Hour 1 - Bears season nears its ugly end, should Cowboys bring back McCarthy?

Summary

Summary of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" Episode: Bears Season Nears Its Ugly End, Should Cowboys Bring Back McCarthy?

Title: The Herd with Colin Cowherd
Host/Authors: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Episode: Hour 1 - Bears Season Nears Its Ugly End, Should Cowboys Bring Back McCarthy?
Release Date: December 27, 2024

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Introduction

In this episode of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," host Colin Cowherd engages in a deep dive analysis of the Chicago Bears' faltering season and deliberates whether the Dallas Cowboys should consider rehiring former head coach Mike McCarthy. The discussion encompasses team performance, coaching strategies, player dynamics, and broader NFL implications.

Chicago Bears' Struggles

Colin Cowherd opens the conversation by scrutinizing the Chicago Bears' disappointing season, emphasizing the critical weaknesses within the team.

Colin Cowherd ([04:00]): "PFF has the Bears offensive line ranked 29th. And oh, by the way, it is the second least paid offensive line for a perpetually cheap franchise. It's a bad old line."

Offensive Line Performance

The Bears' offensive line is under intense scrutiny for its inadequate protection, resulting in excessive pressure on quarterback Caleb Williams.

Cowherd ([04:03]): "He’s been sacked 67 times this year. Seven times last night."

Cowherd expresses concern over Williams' development amidst relentless sacks, drawing parallels to past quarterbacks whose careers were hampered by similar issues.

Cowherd ([04:07]): "I hope it's not too late for this kid."

Impact of Coaching on Team Performance

The discussion shifts to the role of coaching in the Bears' performance, highlighting deficiencies in offensive strategy and game management.

Cowherd ([04:03]): "There's almost no motion in the offense at all. They don't throw the ball downfield. It's remedial coaching."

He suggests that the lack of offensive versatility and conservative play-calling is detrimental to the team's success.

Potential Solutions

Cowherd advocates for the introduction of a more innovative offensive coordinator to revitalize the Bears' struggling offense.

Cowherd ([04:06]): "Maybe a clever young offensive coordinator is the answer, but you got to save this kid."

Evaluating Mike McCarthy for the Cowboys

The conversation transitions to the Dallas Cowboys, pondering the feasibility and potential benefits of rehiring Mike McCarthy as head coach.

Cowherd ([13:48]): "I think Mike is a top 10 coach, maybe closer to 10 than one."

McCarthy's Track Record

Cowherd assesses McCarthy's coaching history, noting his successes and shortcomings with previous teams.

Cowherd ([09:00]): "I've said through the years, I think Mike McCarthy's a good coach. He takes over. An old, rigid, stubborn Brett Favre."

He juxtaposes McCarthy's impact on quarterbacks like Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, arguing that his coaching style fosters quarterback development.

Cowherd ([09:00]): "Aaron Rodgers with Pittsburgh. I've watched Aaron the last week, eight weeks. Let's be fair. It looks pretty damn good."

Strategic Advantages

Highlighting McCarthy's strategic acumen, Cowherd believes that his return could provide the Cowboys with a competitive edge.

Cowherd ([04:06]): "You can turn this puppy around. You don't even need a head coach. If you get the right coordinator, you can see magic."

Quarterback Dynamics and Coaching Influence

The episode delves into the intricate relationship between coaching and quarterback performance, using Caleb Williams as a case study.

Cowherd ([04:03]): "He has four 300-yard passing games. That's more than Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. But he's been sacked 67 times this year."

Cowherd emphasizes that effective coaching and a robust offensive line are essential for maximizing a quarterback's potential.

Cowherd ([04:03]): "PFF has the Bears offensive line ranked 29th... It's a bad old line."

Broader NFL Implications

Expanding the discussion, Cowherd touches upon the significance of coaching strategies across the NFL, influencing team dynamics and league competitiveness.

Cowherd ([19:42]): "All the teams the Packers and the Cowboys are the powerhouses... It just depends on who has the best coach."

He underscores that coaching prowess is a decisive factor in a team's ability to navigate challenges and achieve success.

Conclusion

Colin Cowherd concludes the episode by reiterating the importance of strategic coaching in transforming struggling teams. He posits that both the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys stand to benefit significantly from careful coaching decisions, whether it's revitalizing their offensive strategies or considering the rehiring of seasoned coaches like Mike McCarthy.

Cowherd ([04:06]): "You can turn this puppy around. You don't even need a head coach. If you get the right coordinator, you can see magic."

The episode wraps up with a call for thoughtful evaluation of coaching roles to enhance team performance and overall league competitiveness.

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Note: All timestamps correspond to the moments in the provided transcript and serve to attribute quotes accurately.

Transcript

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[Colin Cowherd]

Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports radio and noon.

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To 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific.

