to be if your first
(04:03):
team didn't work, Drew Brees was an outlier, you're done.
Not anymore. Guys are circling back on their third and
fourth team like Darnald and Gino and Baker, and you're like,
not only are they good, Sam Darnold's excellent, Baker looks
very good. Gino's a pro bowler. So there's a lot
of positive news with the NFL that we're getting more
quarterback and kids coming out of college have more snaps,
(04:26):
they're more developed, more seven on seven camps, So there's
good news. But I do feel like the middle is
softer in the NFL than I remember, and the bottom
is enormous. There's a lot of garbage out.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Somebody at the bottom's got to take a swing this
all that.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
If you want to come out of that drek as
you called it, and surpassed the middle class and get
in the top.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
You got to take big swings. Kind of like life, right,
you gotta take big swings.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Greg Cosell Thursdays, we love him. If you bet football,
play fantasy football, want to get smarter at football? Forty
five years NFL films, You know what. Listen, it's really
interesting about Christian McCaffrey. So when he came to the Niners,
he'd banged up this. I compared it yesterday to getting
an aging pitcher. Listen, can we get three big inning
(05:08):
geers out of him? We're not getting six. So I
always thought if McCaffrey could get him a trophy, three years,
but he came to the Niners banged up. What is
remarkable though, is that Kyle Shanahan has a losing record
without him, and I think Shanahan's an excellent coach. What
it tells me is McCaffrey is a sensational all time talent.
(05:30):
Are you surprised a little that just taking him out
there are different franchise It feels like Greg.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
I don't know if we have a large enough sample
sized Colin to say that for sure. I think what
the film show is regarding when McCaffrey's not in is
that they're limited in what they can do as far
as the motions and the shifts and the formation variation.
Speaker 6 (05:56):
This is a very schemed up offense. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (05:59):
When McCaffrey and Samuel are in the game together, they
do a lot of things in terms of movement, pre snap,
in terms of formations. Things that cause a lot of
questions for defense is how they want to handle it
and when he's not in, Even though Jordan Mason ran
well for the first part of the season and gain
yards maybe with second or third in the league and rushing,
(06:20):
they can't do the same things in terms of the
movement and the formation variation simply because McCaffrey is so
good as a receiver and that's the other element to
his game, and it also allows Samuel to become a
much better player. Samuel is not the same player because
McCaffrey's not there, because Samuel is a pure receiver. Colin
and I think you would agree, you would not talk
(06:41):
about Samuel the way you talk about.
Speaker 6 (06:42):
Justin Jefferson or Jamar James. He's not that kind of player.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
No, he's a schemed up player, and they can't do
the scheming that allows them to be what they are.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I'm really interested on this next reply by you. So
in the last three games, we both like Bonnick out
of college, and we both think Sean Payton's very smart.
But in the last three games they're averaging thirty six
a game. What is he giving him more to do?
I'll tell you what. That seventh round Utah receiver they
(07:12):
got That kid can play. Some of this is just
the receiving course, maybe a little tastier than people thought.
What is the bon Nicks Peyton relationship? What is the
film saying over the last month.
Speaker 5 (07:23):
Well, you know, it's funny you asked me that because
I think that the way he calls a game in
certain situations, Sean Payton, that is tells you everything you
need to know about what he feels about bone Knicks.
Think about what he did with two third quarter plays
from deep in their own territory out of the end zone.
Third and eleven and he throws the steamball to Mims
(07:46):
for a touchdown, and then second and long. I think
it might have been the next possession he throws. I
think that's what we're looking at now. This boot pass
to Sutton. That tells you all you need to know,
the confidence that Peyton has in his ability not only
to make the throws, but to make the right decisions,
because if you make the wrong decision in your end zone,
(08:07):
you've got a problem. And by the way, both of
those throws came against the coverage we call cover two
invert where they're playing Cover two, but they get to
it a different way. But the thing that really stands
out about Nicks is he's driving the ball. And I
don't think we thought when he came out of Oregon
that he'd necessarily be that kind of power thrower. You're
certainly not going to say he's Matthew Stafford, but He's
(08:29):
made drive throws with velocity. He made a far Halsh
sideline throw this week. He's made these kinds of throws.
A couple of weeks ago, we showed a play a
window throw between the numbers, between the hashes. He has
really shown the ability to drive the football at the
intermediate and intermediate and deeper levels. And I'm not sure
we all thought that would be the case.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
So Lamar against the NFC is unbeatable, and then all
of a sudden against Philadelphia, he was very, very beatable.
Is it schemes, is it personnel? But Philadelphia did And
not only does Lamar beat NFC teams, greg he often
humiliates them. It's like they've never they've never seen anything
(09:12):
like it. Blew out the Lions last year. What did
Philadelphia do?
Speaker 6 (09:18):
Well?
Speaker 5 (09:19):
You know, it's interesting because and I never questioned coaches
because they know way more than I do, and they
know their teams better than I do.
Speaker 6 (09:25):
Obviously.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
I mean, I sent in my office and watched Tate,
but I'm not there all week during the process. So
what really struck me was sixty four percent of Derrick
Henry's runs prior to the Eagles game this year had
come out of either twenty one or twenty two personnel,
meaning that Patrick Riccard was on the field. Okay, and
the Eagles they had really evolved into being a purely
(09:46):
nickel defense about ninety percent of their their defensive snaps
since Cooper Dejene started playing. But surprisingly to me, they
did not play anywhere near as much out of twenty
one and twenty two personnel the Ravens, that is, as
they had prior to that game. So when they lined
up in twelve personnel with like Le and Andrews, the
(10:07):
Eagles stayed in their nickel and therefore, to me, they
kind of played into the Eagles hands. I thought that
they would make the Eagles play in a way that
they didn't really want to, and they didn't really do
that in my opinion anyway. So I'm sure Todd Monkin
would have a different answer, But I just don't think
they played in a sense Ravens football, and they allowed
the Eagles to dictate the game on the defensive side
(10:30):
of the ball.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
So I'm gonna throw You may be surprised by this,
but I've told everybody to take a deep breath and
get away from the record with Caleb Williams. Don't look
at four and eight because they've lost the Vikings, Lions
and Packers. You flip those and all of a sudden,
they're seven and five, and those are like last play
of the game and the Hail Mary. It's not his fault.
He has more one hundred plus passer rating games than Mahomes,
(10:54):
better completion percentage than Trevor Lawrence, averaging more yards passing
the game than Justin Herbert and Kyler, and the same
number of touchdown passes as Jalen Hurts. And that's with
his second play caller, a dysfunctional head coach, and an
organization that can't develop quarterbacks. So my take is, folks,
get away from the record. Something's working here. Is that
(11:15):
what you see with Caleb?
Speaker 6 (11:18):
Yeah, he's played a lot better.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
You know, we talked earlier in the year that even
basic concepts he was struggling with, he just did delivered
the football and now he is and I mean he's
really gifted.
Speaker 6 (11:29):
Colin.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
You know, you're close to the USC you've seen him
for the two years he was the starter there and
the ball comes out beautifully. He's clearly and this is
not an next and O point, but you can just
see body language. He's more decisive. The ball's coming out
now it's a coach's job to nitpick. So there are
a couple of things that the film shows that he
absolutely needs to work on to even get better. He
(11:53):
has a tendency to climb or step up in the
pocket when there's no pressure on him, so he creates
some of his own pressure by doing that that he
needs to work on. The other thing that he's getting
better at, and this is good, is he used to
leave the pocket by retreating backwards. You can't do that
in the NFL. Maybe only Lamar Jackson can do that.
(12:13):
But you can't do that. No one would teach you
to retreat backwards. Yeah, but he's throwing beautiful balls now.
And what I really like is the innate mindset that
he has to drive the ball into tight windows in
the middle of the field. I'm not sure you can
teach that, and he has shown the innate ability to
do that.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
So this next question, it's funny because for years and
years I would say, Greg, you are wrong. Russell Wilson
is amazing, and you were the only guy that would go.
You'd go, I can't quite figure it out. It's almost
like their planned ad libs. I can't get my arms
around him right. But it's interesting if you take out
(12:55):
the Nat Hacket year, go to his last tive in Seattle,
go to this one in Pittsburgh, and the Peyton year.
His passer ratings around one hundred. He doesn't turn the
ball over a lot. I feel like, no, in Pittsburgh,
they didn't need a savior, they just needed an adult.
(13:16):
And have you changed your opinion? Do you look at
him now and go, actually, this fits perfectly.
Speaker 6 (13:23):
Well. I think he's playing really well.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
And I'm sure when you think back to since he
became a starter, there have not been many plays outside
of structure. He's playing from the pocket at a really
high level, and they're giving him a lot of no
huddle and he's making a lot of the right checks
and the.
Speaker 6 (13:39):
Right play calls.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
They play a lot out of two tight ends and
three tight ends, and that really helps a quarterback pre
snap because you know what the defense is going to
give you more when they're in their base defense than
they are when they're in their nickel or dime.
Speaker 6 (13:54):
And he's making really really good throws.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
He's seeing things clearly, he's understanding what he's looking at,
and he's delivering the football. He's playing right now at
a really, really high level.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
That's great. Yeah, And you know it's funny. I've always
thought that Savior tag is a bunch of nonsense. Stafford
didn't save the Rams, you know, they were already they
went to a Super Bowl, and Brady actually didn't save Tampa.
