Colin Cowherd Podcast Prime Cuts - Cowboys Impressive In Loss To Eagles, NFL Win Totals, Belichick’s Disastrous Start At UNC

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd: Podcast Prime Cuts

Episode Date: September 6, 2025
Episode Theme: Deep-dive analysis of NFL Week 1 — Cowboys-Eagles reactions, Cowboys’ roster moves (Micah Parsons trade), NFL win totals, and the chaotic launch of Bill Belichick’s college coaching career.

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Episode Overview

This episode features Colin Cowherd’s characteristically sharp and passionate takes on the NFL’s opening games, highlighted by a Cowboys-Eagles breakdown. The conversation segues into Dallas’ roster overhaul, particularly the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade. Cowherd welcomes analysts John Middlekauff and Ryan Wilson for back-and-forth on key NFL topics and college football, with a focus on notable performances, new coaching regimes (notably Belichick at UNC), and futures for top programs.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Cowboys vs. Eagles: Analysis and Takeaways

[02:49 - 14:13]

• Cowboys Impressive Despite Loss:

  • Philadelphia defeated Dallas 24-20, but Cowherd asserts, “If CeeDee Lamb makes that catch, Dallas wins the football game. CD Lamb was CD lame.” (Colin Cowherd, 02:56)
  • Big factor: Eagles made superior second-half defensive adjustments, increasing Dak Prescott’s pressure.

• Jalen Hurts and Eagles’ Offensive Line:

  • Hurts’ advantage: better O-line, Saquon Barkley, and familiarity with head coach. Kellen Moore is gone as OC, but Eagles’ first-half offense was “flawless.”

• The Micah Parsons Debate:

  • Parsons’ importance was debated; Cowherd and Collinsworth downplayed “the Micah effect,” suggesting Parsons wasn’t the difference versus the dominant Philly O-line—“Micah's really, really talented. But I didn't think that was the ball game.” (Colin, 04:16)

• Dallas’ Offensive Line and Positives:

  • Prescott’s protection and receiver separation were “impressive,” especially for a team without an elite running back.
  • “George Pickens is going to be an asset. That length, his ability... the way he stretches out from defensive backs.” (Colin, 05:59)

• Eagles’ Defense and Adjustments:

  • Second-half: Eagles’ defense disrupted Dallas, with Dak “under duress.”
  • “If you put Saquon Barkley on the Cowboys and took him away from the Eagles, you’d have a different outcome.” (Colin, 07:37)
  • Barkley’s versatile, game-changing ability highlighted: “It’s not his long runs that make him exceptional, it’s the catches out of the backfield... He is just a sensational talent.” (Colin, 08:15)

• Stats and Gameflow:

  • Eagles had 158 yards rushing; Dallas outgained Philly in first downs, passing yards, yards per play, and third-down conversions, but failed to capitalize.
  • “I would give the Eagles a B plus because they won. I would give Dallas a solid B to B plus.” (Colin, 12:10)

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2. College Football: Belichick at UNC, Arch Manning, and Bryce Underwood

[14:13 - 19:22]

• Belichick’s College Coaching Struggles:

  • Cowherd criticizes expectations for Belichick at UNC, referencing his NFL draft failures and inability to recruit:
    • “Why should I trust him in the transfer portal? I didn't like him drafting college kids.” (Colin, 19:22)

• Ryan Wilson agrees:

  • “He's coming in there... it's going to raise the profile of Carolina football, but [if] expectations are more than seven or eight wins, I'm out so quickly.” (Ryan Wilson, 21:17)
  • Belichick lacks required ‘salesman’ personality for college recruiting.

• Arch Manning’s Bumpy Debut:

  • “It was kind of jarring, was it not?” (Colin, 14:13)
  • Wilson: “You could tell the moment the ball came out of his hand... that's not a good ball.” (14:58)

• Bryce Underwood’s Breakout:

  • Both hosts rave about Michigan’s new QB: “That's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, that is magic.” (Colin, 16:14)
  • Wilson: “I do not throw around the G word, okay? Generational... they said that one's just different, go watch him.” (Ryan Wilson, 17:16)

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3. The Micah Parsons Trade: Evaluation and Implications

[32:38 - 45:53]

• Cowherd Supports the Trade:

  • “This team could not pay Derrick Henry 8 million and they had unquestionably the worst running back room in the league. So my take is they liked Micah, they offered him 40. But to get two firsts, that's now four firsts in the next two years...” (Colin, 33:21)

• Middlekauff: Is Micah ‘Untradable?’

  • “You can run at Micah Parsons. He is not Reggie White. He's not even the best player at his position in the league.” (John, 35:21)

• Trade Timing and Roster Reality:

  • “The time to move a superstar is in a rebuild year and isn't it clearly a rebuild year?” (Colin, 34:49)

• Risks and Locker Room Impact:

  • Middlekauff: “Micah Parsons bringing him in... making way more money than everybody. It's just, it's a pretty... there is some risk involved when you factor in the finances, when you factor in this big personality.” (John, 40:04)
  • “Why are people acting like they just traded Lawrence Taylor? Because that's not what they just did.” (John, 41:26)

• QB Economics and Team Flexibility:

  • Overpaying Dak creates ripple effects. “Dak is a B quarterback making A plus money... All the problems here start... it's hard to win when you pay Josh Allen top of the market salary.” (Colin, 42:07)

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4. NFL Week 1 Odds & Matchups: Seattle, Chicago, Minnesota, and More

[49:39 - 59:20]

• Seattle as Underdogs vs San Francisco:

  • “I'm surprised. It's my favorite pick of the week is Seattle at home plus points.” (Colin, 49:56)
  • Both Cowherd and Middlekauff are higher on Seattle than Vegas, suggest taking the points in divisional games.
  • “Not a better long shot on the board to win their division than 5 to 1 Seattle.” (John, 52:27)

• Evaluating Draft and Team Building:

  • Mid-to-late round NFL draft success is crucial to sustaining competitiveness; top teams, including Ravens and 49ers, have excelled in this area.

