J. Mac (9:45)

Right.

Colin Cowherd (9:45)

The new Pac 12. So you have to monitor all the players just like you would in pro football. And then obviously you'll have a director of college scouting. But actually I will be the director of high school scouting and monitor all the high schools. Okay, so that. That is the future. Now, how well will Belichick do? Well, it should be noted. Indiana, a basketball school, Arizona State and a baseball school. At least it was for years. And SMU just made the playoff, so Belichick can compete. And he also has a personnel guy. So I don't think Belichick is the perfect personality fit, but I think, like coaching and personnel, he'll be fine. Now, Lombardi, who I know a little, and Belichick are terse. They're outspoken, they can be curt. They're very direct. That will rub a lot of people on a college campus the wrong way. They will have no interest going to galas with the other coaches in the athletic department. They are pros. They're going to come in with a certain arrogance and belief and they don't care about your volleyball program or your swim program. They don't care. And there's a lot of high maintenance and needy coaching and overmatched administrators at the college level. So I don't think it's going to be a coaching issue with Bill. He'll be great. I don't think it's going to be a personnel issue. Mike Lombardi will do fine. But dealing with donors in this ever fluid collective, nil. Here's the thing. Bill loves structure. College football doesn't have any. It used to have some. Now it's got very little. So what Bill's doing, if you watch this move with Lombardi, he's bringing in structure. We're going to run a pro football operation and again, it's going to rub a lot of people the wrong way. The personality with Lombardi and Belichick, that's going to be interesting. The football and the players. The collective by North Carolina reportedly is going from 4 million, which is laughable, to 18 to 20 million. So they'll get players, but I'm rooting for it. I love the sport. It's another talking point. But there will be clashes. I think it will start, it'll be fun. And it's the headlines, it's powder blue. It's going to look nice and there will be. There will be feathers ruffled on that campus. And I can't wait. And I'll listen. I have a graphic. Here's North Carolina's schedule next year. And again, they've got players Mack Brown could recruit. I mean, their road games are Cal and Wake Forest and Charlotte and Syracuse. You know, we're not talking the AFC west or the NFC North. Their home games, Stanford, Duke, Virginia. Like an academic all star roster. Richmond, Clemson. So there's no reason why Bill Belichick could not peel off a 10 and 1. I would not be surprised by that at all. If they can get quarterback, just solid. There's. I don't worry at all about the coaching or the personnel. They're ramping up the club. That's not it. And I think for a year you'll look at it and go, oh, it is humming. But we got pictures here, Bill and Chapel Hill. Listen, he's got a new girlfriend. It's younger. He's exciting, excited. It's a college campus. It could, you know, maybe he is going to be turning a new leaf. It's gregarious and joyful. Bill. But the football coaching is fine. The personality fit with Lombardi is going to be really interesting. It's like Charlie Weiss at Notre Dame. Charlie Weiss. The schemes were fine. He wore everybody out. You know, Charlie wore people out. The schemes were smart. That wasn't the issue. J. Mac, I love, I love doing this job. It's so much fun. All I thought about last night is Nick Wright said it to me yesterday. Can you imagine Bill Belichick in the Pop Tart Bowl? It will look different.

LeVar Arrington (14:00)

He's not going to the Pop Tart. You saw that schedule right there. Come on, they could go to 10 or 11 wins. Why not? By the way, you mentioned it's going to be rocky. There's going to be problems. You know who else had some problems and some rocky stuff happen? Deion Sanders.

J. Mac (14:15)

Okay.

LeVar Arrington (14:15)

He had, I'm looking here, three years of coaching at Jackson State. That's it. He goes to Colorado, they start hot, finish four and eight. Oh, Deion, he can't hang. They're going to get blasted nine and three this year.

Colin Cowherd (14:26)

Colin now. So let's be fair. If Carolina is bumpy to start and I don't think they will be, the schedule's easy, the conference is bad and.

LeVar Arrington (14:36)

Bill's are happens with the portal. They got to get a quarterback.

Colin Cowherd (14:39)

But again Bill will be able to win without great talent. He spent a lot of his dynasty in New England having the second third best roster in the afc. Bills won with less talent. So again, this is. It's not a terrible fit from there. He will not have as much talent if he goes into a playoff as Texas, Oregon, Georgia. He's not going to have that. And I think we all have to be fair. I have to be fair. I'm rooting for it, not against it. I have. I don't think it's a great fit. I think this is a. Nobody's interested in the NFL. I think his ideal. I think Bill would rather be coaching the Chicago Bears next year and the. And the New York Giants next year.

LeVar Arrington (15:14)

What evidence is there of that?