They were a five hundred team with thirty picks from Jamis.
They had all sorts of talent. I think when you
get into Savior air, into the Jets, Russell to the Broncos,
(14:27):
when you get into Savior territory, that's trouble. And Russell
isn't that in Pittsburgh because it's a very well run organization. Now,
speaking of older quarterbacks, there was a pick last week
by Kirk Cousins, and I love Kirk, but I thought,
oh my god, it looked like a major Leig Bacher
baseball pitcher thrown at eighty three mile an hour fastball.
(14:48):
So olfers zero touchdown, six picks in his last three games.
Is it possible? What does the film say, Greg? Is
it time for Michael Pennick?
Speaker 5 (14:58):
H You know, and I'm being totally honest, Colin. You know,
I don't make this stuff up. Obviously, I don't have
a great answer.
Speaker 6 (15:06):
I mean, he is.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
It's been so uncharacteristic of Kirk Cousins because say.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
What you want.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
I know there are a lot of people that may
not like him because he hasn't gotten to a championship
game or a super Bowl. But over the last five, six,
seven years, he's been absolutely one of the best pure
pocket passers in the NFL. That's his game, and he
is making uncharacteristic reads and throws and I don't know why,
but they're really not good some of these, and it's
(15:35):
obviously been very noticeable the last three games. Some of
the throws he made against the Chargers this past week.
I mean, I was just scratching my head. He never
does that. So I don't know what the answer is. Look,
they're still in it. I'd be surprised if they go
to Michael Pennix at this point. I think the belief
would be that Kirk Cousins and they've got a tough
game this week, by the way, but I think the
(15:56):
belief would be that Kirk Cousins can snap out of
this and come back to being Cousins.
Speaker 6 (16:00):
And again not being in the building and not knowing
what they do.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
I'm struggling to figure out why Kyle Pitts is not
a meaningful part of the pass games.
Speaker 6 (16:09):
Yeah, I see had two targets last week and no catches.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
I don't get that either at all. Okay, before we
go to your play of the week, which I can't
wait for Packers Lions tonight. You know, Jordan Love's doing
what he did last year. He's rocky in September and
October and then he catches fire and so Jordan Love
like he was at the end of last year, He's
on a heater again and he's going to Detroit. All
(16:34):
of a sudden, Matt Lafleur and Jordan Love are clicking
on these young receivers. What interests you? What matchup tonight
are you interested in?
Speaker 6 (16:43):
Well?
Speaker 5 (16:44):
I think you know, we always talk about the Lions offense.
I think their defense really needs to be talked about.
Aaron Glenn is patching together a defense that's lost really
key players, and yet he stayed aggressive. They blitz a lot,
they play man coverage. I think you could easily make
the argument that they have the best safety the duo
in the NFL and Brian Branch and Kirby Joseph. I mean,
Joseph has seven picks. I'm not sure anybody's aware of that.
(17:06):
And Branch. He gives them tremendous flexibility Colin because Branch
can line up and play man to man against wide
receivers because he was a slot corner for them last
year as a rookie. So he gives them tremendous flexibility
and versatility in their coverage schemes. They can stay with
the personnel they want to stay with because he can
(17:26):
do that. So it's really their defense against Love tonight
that probably to me is a fascinating tactical matchup.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Okay, so I thought one of the really interesting games.
And Arizona's been in a lot of these because I
really like their offense at personnel McBride, Harrison's got seven touchdowns,
say what, Jawani's inconsistent, Kyler the running back Connor Minnesota
Arizona was fascinating because I thought Minnesota looked a little
(17:56):
cooked and then all of a sudden, here cam Sam
Darnold with a drive down the field. He again this year,
we get a lot less reckless and a lot more
precision passing, especially in big spots. What did you make
of Darnold's play against Arizona.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
Yeah, I mean at halftime, if you looked on social media,
you would have thought it was time for them, you know,
to whip out Joe Cat, you know, after the first half,
and then of course the second half he came out
and made some really good throws. I mean, this is
you know, in many ways, like the Lions, like the Rams.
It's such a well schemed passing game. The spacing and
the routes is really good. It really presents clean, defined
(18:35):
reads for him, so the throws are evident, and it's
just really a matter of time in any game as
long as he has time in the pocket. But he's
also shown as you know, he's a good athlete. But
it's not running out of the pocket that I'm talking about.
It's moving within the pocket. And I think he's doing
that this year better than he ever has. And actually
that's a part of the big play because the big
(18:57):
play I want to show came from the winning touch
down drive last week against the Cardinals, who, by the way,
are a difficult defense to play against, not a lot
of talent, but Jonathan Gannon does an unbelievable job with
schematics in his defense.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
So let's go to this play.
Speaker 5 (19:11):
It was a play to Jordan Addison for twenty six
yards and as I said, it was on the final drive,
and it was it really set everything up.
Speaker 6 (19:19):
And I think we.
Speaker 5 (19:20):
Want to start with the fact number one, which you
don't see a lot in that Sam Darnold is under
center and they play under center an awful lot and
run regular play action and it's a three by one set.
So now we're going to get to the route concept,
which is a very staple concept for them.
Speaker 6 (19:39):
It's what we call dagger.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
So you're going to get an inside vertical by Nailer
and Addison he's going to run the dig route underneath that.
Speaker 6 (19:47):
So that's what dagger is.
Speaker 5 (19:48):
It's an inside vertical and a dig route underneath that vertical. Now,
what the cards are going to end up playing here,
even though it doesn't look like it now, and that's
another part of this play is they're going to end
up playing cover three. So what's cover three. It's three
deep with four underneath defenders. That's what cover three is.
And this is kind of base cover three. So as
(20:10):
we focus on the two receivers. As we start to play,
you're going to see exactly how this plays out.
Speaker 6 (20:15):
You're going to see nail Or. He's going to run
the inside vertical route.
Speaker 5 (20:19):
What that does is it attacks the safety who's got
the deep middle third. Okay, so that lifts the safety
and then you're gonna have Addison and he's going to
run as we said that inbreaking route underneath Nailer. Now,
what Darnold has to do here is he's got to
beat that underneath hook defender with his throw. And this
has to be a big time anticipation and timing throw,
(20:42):
and there's the void that he needs to hit. It's
actually going to be inside that underneath hook defender, not
outside of him. And he throws the ball really early
and sticks it right on him. This is not an
easy throw. Now we're going to see this from a
different angle because I think it's really really important to
see this second angle. So if we can take a
look at that, it would be really good.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
Yep. So right now we're gonna see this. There's Darnald.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Now he's gonna get pressure here, and this is what
I was talking about, Colin.
Speaker 6 (21:08):
He's gonna get pressure.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
So he has to move, and he has to move
while he keeps his eyes down field. He can't lose
sight of the coverage. So what he does is he
climbs the pocket. He moves very comfortably, resets his throwing platform.
He's now ready to deliver. There is that underneath the
fender that he has to be looko when he delivers
this ball. He delivers this ball when Addison is literally
(21:31):
on the numbers and he's gonna throw it between the hashes.
This is big time NFL quarterback and these are the
kinds of throws that you have to be able to
make in the NFL, particularly against defenses that play a
lot his own great stuff.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Greg co Sell forty five years, NFL Films. As always,
Greg appreciate it.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
Thanks coln.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
The gap in coaching in the NFL is as large
as the gap in quarterbacking. Like when you watch how
easily define that play is for our radio audience, Basically
Sam goes back and everybody's moving. There's a symmetry. Everybody's
kind of moving in the same direction. There's an underneath,
there's a middle, there's an over the top. Sometimes you
(22:13):
watch coaching in this league, it's like it's not a
coincidence that Sean Payton and Kevin O'Connell. Kevin O'Connell took
Josh Dobbs without a practice and won a game. Remember that,
Remember we made a trade for Josh dobb didn't have
a practice. McVeigh and Baker like the gap between the
best and the and the average coaches. Like right now,
the Jets staff is a mess. They had one great coach,
(22:37):
Sala fired him. I mean their defense straight downhill that there.
We all know there's a gap in quarterback play, but
the gap in general managers owners, I mean Stan Cronke
and Robert Kraft to the circus in Chicago, it's as
big as Mahomes and Desmond Ritter and just you don't
see it. Nothing against you know the kid, but it's
(22:58):
like what you some of this stuff. The gap in
coaching is the Grand Canyon here.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
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Speaker 1 (23:14):
It is time to start thinking about holiday gifts. Headphones
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Jmack with the news, Turn on the news.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
This is the herd Line News.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
So we haven't talked as much about brock Purty this
season because the Niners have struggled.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Not his fault. He's been fine.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
No, uh, didn't play great in the snow. But who
does fine? They're five and seven. Uh.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
And the big decision this offseason is whether to extend
brock Purdy. He has one year left on his rookie deal.
The question isn't really weather or not to, it's how
much do you pay him?
Speaker 1 (23:53):
By the way, the question is no, why would you
have to pay him now?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
So we did this with this idea.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
That he is going to hold the Niners hostage. He
doesn't have a huge market. Little guy hurt twice? What
what's the market for?
Speaker 3 (24:07):
I'm listen, this is why you love this story.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
One NFL writer believes the forty nine ers don't need
to rush into an extension, saying it isn't essential to
their twenty twenty four offseason.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:19):
Boy, if I was Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, I'm
sure as hell would want a writer saying that wouldn't
you put that out there for everybody.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
We're not rushing in anything.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Well, why would you have to if you don't want
to send him? You don't want to kill not justin Herbert.