• Chicago Bears' Make-or-Break Opener:

  • “Chicago is an underdog at home... and Minnesota is a mystery team. I don't know what J.J. McCarthy is.” (Colin, 55:09)
  • “Anything less than nine and eight will feel awful. And even nine and eight, if you miss the playoffs will be like, God, well, what are we doing here?” (John, 58:57)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On CeeDee Lamb's game-losing drop:

  • “CD Lamb was CD lame. He had a really, really bad [game]... CD Lamb catches the ball, they win the game.” (Colin, 02:56/11:18)

• On Saquon Barkley:

  • “It's not his long runs that make him exceptional, it's the catches out of the backfield... He is just a sensational talent and he does all the little things well.” (Colin, 08:15)

• On Belichick’s UNC hire:

  • “Bill's better schematically than a lot of guys, but... there are almost... salesmen. Belichick is kind of grumpy.” (Colin, 24:42)

• On Micah Parsons:

  • “Why are people acting like they just traded Lawrence Taylor? Because that's not what they just did.” (John, 41:26)

• On NFL team building:

  • “Green Bay has shown a history to pick up starters in the fourth and fifth and sixth round at a much higher percentage than the rest of the league over the last 30 years.” (Colin, 38:33)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:49] Cowboys-Eagles breakdown, Dallas positives/negatives
• [07:37] The value of Saquon Barkley
• [14:13] College football: Arch Manning struggles; Bryce Underwood impresses
• [19:22] Belichick’s harsh college start; talent acquisition gaps
• [32:38] Rationale and fallout of the Parsons trade
• [41:26] Micah Parsons’ trade value reflects reality, not hype
• [49:39] NFL Week 1 odds picks: Seattle-SF, Chicago-Minnesota analysis
• [58:26] Chicago's daunting expectations and quarterback pressure

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Episode Tone & Style

True to Cowherd’s style, the tone throughout is opinionated, analytical, occasionally irreverent, and focused on actionable insights with a blend of humor (“CD Lamb was CD lame”). Conversations are fluid, sometimes challenging mainstream narratives, and always connecting league-wide ramifications with granular, player-level details.

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Summary Takeaways

• Dallas’ narrow loss to Philadelphia is less damning than the score suggests; protection and offensive scheme signs are encouraging, but CeeDee Lamb’s drops were fatal.
• Saquon Barkley’s versatility is pivotal; Philly’s strengths remain up front.
• The Micah Parsons trade is justified by Dallas’ timeline and roster needs; Parsons is elite but not untouchable, and team economics are shifting.
• College football remains volatile as NFL names enter coaching ranks — Belichick’s move already faces skepticism due to his recruiting and cultural gaps.
• Key NFL Week 1 lines suggest undervalued teams (like Seattle); the Bears’ season could hinge disproportionately on their debut.

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Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[John Middlekauff]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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I would argue that if Ceedee Lamb makes that catch, Dallas wins the football game. CD Lamb was CD lame. He had a really, really bad But I thought Philadelphia did a better job with second half adjustments and that's the ball game. I thought overall I was pretty blown away. Now Jalen Hurts comes into this game. He's got the better offensive line. He's got Saquon Barkley and he has a at least a head coach that he's very familiar with. They have a new oc. Kellen Moore's gone but and it was kind of an unimpressive kind of second half adjustment for the Eagles offensively. I thought they made great defensive adjustments to get pressure, but there's a big advantage. Jalen Hurts o line, Saquon Barkley at home. And they looked unbelievable in the first half. Three drives, 200 plus yards, three TDs. Eagles were flawless and everybody points to. Well, what about, what about Micah? Well, the Cowboys could not stop the Eagles twice last year with Micah. So and I'll give you an example. I saw, I saw this last year today, the Cowboys versus the Eagles without Micah, without Micah. One sack and five quarterback hits. The Cowboys last game with the Eagles with Micah. One sack and one quarterback hit. Micah wasn't the difference. Okay, so in the first half. I mean Philadelphia did this twice to Dallas last year and they did it to Kansas City in the Super Bowl Bowl. That offensive line gets rolling. Saquon Barkley, those receivers they didn't even use AJ Brown barely looked at him in the first half and were up and down the field with or without Micah. At one point Chris Collinsworth said this is the Micah effect. Yeah, I mean it's. Micah's really, really talented. But I didn't think that was the ball game. I think the what blew me away with Dallas, especially in the first half. Dak got excellent protection. They don't have a great running back room. They're not going to be a great run team. But they opened some rush lanes. And yes, Jalen Carter's absence changes Philadelphia's interior defense. I mean there's just no question he is the dominant interior defensive lineman along with Chris Jones and the NFL, the Chiefs, so. But I thought Dallas in the first half got. Dak had time. The wide receivers got excellent separation. George Pickens looks like he's a real asset. Although he had a really, really bad penalty. It ended up the Cowboys fumble, the first turnover of the season. But it pushed Dallas back. And who knows how that drive transpires if they don't get pushed back on the Pickens penalty. But George Pickens is going to be an asset. That length, his ability to keep the ball away, the way he stretches out from defensive backs. Because Philadelphia's got a great secondary. But I thought Dallas's old line held up very well. Dak had a lot of time. I thought Dak really, really well. They didn't move him much. He sat in the pocket at this point in his career. He's a pocket quarterback. But I thought he was very, very effective. And CD Lamb had three drops and the brutal drop back to back drops on that last drive and that deep ball was a beautiful throw by Dak. So I think if you're Philadelphia, you made excellent second half defensive adjustments to get pressure and you know that ends up being cruc. Dak was way too comfortable in the first half. Meanwhile he threw under duress in the second half. There were a lot of bang bang plays in the secondary. A couple of balls could have been picked. But CD Lamb dropped three balls. A couple of balls could have been caught. So I came away impressed with Dallas. Philadelphia won back to back tush pushes. I think if you put Saquon Barkley on the Cowboys and took away Saquon Barkley for the Eagles, you'd have a different outcome. I thought Saquon's ability to, you know, that one handed catch on a crucial drive, his just ability to escape. A lot of times Saquon doesn't even get credit for picking up three yards on a play that should lose a yard. It's not his long runs that make him exceptional, it's the catches out of the backfield. It's taking these one yard gains and making it a three to a four yard game. He is just a sensational talent and he got Philadelphia out of little jams throughout the course of the game. Wiggle here, drop his shoulder here, make a one hand catch there. Saquon was voted the best player in the league by players in a recent poll. He's just a sensational talent and he does all the little things well. He can pick up a blitz one handed catch. But overall, I think if you're Dallas, you have to feel great. I mean they've got one of the best kickers in the league. Their offensive line in the first half held up. I like the game plan. Dak looked comfortable. Their receivers created separation again. They're the road team. They're the team of the new coaching staff. George Pickens the new player. Mike is not there. Trayvon Diggs didn't practice much and Dallas had a very good performance. CD Lamb catches the ball, they win the game. So listen, it's game one for a variety of reasons is hard to make any sweeping general comment about a Jalen Carter out changes Philadelphia's rush defense. Secondly, you're tired in the second half. I thought Dallas's, I thought Dallas looked a little fatigue. Their defensive front, you know, you got that O line leaning on you Longer drives by Philadelphia. But overall, I mean, Dallas's D line, you know, Mozzie Smith was a, I wrote this down, inactive. So he's a bust. You know, Mike is no longer there. Kenny Clark made a nice play, he's a nice addition. But you know, considering Mike has gone and Mozzie Smith is a bust, they have a little bit of depth up front. That's encouraging for Dallas. You know, I'm looking at some of the numbers here. Philadelphia's second half offensive game plan kind of uninspiring again. It's week one, new coordinator. I don't quite know how to feel about it. Philadelphia was, I mean, Jalen Carter spitting. They had four very early penalties. Four early penalties in the first half, personal fouls. Philadelphia wasn't, wasn't tight and it almost cost him. Yeah, I mean in the end Philadelphia had 158 yards rushing. You don't lose a lot of games in this league with 158 yards rushing. But Dallas, you know, Dallas has 24 first downs. Dallas averaged five and a half yards of play. You got to feel pretty good about that. Dallas had more total yards, more passing yards themselves, rushed for 119 yards, had more yards per play, more first downs, were very effective. Seven for 11 on third down. Had only four penalties. I mean, Mike McCarthy's teams were penalty plagued. Only one turnover in a game. Now Philadelphia again, more rushing yards total. And in the second half, they pulled away in time of possession. They were flawless in the first half offensively, but overall, I, I would give the Eagles a B plus because they won. I would give Dallas a solid B to B plus. New coaching staff on the road. First game. I mean, last year, I just didn't like Dallas's offensive line. I thought there was real growth. If you're a Cowboy fan, I thought you had to be encouraged with the protection Dak Prescott got, especially in the first half. And Dak hung in there in the second half. I mean, he was under duress in that second half. After the adjustments, I know I'm going on and on about Dallas. Maybe, you know, if I'd have come into this game with a clean slate mentally and not feeling like Dallas is just going to be a mess, I'm going to have to revisit the Dallas schedule tomorrow on FS1. I was really impressed, you know, and it's not like CD Lamb didn't have a bunch of catches. I mean, he had great separation all night. And those are excellent corners for the Eagles. So Philadelphia sloppy, maintained a lead at home, won a game. But I feel. I feel differently about the Cowboys now than I did four hours ago. Well, if you like college football, and I've been watching Josh Pate for a long time, but there are very few people that cut through like Josh, and there's no clicks involved. It's just knowledge and prep and work. He is newly married. He's got a beautiful wife, he's got an incredible job, and it looks like he can bench Delaware. So his shit is rolling right now. He is. Josh, it is a pleasure to have you on. So I, I don't like criticizing college athletes, but I have said we'll start with this, that once they started making 5 million bucks a year, you're a professional. Whatever level you play at, you're a professional. And Arch Manning can handle it. And I said, listen, there are. And this, I feel this way about Belichick's opener. There are games in which you struggle. I've seen Patrick Mahomes just have bad halves, bad Super Bowls. But with Arch, it was. I mean, when he first rolled out to the right and skipped that thing about 8 yards shy, that was more than nerves. It was arm slot, it was mechanics. And he'll bounce back in the next three games. It's, you know, it's, it's, you know, really second tier programs. But I don't think it's just a, hey, it was jitters. I, I had some concerns. I can't unsee it and I know that's punitive and harsh, but this is Manning. He, I joked before the game, family dinners are events I don't want to hear. He was nerv. It, it was more than that. I, I, it was kind of jarring, was it not?

