Best of The Herd

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Best of The Herd
August 28, 2025 | iHeartPodcasts & The Volume
Host: Jason McIntyre (in for Colin Cowherd), with Rachel Nichols & Albert Breer

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Episode Overview

This “Best of The Herd” episode focuses on the looming NFL season, centering primarily on drama involving the Dallas Cowboys—specifically Micah Parsons’ contract standoff and organizational philosophy under Jerry Jones. The discussion also branches into quarterback situations in Chicago with Caleb Williams, college football championship contenders, and larger themes of leadership, management, and media spectacle in sports.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Dallas Cowboys Drama: The Micah Parsons Situation

(03:19 – 15:00; 26:19 – 46:29)

• NFL Kickoff Looms: Only one week out from the Eagles-Cowboys opener; Eagles are defending champs with the "league's best roster," but media focus remains on the Cowboys.
• Micah Parsons’ Contract Dispute:
  • Parsons is seeking an extension. He's getting a second opinion on his back, skipping crucial practice.
  • Micah's brother stirs the pot online:

    “It’s going to get ugly. Put your gloves on. This is going 12 rounds.” (Micah’s brother, 07:14)

  • Parsons has filed a grievance regarding his fifth-year option.
• Media Obsession with Cowboys:
  • Cowboys haven't reached a conference championship since 1995.
  • Jerry Jones is more invested in headlines and spectacle (“reality TV shows,” “keeping up with the Joneses”) than actual football success.
• Track Record of Negotiations:
  • Jason McIntyre:

    “Every one of these holdouts end in the Cowboys capitulating, right? Name me one that they’ve won.” (07:56)

  • Jerry Jones has a pattern: drag out deals for star players (Dak, Zeke, CD) until the very last minute to maximize media attention.
• Comparisons to Eagles and Other Teams:
  • The Eagles have set the standard in proactivity—locking up stars before drama can start.
    • Notably, every other 2021 first-round star (Trevor Lawrence, Jamar Chase, Devonta Smith, etc.) has already been extended without drama except Parsons.
  • McIntyre:

    “Jerry Jones is just unserious about football. He doesn’t truly care about winning—the actions are not backing that up.” (10:43)

• Risk to Players:
  • McIntyre details how players like Rayshawn Slater were protected financially with pre-injury extensions, while Parsons plays under risk.
  • The use of franchise tags, fifth-year options, and delayed negotiations is a tool for owner control.

Notable Quotes

• “Jerry thinks this is good business because he’s not serious about football. He’s obsessed with himself.” — Jason McIntyre (08:05)
• “If you’re a Cowboys fan out there ... the only thing you can do is not show up to the stadium.” — Jason McIntyre (11:14)
• “Most of them [owners] think that way ... keeping the money in your own pocket for as long as you can. That could be an element here.” — Albert Breer (37:45; 38:11)

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2. Deep Dive: Albert Breer on Cowboys’ Negotiation Dynamics

(30:25 – 46:29)

• How This Standoff Differs:
  • Parsons isn’t as universally beloved in the locker room as previous stars (Dak, CD, Zack Martin).
  • Public disputes and leaks make the drama nastier than previous holdouts.
• Jerry Jones’ Mindset:
  • Deliberately slow-rolling contracts is partially about asserting control and maximizing Cowboys media presence.
  • Headlines and news cycles are part of the “business plan.”
  • Breer:

    “Maybe there is a side benefit that he sees in this whole thing, that they’re going to be in the A block in a lot of shows like this one.” (39:00)

• Workforce Control Across NFL Owners:
  • The system (CBA, franchise tag, fines) ensures that management retains leverage over players.
  • “There are definitely teams that don’t want to exert it. Jerry’s just never been afraid to exert these sorts of mechanisms.” — Albert Breer (41:27)
  • Treating a star like Parsons this way sends a message to the entire roster; teams like the Eagles avoid such negative signals with proactive contracts.

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3. Chicago Bears: The Caleb Williams-Ben Johnson Dynamic

(15:04 – 16:10; 46:29 – 51:30)

• Ben Johnson’s Coaching Style:
  • Johnson is intentionally tough on Caleb Williams, “feeding him through a firehose” to accelerate learning and then tailoring the offense to strengths.
  • There were rough days early in camp, but preseason games (especially game #2) showed improvement.
  • This high-pressure approach is by design—with the hope that the growing pains pay off.
• Transition Challenges for Caleb Williams:
  • Williams played "backyard football” in college, freelancing with little structure—now he must adapt to a more regimented, pro-style offense.
  • Breer draws parallels to Mahomes’ transition from improvisational college play to structured NFL lead.
    • “They’re trying to teach him to play quarterback in a more between-the-lines sort of way. Instead of constantly coloring outside the lines ... just play quarterback four times out of five, and then that fifth time, you can go and show everybody exactly what you're capable of.” — Albert Breer (50:16)
• On Ben Johnson's Attitude:
  • McIntyre has been criticized by Bears fans for questioning the Bears’ developmental plan; Breer gives assurance that this is a purposeful, positive struggle.

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4. College Football National Championship Tiers (McIntyre’s Predictions)

(21:26 – 26:19)

• Head of the Class: Clemson, Ohio State, Penn State, Alabama
• Honor Roll: Georgia, Notre Dame, Oregon, Texas
• Waitlisted: LSU, Miami, South Carolina, Texas Tech
• Notable surprise predictions: Alabama as a national title contender, “buy” on Kalyn DeBoer as Alabama’s coach, skepticism on Georgia’s dominance due to roster turnover.

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5. Other Noteworthy Segments

• Arch Manning Hype:
  • Breer is cautious about the rush to anoint Arch Manning as elite, citing lack of starting experience and the pressure of comparisons to Peyton and Eli.

    “They assume that he’s got all the stuff that Peyton and Eli had ... and that’s not really respectful to how difficult it is to see the game, to think the game the way that Peyton and Eli did.” — Albert Breer (28:07)

• Broader Themes:
  • The contrasting organizational philosophies between the Eagles and Cowboys offer insight into how proactive or reactive management can shape a franchise’s culture and on-field success.
  • Player empowerment, risks, and leverage clearly matter in today’s NFL negotiation realities.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jerry Jones:

  “He plays at a stadium called Jerry World... that’s not going to translate to building a contender in the modern era. It’s not going to happen.” — Jason McIntyre (08:05)

• On Media Narrative:

  “The worst part is Jerry thinks this is good business because he’s not serious about football. He’s obsessed with himself.” — Jason McIntyre (08:05)

• Parsons’ Leverage:

  “Micah has the leverage here ... I think Micah probably has a little more ammo to empty the clip.” — Jason McIntyre (37:37)

• On Ben Johnson & Bears:

  “He’s being intentionally tough on Caleb Williams ... Overload him with information, overload him with scheme, and then come back and narrow down what he’s doing and figure out what he does well and what he doesn’t do well.” — Albert Breer (47:17)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Dallas Cowboys Drama & Micah Parsons: 03:19 – 15:00; 26:19 – 46:29
• College Football National Championship Predictions: 21:26 – 26:19
• Arch Manning Discussion: 27:52 – 29:54
• Bears (Caleb Williams & Ben Johnson): 15:04 – 16:10; 46:29 – 51:30
• Broader NFL and Player Contract Philosophy: Woven throughout 30:25 – 46:29

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Tone & Style

• Spirited, irreverent, and candid—McIntyre strikes a mix of fan frustration, sharp analysis, and humor.
• Breer offers calm, deeply informed NFL insights, providing broader league context.
• Frequent playful banter, asides, and references to pop culture (“Keeping up with the Joneses,” “Star Island,” “Frank the Tank”).