What happens of smallish brock Purty as his third injury
in Week six next year and you're tied to it
and the offseas Jordan Love is a much better talent.
You said you would you didn't want to pay. I
said I'd like to see six more games. I've seen
enough of brock Purty. He's a B level. That's not
(24:48):
how it works.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
That is not how it is. Rock Purty. You're not
going to do a ling duck season.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
You are with average B quarterbacks. You're not with Josh
Allen average.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
The numbers saying he's not.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Average numbers say a lot. He is an average B
B quarterback. What funny? So it's funny how when Trent
Williams gets old and Kittle's broken down, his numbers come down,
his wins disappears.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
McCaffrey, this is like nine games barely plays.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Lamar Jackson's winning mvpiece before Dereck Henry got there. He's
not reliant on a running back.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Oh my what is he won in the postseason? Lamar
does not have any post season post season? Then rock
Perty forget postseason? Can can Brock pretty carry an average roster?
Speaker 1 (25:33):
No is the answer.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
I don't this. This could be the end of us,
this this discussion. I mean, you're sounding unreasonable. You you're
telling me you.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
Would say to rock Perty with a straight face, Hey man,
we can't pay you. We need to see some more.
So go into your lame duck season. If you have
another shoulder injury, you're screwed your future.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Say Brock, play through your contract. We'll talk at the
end of the year, end of the conversation.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
That is not how it works.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
I think that is how it would wait. It's not
how it works with Josh Allen, nor Ma Holmes or Lamar,
who's an MVP the first full year he stars. You know,
it's like different for different people in the NBA. You
know there's Lebron had rules and the MJ rules and
the Kobe rules. You know who doesn't have those Dalton
connects not gonna get those rules. He holds out and
(26:18):
he's not holding out. It's not how he's built, not holding.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
Out, So he's just gonna fall in line and listen
to these guys get no money and gave.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Him a chance to drive a Mercedes for a few Mercedes.
Speaker 6 (26:29):
To the super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
With comeback wins against the Packers and Lions in the playoffs,
the loaded roster couldn't get them anywhere. Brock Purdy had
fourth quarter comebacks.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Garoppolo got him to the Super Bowl, so he did.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Also he lost the game as well.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
How did he do when he left San Francisco? Howd
Garoppolo do when he left? Kyle Shannon? How'd that go?
Speaker 3 (26:48):
What do you have against under six foot two quarterbacks?
Speaker 1 (26:51):
I like over six two? Nothing against him. I'm just
for the other guy.
Speaker 4 (26:55):
Yes, I was gonna make another joke, but nevertheless, Uh fine, fine,
you loot that round.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
We'll move on. Stick it.
Speaker 4 (27:01):
In the NFC West, the Rams host the Bills Sunday.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
This is a big one. Colin.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
Rams are a game back of Seattle, first in the division.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Don't like the Rams on this spot.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
Stafford has been dealing with an ankle injury. I think
he got stepped on maybe I'm not exactly sure. Maybe
it was a rollout, but he suffered against the Saints.
I remember I was nervous, but he was a full
participant in practice yesterday and he says he'll be good
to go. So this line opened at five early in
the week. As soon as Stafford cleared practice, all good.
It went down to three and a half. You and
(27:31):
I know there's a lot of Buffalo fans out here.
So far is going to be sixty five to thirty
five Bills.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Fans and Buffalo is one of my favorite sides of
the week, even though the numbers dropping. Well, I think
again at five you just take Stafford at home, but
I think you're getting closer to three. I like Buffalo,
so we.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
Know Buffalo loves to do what colin offensively?
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Well, I mean they're run the football team they'd like to.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Yeah, okay, I fill it off.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
The Eagles like to run the football. How did that
work out for the Eagles at so far? They ran
for what three hundred yards? Say one Barkley at a
career game. What are the Rams suddenly gonna stop the
run defense?
Speaker 4 (28:10):
Are they just gonna bottle up Cook and Josh Allen?
I mean, we saw the Saints. We're having success. Do
you know in that game turn when Taysom Hill left
the game yep, the running guy. I don't see what
folks are seeing here.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
I think the Bills are the signed Yeah, I really like.
And I also think you get to this part in
the season and the really good team's focus and the
teams that are banged up and less talented like Buffalo
can have injuries and still blow people out. As you
get later in the season and you have more injuries,
(28:43):
those teams that the margins are closer, like the Rams,
who are another draft away from being a Buffalo level team.
So I think what happened does everybody suffers injuries? The
really good rosters can handle it. Dallas can't.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Yeah, Dallas two tough, right, Dallas?
Speaker 1 (29:00):
The Rams can't.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
I got a guy looking into some I don't know
if there's anything to it, but late in the season
cross country trips, after big wins.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
What's the spine he's looking into it.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
I got a guy he's digging into that.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
And east to west after beating the raven or the
forty nine ers gonna blowout. I think, just historically, this
is a spot, you know, the spot says.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Rams, all right, yeah, maybe it does. My eyes say
Bills here, I.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Say otherwise, all right, final story, Colin.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Is to the NBA, Let's go back to the Lakers.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
I think you want to pile on some more. Lakers
started ten and four. They are kind of sort of cratering.
They've lost six of eight. The worst part is they're
getting blasted. These aren't close games. The average margin of
victory in defeat is twenty one points per loss. Last night,
they got obliterated by the Heat by forty one, the
third worst loss of Lebron's career.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Now.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
Earlier this week on Speak, Paul Pierce said he believes
this could be Lebro's final season.
Speaker 7 (30:02):
This could be Lebron Jamesis last year in the NBA,
because think about this, What does Lebron have to play for.
He's won championships on every team he's playing on.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
He's the all.
Speaker 7 (30:14):
Time leader score and then the top it all. To
top it off, he got his son that he got
to play, which which no NBA player has ever done.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
It's like, what else do we.
Speaker 7 (30:25):
Got, Bron? What else you got to accomplish?
Speaker 1 (30:29):
I don't think he's necessarily wrong. I think Lebron's got
too much pride. I think Brady had this, and I
think Lebron shooting slump. Lebron can see it, he can
feel it. He just there'll He'll have great moments. But
I think this is the first time I've watched Lebron
and thought he's out of the top ten as a player.
(30:50):
And I remember those MJ years he would drop forty
two and the next night have sixteen and look awful.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
I need to see your top ten. But that's a
reasonable take.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
I know you don't want to hear this, but they
really miss Austin Reeves. He creates, he shoots, he defends
Dulton Connect. As soon as Austin Reeves left the lineup,
Adulton Connect's.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Falling off a map. Yeah, they can't find it, I
will say to defend Pierce here.
Speaker 4 (31:13):
Lebron doesn't have anything left to prove, and he has
said he's not gonna be hanging on the way Peyton
Manning did.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Remember Peyton Manning got benched in his final You're in Denver.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
I do wonder is Lebron the kind of guy who
would want that final season tour where every stop no.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
I think it feels like to me this could be
this team has no chance to win.
Speaker 6 (31:31):
Chance.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
But remember when Kobe it was his final year, like
everybody knew there was like a big to do at
every stop.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Would Lebron want that?
Speaker 1 (31:38):
I think Lebron could announce it as the trade deadline up.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
All Star Wars is in my final season.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
This is gonna be it. If he has another six
weeks where it's choppy, this is gonna be it.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
I mean, he carried the league for two decades and
made a lot of players millions of dollars.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
I mean Tiger Woods to the PGA Tour. He made
a lot of guys rich.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
Maybe Lebron will get into politics or something.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
I count I had to Toowherd go on j Mack
with the news.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
Herd Line News. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Herd Weekdays and Noone Eastern nin a em Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
Sunday, a huge doubleheader on Fox starts as the Panthers
take on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles or other regional action.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
Then in America's Game of the Week, Josh.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Allen and the Bills take on Stafford and the Rams
or Bears Niners.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Check local listings for the games.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
In your area only on Fox. Well, it's one of
our final times of doing big bets. Maybe not, maybe
we'll do it during the playoff. Here we go, It's Thursday,
big Bets.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
It's time for big bets. Colin and j Matt make
their favorite big ten bets of the week.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
I like Oregon minus three and a half over Penn State.
They're human. I think they're the best team in the country. Remember,
they defend the tight end better than any team in America.
Have not allowed a touchdown to a tight end all season,
and Ty Warren is Penn State's primary weapon. The quarterback
for Penn State, Drew Aller, has not been great against
(33:22):
ranked opponents. I think Oregon's got a arguable head coaching, quarterback,
and perimeter speed advantage. Oregon's also been a better big
game team. All take the Ducks to win by over
three and a half points. I think there's a clear
argument that Texas and Oregon are the best teams in
the country. After we watched Ohio State last weekend, darn.
Speaker 4 (33:45):
It, you beat me last week to head and I
want to go back against you. So I'm going Penn
State now. I don't understand this line. We've talked about this.
Why is it only three and a half? Penn State
has not been overly impressive this season? Right, Well, I
think two factors come into play. So if you're an
Oregon Ducks fan, right, are you traveling to Indianapolis for
the Big Ten Championship or are you like, oh, we
(34:06):
could be going to the Natty.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
We need to save up for the semi final.
Speaker 4 (34:09):
I think there'll be a big Penn State crowd advantage
at the Dome, closer proximity to Happy Valley.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
And I think James Franklin needs this game.