[Ryan Wilson]

Yeah. I especially think if you bought into, I don't know, like the superhero vacation of him over the spring and summer. You think about this. He is only just now become a college football starting quarterback and you and I have talked about him over half a decade. So we've known about him six years and I don't think we've ever said that about anyone. So I go out there in the spring, watch him practice, feel my way around the building. Sark's really just open about stuff, especially when you get them off the record, that staff and the feedback wasn't, oh, we're worried about it. The feedback was we really hope that the world's realistic about what we're doing here, about what we're going to put on the field. Because they never expected it to be like, you know, the preview magazine culture expected it to be. So it wasn't a shock to me that they tried to ease him in. I think the jarring part for me, I was up there, I was standing on the field is you didn't even have to watch secondary line of scrimmage. If you just put your eyes on him, you could tell the moment the ball came out of his hand. That's not a good ball and that's, that's, that's not going anywhere fast. So I think that part, you get rattled and at that point you're playing good defense so you feel like you can just win a rock fight and we'll tuck it back in, we'll go back home, we'll play a tomato can, we'll get ready for our trip to Florida I think is their next really big game. So it wasn't, it's jarring to me because I never did the Heisman thing with him. I never did the Arch Manning number one picking the draft this upcoming year. My whole stance on him was, and it still is, he's going to be a pretty good quarterback this year and anything above and beyond that, great. But it's Texas. You don't have to carry them for that matter. Nussmeier doesn't have to carry lsu, club doesn't have to carry Clemson. A lot of these guys have really good supporting cast. He has got racehorses around him. I question whether their speed at wide receivers quite what it's been. But the whole concept of Texas, his going to load the roster up, just make good decisions, be big in the leverage moments. He was not that in week one. But you know, you got a much bigger safety net under you now because of the structure of the playoff.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, and I'll, I'll get to a kid, you know, I, I think first glances matter and I, I follow high school recruiting not as much as I used to just because I have more things on my plate. But I, I'll just say I don't know how good Michigan is. I love Oklahoma this weekend. I think if you look at Oklahoma's depth chart, that defense is juniors and seniors. That is an old team. They're at home, they got a lot of 22 year old guys and Matier's very talented quarterback. I think Oklahoma is going to have a day. But my first glance is at Bryce Underwood on YouTube in high school and last week, Josh, that's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, that is magic. And I know he's going on the road now. You need about four snaps. I really think Underwood, a lot of these five star guys. I never bought into Quinn Ewers. I mean, you know, out in Southern California I've heard a lot of five star recruits and I'm like, I don't buy it. I always say LA recruits, five's a four, four is a three, they get overhyped. But I like Oklahoma this weekend. But what were your interpretations of Bryce Underwood?

[Ryan Wilson]

Better than I thought he'd be. And I had same. I had really high expectations for him. I do not throw around the G word, okay? Generational that you should use that about once a generation. I believe that's the definition.

[Colin Cowherd]

He.