Colin Cowherd (15:16)

Seth Wickersham's article is that. Well, I. Seth Wickersham, I trust he is great. So his articles. Basically, Bill wanted NFL jobs but they weren't interested in him and he got disgusted by the league. And my take is the league is fine.

LeVar Arrington (15:31)

You don't think he's disgusted like Kevin Warren and Ryan polls who haven't done jack squat. They're the ones saying, I don't know about Belichick. I would be disgusted too, wouldn't you? I mean, that's, that's, that's laughable. The Atlanta Falcons were like, I don't know about this Belichick guy. The Atlanta Falcons, who have never won anything. Those guys in the front office, look at their record. They haven't done anything. Well, and Belichick is the most accomplished coach in NFL history.

Colin Cowherd (15:55)

You're not contextualizing it. He wants total control and his personnel decisions are awful. Remember, it's very. No, it's. Remember, Bobby Knight, as he age, wouldn't recruit. So if you hire Bobby Knight, oh, he's the most accomplished coach. When he leaves, you have no players. They have no players in New England. So when you hire Lane Kiffin, you may not love his personality, but if he leaves, you are left with a stacked roster. If Sark doesn't work at Texas, you're left with a stacked roster. When Bobby Knight left school, down in Texas, they have no players. As he wanted to give the job to his son because he refused to do things that you have to do. It's a young man's game. So when you hire these legends, be very careful. College Athletic is a young man's game. I always said this. If you're going to roll the dice on a coach, get a young, great recruiter. Oklahoma did this years ago. They hired a guy, I think it was John Blake. And John didn't work as a coach, but he was a tremendous recruiter. Year two, Bob Stoops went to Natty with tons of NFL guys. You hire older coaches who don't, aren't, aren't going to play any games if it doesn't work. It's a three year rebuild to get players because they're not going to outbid Georgia, Florida State, SEC schools for players.

LeVar Arrington (17:18)

Well, I would largely agree with that, but this whole, like, doesn't recruit thing, the game has changed. It's no less about recruiting. I had a guy on my podcast, former quarterback at Arizona State, who said, listen, there's offensive linemen out there who are like, oh, this team wants me. This team wants me. I don't even know where these schools are on a map, but they were offering $500,000. I'm going there like, that's where we are. And it's less about recruiting, more about, show me the money, show me the money.

Colin Cowherd (17:41)

Remember, most schools have, like, the big schools have 16 to 18 million. The quarterback increasingly is taking 4 to 5. So you don't just have the ability to buy a roster. You have to recruit at least 60 to 70% of your roster has to be high schoolers. The other thing is Brian Kelly, who is a better college coach today than Bill Belichick has proven to be. He's a better college coach. He's finding out. When you go buy a roster, your chemistry is brutal.

LeVar Arrington (18:11)

You got to buy the right guys.

Colin Cowherd (18:13)

Well, again, there is no perfect guy for the perfect program. Lincoln Riley's finding out. And Brian Kelly. Successful college coaches. This is what they do. You can't just buy a roster. You can't. You have to have foundational high school connections.

LeVar Arrington (18:30)

How's this better shot at the playoff next year? Lincoln Riley or Bill Belichick?

Colin Cowherd (18:34)

Well, Belichick is in a much easier conference. I mean, the ACC is Clemson and. Nonsense. I mean, that's.

LeVar Arrington (18:42)

I'm in Vegas. I'll see what the odds are on Belichick making.

Colin Cowherd (18:45)

Look at. Look at. Look at Carolina's schedule.

LeVar Arrington (18:48)

I don't even know Carolina's roster now. And I could tell you that's. That's 10 wins right there.

Colin Cowherd (18:54)

At Syracuse and home against Clemson are tough games. Okay, that's it.

LeVar Arrington (19:02)

ACC football, it's back, baby.

Colin Cowherd (19:04)

Well, I'll watch it. You made a Raycom sports reference yesterday.

LeVar Arrington (19:09)

That's so classic.

Colin Cowherd (19:10)

I'm watching it. I'm not rooting against him. We want more topics like Caitlin Clark saved us in August. Are you kidding me? Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

Greg Cosell (19:28)

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Colin Cowherd (19:53)

Cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA Member fdic. It's time to start thinking about holiday gifts. What are you going to get that person that's impossible to shop for? We all know somebody like that. What do they want this holiday season? What do you want? Give the gift of sound with JLab headphones. JLab headphones are the perfect gift. I love them. For the podcast lover in your life or the one that wants to stream sports all day long? JLab. Perfect gift for anybody with a diverse collection of headphones, which makes it easy to find the gift for your family and friends with a variety of styles, colors and sizes. JLab. They have products for under $100, under 50, even under $25. Gift yourself a new pair of JLab headphones, too. If you're traveling this holiday season, pick up the JLab's JBuds Lux ANC. Tune out the drove of the jet engine or your talkative relative. Save up to 60% on select JLab products this holiday season. On JLab.com find your perfect pair of headphones. Look for the JLab Blue Box at retailers everywhere, or visit JLab.com to upgrade your sound and style today. The Herd's brought to you by Grainger. Everyone has been in this situation. Well, maybe not everybody, but maintenance specialists certainly have. You're halfway through the season when an air blower belt in the furnace suffers a major tear and the whole thing goes down for the count. The furnace has been going for so many seasons you don't have a replacement belt on hand. In fact, you're not sure if anyone does. What's your play? Easy. You call Grainger with over 1 million industrial products and supplies, their depth chart off the chart. And with fast, dependable delivery, you can get the belt you need when you need it so your furnace can get back in the game. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgrainger.com or just stop by a local branch.

Doug Gottlieb (21:49)

This is Doug Gottlieb from All Ball with Doug Gottlieb. Hey, I'm gonna talk to you about something that's really serious for a minute. Something personal right now. In our country, hate feels like it's at an all time high and we're going backwards and the hate is winning. It's out of control. So many different people, so many different groups are facing too much hate and it's just enough. We need to stop and regroup, change the momentum as a team, because that's what we are. Everyone in this country is on the same team, so let's act like it. And when a team can't get together, what do they do? They call a timeout. We need to take a timeout against hate. So let's think about what we say and do. And when we see hate and we see someone doing or saying those things we know are wrong or hateful, we need to call it out. Visit standuptoallhate.org or join me in calling for the timeout against hate by following at whatsappwithhate or posting the blue square emoji.

Greg Cosell (22:43)

Game on Because ESPN content is now available on Disney, you can watch your favorites on Disney. The boldest stories from Hulu and the greatest in sports from espn. Together like never before with espn. Unwrap a full day of NBA action on Christmas Day. Tip off the festivities with the spurs and Knicks, followed by the Mavs and Timberwolves. Then a clash between the Lakers and Warriors, followed by the 76ers and Celtics. And finally the Nuggets face off against the Suns. All streaming December 25th. Then with Hulu, watch the terrifying sci fi thriller Alien Romulus, where a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the ultimate horror. Now streaming and on Disney. Follow the adventures of four kids across the galaxy as they meet unlikely allies and enemies in Star Skeleton Crew, starring Jude Law. Now streaming. Finally, team up with morally flexible Deadpool and hesitant Wolverine in the blockbuster film Marvel Studios. Deadpool and Wolverine. Now streaming the greatest stories live on Disney. Available with a bundle. Subscription terms apply. Visit disneyplus.com for details.

Colin Cowherd (23:58)

You're now entering the no Bull zone, sponsored by Credible Great rates. None of the bulb as Belichick was signing that deal with Carolina, it made me think of Andy Reid, who has aged very, very well. And I don't think he's going to end his career with a job in the acc. Andy Reid, as you recall, got fired in Philadelphia and had a job four days later in Kansas City. And there were multiple NFL suitors. Andy Reid's coaching tree is much superior to Belichick's. He's been to a Super bowl in both conferences. He's won with multiple quarterbacks and styles. The league's been trending in his direction finally for years. And here's what's amazing, how undervalued Andy Reid is. Andy Reid only needs six more playoff wins. That's it to surpass Belichick. I bet you didn't know that. That's how good he is. Belichick had a 20 year run. How many years has Andy had? Mahomes? Five. Andy, by the way, five and one in the regular season as a Chiefs coach against Belichick. But if Mahomes and Andy Reid stay together just two to three more seasons, he will surpass Belichick in all time wins and all time playoff wins, I would imagine. And so I think Belichick looks at that and I'm not sure he thinks he's going to have some Don Shuler record for long anyway. And I and I've said this is that I think one of the reasons I call Bill Parcels the greatest, one of the greatest coaches of all time, Bill won with multiple quarterbacks Bill won immediately with multiple owners overnight like he walked into dumpster fires. And the next year they were good. Urban Meyers done this in college. Parcels does this in the NFL. And this is not a shot at Belichick, but Belichick five years in Cleveland, four losing seasons. The year in New England pre Brady losing season. The two years after Brady left losing seasons. Belichick never won without Parcels or Brady. Andy wins with everybody. And I mean so I mean Andy Reid was getting to conference championships in the NFC when other teams were stacked and he was doing it with B and B plus quarterbacks. So Andy Reid's career is not beholden to one coach or one player. And I, and I and I've said this before, if the NFL would have been forthright and honest about CTE concerns 20 years ago and written a check and made the league safer 20 years ago to the level it's safe now, then Andy Reid would be Belichick. Belichick was very fortunate that he got a great generational quarterback pretty early in his career and Andy had to wait 20 years. That is not to say that Belichick isn't right now viewed the greatest all time coach. He deserves all the roses for that. But it is interesting when he got this job I thought it's remarkable how few years Andy Reid needs to keep winning to surpass him. That's how great he's been. He just got his generational quarterback. So Nick Wright earlier this week on Belichick leaving the NFL for college and Andy Reid potentially passing him on that wins list. Even if you go get that record, are you just holding it for a year for Andy Reid? And I, I know people like oh Nick, you're a Chiefs guy. Here are the numbers. He's going to end this season right around 300. If he's at 296 right now, he'll be 47 away from Shula himself. That means three great years or four mediocre years. So how important is that all time coaching record if you actually only hold it for 12 months before Andy Reid comes blows past you? I think there's real legitimacy. I think Seth Wickersham pointed out in the article, but I think Nick makes a great point is if Andy's health holds up, cross your fingers there and he's going to end up the all time winning as coach and he's won with a multitude of C, B and A plus quarterbacks in both conferences. And it's why it's so easy for me to root for Kansas City as they dominate the league. I never rooted against New England. I thought they were smarter than everybody. I think I feel the same way about Kansas City now. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