Speaker 4 (34:16):
I think he's zero to eleven against top five opponents. Yeah,
I think this is Penn State max effort. I think
they cover. I don't know if they win, but I
think this is gonna be very, very close. I would
not be surprised.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
If Oregon was like, oh are they really number one?
Speaker 3 (34:28):
They don't need this.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
Game, Colent, They've had an amazing season, So I'll go
Penn State plus three and a half.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
That's a pretty good argument. I'm going to take the
over on Georgia Texas. So Georgia came out of an
eight overtime game. They're banged up and they're exhausted. If
you go eight overtimes, it's the defense that will suffer.
And Texas came off a clunky offensive performance. Quinn Ewers
and Carson Beck are both good enough. They're the top
two SEC quarterbacks in passing touchdowns per game this year,
(34:57):
so you have potentially high powered offense. One Texas has
something to prove after a clunky performance. And I just
think Georgia's defense, by the way, Georgia's defense has allowed
two hundred plus yards rushing and back to back games.
They looked tired. They looked like the gauntlet has worn
on them. The offense not as good. They're on the
(35:17):
field more Georgia Tech. I mean at different times in
that game ran right at Georgia. I think this is
over forty nine and a half points.
Speaker 6 (35:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
One thing that's tough to anticipate with this new college
football playoff is like how much do teams care about
certain games? Did Georgia look disinterested against Gegea Tech?
Speaker 3 (35:36):
It was like seventeen nothing. I'm like, what's going on?
Speaker 4 (35:39):
And I just can't get over the earlier meeting. How
much Georgia dominated the trenches. I mean yours was under
duress at one point.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Remember they pulled him for Art.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
He was just getting annihilated. I think George is just
too strong in the trenches. So I'm taking the points.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
If you can get Georgia getting three, I think.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
You gotta do it.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
I like Texas a lot. I don't think this matchup
is good for the long Horns.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
Okay, I'm gonna take under fifty seven points on Clemson
and SMU, mostly because they're arguably the two best defenses
in the ACC. I don't think either team's great, but
SMU allows nineteen a game and Clemson allows about twenty one.
And Clemson's coming off another game where their offense struggled
against South Carolina for the last five games. Clemson can't
(36:20):
move the ball very well. They're under twenty five points,
and again, I think these are two pretty average teams,
not a ton of great playmakers, and I think it's
just gonna be kind of low and ugly and under
fifty seven points kind of a twenty four, twenty three,
twenty seven, twenty four game.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
Ugly kind of lines up for this conference. I'm gonna
rocks with SMU your favorite by two. I have not
watched some ton of them this year, but the numbers
say SMUs hella good.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
I haven't seen.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
It, but this Doabo Swingey situation in Clemson very interesting.
There's a lot of people, you know how they're out
on Ryan Dia at Ohio State. Yeah, a lot of
guys out on Davos Swing.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
Well, he won't use the transfer portal. He is very
much stuck in his way.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
Uses this game doesn't make the playoff. I wonder what
that off seasons like that.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Well, they're not gonna find I don't think they will.
Speaker 4 (37:02):
But what if he's ticked off enough that he starts
looking at it like you don't respect me for what
I've done for this Unifah.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
But he I'm gonna look around.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
The only place he'd go was Bama, and they have
Kaylan to boar, and Kaylin's non leaving. Kalin's gonna win
a Natty at Alabama. Just give him time.
Speaker 4 (37:15):
I'll lay it with smu here as the as the
pro gambler say bet it and forget it.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
I'm probably not gonna watch this game. I got a
big Saturday night play him. But yeah, that's it's been
a good.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Season for us. No, that's such fun. I like doing this.
It's fun. Okay. You know, we were talking about this
last hour. I always considered, you know, there's a group
of coaches I always thought didn't have a natty, but
I think are good enough to get one, and I
that's Brian Kelly, sark Lane Kiffen, Kaylin de boor Dan Lanning.
I think Josh Hypel at Tennessee. I always had Ryan
(37:48):
Day in that group, but new information. I watched the
Michigan game and I'm like, wow, that was a clunker
with much better personnel. They scored ten points against Michigan
and Ryan Days an offensive quarterback coach, and so yesterday
they're still talking about it. Here's Ryan Day on the
(38:11):
lost to the Wolverines.
Speaker 8 (38:14):
As much as this hurts, you know, we got a
chance to go play for national championship, and so I
think the culture as strong as it's ever been.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
I think we have great players. I think we have
great coaches.
Speaker 8 (38:24):
It was a bad day, and so now we have
to go forward, and we got to you known, the
mindset has going the whole thing now.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
So I'll make the argument that the best team I've
seen is Texas and one a is Oregon. If you
ask me the two other teams that I think can
win a Natty, it's Tennessee and Ohio State. Now I
picked Tennessee to win the national championship. I didn't look
very smart middle of the season, but I have Tennessee
as my national champion and if I win, I'll be unbearable,
(38:54):
completely unbearable to deal with. But I think I think
Oregon and Texas looked like the two best team I see.
I think Oregon speed, Texas size and speed. Those are
the two best teams, two excellent coaches. But I think
Tennessee and Ohio State are just a field goal below them.
So I don't think this guy is falling. I know
there was a lot of pride, but I kind of
(39:15):
like I The only thing I don't like about Ohio
State in the current playoff format, and it could change.
They play Tennessee now they play them at home. But
I think Tennessee's I think everybody in this is capable.
I think Tennessee is the team nobody thinks gonna win
a Natty. Like I don't think Alabama can win a Natty.
I just think they're way too inconsistent, especially on offense.
(39:40):
But Indiana is not going to win one. I mean,
who knows Notre Dame, who knows Penn State, who knows?
You know, I kind of like you taking Penn State
in the points against Oregon. That's pretty shifty.
Speaker 4 (39:53):
Remember I convinced you last week to switch to USC
and they were close to covering and then the quarterback
dood ninety plus yard pick sixes in the final four.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
Zack Sexual actually bad advice.
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 (00:26):
Here we go Hour two and a Thursday. Lions Packers
Tonight live in LA. It's The Herd. Greg Cosell in
five minutes, Jordan Schultz an hour from now. The very
latest on some breaking stories beon Dawkins of the Buffalo Bills.
You know, Jay mac I was thinking about this week.
We talked about this last week, is that you don't
want to become the NBA if you're the NFL. The
(00:47):
NBA's got very top heavy, five or six really good
championship level teams, that's it, a very large middle that's
pretty soft. Lakers are in that middle to bottom middle,
and then Drek in the bottom eight nine teams. For
the first time that I can remember, and I could
be wrong, I think the NFL, because they're so quarterback centric,
(01:08):
you have one of you're done right now, there's eight
teams with three wins or fewer. So the bottom of
the NFL is as bad as I remember it, and
Dallas isn't even in that group, and we don't think
they're any good. So the middle is very uh and
it may change, but it's very Arizona. It's the Rams,
it's the Cowboys, it's the and if the Rams get
(01:30):
hammered by Buffalo, they're definitely in that soft middle. So
one of the great things about the NFL. You've always
had about eight teams that you think can win it.
Then the middle to upper middle is massive and a
very tiny bottom. It does feel like the bottom has expanded.
And my reasoning for that is when you make the
quarterback the be all and all to your sport, if
(01:54):
you don't have one, your toast, So.
Speaker 3 (01:56):
How do you avoid making the quarterback the be all end?
Speaker 1 (01:59):
Well, the the NFL, after that CTE lawsuit where they
wrote a billion dollar check, made the rules very quarterback protective.
They wanted to extend the careers of the quarterbacks that
are good. Now the good news is this is the
good news. The hit rate for quarterbacks is going up.
It used to be a fifty to fifty proposition in
the first round. It's much better than that now. Of
(02:20):
the last I think it's the last twenty seven first
round quarterback picks only ten what you would call busts.
And remember four of those are from the COVID year
where they were all overvalued.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Is Bryce Young in that bus?
Speaker 1 (02:37):
No, I think Bryce Young you cannot make a judgment
on you. I do not believe you can.
Speaker 3 (02:43):
Listen, we judged CJ. Stroud after his rookie year.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
No, it's not easy as spot exceptional. It's harder to spot.
Not gonna make it.
Speaker 3 (02:51):
It's Stroud exceptional. We now have more data half a season.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I think he's a very solid franchise quarterback. Remember you
watched the American Idol. It's really easy to go, oh God,
Carrie Underwood's a rock star. It's harder to guess where
somebody that's okay is gonna land? Are they gonna do
lounge singing? Are they gonna just do bar mitzvahs? Like
you can't tell. It's very hard to delineate kind of
good to sort of good but great. Herbert first game,
(03:17):
WHOA Joe Burrow's second game?
Speaker 4 (03:19):
Wow, Herbert's multiple seasons of good Now Stroud. I've just
got asked. They got him Joe Mixon, and they got
him Stefan Diggs. Now I don't dig's got her well.
Their old line is outside of it's awful.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
It's very bad.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
He can't do anything.
Speaker 4 (03:32):
It feels like it was Stroud and it was Bryce Young,
and now Bryce Young's creeping up in Stroud.
Speaker 1 (03:37):
Is I think that's fair.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
I need another year before I say c J. Stroud's
definitely a franchise quot.