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Summary for the Uninitiated

This episode is a lively, opinionated cross-section of the week’s biggest football storylines—especially the Cowboys’ inability to get out of their own way, juxtaposed against the clinical efficiency of the Eagles. The sausage-making of NFL contracts, star player leverage, and organizational dysfunction is on full display. There’s also a nuanced look at quarterback development in Chicago and predictions for the college football season. If you care about how off-field decisions shape on-field outcomes—or just want a smart, sometimes scathing sports talk, McIntyre’s guest stint delivers both.

Transcript

[Jason McIntyre]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Albert Breer]

This is Jonas Knox from Two Pros.

[Jason McIntyre]

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[Jason McIntyre]

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[Albert Breer]

I'm Buzz Knight, the host of the.

[Jason McIntyre]

Taking a Walk podcast, and join me for an upcoming episode with Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, talking about his new Frank Sinatra music project.

[Albert Breer]

Anyone who loves music would salivate over something like this. The biggest question for us was what's in these boxes? Really, the most thrilling part was hiring an orchestra and just playing what was in these boxes.

[Jason McIntyre]

Listen to Taking a walk on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everyone, it's me, Katie Couric. Did you know that I recently joined Substack? Very exciting. It's where I'll be sharing my unfiltered conversations with the people everyone's talking about. I'll also tell you what I'm reading what I'm watching, what's making me crazy, and what's giving me hope. If you like deep dives, hot takes and real talk, you're in the right place. Search Katie Couric on substack and hit subscribe. I'll be there, reporting live, most likely in my pajamas. See you there. Thanks for listening to the Best of the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every.

[Albert Breer]

Weekday on Fox Sports radio and noon.

[Jason McIntyre]

To 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. This is the Best of the Herd.

[Albert Breer]

With Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio.

[Jason McIntyre]

We are back. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. A beautiful Thursday here on the Herd out in sunny Los Angeles. It's me, Jason McIntyre, barely surviving. I mean, geez, they're coming for me online, Rachel. With picks and feathers. What? Whatever they say. Whatever they say. They're coming after me, but I'm still surviving. And Rachel, we got a pretty damp. I was going to say, I think we got some time. There's a lot going on. There is a lot. We are one week, exactly one week from today, NFL season. We get packers, not Packers. I'm sorry. We get Eagles. Yeah. And Cowboys. And Cowboys. Yeah.

[Albert Breer]

Oh, it's interesting.

[Jason McIntyre]

Is there anything going on with the Cowboys? You know, let's just dive right into that, shall we? Remember, we are one week away from start of the NFL season and a week from today, it's Eagles. Cowboys. And the Eagles are defending champs. They got the best roster in the league. They're stacked and nobody is talking about them for some reason. It's all about the Dallas Cowboys. Jerry Jones likes it that way. He loves it that way. Do by the way, do you guys remember what happened last year in the Eagles Cowboys games? They met twice now. Dak missed both games. Well, let me just check here. Okay? 346 was the first one that was the Eagles winning and then it was 41 7. Jalen Hurts, had a concussion, did not play. So it's a little early for math, but I'm 75 to 13. The Eagles smoked the Cowboys last year. It was not competitive in any way, shape or form. Yet the media remains obsessed with the wretched wobegon Dallas Cowboys. Why would that be? Well, wouldn't you know it, but yesterday Micah Parsons, their star hold out, hold in, I don't know, showed up at an airport. Where's he going? He doesn't have to go to practice. Well, Micah Parsons is going to get a second opinion on his back. There's Micah at the. I believe it's a Dallas Fort Worth airport. You know, tough to miss. Michael Parsons, a large individual. Somebody snapped this photo and next thing you know, it's, wait a minute. So he's not going to be at practice this weekend. Pivotal practices right before the season. Well, that ain't good. We got everybody saying, ah, it's going to be fine. He's going to show up. But it didn't stop there, folks. Micah filed a grievance against the Cowboys over his fifth year option. And it continued the news in Dallas. Jerry Jones loves this. Right, Jerry, we'll get to you in a sec, buddy. There's more. Micah Parsons older brother went on social media yesterday, and I want to make sure I quote him correctly. It's going to get ugly. Put your gloves on. This is going 12 rounds now. I don't know if he's talking about, like a Jake Paul fight coming up or what's happening. Maybe it's his brother who's going toe to toe with Jerry Jones. And folks, the more I look at this, the more I just get disappointed and sad for Cowboys fans because without question, this is the most futile organization in the nfc. A staggering stat I'm sure you guys have seen since 2010. Every team in the NFC has made the conference championship game. Yes, the pathetic Panthers, the sad sack Saints, they've made a conference championship game since 2010. There's only one team in the entire conference that hasn't. And if you look at the bottom of the screen there, it's the Dallas Cowboys. 1995 was the last time they made the conference championship game. 15 years behind everyone else in the conference. That, to me, is a very clear signal. Jerry Jones is not serious about actual football. The Eagles, who they're playing next Thursday, they're crushing free agency every year. They're crushing the draft. Howie Roseman is building a juggernaut and Jerry Jones is out here creating reality TV shows. You've heard of Love Island Cowboys, they got Star Island. Keeping up with the Kardashians. What about keeping up with the Joneses? Yet somehow the media seems to think, wow, this happens every year. Here's Matt Mosley earlier this week talking about how, hey, Micah's gonna be there week one.

[Albert Breer]

Remember who Jerry is and remember how.

[Jason McIntyre]

Much he loves the pageantry and the.

[Albert Breer]

Circus of all of this.

[Jason McIntyre]

And the last minute, get the deal.

[Albert Breer]

Signed is kind of a fun thing for Him.

[Jason McIntyre]

Dak got one of his deals done the morning of the first game. CD And Zeke's were done four or five days. Every one of these holdouts end in.

[Albert Breer]

The Cowboys capitulating, right?

[Jason McIntyre]

I mean, name me one that they've won.

[Albert Breer]

Like, well, look at the Cowboys. They, they, they won this negotiation.