Greg Cosell (28:41)

As we gather together during this holiday season, let me share a gift that keeps on giving. Chase Freedom With Chase Freedom Unlimited, you'll not only experience the joy of 1.5% unlimited cash back, but also the freedom to create cherished memories with your loved ones. Discover the magic and learn more@chasefreedom.com and let this season be filled with love, laughter and the delight of extra cash in your pocket.

Colin Cowherd (29:06)

Cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA Member FDIC it's time to start thinking about holiday gifts. What are you going to get that person that's impossible to shop for? We all know somebody like that. What do they want this holiday season? What do you want? Give the Gift of Sound with JJ Lab headphones JLab headphones are the perfect gift. I love them for the podcast lover in your life or the one that wants to stream sports all day long. JLab Perfect gift for anybody with a diverse collection of headphones, which makes it easy to find the gift for your family and friends with a variety of styles, colors and sizes. JLab. They have products for under $100, under 50, even under $25. Gift yourself a new pair of JLab headphones, too. If you're traveling this holiday season, pick up the JLabs J Buds Lux Ancient. Tune out the drove of the jet engine or your talkative relative. Save up to 60% on select JLab products this holiday season. On JLab.com, find your perfect pair of headphones. Look for the JLab Blue Box at retailers everywhere or visit JLab.com to upgrade your sound and style today. The herd's brought to you by Grainger. Everyone has been in this situation. Well, maybe not everybody, but maintenance specialists certainly have. You're halfway through the season when an air blower belt in the furnace suffers a major tear and the whole thing goes down for the count. The furnace has been going for so many seasons you don't have a replacement belt on hand. In fact, you're not sure if anyone does. What's your play? Easy. You call Grainger with over 1 million industrial products and supplies, their depth chart off the charts. And with fast, dependable delivery, you can get the belt you need when you need it so your furnace can get back in the game. Call 1-800-GRAINGER click granger.com or just stop by a local branch this is Doug.

Doug Gottlieb (31:02)

Godley from All Ball with Doug Godley. Hey, I'm going to talk to you about something that's really serious for a minute, something personal. Right now in our country, hate feels like it's at an all time high and we're going backwards and the hate is winning. It's out of control. So many different people, so many different groups are facing too much hate and it's just enough. We need to stop and regroup, change the momentum as a team, because that's what we are. Everyone in this country is on the same team, so let's act like it. And when a team can't get together, what do they do? They call a timeout. We need to take a timeout against hate. So let's think about what we say and do. And when we see hate and we see someone doing or saying those things we know are wrong or hateful, we need to call it out. Visit standuptolhate.org or join me in calling for the timeout against hate by following hatsupwithhate or posting the Blue Square emoji.

Greg Cosell (31:55)

Game on Because ESPN content is now available on Disney, you can watch your favorites on Disney. The boldest stories from Hulu and the greatest in sports from espn. Together like never before with espn. Unwrap a full day of NBA action on Christmas Day. Tip off the festivities with the spurs and Knicks, followed by the Mavs and Timberwolves. Then a clash between the Lakers and Warriors, followed by the 76ers and Celtics. And finally the Nuggets face off against the Suns. All streaming December 25th. Then with Hulu, watch the terrifying sci fi thriller Alien Rock, where a group of young space colonizers come face to face with the ultimate horror. Now streaming and on Disney. Follow the adventures of four kids across the galaxy as they meet unlikely allies and enemies in Star Skeleton Crew, starring Jude Law, now streaming. Finally, team up with morally flexible Deadpool and hesitant Wolverine in the blockbuster film Marvel Studios. Deadpool and Wolverine, now streaming the greatest stories live on Disney, available with a bundle. Subscription terms apply. Visit disneyplus.com for details.