Speaker 1 (03:42):
Yeah, I think I think CJ. Stroud's better than Bryce Young,
But I do think ones come down. One's moved up,
and I think the offensive coaching is better, So that
is going to increase the hit rate on quarterbacks making it.
How do I know that? Gino Smith, Baker, Mayfield, Sam Darnold.
Guys get reborn now when they get better offense coaches.
So that doesn't it used to be if your first
(04:03):
team didn't work, Drew Brees was an outlier, you're done.
Not anymore. Guys are circling back on their third and
fourth team like Darnald and Gino and Baker, and you're like,
not only are they good, Sam Darnold's excellent, Baker looks
very good. Gino's a pro bowler. So there's a lot
of positive news with the NFL that we're getting more
quarterback and kids coming out of college have more snaps,
(04:26):
they're more developed, more seven on seven camps, So there's
good news. But I do feel like the middle is
softer in the NFL than I remember, and the bottom
is enormous. There's a lot of garbage out.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Somebody at the bottom's got to take a swing this
all that.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
If you want to come out of that drek as
you called it, and surpassed the middle class and get
in the top.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
You got to take big swings. Kind of like life, right,
you gotta take big swings.
Speaker 1 (04:47):
Greg Cosell Thursdays, we love him. If you bet football,
play fantasy football, want to get smarter at football? Forty
five years NFL films, You know what. Listen, it's really
interesting about Christian McCaffrey. So when he came to the Niners,
he'd banged up this. I compared it yesterday to getting
an aging pitcher. Listen, can we get three big inning
(05:08):
geers out of him? We're not getting six. So I
always thought if McCaffrey could get him a trophy, three years,
but he came to the Niners banged up. What is
remarkable though, is that Kyle Shanahan has a losing record
without him, and I think Shanahan's an excellent coach. What
it tells me is McCaffrey is a sensational all time talent.
(05:30):
Are you surprised a little that just taking him out
there are different franchise It feels like Greg.
Speaker 5 (05:41):
I don't know if we have a large enough sample
sized Colin to say that for sure. I think what
the film show is regarding when McCaffrey's not in is
that they're limited in what they can do as far
as the motions and the shifts and the formation variation.
Speaker 6 (05:56):
This is a very schemed up offense. Yeah.
Speaker 5 (05:59):
When McCaffrey and Samuel are in the game together, they
do a lot of things in terms of movement, pre snap,
in terms of formations. Things that cause a lot of
questions for defense is how they want to handle it
and when he's not in, Even though Jordan Mason ran
well for the first part of the season and gain
yards maybe with second or third in the league and rushing,
(06:20):
they can't do the same things in terms of the
movement and the formation variation simply because McCaffrey is so
good as a receiver and that's the other element to
his game, and it also allows Samuel to become a
much better player. Samuel is not the same player because
McCaffrey's not there, because Samuel is a pure receiver. Colin
and I think you would agree, you would not talk
(06:41):
about Samuel the way you talk about.
Speaker 6 (06:42):
Justin Jefferson or Jamar James. He's not that kind of player.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
No, he's a schemed up player, and they can't do
the scheming that allows them to be what they are.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
I'm really interested on this next reply by you. So
in the last three games, we both like Bonnick out
of college, and we both think Sean Payton's very smart.
But in the last three games they're averaging thirty six
a game. What is he giving him more to do?
I'll tell you what. That seventh round Utah receiver they
(07:12):
got That kid can play. Some of this is just
the receiving course, maybe a little tastier than people thought.
What is the bon Nicks Peyton relationship? What is the
film saying over the last month.
Speaker 5 (07:23):
Well, you know, it's funny you asked me that because
I think that the way he calls a game in
certain situations, Sean Payton, that is tells you everything you
need to know about what he feels about bone Knicks.
Think about what he did with two third quarter plays
from deep in their own territory out of the end zone.
Third and eleven and he throws the steamball to Mims
(07:46):
for a touchdown, and then second and long. I think
it might have been the next possession he throws. I
think that's what we're looking at now. This boot pass
to Sutton. That tells you all you need to know,
the confidence that Peyton has in his ability not only
to make the throws, but to make the right decisions,
because if you make the wrong decision in your end zone,
(08:07):
you've got a problem. And by the way, both of
those throws came against the coverage we call cover two
invert where they're playing Cover two, but they get to
it a different way. But the thing that really stands
out about Nicks is he's driving the ball. And I
don't think we thought when he came out of Oregon
that he'd necessarily be that kind of power thrower. You're
certainly not going to say he's Matthew Stafford, but He's
(08:29):
made drive throws with velocity. He made a far Halsh
sideline throw this week. He's made these kinds of throws.
A couple of weeks ago, we showed a play a
window throw between the numbers, between the hashes. He has
really shown the ability to drive the football at the
intermediate and intermediate and deeper levels. And I'm not sure
we all thought that would be the case.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
So Lamar against the NFC is unbeatable, and then all
of a sudden against Philadelphia, he was very, very beatable.
Is it schemes, is it personnel? But Philadelphia did And
not only does Lamar beat NFC teams, greg he often
humiliates them. It's like they've never they've never seen anything
(09:12):
like it. Blew out the Lions last year. What did
Philadelphia do?
Speaker 6 (09:18):
Well?
Speaker 5 (09:19):
You know, it's interesting because and I never questioned coaches
because they know way more than I do, and they
know their teams better than I do.
Speaker 6 (09:25):
Obviously.
Speaker 5 (09:25):
I mean, I sent in my office and watched Tate,
but I'm not there all week during the process. So
what really struck me was sixty four percent of Derrick
Henry's runs prior to the Eagles game this year had
come out of either twenty one or twenty two personnel,
meaning that Patrick Riccard was on the field. Okay, and
the Eagles they had really evolved into being a purely
(09:46):
nickel defense about ninety percent of their their defensive snaps
since Cooper Dejene started playing. But surprisingly to me, they
did not play anywhere near as much out of twenty
one and twenty two personnel the Ravens, that is, as
they had prior to that game. So when they lined
up in twelve personnel with like Le and Andrews, the
(10:07):
Eagles stayed in their nickel and therefore, to me, they
kind of played into the Eagles hands. I thought that
they would make the Eagles play in a way that
they didn't really want to, and they didn't really do
that in my opinion anyway. So I'm sure Todd Monkin
would have a different answer, But I just don't think
they played in a sense Ravens football, and they allowed
the Eagles to dictate the game on the defensive side
(10:30):
of the ball.
Speaker 1 (10:31):
So I'm gonna throw You may be surprised by this,
but I've told everybody to take a deep breath and
get away from the record with Caleb Williams. Don't look
at four and eight because they've lost the Vikings, Lions
and Packers. You flip those and all of a sudden,
they're seven and five, and those are like last play
of the game and the Hail Mary. It's not his fault.
He has more one hundred plus passer rating games than Mahomes,
(10:54):
better completion percentage than Trevor Lawrence, averaging more yards passing
the game than Justin Herbert and Kyler, and the same
number of touchdown passes as Jalen Hurts. And that's with
his second play caller, a dysfunctional head coach, and an
organization that can't develop quarterbacks. So my take is, folks,
get away from the record. Something's working here. Is that
(11:15):
what you see with Caleb?
Speaker 6 (11:18):
Yeah, he's played a lot better.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
You know, we talked earlier in the year that even
basic concepts he was struggling with, he just did delivered
the football and now he is and I mean he's
really gifted.
Speaker 6 (11:29):
Colin.
Speaker 5 (11:30):
You know, you're close to the USC you've seen him
for the two years he was the starter there and
the ball comes out beautifully. He's clearly and this is
not an next and O point, but you can just
see body language. He's more decisive. The ball's coming out
now it's a coach's job to nitpick. So there are
a couple of things that the film shows that he
absolutely needs to work on to even get better. He
(11:53):
has a tendency to climb or step up in the
pocket when there's no pressure on him, so he creates
some of his own pressure by doing that that he
needs to work on. The other thing that he's getting
better at, and this is good, is he used to
leave the pocket by retreating backwards. You can't do that
in the NFL. Maybe only Lamar Jackson can do that.
(12:13):
But you can't do that. No one would teach you
to retreat backwards. Yeah, but he's throwing beautiful balls now.
And what I really like is the innate mindset that
he has to drive the ball into tight windows in
the middle of the field. I'm not sure you can
teach that, and he has shown the innate ability to
do that.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
So this next question, it's funny because for years and
years I would say, Greg, you are wrong. Russell Wilson
is amazing, and you were the only guy that would go.
You'd go, I can't quite figure it out. It's almost
like their planned ad libs. I can't get my arms
around him right. But it's interesting if you take out
(12:55):
the Nat Hacket year, go to his last tive in Seattle,
go to this one in Pittsburgh, and the Peyton year.
His passer ratings around one hundred. He doesn't turn the
ball over a lot. I feel like, no, in Pittsburgh,
they didn't need a savior, they just needed an adult.
(13:16):
And have you changed your opinion? Do you look at
him now and go, actually, this fits perfectly.
Speaker 6 (13:23):
Well. I think he's playing really well.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
And I'm sure when you think back to since he
became a starter, there have not been many plays outside
of structure. He's playing from the pocket at a really
high level, and they're giving him a lot of no
huddle and he's making a lot of the right checks
and the.
Speaker 6 (13:39):
Right play calls.
Speaker 5 (13:41):
They play a lot out of two tight ends and
three tight ends, and that really helps a quarterback pre
snap because you know what the defense is going to
give you more when they're in their base defense than
they are when they're in their nickel or dime.