[Jason McIntyre]

Zeke, Zach. I mean, every cd, they all end in the deals getting done. So the worst part is Jerry thinks this is good business because he's not serious about football. He's like, oh, our names are in the headlines. I mean, they play at a stadium called Jerry World. I mean, the guy's obsessed with himself. That's not going to translate to building a contender in the modern era. It's not going to happen. And on top of all this, there was a couple reports saying, well, wait a minute. The Green Bay packers are interested in Micah Parsons. And everybody gets all excited about that. I'm like, whoa, whoa. Let's be, let's pause for a sec. That ain't happening. I mean, Jerry, there's no way he's trading Micah. We all know and think, yeah, he's going to cave at the last minute, because that's what he does. He chickens out. He talks a tough game and then chickens out and signs a deal. So here's Tyler Dunn talking about Jerry's history with his stars recently. This is headed toward opening night. Jerry Jones is going to know all eyes are on the NFL. His NFL. He's the most powerful person in the NFL. And then that's when the news breaks. They don't care about winning. They just. They just don't. If the Dallas Cowboys prioritized winning, they wouldn't lock up Dak a year ahead of time. CD Lamb, a year ahead of time. Micah Parsons, a year, a year ahead of time. They just jerk around their best players because they can. They, they think they're the smartest people in the room. They don't modernize the franchise. And if you're a Cowboys fan out there, I, I, I, I don't know. I guess the only, the only thing you can do is not show up to the stadium. And that's why I say, you know, Jerry's kind of unserious about the actual football product. I don't think he cares. He said, well, I want to win a Super Bowl. I want to, but the actions are not backing that up. And it's got to be disappointing if you're a Cowboys fan. So let me address one of the points that Dunn made yesterday, because a lot of people out there are Thinking, hey, you know, actually, Jay, Jerry Jones has a point. Micah's under contract for three more years. He's got to show up and play. And that's just, that's. That's not how it works. I'm going to turn back to 2021, okay? That's what Michael Parsons was drafted. I remember that draft fondly because as a Jets fan all season leading up to that, we were in position to get Trevor Lawrence. I was so geeked, all excited. And then the jets, like morons, end up beating the Rams. I believe it was out here at Sofi in December, cost themselves Trevor Lawrence and have to settle for Zach Wilson. We know Zach Wilson. I mean, I think he's working at a coffee bean out here in Los Angeles. However, that draft had a lot of other good players who went the first round. And we just so happen to have a full screen of all that. Those 2021 draft picks. Take a look at the final column. Did they sign their extension? These are all guys drafted the exact same day as Micah Parsons. Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville got his extension. It's done. No drama. Jamar Chase, arguably the best receiver in the league, got it done. No drama, no holdouts, no headlines. Jalen Waddle, Miami got his deal. Penne Sewell, the great offensive lineman in Detroit, J.C. horn, who's been injured a ton, and Carolina still got his extension done. Patrick Certain, defensive player of the year, Devonte Smith of the Eagles. Boy, Eagles. Cowboys. Hey. Devonte Smith in Micah's draft class got his extension. Guys, I had to look this up. Seventeen months ago, he got his extension. He was drafted the same day as Michael Parsons. And we all say the Eagles are the most well run organization in the NFL right now. He got his deal done. And you look at the very end of that list, and there's a gentleman named Rayshawn Slater who went to the Chargers. Okay? July 27 this summer, Rayshawn Slater, four year, $114 million deal, Chargers locked him up. Great contract for an offensive lineman. Less than two weeks later, he tears his patella tendon out for the season. But guess what? Because he got extended, he doesn't have to worry about anything. Can you imagine the panic Rayshawn Slater would have right now if he were playing for the Cowboys and Jerry was jerking him around and then he tears his patella tendon in practice and he's out for the year. But, bro, you didn't get your extension. You just cost yourself a ton of money. He got taken care of. No worries. Slater. Hey, man, get healthy. You don't have a damn thing to worry about. We don't need you to rush back because you got paid. We want you to come back fully strong next season. Easy. Well, enter Micah Parsons. He doesn't have his extension. You really think Micah Parsons wants to go out there and play and jeopardize an injury like Slater with no security? And don't tell me, well, he's got the fifth year option or they can franchise tag him. That ain't security. Security is a four year deal with 91 million guaranteed, which is what Slater got. And Jerry, for some reason, is reluctant to give him that money. And at the bottom of that full screen graphic, I don't know if we can get it again. Our guys put it in gold lettering, okay? Of all those guys that got their extensions, Micah Parsons is the only player in this draft to have three all pro seasons. So you could argue, you know, Jamar Chase has been great. Sewell's been awesome. Micah Parsons has been the best player from his draft. That's a legitimate, credible argument. And I know, hey, Jay, what's he done in the playoffs? Okay, guys, what's Trevor Lawrence done in the playoffs? You know, Penn ain't Sewell. How did he do against Washington? Patrick certain, like, you could play that game all day. But the reality is Jerry Jones is just unserious about football. He. He doesn't truly care about winning because if he did, his actions would align with the smarter teams in the league like the Philadelphia Eagles, who they're going to be playing next Thursday. Now, the spread for that is seven. I would not be surprised if that ticked up to seven and a half. As we get closer, it's increasingly looking like Micah Parsons is not going to play. His brother's on social media, he's at an airport. Micah's getting a second opinion on his back. This is headed toward disaster. If Jerry doesn't step in, say, hey, hey, hey. Okay. Just kidding. We had a lot of fun with that. Now let's get down to football. Let's get down to brass tacks because I'm just. It's. You got to be disappointed if you're a Dallas Cowboys fan with how Jerry has handled this. So we have a good show today. Let's upgrade to great. Actually. I know Bears fans are unhappy with me. Somehow Rachel was able to escape any enmity from the Bears. Former Bears coming after me online. Even though we're in alignment on what's happening with the Chicago team and Ben Johnson and his quarterback. Well, I think it's more of a stylistic issue. Right. Whereas you maybe think of it's more.

[Albert Breer]

Of a is he good enough issue in my mind. Ben Johnson is a very precise coach.

[Jason McIntyre]

Right? I mean, everything he did with the Lions. The mad scientist.

[Albert Breer]

To be a mad scientist, you have to have pretty insight, you know, pretty concise ingredients on exactly what you want.

[Jason McIntyre]

To do, when you want to do it, how you want to do it. And Caleb Williams has always been more of a freelancer, and by the way, that's not a bad quality. Some of the best quarterbacks we have.

[Albert Breer]

Going right now can freelance out there.

[Jason McIntyre]

But it's not necessarily what Ben is used to when you're coming from Jared Goff, because he's not like that.

[Albert Breer]

So for me, the question throughout this.

[Jason McIntyre]

Camp and now going into the season.

[Albert Breer]

Is how do those two styles merge.

