Hour 1 - Caleb Williams at training camp

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd: Hour 1 - Caleb Williams at Training Camp

Release Date: July 24, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

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Introduction

In this episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, aired on July 24, 2025, Colin dives deep into the current state of the Chicago Bears' training camp, focusing primarily on quarterback Caleb Williams and the team's offensive strategies. Joining Colin are notable guests Jason McIntyre and Steve Sarkisian, who provide expert insights into coaching dynamics, quarterback development, and broader NFL and college football landscapes.

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Chicago Bears' Training Camp Woes

[03:04] Colin Cowherd:
"Two things can be true. I think he's a huge talent and I also think his critics are valid."

Colin opens the discussion by addressing the tumultuous Bears practice session in Chicago, where head coach Ben Johnson visibly pulled Caleb Williams off the field after a series of disappointing performances. Williams, who joined the Bears following Lincoln Riley from USC, has shown flashes of brilliance but is struggling with organization and execution on the field.

Key Points:

• Caleb Williams' Performance: Reports and video footage indicate that Williams has been unable to get plays right, exhibiting disorganized movements and poor footwork.
• Ben Johnson's Coaching Style: Known as a scheme coach, Johnson demands precision and discipline, similar to coaches like Sean Payton and Andy Reid. His approach contrasts with more flexible coaching styles, potentially leading to friction if Williams cannot adapt.
• Early Season Outlook: Colin remains optimistic, predicting that by early October, Williams' performance will clarify whether he can meet the team's expectations. He cites the upgraded offensive line and favorable early schedule as factors that could aid the Bears' success.

Notable Quote:
[06:00] Colin Cowherd:
"If you're not doing it right, he's going to get you out and he's not going to just see that stuff continue."

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Guest Insights: Steve Sarkisian on Coaching and Quarterbacks

Steve Sarkisian joins the conversation to offer his perspective on coaching dynamics and quarterback management in the NFL.

Key Points:

• Detail-Oriented Coaching: Sarkisian emphasizes the importance of focusing on details during training camp to build a cohesive team, especially when dealing with young quarterbacks.
• Scheme vs. Hero Ball: He discusses the tension between playing within a strict scheme and allowing quarterbacks to exercise their individual talents. Sarkisian leans towards structured schemes to ensure team success.
• Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson Partnership: The partnership between Williams and Johnson is scrutinized, with Sarkisian expressing skepticism about the longevity of their collaboration if Williams doesn't align with Johnson's system.

Notable Quote:
[07:27] Steve Sarkisian:
"Ben's all about the details and you feel that in every meeting."

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Caleb Williams: Talent vs. Practicality

Jason McIntyre and Colin engage in a back-and-forth about Caleb Williams' future with the Bears.

Key Points:

• Free Rein Concerns: McIntyre raises concerns about Williams having too much freedom in his play style, reminiscent of Lincoln Riley's "backyard football" approach at USC, which may not translate well to the NFL.
• Coaching Frustrations: There's apprehension that if Williams cannot adapt to playing within Johnson's structured system, their professional relationship may deteriorate, leading to potential managerial changes.

Notable Quote:
[15:56] Colin Cowherd:
"So, Ben's going to get really frustrated, clearly, if you can't get that playoff and you can't get that ball."

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Quarterback Development and Ownership Impact

The conversation shifts to a broader discussion about quarterback development in the NFL and the significant role of team ownership.

Key Points:

• Ownership Matters: Colin emphasizes that strong ownership is crucial for a team's success, citing the Cincinnati Bengals' issues under current ownership despite having a talented quarterback in Joe Burrow.
• Comparisons to Other Teams: He draws parallels between the Bengals and past teams like the Detroit Lions under Matt Stafford, highlighting how excellent players can underperform without supportive management.
• Drafting and Scouting: The importance of a robust scouting department is underscored, contrasting teams like the Bengals with resource-rich organizations like the Philadelphia Eagles.

Notable Quote:
[27:21] Colin Cowherd:
"There's a couple teams in the NFL that it's hard for me to predict. Like, I like Zach Taylor and I love Joe Burrow and I love Jamar Chase. I mean, Jamar Chase won the Triple Crown last year. Joe Burrow was amazing. They didn't make the playoffs. Okay, so it's like, why would that be?"

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Updates on NFL Players and Teams

The episode also covers recent developments in the NFL, including injuries and team performances.

Key Points:

• Justin Fields Injury: A significant scare for the New York Jets as quarterback Justin Fields suffered a leg injury during practice, raising concerns about the team's quarterback situation.
• Cleveland Browns' Kenny Pickett: Discussions about Pickett's performance in training camp juxtaposed with predictions of a possible roster cut, highlighting the volatile nature of quarterback prospects.
• Dallas Cowboys' CD Lamb: CD Lamb expresses excitement about the upcoming season, emphasizing his role as a key player for the Cowboys.

Notable Quote:
[25:08] Jason McIntyre:
"All right, Colin, about two hours ago, the New York Jets had a huge scare. Justin Fields was carted off the practice field and everybody's panicking."

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College Football Spotlight: Texas Longhorns and Arch Manning

Steve Sarkisian shares insights into the Texas Longhorns' preparations for the upcoming college football season, spotlighting standout player Arch Manning.

Key Points:

• Arch Manning's Leadership: Sarkisian praises Manning's work ethic and intuitive understanding of the game, positioning him as a pivotal player for Texas.
• Early Season Challenges: The Longhorns face a tough opener against Ohio State, serving as a litmus test for the team's cohesion and offensive line performance.
• Impact of NIL and Transfer Portal: The discussion touches on the complexities of Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) deals and the transfer portal, emphasizing the challenges of maintaining team chemistry amidst new players.

Notable Quote:
[39:09] Steve Sarkisian:
"His work ethic is incredible. Whether it's studying tape, studying film, studying the playbook, working at his craft, you know, in the weight room like that is whether it's innate in him or it was, you know, handed down from his uncles. Whatever, whatever it was, his work ethic is really pretty incredible."

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Concluding Thoughts

Colin wraps up the episode by reiterating the significance of early-season performances in both the NFL and college football. He highlights the transformational potential of structured coaching and strong leadership, drawing connections between team dynamics and individual player success.

Key Takeaways:

• The intersection of coaching style and player adaptability is crucial for team success.
• Ownership and management play a pivotal role in maximizing player potential.
• Early-season games serve as critical assessments for team cohesion and strategy efficacy.

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Final Quote

[41:23] Colin Cowherd:
"That's one of my favorite guys, Sark, who's had just a fascinating journey. I mean, I'm telling you, right? Texas, Ohio State. I mean, I am parked pre game, game, post game on Fox. That, that is going to be. That's as good an opening game as we've ever had on that Labor Day weekend."

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This summary encapsulates the core discussions of Hour 1 of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, offering listeners a comprehensive overview of the episode's key themes and insights.

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

This is an iHeart podcast. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One Bank Guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See CapitalOne.com Bank Capital One NA Member FDIC introducing the new Dell AI PC powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor, it helps do your busy work for you so you can fast forward through editing images, designing presentations, generating code, debugging code, summarizing meeting notes, finding files, managing your schedule, responding to Jim's long emails, leaving all the time in the world for the things you actually want to do. No offense Jim. Get a new Dell AI PC starting at [e-mail] aipc how those ahead? Stay ahead. All right folks, this is insane. For the first time ever, we got a full blown all women's boxing mega event going down in New York City. Two title fights, same night. Let's go. If you're like me and love the action, DraftKings Sportsbook is where it's at. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app right now. The promo code is heard H E R d new customers 150 bucks in bonus bets instantly when you bet just 5 bucks only on DraftKings the crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-Gambler in New York. Call 877-8-Hopeny or text hopeny 467-369 in Connecticut. Help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and resort in Kansas. 21 plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontari seven days after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG Co Audio. Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is a Thursday and there is a ton to talk about. Lincoln Riley, Steve Sarkeesian, Mark Sanchez all joining us on a July show Storms Humidity, heat rolling in as the football season's almost underway. JMAC yesterday in little old Chicago. Let's just say the Bears practice went a little sideways and Ben Johnson was not happy. It was a little volcanic at the Bears practice and you know I'm leading with that.

[Jason McIntyre]

Of course you are. Yeah. You are team Chicago right now. You love it.

[Colin Cowherd]

So per multiple reports, I did see some of the video. The Bears offense and Caleb Williams were a disaster yesterday. At one point, Ben Johnson barking at him, he pulled the first team off the field. It was a disaster for Caleb Williams yesterday and some of his OTA issues resurfaced. Not getting the play right, looking disorganized, not getting the footwork right. So two things can be true. I think he's a huge talent and I also think his critics are valid. I mean, I love Tom Cruise, but I think Scientology's wacky. Love my wife. Don't agree with her on everything. Smoked a cigar last night. No, it won't extend my life. Have politicians I like. Don't agree with all their policies. Two things are true. Caleb Williams is super talented. But you're now starting to see last year OTAs in camp. Some of the same problems. Not as correctable as many of us think. Can't get the play right. What I talk about yesterday, Belichick saying the best part of Brady, he got the playwright, no pre snap penalties. He didn't hold on to the ball too long. And I got to tell you, we're going to know by early, early October if this guy can play. The coach is fine. The offensive line's been upgraded. The weapons are good enough. I don't want to hear about the Bears daunting schedule. Oh, second toughest in the league. Nonsense. They're favored in four of their first six games. For their first six games, it's a bunch of teams rebuilding. New Orleans, Washington, Vegas. Dallas is rebuilding. Jerry Jones doesn't want to admit it, but they're rebuild. Rebuilding that early schedule and even the later schedule. It's New York, it's Cleveland. There's a lot of rebuilding teams. There's not a lot of great defenses until you get to Baltimore in late October. So you're going to know Jaden Daniels coming in with a shaky O line, complete overhaul organizationally, and one big time weapon, Terry McLaurin. By early October, we were all going with Jaden Daniels. Whoa. We thought he was going to be Lamar Jackson. Ish. He's Lamar Jackson now. That's the new standard. And I. And I'm not asking you to chop it up and be dominating in September. Bo Nix with Sean Payton was bad in September and Sean Payton's as smart as they get. He had a touchdown, four picks and a passer rating in the 60s. But Bo Nix by October, seven touchdowns, one pick and a passer rating of 103. Jared Goff 07 as a rookie got Sean McVeigh. He went from 07 to his first September with McVeigh passer rating at 118. It just doesn't take that long. By the time you're a senior in high school, you got 10,000 snaps. Seven on seven camps. Private coaching. The ability in high school and college for these top quarterbacks to transfer. Yeah. Even in high school to better coaching, better support systems. So we need major, major elevation. Significant improvement by late September, early October and that's not asking for a lot. It's a new world. I used to be a believer, give a quarterback until year three. I am now Thanksgiving of year two and with when you look at Ben Johnson, better than average, higher when you look at the division and the early schedule, not a lot of great defenses. When you look at the O line upgrades, they've spent money on weapons. This team's built to win. Right now, that early schedule. The Bears coming off an awful season, are favored in four of the first six games as of this morning. So I don't want to hear it. Here's Cole Comet on the mess yesterday and Ben Johnson pulling Caleb off the field. If you're not doing it right, he's going to get you out and he's not going to just see that stuff continue.

[Steve Sarkisian]

So it's just a lesson to us.

[Colin Cowherd]

That, you know, you got to be on the details. We got to be on the details going into practice and in order to get our reps in, you know, you can't be result driven all the time, especially this time of this time of the year in training camp, you know, you really got to be detail driven.

[Steve Sarkisian]

And Ben's all about the details and.

[Colin Cowherd]

You feel that in every meeting. So we're going to have Steve Sarkeesian on bottom of the hour, Lincoln Riley. A lot of heat at USC on Lincoln. Riley stops by and Mark Sanchez. So it's the big 10 SEC. All these coaches are talking right now and that's why we've had a few of them on. We've had Ryan Day, James Franklin. This is a good week for us to get those guys on the stars of college football, the big time coaches. So I'm all fired up. I Said this, there's heat on Sark. Sort of like Ryan Day before he won the Natty last year. Everybody knew Ryan Day could coach. I mean, but what is the guy like 70 and 10 at Ohio State like? Like he struggled with hardball at the end, but we all knew Ryan Day could coach. But he got into a little heat when he lost at home to Michigan as a 20 point favorite and then he rolled onto the title. It's same with Sark. Everybody knows he can coach. He was college football coordinator of the year under Saban. NFL teams are interested. I think he could in a couple years. If he wins in Natty this year, I think he would be the top college coach candidate to coach in the NFL. I don't think he will. I think he's going to stay at Texas. It's one of the best jobs in all of football. But the truth is, Ohio State Texas is great. And you know what? It shows? Unpopular opinion. Rivalries are overrated. Ooh, Dallas and the New York Giants, Bears, packers, those are one o' clock window games in the NFL. The best rivalry is Kansas City and Buffalo. It has no great historical context. It's Mahomes against Josh Allen. Right? That's why it's a great rivalry. So the College Football Playoff has created two dynamic advantages that college football didn't have to have. Number one, December now playoff games, sudden death like March Madness. Instead of Rando bowl games that nobody attended. This, you know the phrase is remember the Alamo, not remember the Alamo Bowl. Okay? We got rid of a lot of bad bulls. The second thing, early losses aren't as punitive. So you can take big swings on your schedule. You can grow as a football team. I mean, in high school and in the pros, you're allowed to lose early and still win a championship. Until now you couldn't do it in college football. So Ohio State, Texas five years ago, if they would have played, the loser would have to go undefeated the rest of the way. These are 19 year old kids. So in a memo to all you college football rivalry guys that didn't want the playoff because you thought it would ding rivalries, nobody cares outside of your fan base. I mean, I think Iowa and Wisconsin play for a spittoon or a cheese wheel or an ax or something. Nobody cares. I'm in the Big Ten building. Nobody cares. I mean, I'm looking at the Texas Longhorn schedule right now. Oh, the Red rivalry, Red river rivalry. I got news for you. If you let me, if you would fly me private to three Games this year for the Texas Longhorns. Number one would be the game against Columbus. Ohio State and Columbus, that's number one. Number two would be the game at Georgia November, and then I would figure out if Oklahoma was better than A and M late November. Maybe their great rivalry is third. The highest rated game last year for Texas was the George Gate. Won the Oklahoma game. So college football rivalries are like family traditions. If you're totally honest with yourself, you're deluded a little bit by him. Like Grandma's fruitcake. It's mid and you know it. And Uncle Hank's peanut brittle stinks. No cap, be honest. You know, I mean, I know you've talked yourself into. Thanksgiving's always the best. But then Earl gets drunk, go sideways and you regret it, and you can't wait to get in the car and drive home. I don't want to hear about rivalry games. Ohio State, Texas is not only great because the teams are great, the coaches are great, the traditions are great. It's great because the loser can lose again. Ohio State lost at Oregon, lost as a 20 point favorite, was allowed to make the playoff and grow as a team. Use that as jet fuel. That ugly loss, the staff and the players and win the national championship. That's how the NFL works. That's how high school football can work. Why in college do you get. If you lose a huge game early, you have to go undefeated. So I'm not into these rivalry games that everybody talks about in college. Oh, the Iron Bowl. When's the last time it mattered? Now Michigan. Ohio State remains fantastic, but the NFL is a ratings powerhouse. What's their biggest rivalry? Honestly, it's Lamar Jackson against Mahomes. It's. It's Mahomes against Josh Allen. It's quarterback driven. Not, not regional or rivalry driven. A lot of these great rivalries, they're one o' clock window games. The biggest Fox rating this year for a college football game. It gonna be Texas and Ohio State. That's going to be the big number. Not a rivalry game. Sarks on coming up around the corner. It is a lot to. I will say this, it is a lot to ask. Arch Manning opening game at the Shoe against a top three team in Ohio State with college football, national championship, momentum, elite coaching staff and oh by the way, Longhorns are rebuilding the old line. So it is a big ask. I can't wait. J. Mac, we got a lot going on. What do you make of Caleb Williams? Listen, these offensive coaches like Ben Johnson, I, I applaud him. He he's what's concerning about Caleb Williams, the stuff that you saw with Eber Floose. He's running backwards, can't get the playoff negative plays. We worried and saw a little bit of that in OTAs. Right. It wasn't organized. Couldn't quite get the play in on time. And now we're seeing it again. Is this just something that doesn't get better?

[Jason McIntyre]

So his backstory is, didn't he follow Lincoln Riley to usc? Lincoln Riley, it takes USC job. It's like, oh, yeah, Caleb, come on down. And he kind of got free reign to do backyard football. I'm curious if. If Lincoln is kind of on board with that, because that was his style at usc and it kind of worked at times until it didn't. And now he's carrying those same traits over into the NFL. And I don't think. And again, I'm not going to overblow the Ben Johnson story, but he clearly is not a fan of that backyard football stuff. He wants you to drop back, process and fire. And if Caleb can't do that, Colin. Well, they're not going to. They're not going to be in a long partnership together.

[Colin Cowherd]

Of the great scheme coaches in the NFL, Ben Johnson is considered a scheme coach. So Shanahan is a scheme coach. He doesn't want you running around. That's why he loves Brock Purdy. Okay, who's another scheme coach? So. So Mike McDaniels. Miami doesn't want you running around. He wants you to run their play. Who's another great scheme coach? Sean Payton in Denver. He wants Bo Nix to run his play under center, not shotgun. Now, we've talked about that. Bo Nix was shotgun last year. It was better for Bo. Now Sean wants him understand. Another scheme coach is Ben Johnson. Run my play. Defensive head coaches, Sean McDermott's like, you know, he's a great talent. Let him move him, make a play. The great. And there's Andy Reid, by the way. He's talked about it like he wants Mahomes to run his play. But then he. There is that battle of you got to let your guy do his thing. But most of the elite scheme coaches, they scheme up plays. That was always the knock that Aaron Rodgers, with both McCarthy and Matt LaFleur, sometimes with both would kind of do his own thing. It got really frustrating to McCarthy and privately I think it got frustrating to Matt LaFleur. So this idea of hero ball, it works with some coaches, but Ben Johnson is one of these guys that draws up winning plays like Shanahan run my play. Peyton's very much like that. He got frustrated with Russell Wilson who would not run his play or couldn' the second or third option when on film, Peyton would say, yeah, it's open. Here it is. So, so Ben's going to get really frustrated, clearly, if you can't get that playoff and you can't get that ball.

[Jason McIntyre]

Out and you know the younger generation coming up with quarterbacks. These guys are social media stars. Let me cook. That's the big saying. Just let me do me, let me, let me fire. Let me be me. And I just wonder. It's going to be a radical transformation trying to rein in Caleb Williams. I don't think it's going to be easy, Colin. It's going to take more than a season, that's for sure.

[Colin Cowherd]

Trustandwill.com for $199 that's it. You can now get everything lined up. All your documents go to trustandwill.com for total peace of mind, protect your family, create personalized trust and will state specific to protect your legacy and loved ones. Trustandwill.com 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, we're Covino and Rich, Fox Sports radio every day, 5 to 7pm Eastern. But here's the thing. We never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to. And that's why we have a brand new podcast called Over Promised. You see, we're having so much fun in our two hour show. We never get to everything honestly because this guy is over promising things we never have time for. Yeah, you blubberlips. Blaming me. Well, you know what it's called Over Promise. You should be good at it because you've been overpromising women for years. Well, it's a Covino and Rich after show and we want you to be a part of it. We're going to be talking sports, of course, but we're also going to talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called Over Promised. Well, if you don't get enough, Covino and Rich, make sure you check out Over Promised and also uncensored, by the way, so maybe we'll go at it even a little harder. It's going to be the best after show podcast of all time. There you go. Overpromising. And remember, you could see it on YouTube, but definitely join us listen to over promised with Covino and rich on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Introducing the new Dell AI PC powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor. It's not just an AI computer, it's a computer built for AI. That means it's built to help do your busy work for you so you can fast forward through editing images, designing presentations, generating code, debugging code, running lots of apps without lag, summarizing meeting notes, extending battery life, finding that file you were looking for, managing your schedule, meeting your deadlines, responding to Jim's long emails, leaving all the time in the world for more you time and for the things you actually want to do. No offense Jim. Get a new Dell AI PC starting at [e-mail] aipc how those ahead? Stay ahead. All right folks, this is insane. For the first time ever, we got a full blown all women's boxing mega event going down in New York City. Two title fights, same night. Let's go. If you're like me and love the action, DraftKings sportsbook is where it's at. We're talking the trilogy fight. Don't sleep on the co main explosive power taking on the undefeated WBA interim champ. It's going to be fireworks. Check it out. If you're new to DraftKings, throw down five bucks. That's it. Boom. You get 150 in bonus bets instantly. That's wild. Download the DraftKings sportsbook app right now. The promo code is heard. H E r d new customers 150 bucks in bonus bets instantly. When you bet just five bucks only on DraftKings, the crown is yours. Gambling problem. Call 1-800-GAMBLER in New York. Call 877-8-HOPENY or text hopeny467-369 In Connecticut, help is available for problem gambling. Call 888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org Please play responsibly on behalf of Boot Hill Casino and Resort in Kansas. 21 plus. Age and eligibility varies by jurisdiction. Void. In Ontario, bonus bets expire seven days after issuance. For additional terms and responsible gaming resources, see DKNG Co. Audio Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks. Capital One Bank Guy what's in your wallet terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member FDIC sarks around the corner. They open up with Ohio State in Columbus. It's going to be a game for the ages. The you're now entering the no bull zone sponsored by credible great rates and none of the bull. So a leadership is hard because you got to do unpopular things and sometimes alienate coworkers. So Tua, who's an adult, who's a grown up, who's a really smart kid, has had to deal. Sometimes it feels like he's had to sort of babysit Tyreek Hill. And I felt Dak had to do this with DEZ Bryant is that Dak came into the league very mature and very focused. And I feel bad when these young quarterbacks often they're great teammates. I think they have a, you know, there's a certain burden put on them by people who can't get it together. And Tua was talking, remember Tyreek Hill threatened he wanted to leave the team. Remember he talked about that recently and Tua talked about their relationship and Tyreek Hill, it's still a work in progress.

[Steve Sarkisian]

Not just for me, but for everybody. But everyone knows what he can do on the field. Everyone respects what he can do on the field. But I think, you know, he's, he's.

[Colin Cowherd]

Still trying to figure things out for himself as well.

[Steve Sarkisian]

Kind of the man he wants to be. And you know, he's not too young. Like everybody makes mistakes. It's just some people, you know, they.

[Colin Cowherd]

They'Re in the spotlight, you know, and.

[Steve Sarkisian]

Their, their deals get, get pushed out more than, than some others.

[Colin Cowherd]

He's being diplomatic. It's time for Tyreek Hill to eventually grow up again. The Cowboys had to move off DEZ Bryant. He couldn't. Stefan Diggs, who I really like. Josh Allen's like enough. Kyle Shanahan, Debo Sia Steelers on AB I mean the Chiefs won back to back Super Bowls. The minute Tyree Kill left, they went with the old slow tight end. Even the great Randy Moss Brady won Super Bowls pre and post. I think sometimes I'm not, I'm not. I mean I love A.J. brown. I think he's unbelievable for Philadelphia. But the heart and soul of that team is Saquon Jalen hurts and that offensive line and that's the way it should be. I am not arguing about the value of great wide receivers. But the uglier the weather gets in. Cincinnati, Baltimore, Buffalo, Kansas City. How much is a guy 75 down yards down the Field with a quarterback who doesn't throw a lively deep ball in wind. How much value does it have? And my take is, you know, great wide receivers are a little bit like those, like Christmas tree toppers. It's the first thing you look at and that they had value, but it doesn't keep the tree upright. Like you can't build around it foundationally. In fact, I've argued this with football people. I think a great tight end is more valuable than a great receiver because tight ends block and help the run game and they don't get marginalized in December and January with bad weather. They run shorter than easier to complete routes. So that the two dynasties in the last 25 years in this league were led by Gronk and Travis Kelsey and star quarterbacks, wide receivers, revolving door in New England. Wide receivers, frankly in Kansas City have been even more of a revolving door. At least Edelman hung around for a while. So star receivers, they are great for headlines. I'm not sure they're great for hardware. And I also, I think it's a burden that you lay on young Dak or a young quarterback like Tua that there's some hand holding here going on. And I think my take and I said this last year, I'd move off Tyree Kill, somebody will bite. He's a very, very good player. But you do get to a point when how much is worth, I mean think how good AB was Pittsburgh, Mike Tomlin, player friendly is like, we've had enough George Pickens enough already. So DK Metcalf, Seattle's like, listen, the penalties are stacking up, we gotta move off it. And I'm not diminishing the value or the person. But I am saying when TUA has to come out and go to a podium and you can see him dance around the very uncomfortable truth, I think it's time to move on in Miami. Jay mclews. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herd line news.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right, Colin, about two hours ago, the New York jets had a huge scare. Justin Fields was carted off the practice field and everybody's panicking. It was a leg injury. Well, we now know that Aaron Glenn has said that someone accidentally stepped on Fields and he suffered a dislocated non big toe injury. There are no specifics as to which toe it is, how long he's going to be out, if at all. But the jets quarterback room, Colin is minus Justin Fields, we're looking at Tyrod Taylor, Adrian Martinez, who briefly was like a big time college Player, but he never really became the star everybody thought he would be. And then someone. Someone named Brady Cook. I'm not familiar with his work, but listen, it feels has to be out a month here. This is not great. And I think we could start talking about Arch Manning in the New York Jets.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm not even getting season.

[Jason McIntyre]

You know, Drew Aller could work. The big arm needs to cut through those Meadowlands wins at MetLife Stadium. But obviously not a great start to the New York Jets. It's shades of Aaron Rodgers. Four plays into his jets tenure. Popping his Achilles, obviously. We hope field returns quickly.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, this. This division is starting to remind me a lot of when Brady was in it. Like, Josh Allen now is just like, you can just. You can just put Buffalo Bills in the playoffs. Home field, you know, game, round one. Everybody else has issues. Miami's got, like, cultural stuff. They're battling. The jets have quarterback issues. I. I do think New England will be a good, tough, strong, wild card team, but they're not there yet either.

[Jason McIntyre]

You probably don't remember this, but as diehard jets fans remember, several years ago, they were like the worst team in the league. And then they faced the Rams out here at Sofi, and they beat them. And it cost them Trevor Lawrence. Okay?

[Colin Cowherd]

Cost them Trevor Lawrence.

[Jason McIntyre]

They had to settle for this guy named. What's his name? Oh, Zach Wilson. Remember that? The jets, should Fields be out here. Cannot screw this up, okay? We can't miss out on a potentially generational quarterback. Well, we must tank correctly, and it's early for that, but that's if Fields is out for any period of time.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right, let's go to the next story. Colin. In Cleveland, Kenny Pickett took all the first team reps on day one of Browns camp. A Browns writer named Mary Kay Cabot predicted Pickett would likely get the first crack with the first team, and he was 6 of 7. No touchdowns, no picks. Now here's the interesting part. Colin, a gentleman by the name of Mike Clay does roster analysis at ESPN and predicts cuts. He is predicting Kenny Pickett is a roster cut of the Cleveland Browns. So on one hand, we have Pickett getting all the first team reps, and the other is a guy predicting Pickett will be cut. Any early take on Kenny Pickett, we're not even in August yet, but fire.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I mean, if you drafted two quarterbacks, it seems to me one of those guys is guaranteed to stay. So Flacco is going to start. This has always been our prediction. And then I think they Keep the two young rookies because Kenny Pickett, you can move for a six round draft pick or a seventh round pick. Kenny, somebody's going to get hurt. It could be, you know, it could be any quarterbacks going to get hurt. Either a starter or a backup gets hurt. And Kenny Pickett's been around the league, so I think Pickett's easier to move. Who's going to, who's going to give you anything of value for Dylan Gabriel? I mean if the, if the Browns are willing to move often, that's telling you they like Shador more than Dylan Shador went in the fifth round. So Kenny Pickett to me is a guy you can move and get something in return.

[Jason McIntyre]

That's a good point. Final story con is yep, it's the Dallas Cowboys. Yeah, I know, but we're not talking Micah Parsons. Finally, we're going to CD Lamb. Colin, listen, he is really one of the top receivers in the league. We know this. He talked about working with Dak and he's very excited about the upcoming season.

[Steve Sarkisian]

I feel like the league knows what.

[Colin Cowherd]

Happens when I'm healthy and I have.

[Steve Sarkisian]

Dak for a whole season. But if you don't, I will happily show you what it's going to be like this year. Honestly, it's. I'm a dominant receiver.

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't need. I don't like to speak highly of myself, but.

[Steve Sarkisian]

I can't wait to show you guys.

[Colin Cowherd]

He'll be good. He'll battle for a pro. Boy, he's very good. The best player on the team. Absolutely. No question. Best player on the team.

[Jason McIntyre]

It's interesting because you're not a huge fan of the self promotion. Where are you on I'm a dominant player? Well, he is like if you're dominant, don't tell me. I know this, don't tell me.

[Colin Cowherd]

Young, young man waving the flag a little bit. I get it. I'm okay with it. I can live with it. Jay mclews. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news. Well, there were 13 three last year before losing to the Buckeyes. One of the reasons I love the College Football playoff is that you can play big games early and Even if you lose 35, 30, it's okay. You can grow as a team. You don't have to go undefeated the rest of the way to play for the college football national championship. The Buckeyes last year lost as a 20 point favorite at home after losing to Oregon and Knotson and they still made it. That's Why I love Texas and Ohio State plan. My buddy Sark's joining us. Coach of the Horns, Texas Longhorns, who I have playing in the national championship this year against Penn State. The two best teams I think are Penn State and you guys. I want you to go back, Sark, to your USC days, your Washington days, the Alabama days and now at Texas. This is a, this is a lot to chew on in week one road game, Ohio State. You guys, Pete, Carol and you guys, you played some tough games early. Go back in your career. Is this, is there anything that reminds you of this kind of game as an opener?

[Steve Sarkisian]

As an opener? No. The only one I could think of, Colin, is when we went to Auburn. I want to think, I want to say it was 02 and it was Leinert's first career start. Reggie, Reggie and Lindell were true freshmen and we went into, we went into Auburn and they were pretty highly ranked team. But I don't know of anybody going on the road playing the defending national champions after having played them in the semifinals. They ended our season last year. Then we turn around and open with them this year. It's going to be a heck of a game. But that's, you just touched on it. That's the beauty of this format now that you can afford to play these games. It's great for the fans, it's great for college football. Everybody's talking about it and I was jokingly saying it's so different than the NFL. Nobody's talking about Week 1 matchups in the NFL. Everybody's talking about this game and the idea that I don't think either of us get punished playing this game. Obviously we all, we both need to play well throughout the entirety of the season. But, but sure, it's what, what a spotlight it puts on both programs and as well as college football.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. And also it's a litmus test. You'll know a lot about your team that you couldn't, you wouldn't know if you played a lesser opponent. So here's the, here's what I worry about. Four new offensive line starters. Now you've got. This is a position you have recruited very, very well. And Arch Manning, I, I bet just like dad and Eli and Archie is good at the line of scrimmage. He'll get that ball away quickly, but it does to go on the road. Stark, you know this better than anybody. The O line, you don't have a preseason. These are 19, 20 year old guys. That is a cohesion chemistry unit, not just a talent unit. Are you concerned? Four new starters on the road, not the arts thing, that's fine. But you don't, you don't have an exhibition game to start. That's a lot to ask. Does it worry you?

[Steve Sarkisian]

Well, I think that's why training camp is going to be so important. And you know, the beauty for the offensive line is they have to compete against our defensive front every day. And I think we've got one of the premier defensive fronts in the country. They're very talented players, but also a really good scheme, a difficult scheme. But to your point, them all playing together as one is going to be critical. And Arch does play a part in that. You know, we're fortunate D.J. campbell's a returning starter. Cole Hudson rotated with D.J. played a bunch of football. Trevor Goosby, really, at the end of the season, he was playing against all sorts of high, high caliber opponents from Georgia to Texas A and M to Clemson. So he got a lot of experience at tackle. But there'll be a couple new faces in there and I do think that's going to be one of the keys for us in the ball game is I don't want to say protecting them, but putting them good position so they can go out and execute and play as it plays a unit.

[Colin Cowherd]

So Jeremiah Smith is on a short list of the most talented college football players I've ever seen. Reggie Bush, I can remember seeing him as a sophomore and thinking, oh, he could probably play in the NFL right now. Javon Curse was kind of like that. When you play a guy like Jeremiah Smith, do you bracket him? Do you double him? Do you trust your corners? He is so physically strong that I. It's one of those. You contain him. Do you, I mean, what, how, what is a game plan? Is there a perfect one? Do you just mix coverages?

[Steve Sarkisian]

You know, it's interesting. I had a chance to coach Julio Jones for two years in Atlanta. Reminds me a lot of him. So big and physical, but yet fast. I mean, cover ground so strong at the point of attack, when the ball's in the air, you see that, you know, just the ability to make contested catches. And I do think at the end of the day, day A, that's where your attention needs to be. But hey, they got really good coaches. He's going to be moving around. He's not going to be lining up in one position all the time. Ideally you've got multiple people with eyes on him and guarding him, but you can't. You still have to play great team defense and you got to have the ability to stop the run and you got to cover the two other wideouts they have or two really good players too. So I do think a multitude of things that you can do well, but you better know where number four is at all times.

[Colin Cowherd]

So it's interesting when you get quarterbacks that I've always kind of felt like ideally I was talking to an NFL GM about this. He goes, I'm not really hiring coaches, I'm hiring CEOs. A coach should be a CEO. I don't want him on the headset constantly. Now at college it feels a little bit different. But you are a CEO at Texas. You have a great athletic director, but I mean nil transfer portal building a staff players. So. So how much I know, I know it's Arch's biggest start yet. How much freedom does he get at the line of scrimmage in the opener?

[Steve Sarkisian]

Well, I mean there naturally there's going to be some, you know, and we're still formulating that game plan. That thing is nowhere near set in stone. And we're going against a really good defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, which I don't think people are talking a whole lot about of. Here's a guy who's been an elite defensive coordinator at the NFL level and worked under Coach Belichick's, been a head with the Detroit Lions. And so that that poses its own challenges too. There's not a lot of tape, no, no tape of him coaching in college football. And so putting a plan together that we feel good about also gives Arch a little bit of freedom to get us in and out of some things that, you know, as looks present themselves in the game because there's so many unknowns I think is going to be critical and he's more than capable of doing that. You know, he's the guy's, you know, he's been been raised watching tape with Eli and Peyton and his dad and his and everybody. So we're going to feel good about that. And he's got great composure and he's been in some fires with us already, so we'll feel good about it. Do we want to major in him having to audible on the road? That's a difficult thing to do. But we're going to give him some opportunities to do those things, especially at some critical moments.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I, you know, I was thinking about this, I talked to Urban Meyer about this. Is that I Nil's tricky. Lincoln Riley's done a lot, Brian Kelly's done a lot, Deion Sanders has done a lot. And those I Would argue those three. There's value to it, but it is hard to create culture and chemistry when you're bringing in a player and paying them three times what you you're paying a third year starter. Like in the NFL, everybody understands there's the salary cap and there's certain guys that get it. And it's the quarterback in college, I think the nil, I'm for it. But there is a danger in the transfer portal not screwing up chemistry. Where do you land on, I mean, have there been guys that you really like, but you're like, you know what, man, I'm not going to pay this receiver that and bring him into our room. Like, is that something you have to think a lot about with the Nil?

[Steve Sarkisian]

For sure. I think he hit the nail on the head. It happened this offseason. We ended up not going on a player because I didn't feel comfortable about what he would have had to, what it would have cost us to get him in comparison to other players on that side of the ball. And we love our culture and we've exhausted ourselves in building the culture here at the University of Texas and it's really good. And we're navigating the nil space, I think is good or better than anybody. I think there's a lot of respect in our locker room. We believe in this is a production based industry. Right. How you perform ultimately is how you get compensated. And so I think our players understand that. And so when you bring somebody in from the outside that all of the sudden is making more than everybody else, I think that's when you can run into some problems. And so you got to make those decisions because we're a really good football team. That's the beauty of our sport. I think teams win championships, not just a bunch of talented individuals. And we've got a really good team. And I'm very cautious to, to do anything to cause any type of feud or disruption to that. What we have going right now, finally.

[Colin Cowherd]

What is Arch Manning's best trait? Something that you didn't even have to coach. It's just intuitive. There is something he just did well the minute he got on campus.

[Steve Sarkisian]

Work ethic. His work ethic is incredible. Whether it's studying tape, studying film, studying the playbook, working at his craft, you know, in the weight room like that is whether it's innate in him or it was, you know, handed down from his uncles. Whatever, whatever it was, his work ethic is really pretty incredible. And that lends itself to the teammate that he is Too. And again, that's not to take away. The arm talent, the deep ball, the athleticism, all that. I think all those things are a byproduct of how hard he works at his craft and how hard he works at being a great teammate. You know, those, those things. I've never had to coach him on it. That he walked in the door, was a great teammate, and has worked his tail off from day one.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, you're a coach. You could do tv, you did a little tv, but in the end, you're a coach. You just love coaching. You're an X's and O's guy, one of the smarter guys I've ever met that does that. And I watch Nick Saban on TV and I think, oh, he's such a coach. Nick's such a coach. I don't think he's coming back to college. Let me ask you, if somebody in the NFL called him, maybe the team that got Arch Manning or, or got a great quarterback, do you think Nick Saban would take the call? You know him. You know him well.

[Steve Sarkisian]

You already have him in Cleveland. I, I heard you yesterday. You already have me. Cleveland. He's coaching Arch. I got. I only have Arch for one year. Shoot, I thought I was gonna have him for two.

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't know.

[Steve Sarkisian]

You know, hey, he, he is a great coach, and I loved my time working for Nick. I mean, he really is a fantastic coach. I think he feels really comfortable to me. You know, he's really good on tv. I think he enjoys what he gets to do. He's playing a ton of golf, which, which, which he loves doing, I'm sure, I'm sure. You know, Ms. Terry loves having him at home. So I don't know, you know, that, that's obviously a personal thing as he grows. I know he's one of, if not the most competitive person I around, so I'm sure those competitive juices get flowing pretty good. But, man, he looks like he's having a lot of fun doing television. He looks relaxed and he's great for our sport. You know, I know people are love tuning into to hear his insight on all the stuff.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, you know, it was just speculation on my part. I, you know, I just. That's what I do.

[Steve Sarkisian]

Steve.

[Colin Cowherd]

Great seeing you.

[Steve Sarkisian]

You too, man. You too.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right. One of my favorite guys, Sark, who's had just a fascinating journey. I mean, I'm telling you, right? Texas, Ohio State. I mean, I am parked pre game, game, post game on Fox. That, that is going to be. That's as good an opening game as we've ever had on that Labor Day weekend. That's as good as it gets. It's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. Introducing the new Dell AI PC powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor. It's not just an AI computer, it's a computer built for AI. That means it's built to help do your busy work for you so you can fast forward through editing images, designing presentations, generating code, debugging code, running lots of apps without lag, summarizing meeting notes, extending battery life, finding that file you were looking for, managing your schedule, meeting your deadlines, responding to Jim's long emails, leaving all the time in the world for more you time and for the things you actually want to do. No offense, Jim. Get a new Dell AI PC starting at 749 [e-mail] aipc how those ahead Stay ahead. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just asked the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks, Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capitalone.com bank capital1na member fdic lincoln riley next hour. I want to thank Sark for stopping by. So the Cincinnati Bengals have announced this week they're going to play Joe Burn Burrow more on the preseason than they have in previous years. They have traditionally started slowly. A lot of that is that Burrow's not healthy and it takes offensive lines and quarterbacks and timing a while to get going. But I we were talking about this as a staff this morning is I think I worry that Joe Burrow could become and it's not that crazy could become Matt Stafford in Detroit, where unbelievable college talent, you know, goes top of the draft, highly productive, has a little a little taste of winning early, but just underwhelming ownership with a really good organization in his division like Baltimore or for Stafford Green Bay. And, and you just don't. You just don't flourish. And I said last week if I was a top NFL head coaching candidate, if I was the top priority is who's the quarterback. That's why Harbaugh went to the Chargers. But number two is who's the owner. And there are I've said this Kirk Cousins with very strong ownership, beat Matt Stafford a lot in that Division. Okay. And it wasn't talent, so I think I would probably take. Now, J. Mac's going to be shocked at this, but if you gave me a good quarterback, Brock Purdy, and excellent ownership with Jed York, I think that job is more attractive than Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. That's why keep defending Zach Taylor. They don't have a designated general manager. They have among the smallest scouting departments in the league. They don't spend in free agency. I mean, what they did with Jesse Bates, the safety is a great example. He was a Pro Bowler. They won't pay him. He goes to Atlanta. He's a Pro Bowler to get paid. So I think Zach Taylor's always fighting an uphill battle and I think Joe Burrow is getting tired of it. Last year, more than once he got, he was. I mean, I. It's not being moody. He was upset. He sees it. He was easily the best quarterback in the league that didn't make the playoffs. And he recently talked about the multiple holdouts going on right now with the Bengals.

[Steve Sarkisian]

Yeah, obviously disappointing.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, you'd like to have, have all your guys out there day one.

[Steve Sarkisian]

To try to, to build that cohesion that I was talking about earlier, but.

[Colin Cowherd]

That'S, it's not how it usually works out.

[Steve Sarkisian]

You know, it's a business and that.

[Colin Cowherd]

Is how it's gone. Yeah. That isn't the way it works out in most teams. This stuff is private. Right. So, you know, this is. It sounds crazy. Like everybody knows that Harbaugh went to the Chargers because of Herbert, but he got guarantees from the Spanos family on the money allotted to him and his staff. And they wanted new facilities for free agents. Right. Like, so there was a lot of things going on here. He, Harbaugh looked at the facilities. Harbaugh looked at the guarantee salary with a coaching staff. Most of it was Herbert. But with Joe Burrow, now you look. And much like Matt Stafford. Well, you had the very, very well run packers in the division and you had the really, really well run Vikings who are always capable in division. And so Harbaugh looked at that and he thought, well, you got the really, really well run Kansas City Chiefs in the division. I got to make sure I got more than just Herbert. I need guarantees at a coaching staff. I need those. And LA is attractive for free agents too. So it's, it's a tough spot. I mean, I've said this. If you don't think ownership matters. Carson Palmer had to deal with the Bengals ownership, the Raiders ownership in Arizona. He got one gift in his career. He got Bruce Arians for three years. And the Bidwells weren't great owners, but they mostly stayed out of the way. And he went 29 and nine with 70 touchdowns. And it was a running lead league. Carson Palmer's the best quarterback that never, he had three different teams. He never had great ownership. He briefly got a great coach for him, and he tore the league up like, so I, I, I know quarterbacks, the most important ownership second. And, and I've said this. As owners of the NFL are now all billionaires. They've gotten increasingly impulsive. And the one exception is Cincinnati, where they're not impulsive, but they've remained cheap. So you're letting really good players go. Lots of distractions. I will defend Zach Taylor to the ends of the earth on this thing. He's got a lot to deal with. They do not have an official designated general manager. They have an incredibly small scouting department. Go look at the Eagles drafts. There's a reason they got a massive scouting department in Philadelphia. Massive. So I worry about this. I worry about it with Joe Burrow, and it's, that's why I think Cincinnati's. There's a couple teams in the NFL that it's hard for me to predict. Like, I like Zach Taylor and I love Joe Burrow and I love Jamar Chase. I mean, Jamar Chase won the Triple Crown last year. Joe Burrow was amazing. They didn't make the playoffs. Okay, so it's like, well, why would that be? You got a competent offensive coach. Burrow was arguably the best quarterback in the league. He had the best wide receiver, and he didn't make the playoffs. It's upstairs. Hour two. Next. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about. In a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast, too. Oh, really? Thanks. Capital One Bank Guy, what's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capital1.com bank capital1NA member FDIC. This is an iHeart podcast.