[Ryan Wilson]

Even the guys I trust in the scouting world, the ones that assignate the star ratings, even when I listen to them coming up, you know, the ones who are really careful with their language, they said that one's just different, go watch him. And he did. I don't think he came to Elite 11. So I went out there. I didn't get to see him in person, but eventually you get to see his high school stuff. Okay, it's high school. He goes to Michigan. I know it was New Mexico. 99% of the country didn't watch the game. I don't care if it was air. There is a way that superstars look. It does not take, it does not take mountains and mountains, games and games of film. You just look at it and you say, whoa. Now that's not like you said, it's not a guarantee that he's going to go light the world on fire.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[Ryan Wilson]

Weak. In fact, it could overinflate him to where he tries to do too much on the road against a Brent Venables defense which has made like the two is of the world look inferior in years.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Ryan Wilson]

So I'm with you on the Oklahoma sort of dynamic this weekend. But long term, here's the way I viewed Michigan this whole year. They are not good at receiver, so they do not have the pass catchers to probably have him fully feature himself. But what is going to happen is everyone is going to see what you and I are talking about eventually because it'll play out on the big stage and they are going to be, I think, a portal magnet for wide receivers after. Yeah, and I am, I'm viewing Michigan 2025 through a 2026 prism because I think 2026, they're right in the national championship.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I, I, I don't know that far ahead. And they're not good at receiver, by the way. If you go look at Jim Harbaugh recruiting through the years, he's never had good receivers. He didn't have them with Andrew Luck got in San Francisco, he had Michael Crabtree and that was about it. Michigan, I mean, they were, they were a run defense, squash, you know, eat the clock up. But the ball comes out of Bryce Underwood's hand fast.

[Ryan Wilson]

Very different.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, it just doesn't look like other kids. All right. So much like the Arch Manning topic. My question with Belichick and I, a friend of mine, Ryan Rossillo and I got on this years ago, about seven years before Belichick got bounced in New England. Rossillo and I used to always joke. We're like, he can't draft. He's sitting there with his dog in Nantucket on his iPad and I'm like, he can't draft. And I people. And so what happens in the NFL? And it was Pete Carroll's undoing a little bit in Seattle where there are coaches, Jimmy Johnson, Sean Payton, who are really, really Sean McVay, really good with personnel. They really have an eye for it. Then there's guys like Kyle Shanahan, who I think are great play designers and play callers. I don't love their personnel view. And then there's Belichick, who's sort of tone deaf to offensive personnel. I don't think he's tone deaf to schemes because he's the best defensive coach of my life. But his last seven years in New England, I mean, they got a punter who was an all pro. That was it. They couldn't draft anything interior, O line, sideline quarterback. So I. My question was, why should I trust him in the transfer portal? I didn't like him drafting college kids. And when I watched Carolina, one of the first things after the first series that jumped out to me is TCU either had much better coaches or much better players because there were a lot of guys running free in the second half. I mean, I mean, pulling away from safeties and pulling away from linebackers, I just didn't see the talent. Now, again, the transfer portal, you're getting used cars a little bit. You know, if Georgia wants to keep a guy, they're going to keep a guy. I thought it was. Again, is it possible that Bill's not the. Listen, Saban was a brilliant personnel guy. I don't think Belichick is. Am I wrong?

[Ryan Wilson]

No. I mean, I actually wish I did disagree with you. I completely agree with you. I looked at the dynamic. Look, I mean, take a step back for a second. So I didn't even understand the circus around it, period. I got when Deion came to Colorado. That is. That is a massive circus coming to town. Not even in a pejorative way. I got that a lot of people in my world made this huge deal about Belichick coming to North Carolina. Carolina. And I maybe I just don't pay attention enough to, like, mainstream sports talk. So I didn't get it. But that's just me. That's my personal preference. So then I start hearing these rumblings like, boy, they got a workable schedule this year. And I started to pick up what people were putting down, because the connotation there was, oh, they could do something this year. And I was. I know the personnel they have. It's terrible. And so I was looking at it, saying, what are you saying about the schedule? Come out and say it. No one wanted to say it. So I finally got some people to admit, yeah, I think it's Belichick. It's a workable schedule. He could. Yeah, I got the cattle prod theory. They. He could cattle prod college football this year. I was like, if that's your expectation for him, you're in for a very rude awakening. And so is the rest of America. Like, I didn't get it initially. I Thought people understood he's coming in there and, you know, it's a big show and it's going to raise the profile of Carolina football, but the expectations largely to do what Carolina's done. I was so tone deaf on it when I realized people's expectations were he's actually going to elevate them to the level of maybe a fringe playoff contender. I was so out so quickly on it for 50 different reasons, but one of them is the one you talked about. I never talk about NFL. College football is my space, but I didn't think he did a great job at all of the personnel side of things the last several years he was in the NFL or he'd probably still be in the NFL. And then the next part of that is, all right, if you're telling me that you want him to be more than a seven or eight win per year on average guy, which is Carolina football historically, well, that means he's got to do better in talent acquisition. And that also means you got to beat Clemson for kids. You've got to occasionally beat Miami or Florida State for kids. He's just not going to do that. I don't know if you've gotten in the weeds a little bit and read some of the stuff that I've been hearing for months, has now sort of started to go public about the impressions that recruits or portal kids have had, the experiences they've had. They don't know how to do it, man. And it's no knock on them. They've never had to do it. Think about it this way, like, if you're watching right now and you're mainly NFL and like, you just dip your toe into college. Nick Saban, I think, is the best to ever do it. He got to his early 70s after a lifetime in college football, lifetime of mastering talent acquisition. And he said, this isn't really for me anymore. Belichick, at the same age, is trying it for the first time. He's older than any three of his players combined, and he's trying that for the first time. I never even gave a passing thought to, oh, this will work. Of course it won't work. I was stunned, and still am that people think it will work.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. You know, and what's interesting about, you know, in. In pro football, you draft the player, but in college football, the players select you. So if you're around Nick Saban, he's funny. I've been around him a couple times. He's funny. Mario Cristobal, Dan Lanning, they're dynamic men.

[Ryan Wilson]

Brian Kelly, they've got the personalities you have to sell.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes, they're salesmen. And by the way, it's not all they do. Bill's better schematically than a lot of guys, but there are almost. I mean, you'd have to go back to Don James at Washington in the, you know, 70s and 80s where a guy was fairly personalityless and was a really good recruiter. And I always thought James was doing it with coaching and staff composition. Their personnel was good. I don't think it was as good. It's never been. It was. Even in Don's best heyday, they had a couple. The Steve Etman defenses were stacked, but basically they did it. They were just the smartest staff he had. Just, you know, they always had the best special teams, kind of like Frank Beamer, they'd beat you on special teams. In defense, you never thought it was the most creative offense. But you get them in Blacksburg, get him in Husky Stadium, they win a lot of games. But by and large, Belichick is kind of grumpy. Mike Lombardi, a smart guy, he's got that sort of jersey, gruffness. It reminds me a little of Charlie Weiss. Remember when he thought he had this schematic advantage. And after a while you're like, Charlie, you're, you're O lineman. Your D lineman at Notre Dame should be O lineman. You just, you're not pulling, you're not pulling the players. And I think it's got a Charlie Weiss feel.