[Jason McIntyre]

And can they live together? So we'll be talking a little bit about the Bears coming up next. And listen, if you compare what's being said in Chicago with what's being said about another rookie quarterback in the league right now, I know Caleb's second year, but one of them's very positive and the other is Ben Johnson. So that's next here on the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Albert Breer]

Hey, Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis, and together we're.

[Jason McIntyre]

Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio.

[Albert Breer]

You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific.

[Jason McIntyre]

On Fox Sports Radio and of course, the iHeartRadio app.

[Albert Breer]

Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too.

[Jason McIntyre]

Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say.

[Albert Breer]

I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive.

[Jason McIntyre]

Show on planet Earth.

[Albert Breer]

Be sure to check out Covino and.

[Jason McIntyre]

Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Kobe.

[Albert Breer]

Know Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich Running a business online.

[Jason McIntyre]

Look legit and own your own brand with professional tools from GoDaddy instantly build trust with your customers and boost your credibility with an email that matches your domain so people know you mean business. There's never been a better time. Just go to GoDaddy.com GDnow and choose from a wide variety of popular domains. To find one that's right for you, pair that with a professional email that works for all your business needs, from daily communications to email marketing and everything in between. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. For a limited time, get a domain and matching professional email for just 99 cents a month for one year. Go to GoDaddy.com GD now and look legit with GoDaddy. That's GoDaddy.com GDnow again. GoDaddy.com GDnow there's never been a better time to choose the domain and email that's right for you. New customer purchases only products Auto renew separately. See terms on site godaddy.com gdnow hi.

[Albert Breer]

I'm Buzz Knight, the host of the.

[Jason McIntyre]

Taking a Walk podcast, and join me for an upcoming episode with Zach McFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, talking about his new Frank Sinatra music project.

[Albert Breer]

Anyone who loves music would salivate over something like this. The biggest question for us was, what's in these boxes? There were a few unplayed gems that we had been alerted to by Charlie Pinion of Sinatra Enterprises. So we knew that certain songs like Shadow of your Smile, which actually is not on this record, it'll be on the next one.

[Jason McIntyre]

Seth MacFarlane Don Rickles went up to.

[Albert Breer]

Frank Sinatra and he said, listen, I'm going to be having dinner with this lovely woman and I, you know, would you come over and say hi? And just so you know, because I feel like if she sees that I know you, it's going to make me look really cool and, you know, I.

[Jason McIntyre]

Might have a good night.

[Albert Breer]

During the middle of dinner, Frank walks over and says, don, hi, how are you? And Don goes, frank, please, I'm in the middle of dinner.

[Jason McIntyre]

Seth MacFarlane on the taking a Walk podcast. Listen to Takin a walk on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Who cares about truth when the lies more entertaining. Hey everybody, I'm Angela Rye, co host of Native Lamp Pot with Tiffany Cross and Andrew Gillum. Through the lens of politics and culture, we talk with you every week to make sense of this madness. I've been telling Angela I don't even know how to fight back right now. So what I'm focused on is just looking out for ourselves. That's the truth. We're having the same debates that American.

[Albert Breer]

Households are having all over the country.

[Jason McIntyre]

Rest is certainly a form of self care, but if you are watching your full neighbors starve, not be able to pay bills, your rest is selfish. But the thing is, Angela, this is not the mess we created. So I do understand black folks feeling like, you know what, y' all got it. We're like family, but we disagree all the time. All the time. And we it love. I love when our listeners chime in what would happen if we built our own little Wakandan communities in the rural South. Tiffany, do not run to no rural South. I don't know what you're on. What our audience is asking is. Okay, fine. You want me to stop resting? What specifically are you asking me to do? Stay informed and take action. Listen to Native land pod on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or web, wherever you get your podcast. Welcome home. Welcome home, y'. All.

[Albert Breer]

I'm Dan, he's Ty. Hello. And we're the Solid Verbal college football podcast.

[Jason McIntyre]

College football season is here and you.

[Albert Breer]

Know what that means.

[Jason McIntyre]

Your team is going to break your heart three times probably before Halloween. Uh huh. But fear not, the Solid Verbal will be right there with you through every soul crushing loss and impossible comeback.

[Albert Breer]

Join us all season long, all year long, as we ride the rollercoaster of this ridiculous sport. Whether you're a die hard fan or a casual observer, we'll help you make sense of all the chaos and of.

[Jason McIntyre]

Course, celebrate the madness.

[Albert Breer]

Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you.

[Jason McIntyre]

Won'T hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan.

[Albert Breer]

We don't just love college football, Tyler, we live it. Listen to the solid verbal college football podcasts on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jason McIntyre]