Colin Cowherd (33:11)

With that 45 years, NFL Films, nobody's more objective. Greg Cosell joins us. The value of the running back. Nine months ago, the media lamenting running backs, lamenting their future, their economic future. And here we watch Detroit and Green Bay and Baltimore and Washington. These power running teams are now front and center. Do you think there's a reason for it? Schematically, I do.

J. Mac (33:41)

I think there's a number of reasons, and maybe we don't know the exact why all these teams and Philly obviously is probably the number one example, they lead the league in rushing. But what you're seeing more of in the league are a couple of things. In no particular order, Colin, you're seeing a lot more 12 personnel offenses are playing with more multiple tight ends, two, sometimes three tight ends. You're seeing issues with offensive lines in pass protection. That's been a major issue throughout the league for a lot of teams. So if you have issues in pass protection, you try to run the football and alleviate that problem. I would say there's been far more too high safety structure coverages in the league. That's been a trend over the last couple of years where there's more two high safeties as opposed to a safety sitting in the box. So the numbers tend to favor the run game. And I would say another thing is more and more teams are playing what we call big nickel playing with three safeties as sort of a base defense as opposed to a third linebacker. So you're seeing smaller players on the field. So the run game has become more and more prevalent. But overall the pass protection thing really stands out to me because I remember years ago I had a conversation with Jon Gruden and one of the first things he said to me was you don't have a pass game if you can't protect. And protection has been a big issue in the league.

Colin Cowherd (35:03)

Yeah, we're getting more athletic defensive end in pass rushers and less guys on the edge that can block them. Okay, so the Eagles have clearly since the bye became more of a run first team, fewer attempts for Jalen hurts. It may not make A.J. brown happy, but it makes him a better team. So the game of the week arguably is Steelers and Eagles. So the Steelers, they see a lot of Lamar Jackson, so Jalen hurts. Movement is not going to intimidate them or flummox them. I think Pittsburgh sort of matches up even though I do believe Philadelphia's roster is arguably the best in the league. What are you expecting with the Eagles Steelers matchup?

J. Mac (35:42)

You know, it's funny you say that the Steelers overall have played the run very well. They have really good players up front and the numbers, their run defense statistics are very good. But believe it or not, they don't play the run as well from their nickel defense as they do from their base defense. So I'm very curious to see if the Eagles in this game, as they did a week ago, play a lot out of 11 personnel with three wide receivers. Keeping in mind also that Dallas Goddard is out, so they may want to be in 11 personnel anyway, but to me that's a critical part of this matchup. And there's one player on the Steeler defense who I think is really, really important. It's Deshaun Elliott. He is a really smart, savvy player, not a well known player. He's been around the league, but he is really aware, really smart, understands offensive line play, understands formations. He's a critical piece of that Steelers defense in the run game.

Colin Cowherd (36:38)

So last week I watched the Rams dissect the Bills defense. It looked like a 7 on 7 drill, but there was also something about the Bills offense that was a bit concerning. Earlier this year I said I love Josh Allen to be Superman, but I like him to go into the phone booth and do it once or twice a game. I don't want him to show up after the anthem in the cape. And I thought they're losing a little bit of the balance. They're becoming a little more, hey, Josh, save us. This is the Bills. I don't love is the film saying that.

J. Mac (37:19)

Well, I think last week's game was probably a little bit of anathema to what they want to be. I think they felt early on in that game that the opposing offense, the Rams offense, was really moving the ball well and the game was snowballing early and they did try to run and couldn't. And I think they felt that they had to keep pace in a high scoring contest. And in their mind, the way to keep pace is to put the ball in Josh Allen's hands, arguably the most dynamic individual player in the league. So, you know, I think that particular game they felt that's how they have to play. I don't think they're changing their philosophy. They still play more with six offensive linemen, more snaps with six offensive linemen far and away than any team in the league. We'll see how it turns out this week because they're in Detroit and one of the things that stood out with their defense a week ago, they couldn't really generate any pressure with a four man pass rush and their zone coverages were eaten up by McVay. And keep in mind, you know this, Colin, Ben Johnson does as good a job as any offensive coordinator in the league versus zone with his spacing, his route, spacing, his understanding of how to put zone defenders in conflict. So we'll see how this week plays out.

Colin Cowherd (38:34)

So an interesting matchup. And I got to give J. Mac and you credit because I asked both of you before the season. What's a team that's better than people think? And you said the Seahawks and J. Mac said the Seahawks and you both said, I like their roster. Let's see. Mike McDonald. Well, the Ravens defense has cratered without Mike McDonald and the Seahawks defense, now that it's healthy with McDonald, is outstanding. So Green Bay become a bit more of a power run team against Seattle this weekend. I'm fascinated to watch that. What do you expect?