[Colin Cowherd]

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. Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Here we go on a Friday. Things are percolating live in Los Angeles. It's the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. Former Bears coach Dave Wanstadt stops by head down. We'll lift his spirits blazing. Five in one hour. We got a college pick. J Mac I'm glad we have football on Thursday nights. It gives me something to do. But I'm not sure the Wham documentary on Netflix wouldn't have been more interesting than tuning into the Bears Seahawks. But I did think there was a winner last night beyond the Seahawks.

[J. Mac]

A winner last night beyond the Seahawks.

[Colin Cowherd]

Who would it be? I want you to think about that.

[J. Mac]

Not the fans, that's for sure.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, it wasn't the fans. It wasn't the Bears. The winners beyond the Seahawks, Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. According to Adam Schefter, he is now in play and wants the job. I mean, here's what it's been reduced to. I felt bad for Caleb Williams. I felt sorry for him. So job number one in Chicago is make Caleb Williams work and you see the talent. I'm not sure if you knew this. He has four 300 yard passing games. That's more than Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes. But he's been sacked 67 times this year. Seven times last night. To give you some perspective, Bo Nix has been sacked only 22 times. Rookie Drake may 29. He's over double that and he's got a game left. By the way, the last time a quarterback got sacked this much it was 2005. David Carr, Derek's older brother. Many people have speculated that it ruined his career. He was never the same quarterback. I hope it's not too late for this kid. PFF has the Bears offensive line ranked 29th. And oh, by the way, it is the second least paid offensive line for a perpetually cheap franchise. It's a bad old line. I mean, we say Jim Harbaugh goes to the Chargers, first thing he says is we don't need receivers. Get me the best tackle in the draft to protect Justin Herbert. I'm telling you, they had a great touchdown pass last night. He really did. He had a great touchdown pass. But a backup offensive lineman got called for holding and that negated the touchdown. Maybe a clever young offensive coordinator is the answer, but you got to save this kid. There's almost no motion in the offense at all. They don't throw the ball downfield. It's remedial coaching and you know he likes to throw it downfield because you watch them at USC and it's possible to turn it around with the right offensive coach. Sam Darnold, did you ever think he would be in the MVP running? Bryce Young today looks better than than CJ Stroud. That would have seemed outrageous a year ago. He got the right, right offensive coach. And by the way, Baker Mayfield's got an offensive coordinator that's going to get head coaching opportunities. You can turn this puppy around. You don't even need a head coach. If you get the right coordinator, you can see magic. But I mean you start looking at Darnold, you look at Baker, you look at Bryce Young. I don't think you can allow a 10 game losing streak to define this kid. But this is something I reported. Got a lot of pushback before he was drafted. That privately and quietly. He didn't want to make a scene. But he and his camp had reservations about the Chicago franchise and all of them are on display. He's on his second play caller. They won't pay their offensive line. I mean it's I, I, you're watching it. I'm watching it. Seattle gave them multiple opportunities. It was Dinkin dunk down the field and that's not who he is and he's not a loser as well. This game was there for the taking, but they just don't have the infrastructure. And again, I love that Darnold and Baker and Bryce Young are having a resurgence because it proves how valuable coaching is. In baseball, a lot of it's the payroll. And in the NBA, a lot of it's just. You have two stars in the NFL. Coaching matters a lot. But every time he goes out, he doesn't throw anybody under the bus. There's a quarterback in New York who does that often. That's not what he does. He always says the right thing, and he did again last night. I was frustrated, still frustrated. I'm gonna probably be frustrated until tomorrow, you know, after I get a. You know, get a chance to watch it and things like that. So, yeah, I mean, I didn't play well enough. I didn't. I didn't do. I didn't help put the team in a good position to win, a better position to win. And, you know, that's what it is. He has yet to throw a teammate, a coach, the organization, under the bus. Not one time could have 10 game losing streak, could have. So tip of the cap to Caleb and the Chicago fans who are bearing witness to an organization that is lost at sea. So there's a story I saw this morning, and I've said through the years, I think Mike McCarthy's a good coach. Don't put him in Andy Reid's category or Sean McVeigh, but I think he's a good coach. But I do think sometimes people get a reputation and it's unwarranted. And so there's a story this morning that Mike McCarthy has saved his job. And I know people freak out about that, but sometimes in life, I've been taught this. You have to flip the telescope. You have to look at a situation and just say, I'm gonna look at it the opposite way. And so let's really look at what he's done in his career, because I think Mike is a top 10 coach, maybe closer to 10 than one, but he's a top 10 coach. So he takes over. An old, rigid, stubborn Aaron, Brett Favre. Old, rigid, stubborn Brett Favre. 37, didn't want to change his ways. Got him in his last year in Green Bay. 13. 3 NFC championship. Favre leaves. There's this raw, talented kid, Aaron Rodgers from California, who's been poking Favre in the ribs forever. We know now that Aaron don't. We can be a little difficult, prickly. Sometimes it feels like he's almost working behind the scenes against you. And he wins the super bowl with Aaron and then he gets fired, and then he goes to Dallas. And with, I think it's fair to say the most overpaid quarterback in the league. 3 straight 12 win seasons and makes him an MVP runner up. Look at the quarterbacks in this league who really think Dak should be an MVP runner up. Two separate times, Dak gets hurt and they go to Cooper Rush, who both times gets on a heater. Cooper Rush, I'll say this slowly because it's hard to comprehend, is 9 and 4 as a starter in the NFL in front of a rebuilding O line with no run game since he took over in Dallas. I'm not sure you're aware of this. The only offense that is better is Josh Allen and the Bills. Since he took over Dallas, they've had. They have had 16 times. They have scored 40 or more points. Mahomes and Andy Reid have done it eight times in that time. Spanish. Think about that. And remember when I had Greg Cosell on earlier this week and this is not a talented offense outside of CD Lamb. Remember what he said about Dallas coaching? I think their coaching staff is doing a great job because what you see a lot with them is you see a ton of different personnel packages, a ton of different formation looks, a lot of shifts in motions. They're giving a defense a lot to have to deal with. Rush was phenomenal on third down. He was phenomenal against their pressures. And the Bucs pressure, pressured a lot. Now he's a guy that you need to get pressure on and the pressure must be effective, which it was not by the Bucks because he tends to fall away from throws. But one thing about him, he's been very decisive the more he plays. Yeah, that sounds like good coaching. I watch Justin Herbert get flummoxed by the Tampa defense and then I watch Cooper Rush excel against the Tampa defense. That sounds like good coaching. Farve NFC Championship, Rogers Super Bowl, Dak 12 wins, Cooper Rush heater. But I think a lot of this goes back to. He has coached two of the highest profile franchises in America, the Green Bay packers and the Dallas Cowboys. And when you lose or get fired at one of those, it stamps you. It's a smell you can't get off you. But don't we now realize, and we probably didn't then, that Aaron's difficult. Aaron and Matt LaFleur were never that close. Feels like Jordan Love and LaFleur are closer. And Aaron and Robert Sala, they were buddies too. This is not a shot at Aaron. But when you flip the telescope and you have perspective and you kind of look at Aaron, how he's aged in personal relationships and Mike McCarthy, maybe you don't feel the same way about Mike McCarthy that you did like seven to eight years ago. So it's interesting when I read this story, I think, oh, they're bringing Mike McCarthy back. Greg Cosell's like, yeah, it's a really well coached team. Cooper Rush is really decisive. He's great on third down. Do you think he's great on third down because he's great. Or maybe it's coaching. You know, you watched the Bears last night. You see what bad coaching looks like. Cooper Rush beats Tampa. That's what good coaching looks like. So that's where we stand today. J. Mac, we got a lot of stuff today. You know, it's a Friday and I'm thinking last night, generally in, in my life, I feel like I got the greatest job in the world because I get to watch sports. It doesn't feel like work. Last night felt like work. I probably would have been watching an Amazon or a Netflix documentary if, you know, if I had a choice. But I will say there's a lot that came out of that game and not just for Chicago.