We're back. Our number two here on the herd. It's me, Jason McIntyre in for Colin Cowherd, joined by Rachel Nichols. We have Albert Rear coming up. Albert Brear, just a fountain of information. The guy's amazing. And listen, I know it's football season for college and NFL, but you know, I love me some NBA and Rachel loves the NBA too. We have a fun, spicy NBA topic for later in the hours. Just a few minutes. NFL fans, don't worry. And given how people seem to feel about this guy Rachel, I think they're gonna like our. Our Take on. Yeah, A conversation going on about that. Yes, yes, yes. It'll be fun. But that's later in the hour. Then Greg Jennings, my guy. Greg Jennings, bodybuilder slash former NFL wide receiver. He's going to be in the final hour. Greg Jennings is like Arnold. Honestly, he is so jacked right now. The guy's a machine. All right, so earlier this week, we did my super bowl tears and the 49ers in the top tier really ticked everyone off. Understandable. Chiefs were in tier three. So I was like, why don't we do it for college football? Sure. Staff is like, yeah, on board. Got it. Here we go. College football national championship tears. Let's start with the group we're calling the head of the class, by the way. Head of the class. Shout out to my brother. We would watch that show in the 90s all the time. It was Robin Givens. Yes, Robin Given. Thank you, Rachel. All right, Head of the Class. Top college football contenders should be no surprise that Clemson is up there. If you listen to Bruce Feldman when he was on this week, they're stacked. They have one of the best, best defensive lines in the country. They have 16 starters back. Clemson's in there. Ohio State, defending champs have the best player in the country. Jeremiah Smith, Caleb Downs, an elite defender. Penn State ratoons Drew Aller and eventually James Franklin's going to win a big game. Am I right? Is that going to happen? Now, Alabama surprised some people. Someone in the morning meeting, was I Alabama, Jay? You sure? Folks, Alabama, from the notes, five star quarterback Ty Simpson has been waiting on the bench for a few years to take over for Jalen Milroe. Does that not sound like Arts Manning or what? This is a really good team and I'm. I'm a buyer in Kalyn deboer. I didn't know that Belichick. Rachel had that earlier. Belichick was going to Washington before he got to UNC. Guess who was at Washington. Caitlin DeBore. Smart as hell. I like Alabama to make the playoff and contend for the natty. All right, let's go to the next group called the Honor Roll. Something I was on, I think in seventh grade and not much more after that. The Honor Roll. Obviously Georgia Bulldogs are going to be there. However, they are replacing 15 starters, so I do think there's a pullback. I know they don't replace. They reload. Don't worry. With five stars, they're in the mix. I don't. I don't see them winning it, but they'll be in the mix Notre Dame I like a lot. There's a buy on Marcus Freeman. I think he's an elite coach. And I think the NFL comes calling very, very soon. I love their ground game. Quarterback is a question. But my guy. I have a couple Notre Dame insiders who are very plugged in. They like the quarterback a lot. Oregon Ducks is a bit of a mystery. This is again as a buy on a coach, Dan Lanning. He's going to have them competitive. I gotta be honest, I haven't heard a damn thing about Oregon since Ohio State smoked him 74. 0 or whatever it is in that Rose Bowl. Do you remember that game? That was unbelievable what Ohio State did to them. But Oregon, Dan landing, they'll be fine. And then the Texas Longhorns hook em. Arch Manning and company. I think they lose this weekend and then go on a bit of a heater against bad teams. So Texas is in the mix on the honor roll. And finally, we have waitlisted. I was waitlisted at one university when I applied. I got into 8. I was waitlisted at the other. And the wait list here is LSU with Nussmeyer at quarterback. We'll see what they're made of in the opener against Clemson, the U, the team of my youth. Yes, I owned a Miami starter jacket. I'm not gonna lie. It was so fire when I was in seventh grade. But I like the U. I just don't love Carson Beck a lot like the coaching staff. And I think Notre Dame gets him this weekend. My Guy Sellers, the quarterback at South Carolina. I think they're going to be spicy. He's the guy I would watch coming out of nowhere to like go number one. Maybe he carries the Gamecocks to the playoff. And finally, Mike dark horse, that Texas Tech Red Raiders. I was in Vegas last week. I bet some teams in college football. Texas Tech to make the playoff was one of my long shot bets. I love what they did in the portal. There's your college football tears from your boy. All right, let's bring in our guest, Albert Brear, Mr. Monday Morning Quarterback. As is always obligatory, I have to ask him about Ohio State right out of the gate. Brer, are you disappointed I didn't have the Buckeyes winning at all already?

[Albert Breer]

Who'd you have? So I was looking at my phone.

[Jason McIntyre]

You weren't even paying attention.

[Albert Breer]

I should have been paying attention. That's on me.

[Jason McIntyre]

No, no, no. I had Ohio State.

[Albert Breer]

I'm in the top. Yeah, though. I was paying attention for that.

[Jason McIntyre]

Thank you. Okay, so I Think they're gonna be very good, but I do think Penn State probably gets them this year. Clemson's loaded, and Alabama is a team I bet to win.

[Albert Breer]

The Natty or you bet Alabama?

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Albert Breer]

All right, we'll see. We'll see. Like, I like, I think Ohio State's one of those teams where I think we'll be a lot better in November than we are in September. It's. I mean, 14 guys drafted more than that made NFL rosters. It's a lot to replace. There's a question, of course, at quarterback. I think the game on Saturday is going to be a rock fight. I think both teams have excellent, excellent defenses that, from what I've heard, are way ahead of the offenses right now. But, yeah, I mean, like, the way that things set up now where, you know, you can have some bumps early and still survive to make the playoff, I think they'll be in good shape going into December.

[Jason McIntyre]

Now, there's a rumor on a message board that you will be at the game this weekend. And I also saw you'll probably be in the locker room maybe doing the coin toss or something like that, because you're.

[Albert Breer]

I won't be in the locker room, but I, I will be in the stadium. I do have access for that. I guess that's a big issue this week, right? Like, I'll be okay. I'll be in the stadium, so. Yeah, yeah, no, it's. I'm excited to get out there, man. It'll be my two sons first game there, too, which is going to be pretty cool.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Albert Breer]

All right.

[Jason McIntyre]

Final college football. Got to ask about Arch Manning. I keep asking every guest this week, do we know if he's good? I mean. Yeah. Enough with the UTSA highlights, okay? Can we wait to see him live Bullets against a good team with a smart defense. Yeah.

[Albert Breer]

You know, it's interesting, actually. J. Mac, I asked around about him, you know, going back to, you know, like, May, when you started to see him popping up as the number one overall pick in mock drafts. And, you know, with all due respect to him, I can't remember that ever happening before where you had a guy who has two college stars being projected in the next year's draft of that level. So, you know, I, I, I, the, the guys were on the ground who, who do the, the school calls and have been in Austin, you know, would all say, like, the physical tools are there. He's a great kid. You know, he's been raised right. So there are a lot of, like, great pieces to put together there. But, I mean, I think the leap that everybody's making here is they assume that he's got all the stuff that Peyton and Eli had, and so they're making that leap where they say he's Peyton and Eli, plus athleticism, and I don't know, that's really respectful to how difficult it is to. To see the game, to think the game the way that Peyton and Eli did. And that doesn't mean that Arch won't get there, but there's a process in getting there. You know, part of it is playing against better competition, which will happen on Saturday for him. Part of it is, you know, when teams get six, seven, eight games of game tape on you, you know, figuring out what you do well, what you don't do well, and now they're able to game plan. More specifically, can you counter punch? You know, there's still a lot that we have left to find out about Arch Manning, and I, I think he'd agree with this. Like, I. As far as. I've never talked to him before, but far as what I know about the kid, I think he'd agree that there's still a lot left unknown about what he's going to be as a quarterback. And unfortunately, you know, the way all this stuff works today, we're never going to give a kid like that the opportunity to. To just let that happen naturally. But you kind of wish that it could.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, no shot of that. All right, let's shift our focus to the NFL. Listen, I don't love talking about the Cowboys. They stink. Right? Longest drought in a conference championship game in the NFC by a mile. And now you got Micah Parson showing up at the airport. I'm going to get a second opinion on my back. His brother is tweeting out, this is going 12 rounds. I mean, at what point does this turn from circus to kind of like some Shakespearean act where it's really just sad and depressing?