[Ryan Wilson]

I am telling you one of the lines point blank that a head coach gave me. Top 15, like playoff caliber program. He said, you know how big a slap in the face it is to listen to the media tell us a guy who has never coached college of day in his life in the last several decades is going to come teach us something like, like Bill Belichick is going to come teach college football. Something he said college football will teach him 10 times more than he's about to teach college football. Because the other thing about it is the, the insinuation is guys are either schematics, guys, X's and O's, guys, or they're talent acquirers. Sometimes that's true, sometimes it's an A or a B. When you get to the higher portion of the college football pyramid. I know this shocks some people, Colin. Some have both. Georgia's got both. Like, like Clemson's got both. They can get the talent better than you. They can also out coach you. So unless you're going to go and really convince me that you're going to out recruit them, which you're not, or you're going to out develop them and scheme them not once or twice in your career. You may do that, but you got to do it about 10 or 11 times in a year to be able to get to the playoff. Then I'm out on them achieving anything more than Carolina football historically has.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Matt Jones]

Hey, this is Matt Jones and I'm Drew Franklin and this is NFL Cover Zero. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining and twice a week that that is exactly what you're going to get. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different.

[John Middlekauff]

Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game.

[Matt Jones]

What was that?

[John Middlekauff]

Looks like something that should not be sold.

[Matt Jones]

Oh my. So that was my other big Colts takeaway. Sold that.

[John Middlekauff]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

Might want to go back to the Colts stadium.

[John Middlekauff]

Yeah. Might want to go back to the drawing board on that.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[John Middlekauff]

I thought the shape we had with pretzels was working pretty well. It's worked for generations.

[Matt Jones]

We're just here trying to to enjoy it. We hope you all will join us throughout the year. And let's go.

[John Middlekauff]

I hope I'm as youthful as Pete Carroll is at his age.

[Matt Jones]

He's a young 73.

[John Middlekauff]

He is a young 73.

[Matt Jones]

He is spry.

[John Middlekauff]

I would say.

[Colin Cowherd]

I would fight him.

[Matt Jones]

I would listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[John Middlekauff]

Who cares about truth when the L's more entertaining.

[Angela Rye]

Hey everybody, I'm Angela Ry, co host of Native Lamp with Tif 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.

[Ryan Wilson]

We're having the same debates that American households are having all over the country.

[Angela Rye]

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.

[Ryan Wilson]

We're like family, but we disagree all the time.

[John Middlekauff]

And we love when our listeners chime in.

[Angela Rye]

What would happen if we built our own little Wakandan communities in the rural South?

[Colin Cowherd]

Tiffany, do not run to no rural South.

[John Middlekauff]

I don't know what you're on.

[Angela Rye]

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.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen to Native Land Pod on the.

[Ryan Wilson]

Iheartradio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome.

[Colin Cowherd]

Welcome. So I want to get into the Micah Parsons trade, and this is why I supported what the Cowboys did. As you know and our fans know, everybody has different windows. When I started the volume, we didn't have. We couldn't take huge swings. We didn't have the revenue. We didn't even have a sales department. Now we do. There are different windows for companies, for teams, for franchises, for people in their life. In your 20s, some guys don't want to get married. They want to be all career. By your 30s, you're thinking about kids and getting married. We all have different windows and timelines. So Dallas, the last two free agency periods, John had no flexibility. And my take is in the NFL. That's one of the reasons the Chiefs let Tyreek Hill go and why Howie Roseman is constantly letting good players go, keeping the great ones. But he's always making deals because Howie wants flexibility. Well, the last two years, the Cowboys have had none of it. What would they have had if they signed Micah to 47 million? Now, they offered him 40, but like, this team could not pay Derrick Henry 8 million and they had unquestionably the worst running back room in the league. So my take is they liked Micah, they offered him 40. But to get two firsts, that's now four firsts in the next two years. And by the way, after watching Nussmeier and a Sam Levitt, the quarterback at Arizona State, if they end up being one of the six to seven worst teams, they may be able to get a quarterback with Their first pick and the next Michael with their next pick in the first round. I mean, they're this, this is a draft where if you're drafting in the top eight, you don't have to move up to get potentially a really good quarterback. So in Green Bay, in an incredibly deep, well coached offensive Division with Kevin O', Connell, Matt LeFlore, Ben Johnson, Green Bay needs a playmaker on the edge to get offenses off the field. And they, you know, in our lifetime, take out Reggie White, they just don't have. Kenny Clark's a good interior defender against the run. Cowboys can't stop the run. Kenny Clark comes in. Green Bay needs a playmaker on the edge to get offenses off the field and get it Back to Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love. So I thought it worked for both teams. Dallas's defense was bad with Micah. It'll be atrocious without him. But my take is the time to move. A superstar is in a rebuild year and isn't it clearly a rebuild year?

[John Middlekauff]

Well, can we just lay one thing on the table is because most of the reaction has been pretty universal, how could you trade Micah Parsons? There are untradable players in the history of this league. You know, Walter Payton, Reggie White, Deion Sanders, guys in their prime, they're just unstoppable. That is not. You can run at Micah Parsons. He is not Reggie White. He's not even the best player at his position in the league.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, by the way, you could argue initially John Somebody, they put him in a stack linebacker inside and that people didn't think he had good eyes, they didn't think he anticipated well. So they pretty much let him be a pass rusher. Well, he's not as big as Hutchinson, he's not as big as Miles Garrett. I would argue he's a bit undersized, but they let him kind of play that see the ball, attack the ball position and it works. But he's, he's a tradable player, 100%.

[John Middlekauff]

He's a great athlete. He's an instinctive pass rusher. But you know, if there are 70 plays in the game, they're not all 70 pass attempts on third and 10. So we've seen in the playoffs, people run at him. That being said, I think the issue that I have with this situation is anytime you trade a player of this magnitude, like, like they did with Khalil Mack too, right before the. You're getting future first round picks. You have no clue where they're going to be. They could be excellent. We saw With Russell Wilson, they ended up in Matt Stafford trade. They go really high because the team has an injury, but they also could be back to back picks in the, in the mid-20s. When you trade a guy before the draft one, you have more people coming to the table to be interested in the trade because there's more teams with cap room and you can know exactly, at least that given year where that pick lands. So you can value it. I do feel it was. Do you think there was any influence on Jerry with this documentary coming out? And because you watch that documentary go, God, Jerry and his heyday. That guy was sharp. That guy was a maverick. That guy was willing. And Jerry's kind of been a lot of people, rightfully so, have been like, yeah, Jerry's kind of scared to do deals well, because a lot of people, I bet my 401k my aggression looks a lot different than yours, right? I mean, I looks a lot different than a guy that's 75 years old. Like, Jerry is just at a point in time in his life. But I wonder if, like, oh, you think I won't do this? And obviously once Micah, you can't convince me. When Micah showed up eating nachos and then laid on the training table, you know, Jerry's old, stubborn, and the deal wasn't going that well in terms of the negotiation. It was kind of like a double fu. So he's just like, okay, we're willing to trade him.