Speaker 6 (13:54):
And he's making really really good throws.
Speaker 5 (13:56):
He's seeing things clearly, he's understanding what he's looking at,
and he's delivering the football. He's playing right now at
a really, really high level.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
That's great. Yeah, And you know it's funny. I've always
thought that Savior tag is a bunch of nonsense. Stafford
didn't save the Rams, you know, they were already they
went to a Super Bowl, and Brady actually didn't save Tampa.
They were a five hundred team with thirty picks from Jamis.
They had all sorts of talent. I think when you
get into Savior air, into the Jets, Russell to the Broncos,
(14:27):
when you get into Savior territory, that's trouble. And Russell
isn't that in Pittsburgh because it's a very well run organization. Now,
speaking of older quarterbacks, there was a pick last week
by Kirk Cousins, and I love Kirk, but I thought,
oh my god, it looked like a major Leig Bacher
baseball pitcher thrown at eighty three mile an hour fastball.
(14:48):
So olfers zero touchdown, six picks in his last three games.
Is it possible? What does the film say, Greg? Is
it time for Michael Pennick?
Speaker 5 (14:58):
H You know, and I'm being totally honest, Colin. You know,
I don't make this stuff up. Obviously, I don't have
a great answer.
Speaker 6 (15:06):
I mean, he is.
Speaker 5 (15:08):
It's been so uncharacteristic of Kirk Cousins because say.
Speaker 6 (15:12):
What you want.
Speaker 5 (15:12):
I know there are a lot of people that may
not like him because he hasn't gotten to a championship
game or a super Bowl. But over the last five, six,
seven years, he's been absolutely one of the best pure
pocket passers in the NFL. That's his game, and he
is making uncharacteristic reads and throws and I don't know why,
but they're really not good some of these, and it's
(15:35):
obviously been very noticeable the last three games. Some of
the throws he made against the Chargers this past week.
I mean, I was just scratching my head. He never
does that. So I don't know what the answer is. Look,
they're still in it. I'd be surprised if they go
to Michael Pennix at this point. I think the belief
would be that Kirk Cousins and they've got a tough
game this week, by the way, but I think the
(15:56):
belief would be that Kirk Cousins can snap out of
this and come back to being Cousins.
Speaker 6 (16:00):
And again not being in the building and not knowing
what they do.
Speaker 5 (16:04):
I'm struggling to figure out why Kyle Pitts is not
a meaningful part of the pass games.
Speaker 6 (16:09):
Yeah, I see had two targets last week and no catches.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
I don't get that either at all. Okay, before we
go to your play of the week, which I can't
wait for Packers Lions tonight. You know, Jordan Love's doing
what he did last year. He's rocky in September and
October and then he catches fire and so Jordan Love
like he was at the end of last year, He's
on a heater again and he's going to Detroit. All
(16:34):
of a sudden, Matt Lafleur and Jordan Love are clicking
on these young receivers. What interests you? What matchup tonight
are you interested in?
Speaker 6 (16:43):
Well?
Speaker 5 (16:44):
I think you know, we always talk about the Lions offense.
I think their defense really needs to be talked about.
Aaron Glenn is patching together a defense that's lost really
key players, and yet he stayed aggressive. They blitz a lot,
they play man coverage. I think you could easily make
the argument that they have the best safety the duo
in the NFL and Brian Branch and Kirby Joseph. I mean,
Joseph has seven picks. I'm not sure anybody's aware of that.
(17:06):
And Branch. He gives them tremendous flexibility Colin because Branch
can line up and play man to man against wide
receivers because he was a slot corner for them last
year as a rookie. So he gives them tremendous flexibility
and versatility in their coverage schemes. They can stay with
the personnel they want to stay with because he can
(17:26):
do that. So it's really their defense against Love tonight
that probably to me is a fascinating tactical matchup.
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Okay, so I thought one of the really interesting games.
And Arizona's been in a lot of these because I
really like their offense at personnel McBride, Harrison's got seven touchdowns,
say what, Jawani's inconsistent, Kyler the running back Connor Minnesota
Arizona was fascinating because I thought Minnesota looked a little
(17:56):
cooked and then all of a sudden, here cam Sam
Darnold with a drive down the field. He again this year,
we get a lot less reckless and a lot more
precision passing, especially in big spots. What did you make
of Darnold's play against Arizona.
Speaker 5 (18:14):
Yeah, I mean at halftime, if you looked on social media,
you would have thought it was time for them, you know,
to whip out Joe Cat, you know, after the first half,
and then of course the second half he came out
and made some really good throws. I mean, this is
you know, in many ways, like the Lions, like the Rams.
It's such a well schemed passing game. The spacing and
the routes is really good. It really presents clean, defined
(18:35):
reads for him, so the throws are evident, and it's
just really a matter of time in any game as
long as he has time in the pocket. But he's
also shown as you know, he's a good athlete. But
it's not running out of the pocket that I'm talking about.
It's moving within the pocket. And I think he's doing
that this year better than he ever has. And actually
that's a part of the big play because the big
(18:57):
play I want to show came from the winning touch
down drive last week against the Cardinals, who, by the way,
are a difficult defense to play against, not a lot
of talent, but Jonathan Gannon does an unbelievable job with
schematics in his defense.
Speaker 6 (19:10):
So let's go to this play.
Speaker 5 (19:11):
It was a play to Jordan Addison for twenty six
yards and as I said, it was on the final drive,
and it was it really set everything up.
Speaker 6 (19:19):
And I think we.
Speaker 5 (19:20):
Want to start with the fact number one, which you
don't see a lot in that Sam Darnold is under
center and they play under center an awful lot and
run regular play action and it's a three by one set.
So now we're going to get to the route concept,
which is a very staple concept for them.
Speaker 6 (19:39):
It's what we call dagger.
Speaker 5 (19:40):
So you're going to get an inside vertical by Nailer
and Addison he's going to run the dig route underneath that.
Speaker 6 (19:47):
So that's what dagger is.
Speaker 5 (19:48):
It's an inside vertical and a dig route underneath that vertical. Now,
what the cards are going to end up playing here,
even though it doesn't look like it now, and that's
another part of this play is they're going to end
up playing cover three. So what's cover three. It's three
deep with four underneath defenders. That's what cover three is.
And this is kind of base cover three. So as
(20:10):
we focus on the two receivers. As we start to play,
you're going to see exactly how this plays out.
Speaker 6 (20:15):
You're going to see nail Or. He's going to run
the inside vertical route.
Speaker 5 (20:19):
What that does is it attacks the safety who's got
the deep middle third. Okay, so that lifts the safety
and then you're gonna have Addison and he's going to
run as we said that inbreaking route underneath Nailer. Now,
what Darnold has to do here is he's got to
beat that underneath hook defender with his throw. And this
has to be a big time anticipation and timing throw,
(20:42):
and there's the void that he needs to hit. It's
actually going to be inside that underneath hook defender, not
outside of him. And he throws the ball really early
and sticks it right on him. This is not an
easy throw. Now we're going to see this from a
different angle because I think it's really really important to
see this second angle. So if we can take a
look at that, it would be really good.
Speaker 6 (21:02):
Yep. So right now we're gonna see this. There's Darnald.
Speaker 5 (21:04):
Now he's gonna get pressure here, and this is what
I was talking about, Colin.
Speaker 6 (21:08):
He's gonna get pressure.
Speaker 5 (21:09):
So he has to move, and he has to move
while he keeps his eyes down field. He can't lose
sight of the coverage. So what he does is he
climbs the pocket. He moves very comfortably, resets his throwing platform.
He's now ready to deliver. There is that underneath the
fender that he has to be looko when he delivers
this ball. He delivers this ball when Addison is literally
(21:31):
on the numbers and he's gonna throw it between the hashes.
This is big time NFL quarterback and these are the
kinds of throws that you have to be able to
make in the NFL, particularly against defenses that play a
lot his own great stuff.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
Greg co Sell forty five years, NFL Films. As always,
Greg appreciate it.
Speaker 6 (21:51):
Thanks coln.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
The gap in coaching in the NFL is as large
as the gap in quarterbacking. Like when you watch how
easily define that play is for our radio audience, Basically
Sam goes back and everybody's moving. There's a symmetry. Everybody's
kind of moving in the same direction. There's an underneath,
there's a middle, there's an over the top. Sometimes you
(22:13):
watch coaching in this league, it's like it's not a
coincidence that Sean Payton and Kevin O'Connell. Kevin O'Connell took
Josh Dobbs without a practice and won a game. Remember that,
Remember we made a trade for Josh dobb didn't have
a practice. McVeigh and Baker like the gap between the
best and the and the average coaches. Like right now,
the Jets staff is a mess. They had one great coach,
(22:37):
Sala fired him. I mean their defense straight downhill that there.
We all know there's a gap in quarterback play, but
the gap in general managers owners, I mean Stan Cronke
and Robert Kraft to the circus in Chicago, it's as
big as Mahomes and Desmond Ritter and just you don't
see it. Nothing against you know the kid, but it's
(22:58):
like what you some of this stuff. The gap in
coaching is the Grand Canyon here.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
One more heard. The Herd streams twenty four hours a day,
seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search Herd
to listen live or on demand whenever you like.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
It is time to start thinking about holiday gifts. Headphones
with the Perfect Gift podcast Lover, Student Music Lover, go
to JLab dot Com. Find the blue box at retailer's.