J. Mac (39:11)

Well, the Seahawks defense, vanilla is not the right word, but they're not a high percentage blitz defense. But they have a really good defensive line rotation. And they made changes at linebacker, OH3 four weeks ago when they traded for Ernest Jones and they put the rookie Knight in who replaced Terrell Dotson, who they released. And they're much, much better at the linebacker position. And also, you know, it's funny I mentioned big nickel a few minutes ago talking about the run game. Since they got the safety Jenkins back from injured reserve, they've gone to a lot of big nickel playing three safeties and that has really helped them. And Julian Love, one of their safeties. He is one of the best safeties in the league and he's not talked about enough. So they have really good people and that D line rotation is really, really impressive.

Colin Cowherd (40:00)

All right, so I got to give Baker Mayfield credit. Now, I've always liked Jason Light, the gm. I've always thought they draft well. And Baker, you know, he and Darnold, Darnold's bigger, more athletic and Baker can have rough quarters. But when you look at Tampa, is it a Baker story or a roster story? What has them in first place?

J. Mac (40:26)

You could argue again, I guess that's our theme for the day. If I told you they were a top eight rushing team in the NFL, were you aware of that? They've rushed for over 150 yards. I think in six or seven games this year, including last week, they've become incredibly multiple with their run game. They play two backs, what we call the pony package. They'll play Irving and White. They'll play White and Tucker, they'll play Irving and Tucker. They'll play with the pony package quite a bit. And they're really multiple with how they attack in the run game. And when you have Irving and White on the field, they're both really good receivers as well. So Baker's playing well. That's. There's no question about it. But I think they have multiple ways in which to attack defenses and their run game has become a big factor. And by the way, they're really a really snapshot of what I was talking about. They're o line much better run blocking than they are in pass protection.

Colin Cowherd (41:18)

Okay, so I'm interested for this. The other day on the Internet I saw somebody posted it. I apologize for not remembering what it was, but they put Russell Wilson's stats last year in Denver up against Bo Nick stats this year in Denver and they were kind of similar, very similar. But yet I feel differently about Bo Nix than Russell Wilson though the numbers are the same, so. And the offensive personnel is mostly the same, so. And the coach, Peyton's the same. Bo Nix, Russell Wilson, what's Denver doing offensively? That feels different to me because I feel they're more explosive and they are.

J. Mac (42:00)

The numbers are the numbers. But it looks different because it is different. One thing about Bo Nix, which I'm not sure many of us expected, Colin is. He is very good throwing the ball in the middle of the field between the numbers at the intermediate level. And I think there were questions about whether he could do that at the NFL level, but he's done a really, really good job with that. So in terms of the timing and structure of their offense, the rhythm of it and the pass game, it just is better than it was a year ago. And so numbers are. They're just a cumulative thing over time. But the way you achieve those numbers is more important. It's the process of achieving those numbers and the process in Denver. The way their offense looks and plays is much more consistent with Bo Nix than it was a year ago with Russell Wilson.

Colin Cowherd (42:49)

Before we get to the Niners to end this, I want to talk about the Rams. I've said this. You could make an argument, take out maybe the Lions, maybe that if you said head coach, quarterback, two receivers, running back, the Rams are in a very rarefied air. They Kyron Williams, Puka, Cooper, McVeigh, Stafford. You and I both love Stafford. He is so much fun to watch. So they play a beat up Niners team tonight. But my takeaway is are the Rams a year away with their offensive line and another draft class or when you watch them beat Buffalo, do you believe like that's who they are? They can beat anybody?

J. Mac (43:36)

Well, I think they can beat anybody that whether they do or not, I guess that remains to be seen. But when Stafford can be protected. And of course the Bills did not generate much pass rush, so you have to be concerned when they play teams that can really rush the quarterback because I think their old line is still a bit of a work in progress. But in Terms of the, the schematics of their offense, I think it's really, really difficult to defend. I mean, it's play action under center, it's motion, it's shifting, it's reduced splits. Receivers get free access. They're really good attacking zone coverage with their spacing. Defensively they have a very young D line, but those guys are dynamic and athletic and a few of them could end up being special. And they made a major change about a month or so ago with what they do on defense, with their personnel. So, you know, I think it's a team that could theoretically beat anybody. But you've got to protect Stafford when he's protected. There may be no one who throws a prettier ball than Matthew Stafford.

Colin Cowherd (44:34)

Okay. Brock Purdy is having to play without Christian McCaffrey looked pretty good against the Bears. Your thoughts about that?

