HOUR 1 – Questions about Bears after Sunday night, is Aaron Glenn on hot seat?

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 1 Summary

Episode Date: December 29, 2025
Main Theme:
Colin breaks down the thrilling Bears vs. Niners game, discusses the state of the Chicago Bears and their defense, analyzes Brock Purdy’s rise in San Francisco, assesses Aaron Glenn’s struggles as Jets head coach, and covers major NFL storylines from the weekend, including quarterbacks’ performance and coaching job security.

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1. Bears vs. Niners: Game of the Year

(Timestamp: 03:00 – 09:00)

• Opening Thoughts:

  • Colin calls the Bears vs. 49ers matchup “the best NFL game of the year—A+++" and one of the highest levels of football seen late in the season.
  • Both teams showcased elite play-calling: Ben Johnson (Bears), Kyle Shanahan (49ers).
  • “900 yards of offense. Both were great on third down, great in the red zone. Efficient, smart play calling, young quarterbacks being the beneficiary.” (Colin, 03:54)

• Brock Purdy’s Performance:

  • Played without star starters (Kittle, Trent Williams, Aiyuk). Despite missing weapons, he attacked the Bears relentlessly with poise and mobility.
  • “Last night he was the driver of the offense. I thought he was fantastic.” (Colin, 06:03)
  • Colin compares Purdy’s recent play to the MVP-level Matt Ryan season for Shanahan, saying, “This is the best quarterback play in the last month that Kyle Shanahan’s ever received.”
  • Addresses Purdy’s pick-six: “Brady threw pick-sixes in Super Bowls he’s won… You can win a Super Bowl with this quarterback play.” (Colin, 05:11)
  • Quote (Shanahan): “Brock had a hell of a game… made some huge plays in this game… was an assassin out there throughout the whole day.” (08:07)

• San Francisco’s Resilience:

  • Missing All-Pro talent but still racked up 42 points.
  • “You don’t have Kittle, you don’t have Trent Williams. You’re dropping 42 points. That’s pretty impressive.” (Colin, 07:45)

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2. Bears’ Takeaways: Rising Offense, Passive Defense

(Timestamp: 09:15 – 13:55)

• Caleb Williams’ Growth:

  • Colin lauds Caleb’s “excellent” play: “No sacks, no picks. Ben Johnson’s play calling—outstanding. What’s new?” (Colin, 11:42)
  • Improved third and fourth down execution; not taking negative sacks in back-to-back games.
  • “Caleb’s fine… Coachable, loves his coach. The offense for the Bears is stacked. It is going to be a handful against every team they play.” (Colin, 12:56)

• Defensive Concerns:

  • “My only issue with the Bears is—San Francisco’s defense isn’t good… Chicago’s got some high-end defensive players. What were they doing?” (10:35)
  • Bears’ defense “felt very passive”—Purdy had the second-most time to throw in his career.
  • “In Chicago’s five losses, they are surrendering 35 points a game. That’s worse than Cincinnati and they’ve got better defensive talent than Cincinnati.” (Colin, 11:20)
  • Bears’ priorities in the draft are now clear: linebackers and an edge rusher.

• Big Picture:

  • Despite the loss, “If I’d have told you you were going to lose last night but it was going to be a wild shootout and you would have the ball at the two yard line—you would take that loss over any loss this year.” (Colin, 13:28)
  • “I’m not sure anybody right now is beating the Niners in the Bay. This offense just is crazy good.” (13:37)

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3. Odds Talk & Quick Preview: Seahawks at Niners

(Timestamp: 13:59 – 15:55)

• Vegas Line Move:

  • Jason McIntyre and Colin guess the line for Seattle at San Francisco.
  • Jason: “Seattle is favored in San Francisco by one… the line has flipped.” (14:17)
  • Colin: “When Brock is comfortable, forget it… Seattle’s going to speed up everything.” (14:29)
  • “The sharp money—all on Seattle.” (Jason, 15:54)

• Key Point:

  • Potential impact of Trent Williams’ injury and Seattle’s stronger pass rush.
  • Brock Purdy’s tendencies when rushed: can get aggressive/reckless when “speed up the game.”

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4. Around the NFL: Key Takeaways

Bills vs. Eagles – 20:20 onward
(Selected timestamp: 20:20 – 25:15)

• Buffalo Falling Short:
  • Colin supports the decision to go for two: “Superstar quarterback, momentum, great play-calling—I have no problem with it.” (20:21)
  • “More disturbing to me… you were being shut out at home with Josh Allen with six minutes left.” (20:37)
  • Puzzles over Philly’s inconsistent halves—“only team in the league that can have these stinkeroo halves and win all those games… speaks organizationally to how well they draft and accumulate talent.” (23:14)

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5. Coaching Spotlight: Aaron Glenn and the Jets’ Struggles

(Timestamp: 42:51 – 47:02)

• Head Coach Challenges:

  • Colin’s coaching philosophy: “You can see great or awful very quickly. I don’t think you need years to see.” (42:51)
  • Aaron Glenn’s Jets defense: 34 TDs allowed, zero interceptions—“How can you not have an interception on the season?” (47:02)
  • “You gotta get your side of the ball right. They have one of the worst pass rushes in the league… He cannot get his side of the ball right. He's not a head coach.” (44:02)
  • On Glenn’s postgame: “Somebody got in his ear that’s close to him and said… if it’s effort, you’ll get fired.” (47:02)

• Comparison to Dan Campbell and Jim Harbaugh:

  • Even in Campbell’s losing first year, Detroit was “relentless, aggressive… you could see the tone, the culture.” (44:58)
  • With Glenn, “What are the Jets hanging their hat on?”

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6. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Brock Purdy’s Progression:

  • “He’s not just stabilizing, he’s elevating… this is the healthiest, best Brock Purdy we’ve ever seen.” (06:50)

• On Caleb Williams:

  • “He’s coachable. I think he loves his coach. And I think Ben Johnson… they didn’t play great offense early… but overall, I think if you’re a Chicago Bear fan… that offense for the Bears is stacked.” (12:49)

• On Coaching Hires:

  • “You don’t need years. You watch all those music shows, you can tell in 15 seconds—you hear a couple lyrics, a little melody, you’re like, yeah, that’s not hireable.” (42:55)

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7. Additional NFL Storylines

(Selected across timestamps 25:30 – 41:45)

• Malik Willis’ Rebirth:

  • Shines for Green Bay after struggling in Tennessee; Colin warns context matters, “If you put Brock Purdy in Pittsburgh, he would [not] look like this…” (26:34)
  • Landing spots and coaching are “overwhelmingly” decisive for young QBs’ success. (27:47)

• Texans, Chargers, Patriots, Colts:

  • Houston’s elite defense especially on the road (30:48).
  • Justin Herbert still “the best quarterback on the field” even as Chargers likely underdogs in playoff opener.
  • Philip Rivers’ Colts cameo ends; questions ahead for Indianapolis front office after missing playoffs (32:06 – 34:01).

• Cleveland Browns & Pittsburgh Steelers:

  • Colin marvels at Cleveland’s turnaround, but slams Pittsburgh’s seven seasons with a bottom-10 offense, asking “Who is [Aaron Rodgers] supposed to throw to?” (34:01 – 38:23)

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8. Quick Hits & College Football

• Marcus Freeman Rumors:
  • Notre Dame coach shuts down Giants rumors—Colin argues Notre Dame is a top-tier job with unique advantages and better long-term security than NFL gigs (47:48 – ~52:50).

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Episode Takeaways

• The Bears–Niners game showcased two ascending quarterbacks and top-level coaching, but also exposed the Bears’ soft defense and raised questions about Ben Johnson’s defensive staff.
• Colin believes Brock Purdy has moved from “passenger to driver” for the Niners offense and could win a Super Bowl at this level.
• Coaching matters more than ever: whether it’s Aaron Glenn’s shortcomings, context for Malik Willis, or positional fits throughout the league.
• Young quarterbacks thrive—or fail—based on system, coaching, and support, not just raw talent.
• No patience for prolonged head coaching experiments if the basics (like defense or culture) aren’t immediately visible.
• The episode maintains Colin’s sharp, conversational, and sometimes provocative tone.

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For newcomers:
This episode is a strong mix of tactical football analysis, rapid-fire NFL news, and insider perspectives on coaching and young quarterback development. Colin’s takes are direct, supported by stats and anecdotes, and always willing to challenge the conventional wisdom.

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Public Podcast Sponsor]

I thought Brock had a hell of a game. Again.

[Colin Cowherd]

Brock's been playing his ass off. Made some huge plays in this game.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Kept some drives alive with his legs.

[Colin Cowherd]

Made some off schedule plays and was an assassin out there throughout the whole day. I'm not the best historian.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

I feel like he's had some good.

[Colin Cowherd]

Stretches, I mean especially going back 23 and 22. But I mean he's, he's playing as.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Good as it gets right now.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Brock Purdy, trust your eyes. Moving attack, going for it. Missing. Missing great players. Well, he's got McCaffrey again. Brady, Ed Gronk, you know, Mahomes go to all the great ones. Aikman had Michael Irvin and Emmett Smith. They've all got some help now if you're a Chicago Bear fan, I can live with that loss. 35, 35, 58 Total first downs in the game. It was a track meet. Somebody had to lose. I can live with that. Caleb was excellent. The play calling was excellent. Third down, fourth down was excellent. My only issue with the Bears is San Francisco's defense isn't good. They have an excuse. Lost Fred Warner and Bosa. They don't have a lot of great players. Chicago's got some high end defensive players. What were they doing? Robert Sala was mixing up blitzes. He was attacking, he was being aggressive. He was creating occasionally some pressure on Caleb Williams behind Chicago's excellent O line. Now, Caleb didn't get sacked, but he got flushed out of the pocket more than a few times. Chicago's defense felt very passive to me. In fact, if you look at the numbers, and we did this morning, Brock Purdy had the second most time to throw in his career last night and the most time to throw all season. So I think we. You can look at year one with Ben Johnson. You're contending going into that game for the number one seed. You're on the road in the second half and your second half possessions are touchdown, touchdown, field goal and you're at the two yard line. Ben Johnson, tip of the Captain Caleb Williams has gotten better every week. Second week in a row, Caleb Williams, no sacks. That was the big concern into the season. You got to get out of the negative plays, back to back games. No sacks. And again, Salah was being hyper aggressive. Dennis Allen, I thought again, at least we now know what the Bears are going to do during the draft. You know, they need. They need linebackers, they need an edge rusher. We know what Chicago's going to do in the draft. But Salah was dialing up all sorts of pressure. It didn't sack Caleb, but at least he was occasionally uncomfortable. Like the final play here, I felt like Brock Purdy just sat, took his time, did what he wanted. It felt passive to me. In Chicago's five losses, they are surrendering 35 points a game. That's worse than Cincinnati and they've got better defensive talent than Cincinnati. So I didn't love kind of a passive defensive game plan. I didn't love that. But all in all, if you're a Bear fan, somebody had to lose that track meet. I thought Caleb was great. No sacks, no picks. Ben Johnson's play calling, outstanding. What's new? You gotta feel you're not going to win all these close games. And San Francisco's offense this year when Brock Purdy's upright has been unbelievable. We have been saying on this show, both J. Mac and I have been saying this for almost three months. Absolutely, two months. If you gave out in the NFL an award for the best coaching staff, I would give it to the Niners. I would give it to the Niners. What Sala is doing with this defense, creating some pressure against the great O line. And no Fred Warner, no Bosa, banged up, moved off to Funga, the great safety in Greenlawn the offseason. So the Niners are on a heater, tip of the cap to that organization and Brock Purdy. And here was Caleb on a tough road loss. We've proven who we are, we'll fight and, you know, I think we're a team to be reckoned with. And so I'm excited for, you know, this next game. I'm excited to go back and watch this film and figure out how we can better, how we can put up more points, how we can, you know, be more efficient maybe on offense for moments like this because we may see this team again. I'll tell you one of the things that's great about Caleb. I've compared him a little to Josh Allen, a shorter Josh Allen, where he's not going to be perfect. I Don't worry too much about the 59% accuracy thing. Last night I thought he threw a. He threw really good footballs. I mean I thought hit on a deep throat, a burden hit on a couple of key sideline throws. I think, I think Caleb's fine. I. In fact he's. How about the free play touchdown to Loveland who's just a horse man. That guy is a handful. I think Caleb clearly coachable. I think he loves his coach and I think Ben Johnson. They didn't play great offense early. They had a couple of series. I did not love the Bears defense. Got that pick six early but overall I think if you're a Chicago Bear fan, if I'd have told you you were going to lose last night but it was going to be a wild shootout and you would have the ball at the two yard line you would take that loss over any loss this year. That offense for the Bears is stacked. It is going to be a handful against every team they play. I'm not sure anybody right now is beating the Niners in the bay. This offense just is crazy good. NFL's best game probably right there. J. Mac I don't mind losing a bet when it's that kind of way. I mean that was.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, we were head to head on that. Colin, by the way, do you want to guess the line? Seahawks travel to San Fran on Saturday night. So short week again for the Niners.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay.

[Jason McIntyre]

They are at home. Seattle was just in Carolina so they had a cross country.

[Colin Cowherd]

I would guess Niners minus one.

[Jason McIntyre]

Wrong. Seattle is favored in San Francisco by one. Now I know it's just one and it's not huge. I was surprised by that. I don't know what they're seeing. Maybe the Trent Williams injury means he's.

[Colin Cowherd]

Not going to play well. No, I think you would admit this and you love Purdy. When Brock is comfortable, forget it. He is, he is. And last night he is moving around. That's why I thought Dennis Allen should have been much more aggressive comfortable. Brock Purdy's a handful when you speed the game up and this was the knock on Brock. It's been a knock on his career and the knock in college. He can get a little reckless if you speed him up because he, you watched last night. He is not afraid to throw the ball down the field. Garoppolo with Kyle kind of kept it safe, didn't throw up the sideline. Brock's aggressive. Maybe not Sam Darnold aggressive but Brock is aggressive. So now Seattle is going to speed up everything. For the Niners because it's a much better pass rush those you know. And also Christian McCaffrey had another huge touch night.

[Jason McIntyre]

Now interestingly though, Colin, regarding Seattle, they played in the season opener. You remember that game Darnold had to turn over around in the red zone, maybe the 10 yard line at the end of the game. Purdy did struggle at times, but the Niner defense is much worse than it was in week one.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, so look at what the wise guys have done. The Seattle San Francisco line has flipped three points in the last couple hours. It started where I thought it should be. San Francisco minus one and a half. The wise guys. The Sharps pounded Seattle. Seattle now is favored by one and a half. So the sharp money sharper square the sharp money all on Seattle.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. So would you back Sam Darnold in that spot? Huge late season game by the way. Darnold was, he was pretty atrocious against Carolina. No excuses buddy.

[Colin Cowherd]

Come on.

[Jason McIntyre]

Listen, Saturday night, that's the main event this weekend. I don't care about Steelers, Ravens. That's a good game. This game is everything. Seattle and San Fran.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, the last night was fun. That was great. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

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[Jason McIntyre]

Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast Straight fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod, pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sportsbook, and all the best guess. Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight fire with Jason McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Better job there in that scenario.

[Colin Cowherd]

And, you know, I'll put that on myself. Stand up guy. Totally appreciate it. But again, the. I always thought the rule was going for it. Do you have a star quarterback? Do you have momentum? I mean, the last six minutes of the game, Buffalo had momentum. Do you trust your play design? That was a good call. Good play. Wide open. Josh was upset with Josh. And again, Philadelphia, that defense had been on the field the entire second half. So you're at home, you're favored. Go for it. I. I have, I have no problem. You had a gas Philadelphia defense who got beat on that play, and you just couldn't connect. So I, I think it's easy to beat up on these coaches. And I have my issues with Sean McDermott. They lose a lot of games. I didn't. Philadelphia's first half, game plan, total control, smart, short passing, couple of big plays to A.J. brown. Philadelphia came to play. They were absolutely the better team. It should not have come down to one play, but, man, do the Eagles lay eggs for a half. The fact that they can win those games, all of them in their four worst halves, speaks organizationally to how well they draft and accumulate talent. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, turn on the news. This is the Herd line news.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right, Colin, let's go to Saturday night. I Know the main event was Derrick Henry carving up the Packers. But you know, if for a moment we could talk about Malik Willis.

[Colin Cowherd]

Wow.

[Jason McIntyre]

I mean listen, I know everybody's going crazy. He was phenomenal in this game through the air and on the ground. I know it's only the Ravens defense and they have not been great throughout the season, but Willis looked everything the part of a QB one. Now I'm not ready to go overboard and call him a franchise guy, but a lot of people are. Let's start with LaFleur talking about Malik Willis performance.

[Colin Cowherd]

I want to pump the brakes on all that stuff. I think Jordan Love is playing some pretty high level football and it's great that we feel the same about Malik in his ability to go in there. Certainly have a lot of confidence in both of those guys. But I mean it's pretty clear that Jordan is our franchise quarterback and he is going to be the when he is healthy, he's going to be our starter. So I just want to squash all that. Here's the thing. Malik Willis, not much to look at in Tennessee. Dysfunctional goes to Green Bay. Wow. If you send him to a team like the jets, is he just going to become the Tennessee version? These young quarterbacks, this is indisputable. Young quarterback. Go look at the Caleb Williams last year and Caleb Williams this year. You think if you put Brock Purdy in Pittsburgh he would look like this offensively. So my take is Malik Willis in Green Bay is excellent. I would really worry sending this young guy who clearly has talent. Like he is a tiny and he never had the ball. I mean Ravens had like 30 first downs. He never had the ball. So this kid is going to make, you know, this is why the NFL is great. This kid gets drafted, a franchise gives up on him. He becomes like Darnold reclamation project guy. Darnold got paid, Baker got paid. This kid is going to eat and deserves to. I don't know if he's a franchise guy but you can't deny this is why he got drafted. He is super talented.

[Jason McIntyre]

So he was, it's interesting. He was a third round pickup. Mike Rabel's Titans, right? Okay. I know we love to think of Rabel as an awesome coach and he might win coach of the year this season. Colin, he didn't. He basically looked at Malik Willis for two years and was like he's not for us.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

No.

[Jason McIntyre]

Thank you.

[Colin Cowherd]

Now for him, quickly remember he went to Liberty small college football and Mike Vrabel was in win now mode. Mike Vrabel was not Going to be his mentor and his teacher. Mike Vrabel wanted to win games. So that's a political weird organization in Green Bay. Malik Willis job is, hey, learn from Jordan, Love. You don't have to play much. That's a different environment. So young people, especially your environment, your landing spot overwhelmingly dictates your success.

[Jason McIntyre]

100% agree. Now, you mentioned the jets. And I'll be real. A lot of jets fans online are like, he's our quarterback next year. If we don't get Dante Moore, let's go for Malik Lewis. And I'm with you. Let's just settle down. LeFleur is a great offensive mind. Okay, we know that. Who's the jets offensive coordinator next year? This idea that Willis is going to come in and throw for 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns, I think that's a little silly. I do think he could make sense for a team where you've got an offensive coach and you don't have a quarterback. You know, there aren't many of those. But I'm gonna be real with you, Kevin Stefanski, if it sounds like he's going to be the guy still in Cleveland. I know we've seen some flashes from Shador, but I would take Malik Willis and Cleveland, he could pro. He might get you to the playoffs in that division. Or the Pittsburgh Steelers if Rodgers retires.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, no, no. I think the Pittsburgh Steelers absolutely has a feeling like that. Because, you know, first of all, they're not. They're too good to get a top quarterback unless they sell the farm. Right. And so. And their offensive line is better this year, but they still can't run the football. He would provide some elements of a run game.

[Jason McIntyre]

Interesting situation for Willis. All right, let's move on to the other game on Saturday. That was Texans at the Chargers. I think we handicapped this perfectly. Texans go in, get the win. It wasn't overwhelming. They play a little like the Eagles, right? They get this big early lead and then they just sit on it. And the Chargers came back because, you know, Justin Herbert is a superstar. And other than the kicker screwing things up at the end, Chargers could have sent this to overtime. Here's Jim Harbaugh talking about his team's never say die attitude.

[Colin Cowherd]

Every time we see our team take the field, we see a team committed to winning. And we didn't win today. But at no point, I mean, never, never, never does this team say no. Mask some things to clean up before the playoffs. And we'll use that. We'll use things today to be better tomorrow.

[Jason McIntyre]

Colin, I think it's obvious the Chargers need to rest. Everyone with a pulse this week, get fresh for that playoff road game. Looks like it's going to be at the Patriots. Possibly at Jacksonville or Houston, but most likely the Patriots. Colin, I'm gonna be real with you. If they face the Patriots in the first round, who's the best quarterback on the field, Justin Herbert or Drake May?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I think Justin Herbert.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yep.

[Colin Cowherd]

At this point is. But I, I will say the Patriots pass rush is okay now.

[Jason McIntyre]

It's nothing great and their defense is not. People are going overboard. The Texans are an elite number one defense in the league. Herbert struggled and figured it out.

[Colin Cowherd]

Go look at the Texans row defense. It's even on the road. Like a lot of times, defenses really play to the crowd. The energy, the juice is better at home. The Texans road defense is number one in the league in every key category.

[Jason McIntyre]

So the Patriots fans were in hibernation for a year when Gerard Mayo was the coach. They've all come out and now they're going crazy for Drake May. Colin, I'm being real with you. Chargers at Patriots opening ground. Any thoughts on that game?

[Colin Cowherd]

I think New England's probably favored by 2, 2 and a half and I think the Chargers would probably be a really good bet. Herbert plus the point. But I think New England would be favored.

[Jason McIntyre]

I definitely, yeah, I would agree with that. I'm going to be on the Chargers almost regardless. I mean I think this Chargers team is going to be surprised in the playoffs. I really like them as long as the offensive line's healthy. All right, final story. Let's go to Philip Rivers and the Colts. Tough one for Indy to stomach. They lose to Jacksonville and are officially eliminated from the playoffs. Philip Rivers was. I know people are going crazy. I got a little tired of this story. It was fun. He was fine. 147 yards and a touchdown. He can't throw the ball down the field.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right. That's the problem.

[Jason McIntyre]

And this interception right here you see on the screen. Jaguars read that like a book. That was on their drive that could have won the game for them. Here's Rivers reflecting on his three game cameo coming off the sofa.

[Colin Cowherd]

If this was the last one, shoot again. I told you guys I wasn't have any regrets about coming back and I don't. It's. It's other than us not winning, right? Us not winning. It's been an absolute blast for three weeks. I wouldn't. If I go back and say all right now, you know everything's going to happen what are you going to do? I do it all again. It's been absolutely awesome. And so, yeah, I mean, if it's the last one, it's the last one. I thought the last one was walking off field in Buffalo where I walked up that tunnel and I was fine with that. And that one, that one had tears on those few days after, you know, and I was at peace with that being the last one. Yeah. I got to tell you something. We're going to have to get used to this. Jacksonville's pretty good.

[Jason McIntyre]

I got Philip Rivers.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, you know, I'll get to the Colts and Colin.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Right.

[Jason McIntyre]

Wrong.

[Colin Cowherd]

In 30 minutes. But I. Jacksonville's a real team. I mean, that was just not. That's a divisional game. We say it all the time. J. Mac. Divisional games are different. We just watched Cleveland beat the Steelers. Divisional games are different. Late in the year, that would been an easy place for Jacksonville to go and stub their toe. And they just made the big plays on both sides in that game in the second half. So kudos to the Jags. That's a real team.

[Jason McIntyre]

Trevor Lawrence is pretty damn good. I like watching him run. Quick note on the Colts, Colin. So obviously they're going to start Riley Leonard next week, figure out what they got. This trade for Sauce Gardner kind of backfired badly. I know the Daniel Jones got hurt. Colin. I'm very curious. What happens this off season in Indy. Does the coach and coach and GM do they survive? Because again, you were 8 and 2 and you crater and missed the playoffs and now you're out of first round pick. I don't know what you do with Daniel Jones in the off season. Can you resign him? Can you. Do you tag him if he's gonna miss a month? We've seen quarterbacks coming off the Achilles. It takes some time. I. I don't know, man. This is a tough one in Indy. It's a fascinating score because they tried, but they failed.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I don't have answers. I mean, that's what the off season's about.

[Aaron Glenn]

J. Mac.

[Colin Cowherd]

J. Mac with the news.

[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by.

[Colin Cowherd]

The Herd lie news. I mean, yesterday. So this is what the NFL loves. This is why they put the divisional games at the end of the schedules. Ravens go to Pittsburgh, loser stays home. Winner wins the division. I like Baltimore. If DK Metcalf did not play this week and he's not going to play next week, he punched a fan. For the record. That kind of sort of uneven personality is why John Snyder, the Best GM in the league, arguably let him go. So now they have to hope that MVS because you watch them this weekend, it's Friarmouth run game is 26 in the NFL. So they are in a tough spot. They were atrocious on third down, they were bad on fourth down. And I defended Aaron Rodgers all year. I said this whole line inconsistent. Mike Tomlin's run game seven years, where are they? So they haven't won a playoff game in eight years. And last week everybody loved Mike Tomlinson, but I feel like it's Groundhog Day. It's the same thing over and over where Pittsburgh has a winning record but they can't really figure out a run game. The offense gets into quicksand. You bring in a Trubisky, you bring in a Russell Wilson, you bring in Aaron Rodgers. Three quarterbacks who've all made the playoffs, all different skill sets, you bring in different offensive coordinators and it's the same stuff. So now you don't have that talented tight end. Washington broke his arm. DK Metcalf not available. You're relying on mvs who is Aaron Rodgers friend. But there's limitations there. Your run game's not dependable. You kind of forgot about your run game. It's again, I can think Mike Tomlin could be a head coach tomorrow and succeed and also think this Pittsburgh thing has run its course. As far as Shador goes, I got six start some things I like throws really bad picks. It's the biggest win for the Cleveland Browns that I can remember. Certainly the biggest of the year. And here's Miles Garrett, the all timer after the W to an extent. I feel like they're. They were more worried about keeping me away from from Aaron than getting the win and I think that's what came back to bottom. So they'll have to, you know, fight it out with with Baltimore next week. But I'm just proud of the guys for fighting and getting this one. That's the main thing and I'm always going to keep it that to nice win for Cleveland. But the bigger story is seven straight seasons the Pittsburgh Steelers have had a bottom 10 offense. And you guys can all blame Aaron and there are times he's been irritating. Who is he supposed to throw to? Everybody's like, oh, he's picking on Denzel Ward. Well, he's got to pick on somebody. He's thrown to Scotty Miller. Friarmouth had a couple of big plays, but I mean you look at all the teams that can potentially make the playoffs. Pittsburgh with no DK Metcalf is the most barren cupboard of weapons to deal with. And again, I'm not blaming Arthur Smith. What do they have? They spend so much money on defense that they can't spend money on offense. Even Aaron's taken a discount double check deal. So I I this is why Seattle, they like TK Metcalf, but they thought he was really emotional. Too many penalties could sometimes, you know, handcuff the team a little bit. And once he was out, I don't know who Aaron's supposed to throw to. Everybody's like, oh, oh for three. Gotta make a play there. To who? Who you're supposed to make a play to. Coming up next Sometimes you don't need to see that much to know you got the wrong quarterback or you hired the wrong coach in Chicago. It's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

[Levar Arrington]

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[Public Podcast Sponsor]

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[Colin Cowherd]

News not everything's terrible. We repeat, not everything is terrible. The ripple effect is proof that the Internet hasn't ruined humanity entirely. Hosted by Jenna Kim Jones, it's funny and uplifting. Podcast spotlights the quiet, powerful ways people still choose good. Each episode features real stories of kindness, of barbers changing more than just their client's haircut, of the secret life, of leftover hotel soap, of vending machines that dispense just the help somebody needs. Like magic. If you're tired of outrage, if your thumbs are sore from doom scrolling, or if you just need a reason to smile again, this podcast is your new favorite scroll break. It's heartfelt, hopeful, a gentle reminder. Goodness is still out there. Surprisingly contagious too. So put down your phone, pick up your faith in humanity and join Jenna for the Ripple Effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. Listen to the ripple effect on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Colin Cowherd]

All.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Jason McIntyre]

Great football coming your way in the trust and will Holiday Bowl. Noah Fafida and Arizona take on SMU. It's a can't miss showdown in San Diego. Friday, 7:30 Eastern, 4:30 Pacific on Fox.

[Colin Cowherd]

It doesn't matter what industry it is. You can see great or awful. Very quickly. I always said this with American Idol, like, I don't know anything about music. I could spot star or hack in 10 seconds and I don't know music right. Like, like Steve Wilkes in Arizona, Freddie Kitchens in Cleveland, Nathaniel Hackett, first game in Denver, couldn't figure the clock out. David Cully in Houston, you know when you whiff, you know when you miss. You also know with Ben Johnson, three or four games in, you're like, whoa. Or you know Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco, you're like, whoa. Remember Jim Tomsula in San Francisco? He couldn't get the press conference right. He was brutal. Aaron Glenn is a defensive coach. Opposing quarterbacks against the jets this year have 34 touchdowns and no picks. The jets don't have an interception. What has been my rule forever, I will defend you as a coach. You got to get your side of the ball right. They have one of the worst pass rushes in the league. They have no interceptions. He cannot get his side of the ball right. He's not a head coach. He's been arguing at the podium. He can't even get the podium right. So he's, you know, he's either a great coordinator or he's a world class positional coach. But New York is a hard place to win. That game yesterday was 353 at half. Their leading receiver is still Garrett Wilson. What has he played seven games this year, so. And again, you can turn things around quickly. Gerard Mayo last year felt a little over his skis. The higher variable. They go 4 and 13 to what they are this year now. Now, the jets don't have a Drake May in the building, but if you get the head coach right and he brings a great offensive coordinator, you can solve stuff quickly. But this idea that I need years to see. Nat Hackett in Denver, David Culley in Houston, Jim Tomsula in San Francisco, you don't need years. You watch all those music shows, you can tell in 15 seconds you hear a couple lyrics, you're like, couple notes, little melody, you're like, yeah, that's not hireable. So I just don't think now, Dan Campbell was in Detroit, went 3:13 and one his first year. And it was kind of ridiculous at the press conference. Remember, bite the kneecap thing? But remember that year, how relentless, how aggressive? Fourth down. I can remember the first year saying, this team plays harder than anybody in the league. They're just not any good. So you can have a losing record. It's not just a record, but if you watch Detroit in year one, you're like, man, they're playing. They play their arse off. They're setting a tone. They're a very almost overly aggressive culture. You tell me, what are the. What are the jets hanging their hat on? So even the press conference stuff. So here was Aaron Glenn after the game yesterday.

[Aaron Glenn]

I always talk about how we come out and we play with effort. Today was probably the one time I feel like our effort wasn't as good I would want to be. And that's just me not BSing you guys, just being on this. I. I didn't think the effort was where it needs to be. We have to figure that out because at some point, man, it's not about the score anymore. It's about the pride that you go out there and play with. And again, I'm always going to talk about how our guys play with effort, but today I didn't see the effort that I felt like we needed to go out there and compete at a high level.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, so efforts. He's not talking schemes. He's on the sideline watching it, and he's like, well, I don't see a lot of effort. And yet he went and watched film and said this this morning.

[Aaron Glenn]

Effort was not the issue with that game. I thought our guys, I thought they played all the way to the very end. It was nothing about them, that they're. That they were throwing up the white flag and they were quitting. So to me, that's the one thing I really want to look at and see how that was. Again, schematically. Well, there's some things.

[Levar Arrington]

Absolutely.

[Aaron Glenn]

But again, our guys did not quit.

[Colin Cowherd]

And my take, somebody got in his ear that's close to him and said, dude, if it's effort, you'll get fired. Because effort means lack of effort, means the players quit on you. Somebody got into Aaron Glenn's ear and said, don't. Do not say that. Do not say it's effort. Effort and a poor effort. Saying the team quit on you. You don't want to admit that. So somebody got in his ear. He comes out this morning. So I don't know what it is. You know, I'm not Sitting there, breaking down tape. And again, Jim Tomsula or Annette Hackett or a. I don't think you need that much. How can you not have an interception on the season? I mean, it's just if. If they have the same record, but they had 15 interceptions, they had a bunch of close losses. And I. I can remember when Jim Harbaugh took over Stanford. Stanford was awful. And at the end of that first year with Stanford and Harbaugh, I remember people, the PAC 12 were like, they're the most physical team in the conference. And Pete Carroll was at usc. You gotta. There's. You gotta be able to hang your hat on something. And I don't see it. And I remember that Lions year at the end of that first year with Dan Campbell, the last four games, Detroit was two and two. And I mean, they were punching people. They were getting into backroom brawls. And you're like, they're not very good. But, man, you can go into the off season thinking, we got something here. It's like a bad college football team that wins a bowl game. You're like, all right, there's something to work for. So I don't know. For me, I don't see it. I don't get it. And I don't think it takes forever, but. And you know, the downside is Vrabel took over a team that at least had Drake May. Harbaugh took over a team that had Justin Herbert. It's his way easier to do. Liam Cohen walks in and has Trevor Lawrence. It's easy. That's why maybe you go get, you know, I said this last week, is Lamar Jackson a terrible idea? If you got the coach right, Lamar Jackson think they'd look different? It's worth considering. It's worth the discussion. That's all I know. Here's the next thing. A lot of rumors about Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame coach, being the New York Giants primary candidate. Marcus Freeman goes to X Twitter this morning, says, 2026. Run it back. Go Irish. Now, the cynical part of me thinks he watched the Giants hammer the Raiders and knew he would not get Fernando Mendoza. The Indiana quarterback is his number one pick. So you know, Jackson Dart through eight starts, nine start. What's Jackson Dart's record? I mean, it's not, you know, Jackson Dart's not Fernando Mendoza, and you can't win in this league without an elite quarterback. I am not convinced Jackson Dart is an elite quarterback. He's better than I thought. But, you know, a lot of quarterbacks better than I thought. So Jackson Dart as a rookie 3 and 8, you know, so that's the cynical part of me. I. I think you can argue Notre Dame or the NFL, but I look around the NFC now and I see Caleb Williams and I look around the NFL and I see all these top quarterbacks. And I don't know if Jackson Dart at 3 and 8, year one is, is something I'm going to leave Notre Dame for. I do think that Notre Dame is a great job and has some advantages. I mean, if they finish in the top 12, they automatically get into the playoff. It's a big name. They've got nil money. It's a great place to play. You get such quality kids. I think Notre Dame's one of those top four or five jobs, maybe, maybe a top two or three jobs, depending on what matters to you in life. Not that far from Chicago, there's fun around the corner. So Marcus Freeman staying. I mean, look at their schedule next year. Outside of the home game against Miami, they'll be favored by seven points or more in every game. He's going to win a lot of games. You control the personnel. He's beloved. And I think college football is not as hard to coach as it was years ago. That's why you're seeing older coaches like Kyle Winningham and Kurt Signetti working, because you're not on the road recruiting like you used to. It's very administrative. It's very transactional. You can just write a check and go buy half your roster. So I don't think college football, you know, a lot of it now is just administrative. Do we have nil money? Can I retain my players? Also, it should be noted Notre Dame athletes do not leave as often as other top 10 programs. Players leave because. And I get. My take would be Notre Dame athletes don't go just for the money. They go for the education. I'm, I'm. I don't know this, but I think if you looked at why Notre Dame has less player loss year to year, it's because you go to Notre Dame for a lot of reasons, not just give me a paycheck. It's such a storied, academic, historic franchise. That's, that's my kind of guess. If you want to call a college program a franchise, Notre Dame kind of is. So Marcus Freeman is staying. The jets may want to listen. Not all chefs, even the good ones, can run a restaurant. Right? So it's not like, like a lot of. I've said this, sometimes you're just a great vice president. You're not a president. You're a great vp. You're not a CEO. You're a great chef. You're not a great chef. Restaurant owner. So I go back and I look at some of these coaches. They're very good coordinators. Half of the NFL coordinators that get head coaching jobs. It doesn't work after three or four years. I defend a lot of coaches that people beat up on, but it just feels like to me with the jets, if you can't get an interception all season one. I mean quarterbacks against the jets are 34 touchdowns, zero picks. Even optimistic J Mac would acknowledge that's not ideal. 34 touchdowns bagel with picks calling right? Wrong. Next. 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[Public Podcast Sponsor]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index. With AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It's IT screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like ETFs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not an investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosure is available at public.comdisclosures make.

[Colin Cowherd]

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