Jmack with the news, Turn on the news.
Speaker 2 (23:31):
This is the herd Line News.
Speaker 4 (23:33):
So we haven't talked as much about brock Purty this
season because the Niners have struggled.
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Not his fault. He's been fine.
Speaker 1 (23:39):
No, uh, didn't play great in the snow. But who
does fine? They're five and seven. Uh.
Speaker 4 (23:43):
And the big decision this offseason is whether to extend
brock Purdy. He has one year left on his rookie deal.
The question isn't really weather or not to, it's how
much do you pay him?
Speaker 1 (23:53):
By the way, the question is no, why would you
have to pay him now?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
So we did this with this idea.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
That he is going to hold the Niners hostage. He
doesn't have a huge market. Little guy hurt twice? What
what's the market for?
Speaker 3 (24:07):
I'm listen, this is why you love this story.
Speaker 4 (24:10):
One NFL writer believes the forty nine ers don't need
to rush into an extension, saying it isn't essential to
their twenty twenty four offseason.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:19):
Boy, if I was Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, I'm
sure as hell would want a writer saying that wouldn't
you put that out there for everybody.
Speaker 3 (24:26):
We're not rushing in anything.
Speaker 1 (24:27):
Well, why would you have to if you don't want
to send him? You don't want to kill not justin Herbert.
What happens of smallish brock Purty as his third injury
in Week six next year and you're tied to it
and the offseas Jordan Love is a much better talent.
You said you would you didn't want to pay. I
said I'd like to see six more games. I've seen
enough of brock Purty. He's a B level. That's not
(24:48):
how it works.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
That is not how it is. Rock Purty. You're not
going to do a ling duck season.
Speaker 1 (24:53):
You are with average B quarterbacks. You're not with Josh
Allen average.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
The numbers saying he's not.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
Average numbers say a lot. He is an average B
B quarterback. What funny? So it's funny how when Trent
Williams gets old and Kittle's broken down, his numbers come down,
his wins disappears.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
McCaffrey, this is like nine games barely plays.
Speaker 1 (25:16):
Lamar Jackson's winning mvpiece before Dereck Henry got there. He's
not reliant on a running back.
Speaker 4 (25:21):
Oh my what is he won in the postseason? Lamar
does not have any post season post season? Then rock
Perty forget postseason? Can can Brock pretty carry an average roster?
Speaker 1 (25:33):
No is the answer.
Speaker 3 (25:34):
I don't this. This could be the end of us,
this this discussion. I mean, you're sounding unreasonable. You you're
telling me you.
Speaker 4 (25:40):
Would say to rock Perty with a straight face, Hey man,
we can't pay you. We need to see some more.
So go into your lame duck season. If you have
another shoulder injury, you're screwed your future.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Say Brock, play through your contract. We'll talk at the
end of the year, end of the conversation.
Speaker 4 (25:55):
That is not how it works.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
I think that is how it would wait. It's not
how it works with Josh Allen, nor Ma Holmes or Lamar,
who's an MVP the first full year he stars. You know,
it's like different for different people in the NBA. You
know there's Lebron had rules and the MJ rules and
the Kobe rules. You know who doesn't have those Dalton
connects not gonna get those rules. He holds out and
(26:18):
he's not holding out. It's not how he's built, not holding.
Speaker 4 (26:22):
Out, So he's just gonna fall in line and listen
to these guys get no money and gave.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Him a chance to drive a Mercedes for a few Mercedes.
Speaker 6 (26:29):
To the super Bowl.
Speaker 4 (26:30):
With comeback wins against the Packers and Lions in the playoffs,
the loaded roster couldn't get them anywhere. Brock Purdy had
fourth quarter comebacks.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
Garoppolo got him to the Super Bowl, so he did.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
Also he lost the game as well.
Speaker 1 (26:43):
How did he do when he left San Francisco? Howd
Garoppolo do when he left? Kyle Shannon? How'd that go?
Speaker 3 (26:48):
What do you have against under six foot two quarterbacks?
Speaker 1 (26:51):
I like over six two? Nothing against him. I'm just
for the other guy.
Speaker 4 (26:55):
Yes, I was gonna make another joke, but nevertheless, Uh fine, fine,
you loot that round.
Speaker 3 (27:00):
We'll move on. Stick it.
Speaker 4 (27:01):
In the NFC West, the Rams host the Bills Sunday.
Speaker 3 (27:05):
This is a big one. Colin.
Speaker 4 (27:06):
Rams are a game back of Seattle, first in the division.
Speaker 1 (27:09):
Don't like the Rams on this spot.
Speaker 4 (27:10):
Stafford has been dealing with an ankle injury. I think
he got stepped on maybe I'm not exactly sure. Maybe
it was a rollout, but he suffered against the Saints.
I remember I was nervous, but he was a full
participant in practice yesterday and he says he'll be good
to go. So this line opened at five early in
the week. As soon as Stafford cleared practice, all good.
It went down to three and a half. You and
(27:31):
I know there's a lot of Buffalo fans out here.
So far is going to be sixty five to thirty
five Bills.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Fans and Buffalo is one of my favorite sides of
the week, even though the numbers dropping. Well, I think
again at five you just take Stafford at home, but
I think you're getting closer to three. I like Buffalo,
so we.
Speaker 3 (27:51):
Know Buffalo loves to do what colin offensively?
Speaker 1 (27:55):
Well, I mean they're run the football team they'd like to.
Speaker 2 (27:58):
Yeah, okay, I fill it off.
Speaker 3 (28:00):
The Eagles like to run the football. How did that
work out for the Eagles at so far? They ran
for what three hundred yards? Say one Barkley at a
career game. What are the Rams suddenly gonna stop the
run defense?
Speaker 4 (28:10):
Are they just gonna bottle up Cook and Josh Allen?
I mean, we saw the Saints. We're having success. Do
you know in that game turn when Taysom Hill left
the game yep, the running guy. I don't see what
folks are seeing here.
Speaker 3 (28:22):
I'm with you.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
I think the Bills are the signed Yeah, I really like.
And I also think you get to this part in
the season and the really good team's focus and the
teams that are banged up and less talented like Buffalo
can have injuries and still blow people out. As you
get later in the season and you have more injuries,
(28:43):
those teams that the margins are closer, like the Rams,
who are another draft away from being a Buffalo level team.
So I think what happened does everybody suffers injuries? The
really good rosters can handle it. Dallas can't.
Speaker 3 (28:58):
Yeah, Dallas two tough, right, Dallas?
Speaker 1 (29:00):
The Rams can't.
Speaker 4 (29:02):
I got a guy looking into some I don't know
if there's anything to it, but late in the season
cross country trips, after big wins.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
What's the spine he's looking into it.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
I got a guy he's digging into that.
Speaker 4 (29:14):
And east to west after beating the raven or the
forty nine ers gonna blowout. I think, just historically, this
is a spot, you know, the spot says.
Speaker 1 (29:24):
Rams, all right, yeah, maybe it does. My eyes say
Bills here, I.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
Say otherwise, all right, final story, Colin.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Is to the NBA, Let's go back to the Lakers.
Speaker 4 (29:33):
I think you want to pile on some more. Lakers
started ten and four. They are kind of sort of cratering.
They've lost six of eight. The worst part is they're
getting blasted. These aren't close games. The average margin of
victory in defeat is twenty one points per loss. Last night,
they got obliterated by the Heat by forty one, the
third worst loss of Lebron's career.
Speaker 3 (29:56):
Now.
Speaker 4 (29:56):
Earlier this week on Speak, Paul Pierce said he believes
this could be Lebro's final season.
Speaker 7 (30:02):
This could be Lebron Jamesis last year in the NBA,
because think about this, What does Lebron have to play for.
He's won championships on every team he's playing on.
Speaker 2 (30:13):
He's the all.
Speaker 7 (30:14):
Time leader score and then the top it all. To
top it off, he got his son that he got
to play, which which no NBA player has ever done.
Speaker 1 (30:24):
It's like, what else do we.
Speaker 7 (30:25):
Got, Bron? What else you got to accomplish?
Speaker 1 (30:29):
I don't think he's necessarily wrong. I think Lebron's got
too much pride. I think Brady had this, and I
think Lebron shooting slump. Lebron can see it, he can
feel it. He just there'll He'll have great moments. But
I think this is the first time I've watched Lebron
and thought he's out of the top ten as a player.
(30:50):
And I remember those MJ years he would drop forty
two and the next night have sixteen and look awful.
Speaker 3 (30:55):
I need to see your top ten. But that's a
reasonable take.
Speaker 4 (30:59):
I know you don't want to hear this, but they
really miss Austin Reeves. He creates, he shoots, he defends
Dulton Connect. As soon as Austin Reeves left the lineup,
Adulton Connect's.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Falling off a map. Yeah, they can't find it, I
will say to defend Pierce here.
Speaker 4 (31:13):
Lebron doesn't have anything left to prove, and he has
said he's not gonna be hanging on the way Peyton
Manning did.
Speaker 3 (31:18):
Remember Peyton Manning got benched in his final You're in Denver.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
I do wonder is Lebron the kind of guy who
would want that final season tour where every stop no.
Speaker 1 (31:27):
I think it feels like to me this could be
this team has no chance to win.
Speaker 6 (31:31):
Chance.