J. Mac (44:42)

Yeah, I thought that last week that was a clinic by Kyle Shanahan. He knew exactly what he was going to get from the Bears defense. They played a ton of zone coverage. He attacked it beautifully. Purdy was able to throw the ball to his primary quite a bit. They got the screen game involved, which is basically a no read throw. And it just looked on tape in particular. It looked good on TV too, but in tape it just looked like a clinic. And there was one play early on in the game that really stood out to me and that's going to be our play of the week and we can get to that right now because it's so symptomatic and emblematic of what they did. And this was a 33 yard completion to Kittle relatively early in the game. And you'll see he catches it and there's room, there's space for him. And Kittle was very involved last week in their offense and I'm sure that was by design. So as we look to break this down, what you're going to see here is Kittle, who's on the left side of the formation to start. He's going to shift to the other side of the formation. And so what that does is it makes it what we call a three by one set with three receivers to the wide side of the field and a single receiver to the boundary. Now the coverage to the three receiver side is going to be cover two. Okay, so they're going to attack this cover two. Again, it looked like Kyle knew exactly what he was going to get through much of this game. He's going to run Connally and Pearsall on two vertical routes. They're the outside receivers. That attacks the COVID two safety. And then Kittle's going to run an outcut underneath those two verticals. And then you're going to have the back, Garendo work through the line into the flat to the same side. So four receivers to the same side, what we call four strong, very difficult in zone coverage to defend. So again, just as we walk through it, you get the two verticals that forces that safety, the half field safety, to have to retreat. Now you're going to get the hook defender underneath. He's going to expand. He doesn't really need to, but he does for a couple of reasons. One, he has eyes on Garendo who's going to get into the flat. But the main reason he's going to expand has to do with what Brock Purdy does here. Purdy does a great job right here of pumping as if he's going to throw to the outside void to Connally and that gets that hook defender to really expand. And he shouldn't because now what you get is you get Kittle in that void in the coverage. And this was beautifully set up. As I said, four strong, very, very hard to defend in zone coverage. You just don't have enough bodies. And this was very reflective and representative of what Kyle Shanahan did against the Bears last week. As we see Kittle here running his route. And when you get the ball to Kittle and he has room to run, you know what that's like. Colin, he's a very difficult guy to tackle.

Colin Cowherd (47:37)

45 years NFL Films Greg Cosell, as always, good seeing you, my man. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. College football is a very fluid sport. One of the guys that is close to mastering it and has really, I mean, we thought Dan Lanning, I covered Oregon for years. He had big energy, big recruiting, good resume. He's really hit it out of the park at Oregon and it's hard. This is a very. It's like technology. It's a very fluid sport with. With boundaries that are changing. And Dan Lanning at Oregon has crushed it. And he's the only undefeated college football coach joining us now live. Three years at Oregon. You know, I'm watching that Bill Belichick press conference. I gotta tell you, if you could say, hey, Bill, here's one thing about college football. Like what one thing would you give any coach, legend or young guy one piece of advice? Dan.

Dan Lanning (48:42)

Hey, get Ready to adapt. What it is today might be something different tomorrow. So you better be ready to play on your toes because it's consistently changing. That's the one thing that's consistent about college ball right now.

Colin Cowherd (48:53)

So you've been a D.C. in the SEC, you've been a head coach in the PAC 12. Now you're a head coach in the Big Ten. So that, that your journey's crazy. You're, you're bouncing all over the country and I think it's an advantage. But this year in the Big Ten, I thought because Oregon's got the kind of weather, you weren't a warm weather team. You play in rain. And Eugene, you can handle the Midwest. Was the Big Ten what you expected mostly, Coach?

Dan Lanning (49:21)

Yeah, I don't know, you know, what I expected beyond great football. And I do think we got to experience that and some of the story competitions that exist in this conference, you know, getting to go some of these great venues. Yeah, I think, I guess in a lot of ways it was what I expected. It was a great challenge and a lot of fun for our team.

Colin Cowherd (49:38)

A lot of coaches, Brian Kelly, Lincoln Riley, they got money in their collective. Yours has worked. You've been able to sow the fabric of chemistry together. The two things, when I watch Oregon, they play hard every snap and they are fast. You've made the portal work for you. And I think it's harder than people think. I mean, in the NFL, you often bring back most of your roster. Ten years ago in college, you know, you'd replace 15, 18 guys. How have you done it? What has been the key to the balance of fresh new faces but really strong Oregon football culture?