[Albert Breer]

Yeah, I mean, I would say that, like, a lot of this is kind of, you know, what Jerry's invited over the last few years. The way he's handled a lot of these contract negotiations, the pacing of it actually isn't much different than the negotiation with Zach Martin two years ago with the negotiation with CD Lam and Dak Prescott last year, where, you know, offers were made very early in the off season. And then there was, you know, basically radio silence. Team goes to California for camp, there's not much movement. And then at the very end, there's a push to get a deal done. Now we'll see what happens and what results from that final push to get the deal done, you know. But I'd say there are, you know, a couple of key differences between this one and those. You know, one certainly is, you know, the public rancor that's sort of taken place over the course of the last three or four months where a lot of this stuff has gotten out there and become kind of nasty in the public forum, whether it's between, you know, Jerry and the agent, David Mulagueda, whether it's between Micah and the team itself. Obviously there's the stuff at the stadium, that last preseason game with the nachos and lying on the training table. So this one's gotten more public, publicly nasty than, than. Than those before it. The other difference is just kind of how these guys are seen in the locker room, you know, And I would say, you know, Dak and CD and Zach Martin were all beloved figures in the locker room. And I don't know that it's quite that way with Micah now. It doesn't have to be. He's a great player, you know, he's a motivated player, you know, and I think that if you pay him, he's going to be worth every penny. But that does add a different twist to the tenor negotiations. And so I could see them getting a deal done in the next week. I could also see this, you know, turning into something that drags into the season where, you know, all of a sudden Michael Parsons back is acting up or his, his. His ankle is acting up and you just kind of have this like, weird sideways sort of season from one of your very best players, which of course can put the rest of the team in a tough spot, too.

[Jason McIntyre]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. Running a business online. Look legit and own your own brand with professional tools from GoDaddy. Instantly build trust with your customers and boost your credibility with an email that matches your domain so people know you mean business. There's never been a better time. Just go to GoDaddy.com GDnow and choose from a wide variety of popular domains. To find one that's right for you. Pair that with a professional email that works for all your business needs, from daily communications to email marketing and everything in between. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. For a limited time, get a domain and matching professional email for just 99 cents a month for one year. Go to GoDaddy.comGdNow and look legit with GoDaddy that's GoDaddy.comGdNow again GoDaddy.comGdNow there's never been a better time to choose the domain and email that's right for you. New customer purchases only products Auto renew separately See terms on site godaddy.com gdnow.

[Albert Breer]

Hi, I'm Buzz Knight, the host of.

[Jason McIntyre]

The Taking a Walk podcast. And join me for an upcoming episode with Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, talking about his new Frank Sinatra music project.

[Albert Breer]

Anyone who loves music would salivate over something like this. The biggest question for us was, what's in these boxes? There were a few unplayed gems that we had been alerted to by Charlie Pinion of Sinatra Enterprises. So we knew that certain songs like Shadow of youf Smile, which actually is not on this record, it'll be on the next one.

[Jason McIntyre]

Seth MacFarlane Don Rickles went up to.

[Albert Breer]

Frank Sinatra and he said, listen, I'm gonna be having dinner with this lovely woman and I, you know, would you come over and say hi? And just so you know. Cause I feel like if she sees that I know you, it's gonna make.

[Jason McIntyre]

Me look really cool.

[Albert Breer]

And, you know, I might have a good night. During the middle of dinner, Frank walks over and says, don, hi, how are you? And Don goes, frank, please, I'm in the middle of dinner.

[Jason McIntyre]

Seth MacFarlane on the taking a Walk podcast. Listen to Takin a walk on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Who cares about truth when the lies more entertaining. Hey, everybody, I'm Angela Rai, co host of Native Lamp Pot with Tiffany Cross and Andrew Gillum. Through the lens of politics and culture. We talk with you every week to make sense of this madness. I've been telling Angela, I don't even know how to fight back right now. So what I'm focused on is just looking out for ourselves. That's the truth. We're having the same debates that American.

[Albert Breer]

Households are having all over the country.

[Jason McIntyre]

Rest is certainly a form of self care, but if you are watching your full neighbors starve, not be able to pay bills, your rest is selfish. But the thing is, Angela, this is not the mess we created. So I do understand black folks feeling like, you know what, y' all got it. We're like family, but we disagree all the time. And we love when our listeners chime in what would happen if we built our own little Wakandan communities in the rural South. Tiffany, do not run to no rural South. I don't know what you're on. What our audience is asking is. Okay, fine. You want me to stop resting? What specifically are you asking me to do? Stay informed and take action. Listen to Nativeland Pod on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome home, y'.

[Albert Breer]

All.

[Jason McIntyre]

Hola. It's honey German. And my podcast, Gracias Come Again is back. This season, we're going even deeper into the world of music and entertainment with raw and honest conversations with some of your favorite Latin artists and celebrities. You didn't have to audition.

[Albert Breer]

No, I didn't audition.

[Jason McIntyre]

I haven't auditioned in Nicole for 25 years. Oh, wow. That's a real G talk right there. Oh, yeah. We've got some of the biggest actors, musicians, content creators, and culture shifters sharing their real stories of failure and success. You were destined to be a star. We talk all about what's viral and trending with a little bit of chisme, a lot of laughs, and those amazing vivas you've come to expect. And of course, we'll explore deeper topics dealing with identity struggles and all the issues affecting our Latin community. You feel like you get a little whitewashed because you have to do the code switching.

[Albert Breer]

I won't say whitewashed, because at the end of the day, you know, I mean.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, but the whole pretending and coat.

[Albert Breer]

You know, it takes a toll on you.

[Jason McIntyre]

Listen to the new season of Gracias. Come Again as part of Michael Tura Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Yeah, at what point? I mean, Micah probably has a little more ammo to empty the clip. I mean, he could simply go on his own podcast and go off and shift the attention from Jerry. He could control the narrative. Jerry can meet the media as much as he wants. I mean, I know he's a billionaire and he's the owner. I think Micah has the leverage here. Let me get on the screen, Albert. We looked at the 2021 draft. All the best players in the first round, and Jamar Chase signed Devontae Smith extension. All these guys got their deals early. Hell, the Devonta Smith deal was done 17 months ago. Okay? There's one guy on the list who doesn't have a deal. Doesn't this even further ammo? Like, Jerry doesn't know what the hell he's doing.

[Albert Breer]

But again, like, this is sort of the way that they've handled it, like. And I. I think that's part of it, is he does know what he's doing. You know what I Mean, like, and I think there's a piece of it, like, for a lot of these owners is keeping the money in your own pocket for as long as you can. And that could be an element here. It's control over workforce, which is something Jerry's talked about in the public forum and, and in the private forum, too, of the, of the, of the ownership meetings.

[Jason McIntyre]

Wait, wait, hold on.

[Albert Breer]

He's sort of one of the leaders of the pack when it comes to that stuff, and, and making sure that everybody knows who's in charge. Oh, you know, and then I think there's also the, the entertainment aspect to it, you know, and I, I. A couple years ago, I would have told you you were crazy for saying these things. And I thought people were kind of off base when they did say it. But the more it's happened this way and the less aggressive that they've gotten about doing deals in the months of June and July, the more I thought, like, maybe there is, you know, a, A side benefit that he sees in this whole thing, that they're going to be in the A block. And a lot of, you know, a lot of shows like this one, you know, like, that, they're going to be the most important thing over the summer. I mean, will we really be talking about the Cowboys right now if it weren't for this? No, J. Mac.