[J. Mac]

Was it more than the rain? Was it Seattle just playing? Hey, hey, Geno Smith, we can't risk you throwing the ball. I mean, he had one red zone pass. Did you see that? Early was right to a Bears player.

[Colin Cowherd]

And they just stopped throwing the ball down the field. No. You could tell the Seattle staff is like, weren't you could tell Seattle's game plan was we're a better team. Let's just get out of here. With a win. Once Gino almost threw a red zone pick. I mean, they just simplified underneath dink and dunk.

[J. Mac]

You can if you were watching Metcalf and Jackson Smith, najigba, they were unhappy with it. What is this? What are we doing?

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, so smart people make mistakes and I'm going to give you an example of that. Coming up, blazing five top of the hour, your picks. You've been on a heater all year. Coming up today, be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, it's Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Covino and Rich on FOX Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course, the iHeartRadio app. 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. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and 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 Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course on social media, that's Covino and Rich.

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[Colin Cowherd]

We partnered with them to make this.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Visit aflac.com gotta be careful to confuse a great story with a great player. There are a lot of great, great stories. Even Sam Darnold. I think it's a great story. Is he a great player? Well, this is a perfect fit. In Minnesota, I'd pay him 40 million. I couldn't pay him 55. You can't confuse the two. I think Pete Carroll's looking for work and he's a smart guy. I think John Snyder, the Seahawks general manager, is a top five or six gm. All my guys in the league respect him and like him. Smart, smart guy. This is a good roster. But two smart guys talk themselves into, hey, this is a great story and it's good enough. Geno Smith's not good enough. Seattle could have, and I preached it before the draft moved up. They were 16th in the draft. They could have moved up to get Bo Nix, Michael Penix and J.J. mcCarthy. McCarthy. And they sat there satisfied. Geno Smith's passer rating has gone down three years in a row as his weapons have gotten better. Last night, Chicago punted seven times. The weather wasn't a big factor. Seattle has the much deeper, better roster. They have excellent wide receiver talent, as J. Mack alluded to. You can tell Smith and Jigba and DK Metcalf are not happy campers after that red zone near disaster, the team shut it down. Mike McDonald, I don't know him that well. You can tell does not have a ton of confidence in Gino. Once again, the passer rating is down, the interceptions are up. But it was hard to watch. And that's my number one concern on defensive coaches. I remember Ron Rivera was at Washington. Sam Howell's good enough. No, he's not. Go draft a quarterback. Geno Smith is good enough. No, he's not. Not in a division with McVay and Stafford and Kyle Shanahan. Even Kyler Murray's talented. And here's the other troubling thing. When you get these opportunities in the NFL to go for it, you can't just sit back and hope it works out for you. San Francisco big cap space next year. Rams big cap space next year. Arizona big cap space plus 50 million. All of them. Seattle's got no cap space right now. They should have a rookie quarterback struggling a bit. They probably have the same record. But don't tell me the roster is not good. Murphy is an excellent defensive tackle. I would have passed on him to get the quarterback right. I mean, it's nice that they got him. They've got a great cornerback in Witherspoon. They've got pass rushers. They got dudes everywhere. It's a really good roster. It reminds me a lot of the Indianapolis Colts. They're just missing the quarterback. If you put an elite quarterback in Seattle or the Colts, you got a 12 win team in my opinion. And the division was there for the taking. San Francisco is right in the middle now. They're getting old, expensive and brittle. Christian McCaffrey hurt there for the taking. Rams were the walking wounded in September and October. Division was there for the taking. Arizona has imploded late there for the taking. They should have moved off Gino last year or the year before, but defensive coaches and I like Pete Carroll, they talked themselves into that's good enough. No, it's not. You just watched. You just watched Lamar and Patrick Mahomes on Netflix on Christmas. That's the stuff that hoist trophies and Seattle standard. They've been to Super Bowls. Now they got a trophy. Hasselbeck got to one. Matt Russell got to a couple. It's a good organization, the Colts and the Seahawks. Anthony Richardson and Geno, hey, they're parts of both. I like. Geno's a great story. Seems like a great kid. Richardson's a crazy athlete. But these rosters age very fast in this league and Seattle's got a ton of talent and I think they should have gone after. And I said this before, I thought Michael Pennix, they hired the Huskies coordinator. Just go get Pennix. Go get that kid. And they didn't. And this is what you see. And here's Gino after. It's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows, man. Like gutting out a 63 win feels.

[J. Mac]

Just as good as, you know, winning the game 44 to 41. You know, it's all about getting wins.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's not just about getting wins. And if it is just about getting wins, Seattle is not getting enough wins. The Rams leave the division and if they beat and they're favored by a touchdown, Arizona, they clinch it. J Mac with the news. No, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herd line news.

[J. Mac]

All right, so Eagles, Cowboys. Sunday has taken on a lot of subplots, but still number one is Saquon Barkley chasing Eric Dickerson's rushing record. Everybody wants him to break it except for Eric Dickerson who said, I don't think he'll break it talking to the LA Times, but if he breaks it, he breaks it. Do I want him to break it? Absolutely. Not, I don't pull no punches on that, but I'm not whining about it. Hey, football is football. That's the way I look at it. If he's fortunate to get over 2000 yards and get the record, it's a great record to have now developing here the last couple days quietly. Jalen Hurts still in concussion protocol.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[J. Mac]

So it looks like it's a Kenny Pickett game.

[Colin Cowherd]

He wasn't bad. He really was. Can he pick again? Kenny Pickett as a backup with really good players around him, you can win games.

[J. Mac]

Well, getting tossed into a road game like the Washington one was tough, but with ample time to prepare, you know, for a Cowboys defense that I don't think is great, Pickett could be okay and serviceable. Nick Sirianni said that Hurts still has not cleared concussion protocol. Colin if he's not out of it, like, there's no point in putting him out there now. CD Lamb, it sounds like he's shut down as well for the Cowboys. So this is, you're missing some stars. I think Saquon, no, he needs 268 yards to break the rushing record. Probably not doing it again against the Cowboys.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[J. Mac]

But it is indoors.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I mean I, I, I wouldn't, I, I don't see it happening. I think this is a stay away game. There's too many unknowns for me as a somebody that likes betting the NFL, it's a stay away game week.

[J. Mac]

I don't love this.

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't love that game.

[J. Mac]

Now the other angle is, listen, anything happens to Saquon, you just forget about the playoffs. So I, I don't even know that I'd be rushing him a lot.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[J. Mac]

The number one seed seems out of reach after the Washington loss.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it does.

[J. Mac]

So I'd limit Saquon's car.

[Colin Cowherd]

Stuff.

[J. Mac]

Next up is the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation. We were early on this, we were talking about this yesterday and what would you look at what happened after we've talked about it? NFL insiders are now saying the Steelers want to retain Russell Wilson because there's a limited crop of quarterbacks to select from and Pittsburgh is not going to be drafting in the top 15 to grab a quarterback. Now. Russ was hot, okay. He's now 6 and 4. The numbers are starting to return to earth a little bit. Were you on, on, on Russ returning to Pittsburgh?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, again, I put him in that 30 million space for a couple years. Maybe a third year team option. I think in a really robust draft class I would draft a quarterback I would take a big swing. That's not what we have here. So Russ and Justin Fields are not the answer in the afc, especially in a. In a division with Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson. Thank God, Cleveland's entire fire. So I think I feel like Pittsburgh is a better version of what they were last year. They're a slightly better offensive version of what they were last year. And we said this before the season. You called it. I called it. The country called it. When you looked at Pittsburgh schedule, there were a lot of jets and Giants and Raiders early. It came down to a seven game stretch in the end that would define the season. And it has defined the season as a have not. That's what they are now.

[J. Mac]

So what if the Steelers said, you know, Russ, we're looking at the market. Nobody else is offering the 30. Why do we have to. I mean seriously, where. Who's breaking the bank for Russell Wilson at this point?

[Colin Cowherd]

Let me another. I'm going to throw this out there.

[J. Mac]

Okay, okay.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay. There's three old quarterbacks that could be on the market. Russ Kirk and Aaron Rodgers.

[J. Mac]

Russ, Kirk, Aaron Rodgers. Okay.

[Colin Cowherd]

I would take Aaron. Who's your number one there, Aaron.

[J. Mac]

Who's your number two?

[Colin Cowherd]

Russ?

[J. Mac]

Oh, come on.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, I'm, I'm seriously, Aaron's not a savior. This organization is not going to get pushed around by Aaron. Aaron would have a great defense and weapons. I'm, I'm just. I'm just saying Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh, if you. Here's what we know. There's two. There's three college quarterbacks that'll go in the first round. I do think Shadour and Cam could play very early. They've had a lot of starts. They could play early. I think Jalen Milroe is more of a prospect. More in the Drake May. It'll be a rough, but it could be good. Okay. We know Sam Darnold. I've been told this now by two executives in the league. Minnesota's not letting him hit the market. Okay. So now the market looks like Aaron, Russ and Kirk.

[J. Mac]

Maybe Daniel Jones. Hey, I'm just talking about the market.

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't trust Daniel Jones in a defensive culture. He'd have to have the right. He. He and Kevin O'Connell could work. But my point is Aaron Rodgers with Pittsburgh. I've watched Aaron the last week, eight weeks. Let's be fair. It's look pretty damn good.

[J. Mac]

Oh, we should toss Geno Smith in there potentially.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm not interested in that.

[J. Mac]

Okay.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm not interested in Gino and Daniel Jones. I'm, I'm, I am so slightly interested in Russ and Kirk and I think the way Aaron's played the last eight weeks, I'd be very interested.

[J. Mac]

Okay, so if you can upgrade to Aaron Rodgers from Russ, where does that leave Russell Wilson?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I don't know. Raiders for a year.

[J. Mac]

Oh, my God.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, the options are in that division.

[J. Mac]

No way.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right.

[J. Mac]

I, I, I think you could get away with a Russ.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, it's going to be interesting.

[J. Mac]

20 mil.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, the winner in this is you and I in March. It's going to be interesting. It's going to be an interesting March.

[J. Mac]

Again. Russ has he hasn't cratered, but honestly, has he been the last three weeks, has he been that much better than Justin Fields was early in the season?

[Colin Cowherd]

Not really. Okay, good point.

[J. Mac]

Sorry. Let's go to the NBA. Colin, because Oklahoma City, which did you pick them to go to the final?

[Colin Cowherd]

Yep. Yeah. Boston and OKC and they were awesome.

[J. Mac]

Last year and I think they had the highest win total in the west. The NBA did not schedule them a Christmas day game and they were very upset about that. And Shay Gilgis Alexander took out his frustrations last night. December 26th rolls around and he dropped 45 piece on the Pacers. 45, seven boards, eight assists, SGA. Everybody's favorite free throw. Merchant just went crazy from the mid range.

[Colin Cowherd]

I know. Oh, I'm sure you were right. A good mid range player. If Kawhi Leonard was ever on the floor. I love Kawhi Leonard.

[J. Mac]

I love a mid range. Who doesn't love a mid range mid range shot? A long two, a low percentage shot. That's what you love.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, I like the mid range because the greatest players in my life, Kobe and MJ feasted on it.

[J. Mac]

Excuse me. Who are the greatest players in your life?

[Colin Cowherd]

MJ number one and Kobe about five.

[J. Mac]

Where's LeBron and Curry in there?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, LeBron's probably one a I I'm just saying Steph should shoot threes. I like a mid range game. I like a guy working the angles, using his butt, using his elbows, working the angles. I love that kind basketball. I thought that basketball is physical. Back to the basket. You can feel the defensive player. That's Kobe's fallaway game. I love that game. That game is so much fun. Jordan and Kobe working their butt, their body, their angle, their waist, their shoulders on a guy. I think that's such great basketball.

[J. Mac]

Okay, this is good. What's the equivalent of the NBA mid range jumper in the NFL. Is it a halfback diving and lost?

[Colin Cowherd]

No, no. You know what it is? You know what it is? It's Gronk, it's Travis Kelce. It's a tight end working his body. He's not separating from everybody. It's working the body. Middle of the field. It's Gronk, it's Travis Kelce. Big catches in the playoffs. You can have your post pattern. I love the big tight end work in the middle of the field. I am a physical talk show host. Oh, come on, get out of here. He likes the mid range physicality. And I like love tight ends. I've been saying this forever. Tight ends are getting gypped in this league. They're getting ripped off. They should be paid like wide receivers. They actually block every play. Woo.

[J. Mac]

Right now that's a hot take. Tight end should be paid like wide receivers.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Timeout. I'll give you an example. I got into this argument yesterday with somebody I like to argue with like a friend. No, it was a friend, but I said this. The number one bus position in the NFL last 20 years, first round, is wide receiver. Okay, okay. One of the reasons is you can be a great wide receiver. But there's not a single team in the league that is defined by a wide receiver. The Eagles are close, but it's more of an O line. D line.

[J. Mac]

What about Miami? They're wide receivers.

[Colin Cowherd]

They're not a good team. A good team's Baltimore. They are defined now by Derrick Henry. The Eagles are a great team. O line defined by Saquon Barkley, the Detroit Lions. O line defined, defined by the run game with a good quarterback. Find me the good team in this league that's defined by a receiver. They are once again. And you called this two years ago. You've heard of a housing bubble? We got a wide receiver bubble. They matter, but they never define a team. A running back and an O line and a quarterback do hell in Kansas City. It's Spags, it's Chris Jones, it's Andy's Clever and Mahomes and by the way, they get Pacheco back. They become almost unbeatable. They've gone through a dozen different wide receiver combinations. It doesn't matter. For candid, the best teams in the league in my life in the last 20 years have been the Patriots and the Chiefs. The only receiver in those two teams that really in Super Bowls and playoff games was crucial is Julian Edelman, the Kent State quarterback. That's it. Tyree Kill leaves two rings. Randy Moss leaves rings running Backs define. They're the soul of a team. They're not as gifted as wide receivers. They're not as gifted. I'm not saying that they're not as exciting, but I'm telling you, tight ends are kind of like running backs with size. They can define a team based on physicality and a mo. Travis Kelce, every big game January. It's funny how he gets 12 targets and 10 catches. He just rests for the big stuff.

[J. Mac]

Listen, that's not your worst take. I think there's some. There's something there. I don't know that. The only problem to go back to OKC is like, sure, we can do the tight end stuff, AKA mid range, but look at the two teams that made the finals last year, Dallas and Boston. They shot the most threes in the league because threes more than two. The tight end catch is still worth the same as I was. Wide receiver, screen, running back screen.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, I'm not denying that that Luka and Kyrie. Let's be honest, they got completely overwhelmed in the Finals. The finals was about a Boston team that's the best defensive team in terms of wing defenders and the deepest roster. So to say it's just about threes with Boston. They have a roster that can shoot them well.

[J. Mac]

You got. But get fine getting to the final. Were the two most prolific.

[Colin Cowherd]

Three points. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I. In the NFL, I. I think three pointers. I was texting a famous guy last night who we were talking about. I'm not going to mention him because he didn't want me to mention him. We were going back and forth on the troubles of the NBA and one of the things we said, there's an AAU component where the European guys come in much more mature and skilled. Domestic products hurting and the aesthetic is bad. But. But I'm going to defend the NBA today on something. Adam Silver, by the way, the NBA has reached out to the show and Adam Silver is. We're going to schedule him for January on the show.

[J. Mac]

Well, that's why I mentioned that yesterday. I was kind of aware of this, but I didn't want to like put it out.

[Colin Cowherd]

I said before I will. I've watched the NBA my whole life. Go Back to the 76 Blazers and Sonics. I'm an NBA fan forever, but. And I dump baseball for a decade, but I'm back on baseball because they made changes in the games faster. The NBA's got tweaks it needs to make. But one of the NFL components I love is a run game because of physicality. I love the NBA when it's physical. Maybe that's because how I host a show. I throw elbows. You won't even wear a tank top.

[J. Mac]

How could you be physical if you're not gonna be wearing a tank top? Show me the guns, big guy.

[Colin Cowherd]

Jmac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by the Herd Lie news. We got stuff on the Blazing five, Nick Ceriani and now we got video on Nick Ceriani. Video is not his friend, I'll tell you that. The iPhone is not his friend. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

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[Colin Cowherd]

We've partnered with them to make this.

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[Colin Cowherd]

With all the shopping, gifting and holiday.

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[Colin Cowherd]

Anytime there's a gap in the defensive.

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You're sick, you're injured.

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[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, there's a Story. Nick Sirianni is the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. When he got the job, he wasn't ready for it. He's kind of been. He wins a lot of games. But a lot of this is, I think Philadelphia's superstar general manager, Howie Roseman. Jalen Hurts is very good. They've drafted extraordinarily well. They've hit on a lot of great players, a lot of Georgia Bulldogs. But there's another story now that last week after losing to Washington, former Eagle Zach Ertz. There's a little bit of video that, you know, he and Nick Ceriani. You can. It's in the background. You can't see much. There's a report here. It got a little bit heated. And I mean, listen, I feel this way about Philadelphia. There they are, right there is if you know the name of a team security guard, probably a problem. And the Zach Ertz story. I mean, ask yourself, what do these things have in common? Nick Sariani trading insults with fans, road fans and Philadelphia fans. Nick Ceriani had to be held back by an assistant coach on his staff. That is incredible. That's not even a coordinator. It's a position coach getting in his face. There's Nick Ceriani at the super bowl, was gonna put his hand up and make some gesture. And Jalen Hurts had to manage his coach. I mean, what do these all have in common? Oh, wait, it's Nick Sirianni. And so at some point, this is a proud organization. And remember, Philadelphia is a highly emotional city to begin with. So, you know, having a highly emotional coach is not great. You know, Andy Reid, and I'm not saying coaches and players don't have their issues. I mean, Andy Reid got hip checked by Travis Kelce in the super bowl, but he totally defused the situation. He got Travis Kelce, right? Travis went on to have a great game. So that wasn't even part of the story. We don't even talk about it. Like it was just a moment.

[PayPal Representative]

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[Colin Cowherd]

And that's what a coach is for. And I can hear a lot of Philly fans, hey, it's kind of funny. Coaches aren't stand up comedians. Whenever I hear that, well, it's kind of funny. I don't want my quarterback to be funny. I don't want my head coach to be funny. It's okay if a wide receiver, you know, occasionally has a sense of humor and is funny. I don't want my coach to be that or my GM to be that. That Dave Chappelle is paid to Be funny. And he is. You know that. That's funny. I don't want my coach to be. So here's my hottest take on this. This is my hot take. That if Philadelphia loses in the first round or the second round, Bill Belichick can get out of his contract in July. This July. That's my hot take. And Belichick already got his kid at Carolina to be the D.C. why did Carolina allow Belichick to have that? Because Belichick knows there's two jobs that are fascinating, Philly and Buffalo. If Sean McDermott gets bounced early, that job will be looking for a coach. If Nick Sirianni gets bounced early, you think it's a hot take. Kevin Durant went from his rival to the Golden State Warriors. I, I thought the chances of that happened were zero. Stuff happens now. Z Zach her, the former Eagle, is downplaying the Washington story and incident. Nick and I had a great relationship when I was there. We still have a great relationship. And I think it's definitely been blown away out of proportion. We spoke, we're good. There's no ill feelings on my part. And then I don't think there's any ill feelings on his part. It's just something in the heat of the moment probably got blown out of proportion. It may be misunderstanding, but at the end of the day, him and I are fine. Everyone knows how I feel about that place in that building, but at the same time, I love being here. All right, I'm just saying. Jeffrey Lurie, Howie Roseman ownership general manager they've moved off. Chip Kelly had a winning record. Doug Peterson won a Super Bowl. Andy Reid was a legend. They've moved off really good coaches. So, you know anybody that's watching this show that runs a business? I have a small business. If you run a business, you know, you're constantly, perpetually tweaking and it's kind of the fun of business. And so when I see problems. Remember the NFL had a catch problem a few years ago. Like the catch rule was confusing. What's a catch? What's not a catch? And Roger Goodell came on this show and I said, and I said, respectfully, sir, I can't tell what's a catch. And he acknowledged it's a problem and they fixed it. I mean, it was like a decade long issue. Is that a catch? DEZ Bryant, packers, that's a catch. No, it's not. It like changed outcomes. And so Major League Baseball had a 10 year, 15 year issue. Ratings going down in attendance. Rob Manfred made the Purists angry pitch clock. It worked. Ratings are up, the game's faster. I watch more baseball. The NBA ratings have been in decline and now they're bragging about. Look at our ratings on Christmas. Listen, Steph and LeBron get ratings. And the NFL games were in the afternoon, not the night, so they went unopposed. But when I look at tweaking, what does the NBA have that is really, really good? They got three or four things playing to their advantage. Number one, for the first time, I can remember the three most iconic northeast basketball franchises. Knicks, Sixers, Celtics, all excellent. That's something that's like having, you know, the Red Sox, Yankees and Braves being great in the eastern time zone. It matters. Those are iconic franchises. So the Sixers have stars, they're good. The Knicks are fun to watch and the Celtics are great. And remember, 80% of this country's population is like Denver East. It matters. Those are big media markets. So that's it's got its going for it. The other thing it's got going for it. Steph and LeBron are still remarkable players, highly productive. The other thing it's got going for it is these international players are unbelievable. Now they don't want to be faces of the league, but the skill level in this league has never been Greater. Wemby is 7 foot 4. He's crossing guys up on the dribble and hitting threes. It's in. St. Jokic is the best passer on the Nuggets. He's a seven footer. So the skill level, the assets are fantastic. The players don't get in trouble. I hate the load management crap, but they don't get in trouble. You know, NBA guys, they like to, you know, they like to score points, they like to hang out, they do their social media. They're not getting in trouble. Some of them are different personalities, like KD, but KD's still great. LeBron's still really good. Steph's good. The Sixers, the Knicks and the Celtics are excellent. And the skill level is through the roof. I just think it has to. I think there's a couple of things here. A couple of things long term may not be fixable. I don't like AAU basketball. I think the international European system is much better. The players come out with more skill. They come out more focused and mature and they play fewer games. AU basketball is a money grab. It's gross. Players come out, they've been coddled. They played too many games. They don't care about competition. I think AAU basketball, Steve Kerr talked about this. It's not good. Our system needs to be tweaked. I'm not sure if you can. But the things you can tweak too many three pointers, make it a deeper shot, have the three pointer go into the bench. I like three pointers. It needs to be part of the game, not 90 a night. The other thing that we have to be honest about is David Stern, the late commissioner, the late great David Stern used to tell people this privately all the time. And Adam Silver would tell you privately, when you compete against football, college or pro, you're not going to get big ratings. The NBA has always lived off its playoffs. You weren't watching unless you lived in Chicago. You weren't watching Toronto play the Bulls in the regular season either. You weren't. The iconic moments are against the Cavs in the playoffs and the Knicks in the playoffs and the Utah Jazz and Charles Barkley and the Sonics. That's the iconic moment. So regular season ratings, when you're going up against the beast known as the NFL and the increasing popularity of the 12 team college football Playoff, you're not going to get ratings then. I mean, teams don't even have their defensive rotations and their rosters set in December and early January. It's always been a trading deadline on league. Nobody's beaten the NFL. In fact, here's a this is true. Netflix even realizes that they lose a big chunk of their viewers during football season. So they don't debut their best stuff in the football season. Ask yourself, when do you watch Netflix the most? When football season ends from about February 15th until Labor Day. That's when people are watching their Netflix. So even the streaming services understand what football does. It craters everything else not called NFL football. That's just the reality. That's why the NBA had good Christmas ratings. A LeBron, Steph B. Philly, New York, Boston are iconic mark markets on the Northeast. The quality was good, the games were close and the NFL didn't play at night. Chiefs, Ravens played in the day. That helps. But I think some of the problems like baseball are very solvable very quickly. The three point shot. I also, I'm a big believer in this. I would bring back the hand check. I want physicality. I like physicality. I think physicality is at the core of hockey. I think physicality is at the core of football, college and pro. And I think the NBA, it's too easy, it's too finesse. I love intense playoff basketball. Butt to the basket, guys. Get physical. The more physical players are, the more intense they get. And there's kind of a passive, a passive finesse nature to three point shots. You're way out here. I shoot, I go down the other end of the floor. I want bodies colliding, I want physicality around the basket. That's why you get that in the playoffs. Sometimes you come down the floor, you need a basket, you don't need a three, you need a basket because the scores go down. Every basket circumstantially is more important. So it's going to be fine. And I think, I think there's things it's got going for it. Stefan LeBron, still great. Sixers, Knicks, Celtics, outstanding. The skill level from Europe over is unbelievable. We got a domestic issue. We don't have a skill issue. Our domestic product, our domestic AU is just not good enough. All right, Blazing five, top of the hour. You know, generally Blazing five, you said something a couple weeks ago and it's stung. I left the show, I was injured and you said, you know, you pick a lot of the big games, a lot of the TV games, and I thought about that going home and I there used to be a time in my life that I would bet the corner TV game, I would bet the ugly game, and I've gotten away from it. Boy, do I love a stinker in Blazing five.

[J. Mac]

You go back to your roots. Tennessee Jags this weekend. You firing on that?

[Colin Cowherd]

Hey, I got standards. That one I can't watch, but I've got a couple games that maybe not the best television game and I'm excited for it. Blazing five, top of the hour. Eric Mangini, former Bear coach Dave Wanstadt, live in Los Angeles on a Friday. It's the Herd.

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[Colin Cowherd]

Really, really easy.

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[Dr. Josey]

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[Doug Gottlieb]

This is Doug Gottlieb from All Ball with Doug Gottlieb. Listen, I'm gonna get serious for a minute. The hate in our country is getting out of control. In fact, it's sadly at an all time high. But it's going to take all of us to stop it. I mean, we're all on the same team in this country. So let's take a break from our hate so our team can regroup. We need to take a timeout against hate. Visit standuptoallhate.org to help and join me in calling for timeout against hate by following OTs upwithhate or posting the blue square emoji.