Dan Lanning (50:18)

Yeah, I think a lot of that credit, you know, lies within our players and our staff. They've, they've created a standard and I get to work with great people every single day. I think there's a clear cut, you know, balance of what we really want, what kind of people we want to bring into the organization, and then our players upholding the standard of what, you know, what great football looks like, what being a great teammate looks like. And our guys have really attacked that. And, you know, we talk about player led teams. I think every coach talks about player led teams, but we truly have a player led team here. And they're going to make sure the guys around them come to work, you know, every single day. And that's paid off for us.

Colin Cowherd (50:50)

You know, it's funny, I love your intensity. It jumps through the screen. There was a game this year and I knew you were good. And I had predicted before the season that I thought you would beat Ohio State at home, but the Wisconsin game, you didn't play well and won, and that was the game. I was like, okay, they can win an Addie because Austin's hard to win. And I'm like, well, they're going to beat anybody at Austin. But that game was interesting because I'm like, boy, they had their B game. Was there a moment for you this season where there was something where you were flying home or driving home after a game and thought, boy, there's this team may have a little something I didn't think we had?

Dan Lanning (51:27)

Yeah, I don't know if I ever really had that moment. I think maybe what excites me the most about this team is we've been able to win in different ways, you know, and you don't ever want that as your. As a coach. You always want your A game in every. In every phase. But when we played Boise State early in the year, we struggled and we won on special teams. We had a punt return and a kickoff return, you know, to create that win. You play Wisconsin, we really won on defense. And you go to last week, you know, playing Penn State in the Big Ten championship game, our offense was clicking on all cylinders. And what's good for us is knowing that you can win in a variety of ways. But when we put that all together, I think you're talking about a really special team. So that's the hope, you know, as we try to finish this thing off, is to be able to put all three phases together and have a great run.

Colin Cowherd (52:07)

You know, it's interesting, Dan, when you have young teams in the NFL, an older team, like a Kansas City Chiefs, getting a bye is good for the team. But a lot of times young teams don't give them time off. They heal faster, get them out there. Would you rather be playing, or are you comfortable saying, hey, Ohio State, Tennessee, you bang around. I mean, I guess it's an advantage sitting, but you're already sitting, and I think with young players and your momentum. Are you worried a little bit about this is quite a layoff for you?

Dan Lanning (52:39)

Yeah, 100%. It's on us as a coaching staff. To me, it's about how you use your time. Right. If you're just sitting and waiting for the. For the next opportunity, then you definitely are not putting yourself in an advantage. For us, it's all about how we use this time. Right. How can we study ourselves as coaches, how can we study ourselves as players, utilize the opportunity for recovery, you know, challenge the parts of the game that we can be better at. So for us, we've got a detailed plan for where we're trying to improve what we want to attack. And obviously, there's some chaos in college football right now. You're dealing with the transfer portal and everything else that exists right now. So we're trying to utilize that time the best, and I think that's what will create an advantage for us, is if we have a great plan for that.

Colin Cowherd (53:17)

By the way, I got to ask you about Bo Nick. So I brought him here. He sat on the couch for a half hour. He was great. I loved him. He is way feistier. I've watched him in the NFL. He dog cussing, he getting in Sean Payton's face, and I'm like, man, he. And then I read a story the other day, like, you have no idea how feisty Bo Nicks is. Was. Was. Was that the Bo Nicks at Oregon that he'd get after?

Dan Lanning (53:42)

Guys, he's always been competitive, man. He. I think he has a competitive spirit that people don't realize because, you know, he's just a great young man. Like, he's a great dude, but when you stepped on the football field, he'd be angry. He'd be angry if it didn't go his way. And you could challenge him every single day in practice. You know, I was pretty fired up the other day. I got a Bo Nicks Christmas card that's a shout out to his wife, Izzy. You know, I was fired up to know that they were on their P's and Q's. I don't think the landings have sent out a Christmas card yet. So as good as he's playing, they got their whole house in order right now. I think that's a great example of how they compete.

Colin Cowherd (54:19)

Well, you've done a remarkable job. Congrats on the win over Penn State. And Oregon is hummin. I don't think the committee got it right. I thought you deserved a better placement. But you know what? You didn't complain about it. It's the job. It's the task. Go win games, and I can't wait to watch you play. And congrats on all your success.

Dan Lanning (54:37)

Appreciate it, Colin. And we're certainly excited about the opportunity.

Colin Cowherd (54:41)

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Greg Cosell (56:45)

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Colin Cowherd (57:23)

Hey, what's up everybody? It's Levar Arrington here from up on Game and I need you to listen for a moment, all right? And get serious. The hate in this country is getting out of control. It's at an all time high. It's going to take all of us to stop it. I mean, think about it. We're all on the same team in this country, right? Let's take a break from hate so our team can regroup. We need to take a time out against hate. Visit standuptolhate.org to help and join me in calling for a timeout against hate by following hatsupwithhate or posting the blue square emoji.