[Jason McIntyre]

No.

[Albert Breer]

I mean, it's sort of. I don't know. I mean, maybe because the coaching change, but they didn't. I mean, all due respect to Brian Schottenheimer, this wasn't like a headline grabbing higher, you know, Dax coming back for another year. I just. I don't know that there's anything that will capture the imagination of the public that's going on there right now. And so if you want to be a real conspiracy theory theorist about this, you could look at it and say, Jerry's going to get a deal done his way early, or you're going to have to wait until late. And the headlines may be part of the benefit for, for. For Jerry when it comes to all that.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay, so, Albert, you're a smart guy. You've been in radio, TV writing. You cover the league forever. Do you want to win headlines and be in the A block in July and August, or do you want to be in playoff games that matter in January and get into the game in February?

[Albert Breer]

Like, well, you know what my answer is.

[Jason McIntyre]

Exactly. And that's the only reason I'm pushing back now. You said an interesting phrase. I almost didn't like it where you said Control over players. So are other, any, are any other owners speaking in that tone, like that vibe, hey, we got to let them know who's in charge? Or is that just.

[Albert Breer]

I don't think that. I mean, like, most of them think that.

[Jason McIntyre]

I get that.

[Albert Breer]

If you want to know the truth of it, most of them think that way. I mean, that's why there are so many rules in the CBA that pertain to this sort of stuff, you know, like whether it's franchise tags is strengthening the rules over holding out. I mean, guys have to pay 50,000 a day for, for, for, for, for days they miss in training camp, you know, and that's why players have had to get more creative in doing things like Holden. So like, if you don't think your owner has, has, has that in the back of his head and how he can maintain control over his work force, like you are either, you know, rooting for one of the teams, the rare guy like that, or you have your head in the clouds about the way these guys operate, reality of it. You know what I mean? Like, so I think Jerry's a little bit more forceful about it, and Jerry's probably one of the more vocal guys inside the meeting room. But it exists everywhere and it's all over the cba. You know, there's so many different things in the CBA that the point to it, even the length of it. You know what I mean? Like doing a 10 year deal where you have the opt outs, like, what is that? That's control over workforce. So I mean, I know that's sort of a corporate term for it, but it's exactly what it is.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. I mean, Jerry can go to the table and say, we have you for the next three years. You can't do anything. Come play. And honestly, I'm at the point, Brer. You know, I'm not, I'm not rich or wealthy. If I were a rich guy and I sided with Michael Parson, I'd say, hey, Micah, I got you. I'll float some of your lifestyle. I don't want you going to play. Get your contract. You deserve it. You've earned it. Just like everybody else in your draft class. Go screw listening to him. I mean, again, maybe that's a little aggressive on my part, but I mean.

[Albert Breer]

But that's the thing is like, so what Jerry's told him is like, we have you for the next three years. Well, why do they have him for the next three years? Because for the next three years, because they have the last year of his contract. Franchise tag one, franchise tag two. And so those are mechanisms of control, you know, And, I mean, there are teams that are more aggressive, so they don't have to use those mechanisms of control because they don't want it to come to that point with their players. You know, in a lot of cases, you have a good relationship with your player, and you just don't want it to come to that. You may believe that you should have control over your workforce, but, you know, the Eagles are a great example of it. Like where you mentioned devontae Smith, like, they never. This things never like, came even close to coming to a head with him because he did him so early. You know, A.J. brown, they revised his contract. They gave him, you know, a big bump when, when he had outplayed the. The contract he initially signed. So there are definitely ways to avoid it. There are definitely teams that don't want to exert it. Jerry's just never been afraid to exert these sorts of mechanisms. And again, like, that whole thing, like, I have you for the next three years, even though you're only under contract for the next year, is, of course, you know, a pretty clear way of, of. Of explaining to your player, like, even after your contract expires, I still have you.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Albert Breer]

Because of the rules that we put in place.

[Jason McIntyre]

I don't like that. I mean, maybe the WNBA players should talk to the NFL guys and be like, hey, hey. Oh, you guys, this is the playbook. This is what we're going to do. But the other thing, looking at that. Rayshawn Slater got a new contract July 27. Two weeks later, torn patella, out for the year. He doesn't have to worry about anything, Albert. He got. He got his money, right? Don't rush back. We're good. You got your contract. We're happy. Like, I'm.

[Albert Breer]

I mean, Caleb McGarry is another one that's not as high profile, but he got hurt in Atlanta, I think, a few days after his contract. There are tons of examples of it, for sure. And that's. That's part of the leverage that owners have, is fear that something like this is going to happen.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. So if I'm. Micah, hey, man, I just saw what happened to McGarry, what happened to Slater. I'm sorry. I don't want to go out there. My back is hurt. I mean, honestly, you have to. If you're Dak Prescott and you probably know him as well as anybody who covers teams, at some point he has to think, hey, man, I got paid. I don't Care. We're not winning the Super Bowl. We're not sniffing it. I mean, I think the Eagles have a better chance to repeat than Dallas does, even getting to the playoffs, and I think Dak is probably fine with that. Hey, I'm wealthy. I've got generational wealth. I got my girl, I got my kid. I'm fine. I don't care. At some point, you just have to not care, because if the owner doesn't seem to care, why should the quarterback? I'm just going to go play and make money and that's it.

[Albert Breer]

Yeah, I mean, I see what you're saying. I mean, but there's also, like, you only have so many years to. To. To. To.

[Jason McIntyre]

To.

[Albert Breer]

To maximize your time in the field. You know, how you're going to be remembered and all that different stuff. And, And I think, you know, Dax, not really wired that way, where it's. Where it's like, okay, like, well, like, my owner isn't as all in as I am, so I'm not going to put as much into it. Like, I just. I have a hard time envisioning ever. Ever seeing anything that. Anything like that happening with that particular guy. Like, Dak Prescott's not that way. But I. I would agree that, like, it doesn't always send the best message to your locker room when you're doing these sorts of things. You know, I mean, I think in a lot of ways, these contract negotiations send messages to the locker room. And I think, you know, for example, like Terry McLaurin in Washington. I think one of the tricky things about that one is, and was, over the course of the last few months was like, I mean, if you're. If you're in a negotiation with somebody who isn't all that well liked or well respected in the locker room and there's a dispute, well, I think guys kind of, you know, just look the other way on it. But if it's a guy like a McLaurin, like, they're gonna be guys in the locker room, they're gonna look at and say, like, you messed with that guy. And now that they've paid him, they can point and say, you know what? We took care of him. Like, it was. It got a little messy, but in the end, we were. We were able to find a solution, and he's happy, and we're happy, and that's the kind of guy that we pay. So, you know, I. I think more often than. More often than people realize, players keep score by contract, players keep score by money. And so, you know, they're paying attention to the way that you handle these sorts of negotiations because they know if one of the biggest stars in the team can be treated a certain way, well, then they're certainly not going to be exempt from it.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right, let's move off the Cowboys. I know management will love that. I do have to ask. I'm taking some heat in Chicago. Albert. Okay. Yeah, they're upset with me. Kyle Long is taking jabs at me like this Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson stuff again. I'm listening to the quotes and I'm looking at the actions of Ben Johnson and I'm just telling you from my point of view, something's going on there. It doesn't feel like it's off to a good start. They've had like four or five months together and the messaging from Ben. Now, maybe this is his personality. I don't know, his upbringing, I don't know his background. It just doesn't seem positive. And then they signed Bajan to, to a random out of nowhere. This guy came out of nowhere and they just signed him to a deal. I'm like, what is happening? So maybe Talk Talk Bears fans off the ledge or side with me, either one.