Speaker 4 (31:31):
But remember when Kobe it was his final year, like
everybody knew there was like a big to do at
every stop.
Speaker 3 (31:37):
Would Lebron want that?
Speaker 1 (31:38):
I think Lebron could announce it as the trade deadline up.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
All Star Wars is in my final season.
Speaker 1 (31:43):
This is gonna be it. If he has another six
weeks where it's choppy, this is gonna be it.
Speaker 4 (31:48):
I mean, he carried the league for two decades and
made a lot of players millions of dollars.
Speaker 1 (31:53):
I mean Tiger Woods to the PGA Tour. He made
a lot of guys rich.
Speaker 3 (31:56):
Maybe Lebron will get into politics or something.
Speaker 1 (31:59):
I count I had to Toowherd go on j Mack
with the news.
Speaker 2 (32:04):
Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the
Herd Line News. Be sure to catch live editions of
The Herd Weekdays and Noone Eastern nin a em Pacific
on Fox Sports Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 4 (32:18):
Sunday, a huge doubleheader on Fox starts as the Panthers
take on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles or other regional action.
Speaker 3 (32:27):
Then in America's Game of the Week, Josh.
Speaker 4 (32:29):
Allen and the Bills take on Stafford and the Rams
or Bears Niners.
Speaker 3 (32:34):
Check local listings for the games.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
In your area only on Fox. Well, it's one of
our final times of doing big bets. Maybe not, maybe
we'll do it during the playoff. Here we go, It's Thursday,
big Bets.
Speaker 2 (32:49):
It's time for big bets. Colin and j Matt make
their favorite big ten bets of the week.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
I like Oregon minus three and a half over Penn State.
They're human. I think they're the best team in the country. Remember,
they defend the tight end better than any team in America.
Have not allowed a touchdown to a tight end all season,
and Ty Warren is Penn State's primary weapon. The quarterback
for Penn State, Drew Aller, has not been great against
(33:22):
ranked opponents. I think Oregon's got a arguable head coaching, quarterback,
and perimeter speed advantage. Oregon's also been a better big
game team. All take the Ducks to win by over
three and a half points. I think there's a clear
argument that Texas and Oregon are the best teams in
the country. After we watched Ohio State last weekend, darn.
Speaker 4 (33:45):
It, you beat me last week to head and I
want to go back against you. So I'm going Penn
State now. I don't understand this line. We've talked about this.
Why is it only three and a half? Penn State
has not been overly impressive this season? Right, Well, I
think two factors come into play. So if you're an
Oregon Ducks fan, right, are you traveling to Indianapolis for
the Big Ten Championship or are you like, oh, we
(34:06):
could be going to the Natty.
Speaker 3 (34:07):
We need to save up for the semi final.
Speaker 4 (34:09):
I think there'll be a big Penn State crowd advantage
at the Dome, closer proximity to Happy Valley.
Speaker 3 (34:14):
And I think James Franklin needs this game.
Speaker 4 (34:16):
I think he's zero to eleven against top five opponents. Yeah,
I think this is Penn State max effort. I think
they cover. I don't know if they win, but I
think this is gonna be very, very close. I would
not be surprised.
Speaker 2 (34:26):
If Oregon was like, oh are they really number one?
Speaker 3 (34:28):
They don't need this.
Speaker 4 (34:29):
Game, Colent, They've had an amazing season, So I'll go
Penn State plus three and a half.
Speaker 1 (34:33):
That's a pretty good argument. I'm going to take the
over on Georgia Texas. So Georgia came out of an
eight overtime game. They're banged up and they're exhausted. If
you go eight overtimes, it's the defense that will suffer.
And Texas came off a clunky offensive performance. Quinn Ewers
and Carson Beck are both good enough. They're the top
two SEC quarterbacks in passing touchdowns per game this year,
(34:57):
so you have potentially high powered offense. One Texas has
something to prove after a clunky performance. And I just
think Georgia's defense, by the way, Georgia's defense has allowed
two hundred plus yards rushing and back to back games.
They looked tired. They looked like the gauntlet has worn
on them. The offense not as good. They're on the
(35:17):
field more Georgia Tech. I mean at different times in
that game ran right at Georgia. I think this is
over forty nine and a half points.
Speaker 6 (35:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
One thing that's tough to anticipate with this new college
football playoff is like how much do teams care about
certain games? Did Georgia look disinterested against Gegea Tech?
Speaker 3 (35:36):
It was like seventeen nothing. I'm like, what's going on?
Speaker 4 (35:39):
And I just can't get over the earlier meeting. How
much Georgia dominated the trenches. I mean yours was under
duress at one point.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
Remember they pulled him for Art.
Speaker 4 (35:47):
He was just getting annihilated. I think George is just
too strong in the trenches. So I'm taking the points.
Speaker 3 (35:52):
If you can get Georgia getting three, I think.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
You gotta do it.
Speaker 4 (35:55):
I like Texas a lot. I don't think this matchup
is good for the long Horns.
Speaker 1 (35:59):
Okay, I'm gonna take under fifty seven points on Clemson
and SMU, mostly because they're arguably the two best defenses
in the ACC. I don't think either team's great, but
SMU allows nineteen a game and Clemson allows about twenty one.
And Clemson's coming off another game where their offense struggled
against South Carolina for the last five games. Clemson can't
(36:20):
move the ball very well. They're under twenty five points,
and again, I think these are two pretty average teams,
not a ton of great playmakers, and I think it's
just gonna be kind of low and ugly and under
fifty seven points kind of a twenty four, twenty three,
twenty seven, twenty four game.
Speaker 4 (36:35):
Ugly kind of lines up for this conference. I'm gonna
rocks with SMU your favorite by two. I have not
watched some ton of them this year, but the numbers
say SMUs hella good.
Speaker 3 (36:43):
I haven't seen.
Speaker 4 (36:44):
It, but this Doabo Swingey situation in Clemson very interesting.
There's a lot of people, you know how they're out
on Ryan Dia at Ohio State. Yeah, a lot of
guys out on Davos Swing.
Speaker 1 (36:52):
Well, he won't use the transfer portal. He is very
much stuck in his way.
Speaker 4 (36:56):
Uses this game doesn't make the playoff. I wonder what
that off seasons like that.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
Well, they're not gonna find I don't think they will.
Speaker 4 (37:02):
But what if he's ticked off enough that he starts
looking at it like you don't respect me for what
I've done for this Unifah.
Speaker 3 (37:07):
But he I'm gonna look around.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
The only place he'd go was Bama, and they have
Kaylan to boar, and Kaylin's non leaving. Kalin's gonna win
a Natty at Alabama. Just give him time.
Speaker 4 (37:15):
I'll lay it with smu here as the as the
pro gambler say bet it and forget it.
Speaker 3 (37:19):
I'm probably not gonna watch this game. I got a
big Saturday night play him. But yeah, that's it's been
a good.
Speaker 1 (37:25):
Season for us. No, that's such fun. I like doing this.
It's fun. Okay. You know, we were talking about this
last hour. I always considered, you know, there's a group
of coaches I always thought didn't have a natty, but
I think are good enough to get one, and I
that's Brian Kelly, sark Lane Kiffen, Kaylin de boor Dan Lanning.
I think Josh Hypel at Tennessee. I always had Ryan
(37:48):
Day in that group, but new information. I watched the
Michigan game and I'm like, wow, that was a clunker
with much better personnel. They scored ten points against Michigan
and Ryan Days an offensive quarterback coach, and so yesterday
they're still talking about it. Here's Ryan Day on the
(38:11):
lost to the Wolverines.
Speaker 8 (38:14):
As much as this hurts, you know, we got a
chance to go play for national championship, and so I
think the culture as strong as it's ever been.
Speaker 1 (38:20):
I think we have great players. I think we have
great coaches.
Speaker 8 (38:24):
It was a bad day, and so now we have
to go forward, and we got to you known, the
mindset has going the whole thing now.
Speaker 1 (38:32):
So I'll make the argument that the best team I've
seen is Texas and one a is Oregon. If you
ask me the two other teams that I think can
win a Natty, it's Tennessee and Ohio State. Now I
picked Tennessee to win the national championship. I didn't look
very smart middle of the season, but I have Tennessee
as my national champion and if I win, I'll be unbearable,
(38:54):
completely unbearable to deal with. But I think I think
Oregon and Texas looked like the two best team I see.
I think Oregon speed, Texas size and speed. Those are
the two best teams, two excellent coaches. But I think
Tennessee and Ohio State are just a field goal below them.
So I don't think this guy is falling. I know
there was a lot of pride, but I kind of
(39:15):
like I The only thing I don't like about Ohio
State in the current playoff format, and it could change.
They play Tennessee now they play them at home. But
I think Tennessee's I think everybody in this is capable.
I think Tennessee is the team nobody thinks gonna win
a Natty. Like I don't think Alabama can win a Natty.
I just think they're way too inconsistent, especially on offense.
(39:40):
But Indiana is not going to win one. I mean,
who knows Notre Dame, who knows Penn State, who knows?
You know, I kind of like you taking Penn State
in the points against Oregon. That's pretty shifty.
Speaker 4 (39:53):
Remember I convinced you last week to switch to USC
and they were close to covering and then the quarterback
dood ninety plus yard pick sixes in the final four.
Speaker 1 (40:02):
Zack Sexual actually bad advice.
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Colin Cowherd
Jason McIntyre
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