[Colin Cowherd]

And then they.

[John Middlekauff]

And they did.

[Colin Cowherd]

Micah's agent is also an agent that has gotten his clients good money and a lot of. I think he's the DeSean Watson's agent, if I recall. So he signed a couple of deals where the teams look back a year later and don't like the deal. Now, I do think Micah off the edge is exactly what Green Bay needs again. Ben Johnson, Kevin o', Connell, you know, Dan Campbell and that old line. These offenses can keep your offense off the field. So, like, I like what Green Bay did. And the other thing about Green Bay is that they've always been able to build good football teams. I mean, they. For years they only drafted defense in the first round. And yet they had great O lines and excellent tight ends. And Green Bay drafts and develops very well second round, third round, fourth round. You know, there are teams in this league. When Bill Polian ran the Colts, they nailed their first two picks every time. Middle rounds. Meh. But Green Bay has shown a history to pick up starters in the fourth and fifth and sixth round at a much higher percentage than the rest of the league over the last 30 years. I think what they're telling you. Green Bay likes this roster and they think they got about a two to three year window to make hay. So they're rarely aggressive. I tip of the cap to Green Bay going for it.

[John Middlekauff]

I think a lot of people, if you're a Packer fan, was like, where was this move mid Aaron Rodgers? Right. Because that, that was our window. And that was a big reason that a lot of people are critical of Ted Thompson. It's like, God, he's just kind of a. Kind of a wuss, kind of conservative. When's he going to take a big swing? And now they finally do it with Jordan Love. We'll see if it works out. I like the Packers. Before this move, I text a lot of people in the league asking them their thoughts. One universal take was he's not like a troublemaker or anything. But Micah Parsons isn't. Albert Breer reported about this when CD when Zach Martin, when Dak went through this, the locker room loves the guy. That was not the reaction internally, according to this. And I had a GM who's very successful text me like, listen, Green Bay, they're. Their organizational culture has been elite for 30 years. It's been very consistent. It's just an easy place to operate. They're bringing in Micah who comes from a culture where it's just all over the map in Dallas.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yep. I was told the same thing in.

[John Middlekauff]

The Micah Parsons bringing him in there. He is now making way more money than everybody. They have an unproven, you know, still quarterback who, you know, your quarterback's always kind of the leader of the team. He's like, it is just there is some risk involved when you factor in the finances, when you factor in this big personality. He now is the face of the team. It's just, it's a pretty. It would have been. His point was like, it would have been easier if. If you had Aaron. Even if this guy at the time, whatever the economics were, was making more than Aaron. But Aaron's the face of the team. Mike is now immediately the face of the team. See what you want about the Cowboys before this trade, like, still Dak was when you turn on Sunday Night Football is Dax face. Like it's not even a question. Micah Parsons. So it's just. We'll see now. They feel pretty good about their infrastructure. Xavier McKinney, there are some questions fit right in. There's a big difference, though, in the amount of money Xavier McKinney's making in this guy who knows he's untouchable.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. I mean Micah's a personality. You see it in the podcast. I think he's not going to get in trouble in Green Bay and not like he got in a lot of trouble in Dallas. But you know, Micah, Mike is a personality. And I think when you have a weak coaching staff or a weak head coach, which Schottenheimer is. I think I. My take was if this team started 1 in 5 and you signed Micah to a big deal, like I think Dallas is going to be atrocious. I really do. I think, I think.

[John Middlekauff]

Why are people acting like they just traded Lawrence Taylor? Because that's not what they just did. Well, they weren't any good.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, here's the other thing. If you were paying Dak44 instead of what you're paying him, then you could have, then you guys could have met at 45 million. All the problems here start. And we know this, John. It's hard to win when you pay Josh Allen top of the market salary. Okay. It's hard. You're not going to have that second slot receiver or that third really dependable, you know, interior linebacker. You lose. I mean you've seen this over the last couple years that Buffalo has moved off multiple veteran players in the second.

[John Middlekauff]

Half their team last year.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, well, and that's. And they're still winning with Josh Allen. And Josh Allen took a reasonably team friendly deal. Dak is a B quarterback making A plus money. So you are. And he needs an entourage. He is not Josh Allen Lamar. So this, the problems all stem from you massively overpaid a B quarterback. And so I mean we people and this is the case, the younger the media people, the more they report pay the player, they're always pro player. I have learned something over my life that like the Rams could not trade Jared Verse. Like this kid was defensive rookie of the year. Like everybody's got a guy even take out the quarterback. There's a guy like Saquon Barkley to Philadelphia. They could win if he left. But boys with Jalen hurts in the pocket sometimes little tenuous if you trust him. They're just guys you can't move. I will defend the CD Lamb contract. I think he's a top five or six receiver. He's a playmaker. I just, I wasn't comfortable making Micah the highest paid defensive end. I've seen him in a couple of playoff games. He has been invisible in those games against better offensive lines because they run right at him.

[John Middlekauff]

And that's not that so. So how do I pay a guy now? I get what the packers need. I think it's easy for Jerry to go, well, I'm going to give a guy 47. I'm going to match this contract for a guy who's a liability in the run game. And the packers need that. And Rashawn Gary is a much more complete player. I also defend the Cowboys, the timing. I don't. I mean, I would have traded them before the draft, but clearly they weren't planning on doing it then. Right. He thought he could get a deal done at $40 million. But when you trade them now, they go, how did they only get that? Well, as someone told me in the league a couple years ago, they said, this isn't the NBA, but players now have more juice than they ever had. 20 years ago. A team would have been like, hey, even if the contract's not done, we will trade for this player if you're over him, and we'll figure it out. We have his control. Teams are not doing that anymore. So if I'm going to trade multiple ones, there has to be signed at the bottom line. Well, so Micah Parsons kind of controlled, had a big, you know, part in Mulgetta in where he went. Because you go, well, you could have got more from T Max. Who, the Lions, the Raiders, whoever that they would have given two ones. Two twos and a player. Well, if they were offering $20 million less than the Packer salary, he goes, I'm not signing that contract when this contract's on the table. So let's just say there was another team willing to pay an extra high draft pick. But they're the money. They go, we're not paying them 47 million a year and 140 guaranteed. We'll give them 120 guaranteed. Well, he's like, I'm not signing that. Well, then they're not going to trade him there.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right?

[John Middlekauff]

Because that team's like, well, the trade doesn't. It's not on the table then. So Parsons, you know, there was an NBA element of he got to dictate a little bit where he went. Because you were going to sign the contract the moment you traded him. Khalil Mack, several years ago, the Bears, they signed when the trade is done. So the contract is a huge part of the negotiation. So when I see all these people, how'd the Cowboys only get this? This because Parsons dictated the terms by the contract. And clearly, I would imagine some of the teams very interested were nowhere near in the ballpark of what the packers gave them. And this is what makes the NFL so unique. This team without an owner in the middle of nowhere can pay a guy a historic amount of money. It's like the opposite of baseball, which is cool and it's part of the NFL, but pretty risky deal. I mean this is. I give Gudikens a lot of credit but he's kind of laying it all out there on the table on this one.

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[Matt Jones]

Hey this is Matt Jones. I'm Drew Franklin and this is NFL Cover Zero. We think NFL coverage should be be informative and entertaining and twice a week that is exactly what you're going to get. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different.

[John Middlekauff]

Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game.

[Matt Jones]

What was that?

[John Middlekauff]

Looks like something that should not be sold.

[Matt Jones]

Oh my. So that was my other big Colts takeaway. Sold that.

[John Middlekauff]

Yes.

[Matt Jones]

Might want to go back to the Colts stadium.

[John Middlekauff]

Yeah. Might want to go back to the drawing board on that.

[Matt Jones]

Yeah.

[John Middlekauff]

I thought the shape we have with pretzels was working pretty well. It's worked for generations.

[Matt Jones]

We're just here trying to enjoy it. We hope you all will join us throughout the year and let's go.

[John Middlekauff]

I hope I'm as youthful as Pete Carroll is at his age.

[Matt Jones]

He's a young 73. He is a young 73. He is spry.

[Colin Cowherd]

I wouldn't fight him.

[Matt Jones]

I would listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[John Middlekauff]

Who cares about truth when the lies more entertaining.

[Angela Rye]

Hey, everybody, I'm Angela Rai, co host of Native Lamp Hot 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.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's the truth.

[Ryan Wilson]

We're having the same debates that American households are having all over the country.

[Angela Rye]

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.

[Ryan Wilson]

We're like family, but we disagree all the time.

[John Middlekauff]

And we love when our listeners chime in.

[Angela Rye]

What would happen if we built our own little Wakanda communities in the rural South?

[Colin Cowherd]

Tiffany, do not run to no rural South.

[John Middlekauff]

I don't know what you're on.

[Angela Rye]

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.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen to Native Land Pod on the.

[Ryan Wilson]

Iheartradio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

Welcome home, y'. All. Foreign. Okay, so I want to go through, and I don't know if we'll do this on a, on a weekly bit, but I want to go through the NFL Week 1 odds. Now I'm going to throw a couple games at you. And just a couple games that I looked at and they kind of jumped out to me. So, you know my feeling on Seattle. I. I like Sam Darnold, but I also think this is a really good coach. And so one of the lines that confuses me a little bit is that Seattle at home is getting two and a half points. Give me your take on the Niners health. I mean, they have real issues at wide receiver, so if they're going to beat Seattle, it's going to be some running games. You're not throwing the ball downfield a ton on Seattle. And I think Seattle's pass rush is going to be pretty good. I'm surprised. It's my favorite pick of the week is Seattle at home plus points. First of all, it's a division rivalry, so these games are always close. So I love taking even average Pittsburgh teams historically can cover against much better Baltimore rosters, division games, I generally take the points. But Seattle, I think top to bottom has more athletes in their prime. Hufanga gone. Greenlawn gone. Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey not in their prime. I think Seattle has more athletes in their prime. Are you surprised by that line?

[John Middlekauff]

I think the market believes that Seattle's not going to be that great because they're five to one to win the division and the 49ers are like plus 150. So based on the divisional odds, they are a heavy long shot. If you look at every division, they by far the only team that has been good the last several years. Nine wins, 10 wins. And it feels like Vegas gives them no chance to win. And this is a good example. Juwan Jennings. This wasn't practice today, so they've rekindled. So you got Juwan Jennings back with Pierce all KITTLE, you know, McCaffrey like they actually are offensively in theory, healthy. Trent Williams, Purdy. Coming into this game. Yeah, I just think the market is pretty low on Seattle. You and I are high on them. My problem is whenever I bet on the Niners aggressively Super Bowls, they've bit me in the ass. And whenever I bet against them, they always come through and win. So I just. I kind of stay away from the Niners. But to me, there is not a better long shot on the board to win their division than 5 to 1 Seattle. They won 10 games last year. They had the same amount of wins as the team that we. We treat the Rams like they're a 13, 14 win team. They've won 10. They won 10 games last year. I think they won 10 games the year before. And we just. We hold them to high esteem, rightfully so because they have a really good coach. Quarterbacks back in major trouble. The 49ers, at any moment, half their team can be on injury reserve. I do not trust Kyler. It is by far of the value. There's not a better on the board. I'm with you. Seattle can get weird. I do think divisional games, week one can be hard to bet. Like, I do think the 49ers are going to be pretty solid this year. I think they got, for the first time in years, kind of a chip on their shoulder. Kind of get to fly under the Radar a little bit Sam Darnold's. You know this is a first start with a new team offense a little different than what you know, Kevin o' Connell likes to pass a lot which is Sam Blight. I mean was they adjusting? Jefferson Kubiak like his dad, like Kyle, he's going to call a lot of runs. If they can run the ball they're going to be really good play defense but we'll have to see I mean their run game. Kenneth Walker be healthy. Charbonnet we like but the Niners brought.

[Colin Cowherd]

In Robert Sala and the reason being is they don't have the same personnel. I mean if Bosa's dinged up it's Fred Warner and cross your fingers. It is really an. I mean I think we look at the Niners and we just. Sometimes you fall into this you romance because for about four years they just had incredible defensive personnel. They don't on the back end right now.

[John Middlekauff]

Yeah, I mean I think they're going to need kind of like the Rams two years ago you didn't know who half the roster was and then a couple years later they are just solidified players on defense. Not counting verse, you know who they drafted high but a lot of mid round, late round picks, they're going to need that to happen. And that's what the 49ers did originally, right? Kittle, fifth round pick, Greenlaw, fifth round pick Purdy. They've hit on a lot of late round picks. That's how you get good in the NFL. The Ravens let a lot of guys hit free agency. Why? Because they crushed the third through the seventh rounds. Because that's where you make your hay. In the end obviously you've got to hit all on first round picks but when you get good in the NFL it's hard to pick in the 20s. That's the one thing a lot of people are saying about the Micah trade. It's like well the packers are just good back to back years. That's pick 25 and 28. Right. It's hard to hit on those picks. Ask Jerry when they started winning games with McCarthy. They're drafting Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith. It's, it's a lot harder to. It's much easier to draft in the top five when Jamar Chase or Penne Sewell or Jaden Daniels is staring at you. So I like Seattle this year.

[Colin Cowherd]

Year.

[John Middlekauff]

This game to me is just, I don't know. You convinced me. Niners win, Seattle win. Seattle kicks their ass. The Niners are in there. That's why Week one, like, I like a lot like the Titans, you know, the Panthers. I like teams like that. Week one that everyone just thinks are going to suck. Some of the times these divisional games, like Giants commanders, like I'm. That's a. Stay away from me.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[John Middlekauff]

If you tell me the Giants win, I could, I could see it. Cowboys are the one that's like, I have a hard time seeing them win.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, teams convince themselves, even if they're Tennessee, they convince themselves they're a playoff team by week four or five, you start losing guys and everybody in the room knows. But yeah, Tennessee getting over a touchdown, the hook. I'd stay away from that one. The other game that's fascinating to me is it does matter. You're allowed in Green Bay or Jacksonville or maybe a Seattle to have really ugly losses. You're not going to get crushed. Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago. It's loud. So Chicago is an underdog at home getting a point and a half against Minnesota. And Minnesota is a mystery team. I don't know what J.J. mcCarthy is. I really do not know. I've heard enough from people I trust. I got text by somebody I really trust a few weeks ago. He said it's a work in progress, but if Chicago loses at home, it'll be a huge, huge night in Chicago. That shit could unravel fast, really fast, if you had to make a prediction. What do you think the Bears and Caleb look like? Forget winning and losing. I mean, they're the underdog at home, which I kind of like that position. But what do you think it'll look like?

[John Middlekauff]

I think it's going to be really hard. I mean, Caleb is much more talented of a thrower, but I think there could be some parallels to the situation that we saw with Arch in Texas trying to play offense against Patricia. I mean, Flores is one of, if not the best defensive coordinator in the league right now. Their personnel is actually improved from last year. I like Minnesota in this game, but I like you. I don't expect, hard to say, JJ's going to come out and throw three or four touchdowns. We'll see. Chicago's defense, a little overrated. Are they quite as good as we thought they were going to be like a year ago? I don't know, but I could see them like, I expect this to be a lower scoring like 17 to 14 type game. And if in that situation, I'm just going to take Flores in Minnesota and Kevin o', Connell, I mean, he's just. Listen, first game at home gets a little weird. If you have a couple three and outs, like in a moment like this, you're going to need some positive early momentum because if the crowd gets a little weird, if you have a couple that first try. Again, it was a preseason game against the Bills, twos and threes, but he drove him right down in all of Chicago. Took it, just took a sigh of relief, right? Like, oh, my God, he might be able to. He might be okay. Because in the Ben Johnson thing, they played the Chiefs. I watched when I was flying to Hawaii that last preseason game. They got their ass kicked early on, and Ben Johnson came out and said after the game, like, that's just unacceptable. Like, that's just too, at this point in time, too sloppy. Well, who are the Chiefs? A big time team that took that game seriously. Remember I told you when we were together like two and a half weeks ago, that second preseason game, Andy, because they got their ass kicked by Seattle, the Bills, when they got their ass kicked by the Bears. That's the point in time in camp where he's been driving them, driving him. The legs are heavy. But that last preseason game is more of a ramp up, especially with Kansas City starters play a little bit, you take it pretty seriously, like you're coming into that game with some, some oomph. Well, the Bears tried to do that too, and it did not go well. Now, in fairness, Kansas City is like a dynasty, but Minnesota's pretty good. They won 14 games last year.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, Minnesota's got the better roster.

[John Middlekauff]

Yes. Yeah, I mean, it would be like, to me, if Minnesota wins, it'd be, yeah, Minnesota's good, right. I don't think it's like, it'd be big if JJ plays like an elite level game, but even if he's just kind of average on the road, just win, get out of there. It's not like we're not setting it in stone. The headline of their season. Whatever happens with the Bears, right, you lose, it gets weird. That's a major story. They win, he plays well, beats Brian Flores. That's a huge kind of monkey off everyone's back. Okay, we might. We might have. There's a lot. There's. There's not a game in the league, week one, where there's just more on the line because of the quarterback situations, the hopes of the. Like we said, the expectation for this franchise. Anything less than nine and eight will feel awful. And even nine and eight, if you miss the playoffs will be like, God, well, what are we doing here?

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I went through the schedule and it looks like 8 and 9. 9 and 8 to me. And I was optimistic. I had them splitting with their division. Bears don't split with their division. They went one in five last year. They don't split in their division. So okay, John and I chopped it up. We are now both going to go watch Belichick and TCU and I can't wait for that. This is the first of 22, 23, 24 conversations on Sunday night. This is our Monday. I am back to work tomorrow buddy and it's great seeing you.

[John Middlekauff]

Awesome seeing you.

[Ryan Wilson]

The Volume.

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[Matt Jones]

Hey, this is Matt Jones and I'm Drew Franklin and this is NFL Cover Zero. We're just here to to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different.

[John Middlekauff]

Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game.

[Matt Jones]

What was that? Oh my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week that is exactly what you're gonna get. Listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pod.

[John Middlekauff]

Who cares about truth when the lies More entertaining.

[Angela Rye]

Welcome home. I'm Angela Rye, co host of the Native Lampod with Andrew Gillum and Tiffany Cross, and we want y' all to survive and thrive in this political moment.

[Ryan Wilson]

We're having the same debates that American households are having all over the country.

[Angela Rye]

I am terrified that in our rest we're going to miss the moment. You want me to stop resting? What specifically are you asking me to do? Stay informed and take action.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen to Native Land Pod on the.

[Ryan Wilson]

Iheartradio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm Dan.

[John Middlekauff]

He's Ty. Hello. And we're the Solid Verbal College Football Podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the.

[John Middlekauff]

Emotional support you need as a college football fan. Join us all season long as we ride the roller coaster of this ridiculous sport. Listen to the song Solid Verbal College.

[Colin Cowherd]

Football podcasts on the iHeartRadio app, Apple.

[John Middlekauff]

Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We don't just love college football, Ty.

[Colin Cowherd]

We live it.

[Angela Rye]

This is an iHeart podcast.