[Albert Breer]

I think he's being, I think, I think Ben's being intentionally tough on, on. On Caleb Williams. Like, I think that's. That, that, that's really the long and short of it. And this has been being himself and this is the way he coaches. And you know, as far as I can tell, like, Caleb's been on board with it and it produced some really ugly days early in training camp. Like, it did not look good. But if you talk to Ben about it, what he would tell you is we were going through a process where we wanted to feed him through a fire hose and give him as much as we possibly could. Overload him with information, overload him with scheme, and then come back and narrow down what he's doing and figure out what he does well and what he doesn't do well, throw the stuff that he doesn't do well out and build an offense around his strengths. And so I think, like you juxtapose the early days in camp against the second preseason game and you see a guy who is playing much faster, you see a guy who's playing much more confidently because they had figured out exactly what he does best. They'd honed in on that and then they really sort of fine tuned some of the stuff as far as how fast he's playing, how quick the ball is getting out, all the that, and I know it didn't look quite the same against Kansas City. It wasn't quite as sharp against Kansas City in the last preseason game. But I think this has gone according to plan. And, you know, we'll have to see what it looks like when the regular season starts. But I think people who've been around Ben would remind you, like, they had days like this with Jared Goff and training camp in Detroit, and nobody made as big a deal out of it because golf was already a proven commodity. We already had an idea of what golf is. You know, we'll see if it works with the younger guy, huh?

[Jason McIntyre]

That's positive and upbeat, and I like it. I appreciate it. I do have to ask. Caleb kind of had the run of the show last year. He could do whatever he wanted. He was watching film by himself, reportedly. Well, guess what? The year prior at usc, he was also just doing his own thing. A lot of backyard football, right? So two years of just, hey, freelance, make a play, go get us some points. How tough is it going to be to go from that into follow my lead, drop, read, react quickly? Like, it's probably at least a year with Ben before we see anything close to what he wants, right?

[Albert Breer]

Well, it's a mentality change, you know, I mean, you're. You're trying to coach a playing style out of somebody, and that's not an easy thing to do. You know, I think beyond just that, like in college, like, he was asked in a lot of cases to be the best player on the field. And I think you saw that reflected in the way that he played. It was a lot of big play hunting, a lot of passing up the. The. The easy stuff. And what they're trying to teach him to do is play the game and play quarterback in a more between the lines sort of ways. Instead of constantly coloring outside the lines, you can run and scramble to create throws. In the NFL, you can't do it all the time. And I think of my homes because I'm doing a story on Pat, and Pat and I talked about this, you know, earlier in the month is like, if you look at his numbers, Mahomes, his numbers, he averaged over 10 carries a game when he was at Texas Tech. That number for his NFL career is under four per game. And that's a very intentional thing that for Mahomes was going from having to be the best player on the field on almost every play to, I've got good teammates around me. I can trust them. I can get the ball in their hands and then When I need to be Superman, I can always put the cape on. That's what they're trying to get Caleb to do in Chicago, is there are going to be certain plays where we just want to have your hands at ten and two on the wheel and just run the offense. And we know that we. We know that you're capable of the bigger stuff when we need it, but it can't be all the time. And I think there were points last year. We saw what happens when he's trying to be that guy all the time, and they're trying to dial that back and say, just play quarterback four times out of five, and then that fifth time, you can go and show everybody exactly what you're capable of.

[Jason McIntyre]

Your analogy for Caleb got me thinking of the great movie Old School, where Will Ferrell, you know, used to be a party animal, then he's really resigned to the burbs, and his wife's like, we don't want to see old Frank the Tank. And then he just comes out and he's beer bonging, or funneling, whatever the kids call it. Anyways, Albert Breer, Monday morning quarterback. Great stuff as always. Hey, good luck to your Buckeyes this weekend. I. I loaded up. I could use a. A new car, so let's go Buckeyes. Oh, you.

[Albert Breer]

You got money on them?

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, a couple bucks.

[Albert Breer]

I like it. I like it for me, too. It's been a while.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. Yeah, we'll do. All right, Albert. Thank you.

[Albert Breer]

All right. Hi, I'm Buzz Knight, the host of.

[Jason McIntyre]

The Taking a Walk podcast.

[Albert Breer]

And join me for an upcoming episode.

[Jason McIntyre]

With Seth MacFarlane, the creator of Family Guy, talking about his new Frank Sinatra music project.

[Albert Breer]

Anyone who loves music would salivate over something like this. The biggest question for us was, what's in these boxes? Really, the most thrilling part was hiring an orchestra and just playing what was in these boxes.

[Jason McIntyre]

Listen to Taking a walk on the I Heart Rate radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone, it's me, Katie Couric. Did you know that I recently joined Substack? Very exciting. It's where I'll be sharing my unfiltered conversations with the people everyone's talking about. I'll also tell you what I'm reading, what I'm watching, what's making me crazy, and what's giving me hope. If you like deep dives, hot takes, and real talk, you're in the right place. Search Katie Couric on Substack and hit subscribe. I'll be there reporting live, most likely in my pajamas. See you there.

[Albert Breer]

Why are TSA rules so confusing? You got a hoodie? You want to take it off? I'm Manny. I'm Noah.

[Jason McIntyre]

This is Devin.

[Albert Breer]

And we're best friends and journalists with a new podcast called no Such Thing, where we get to the bottom of questions like that. Why are you screaming? Well, I can't expect what to do now if the rule was the same, Go off on me.

[Jason McIntyre]

I deserve it, you know? Lock him up.

[Albert Breer]

Listen to no Such thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jason McIntyre]

No Such Thing. I'm Jake Hofer and this is back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network. Each episode, I'll be asking eight whitetail hunting pros a focused, thought provoking question about hunting and land management.

[Albert Breer]

How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access?

[Jason McIntyre]

Should you?

[Albert Breer]

That's what the real question is. Stand without good access is not a good stand.

[Jason McIntyre]

Listen to Back 40 on iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast.