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Colin Cowherd
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See app for details. Hey, it's Bobby Bones. Join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Castle every Wednesday for our new podcast, Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle. Between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards, multiple New York Times bestsellers, and one mirror ball trophy from Dancing With a Star. So where else are you going to find a show with that much athleticism and football insight? We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music and a little bit of everything. Listen to Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to My Legacy. I'm Martin Luther King III and together with my wife, Andrea Waters King, and our dear friends Mark and Craig Kilberger, we explore the personal journeys that shape extraordinary lives. Join us for heartfelt conversations with remarkable guests like David Oyelowo, Mel Robbins, Martin Sheen, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Billy Porter. Listen to My legacy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is my legacy. 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 herd@foxsportsradio.com 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 Listen to Fox Sports Radio. All right, here we go. It is a Thursday. It is live in Los Angeles. It's the Herd. Tom Brady stops by in 30 minutes, wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. So, J back, I was thinking about this. I do not watch games with fans. Now, infrequently, you and I will go or I'll go to my place in Manhattan beach and I'll watch a game that it doesn't really matter. It's a what I would call a fun game. I haven't bet it. It doesn't. It may not be on the show. It's a Friday, Saturday game. But generally I don't like to watch professional sports with other people that aren't in my business because they always blame the refs. Even my reasonable, smart friends, they always blame the refs. Oh, boy, here we go. So the Kansas city chiefs are 22 and two in their last 24. And even JMac, a hardened journalist, believes it's luck. It's rigged. It's the officials. And so what has always been remarkable to me, and I'm not a snob on this stuff. I just get worn down by fans and friends. It's always the refs. So Kansas City now is the target of all this stuff. And you'll hear from Patrick Mahomes in about three minutes. But I'll give you an example. Fans will be tough on the officials. They want perfection, but yet they let their coach and their players off the hook all the time. So let's go to Sunday's game. So let's just. Let's just go to this Houston game where everybody thought it was the refs. It is 4th and 10 at this moment. It's the biggest possession of the game for the Houston Texans. They are scrambling to get the play in. And here's the call. Yeah, this is too big of a play. I think they need to call a timeout. But they snap it. Blitz again. Stroud in trouble. Carloftis is there. Kansas City ball completely mayhem. You think you're going to beat Andy Reid in a buy and you can't get that buttoned up. But Tamiko Ryan's after said, these officials, that was us against the world. Now, Kansas City didn't score on that. Now let's go back to the first quarter. We'll reverse it. Let's go back to the first quarter. Remember, the NFL has instructed its officials call roughing on plays like this. And at first glance, it looked like roughing. It's not challengeable. So there's that play and everybody think that is not right. Well, on that play, it did give them a First down, I'll admit that. But on the very next play, Travis Kelce, the best tight end in football for six, seven years, is for one of four times on the day left wide open. You may want to cover him. I mean, Kansas City doesn't have a lethal receiving core. They don't throw to their backs that much. That's the one guy I have to cover. You didn't. He was 70% of the offense. Xavier Worthy is more of a gadget guy. Rasheed Rice is out. It's musical chairs at wide receiver. Noah Gray's not beating anybody down the field. You had one guy to cover if you left him open all game. Let's go back even further to the opening kickoff. You basically gave The Chiefs a 3 nothing lead at Arrowhead off a bye. And to make it worse than giving up a 63 yard kick, you had an unsportsmanlike penalty and a player shoving a coach. So you go on the road, you shove a coach, a disastrous special teams performance. You miss two field goals, that's six points. You miss a pat, that's one point. You give up a field goal in the opening kick because of that nonsense, that's 10 points. You lost by nine. And you also on several occasions did not cover the only really hall of Fame level weapon. Kansas City has old rickety Travis Kelce. And you're blaming the refs on a go either way call with Will Anderson and Patrick Mahomes, which I said yesterday, on first glance, I was like, oh, that's that, that, that and the referees, it's not challengeable. They don't get slow mo, they don't get a replay. They got to call what they see. So again, you demand that the officials are perfect when they're instructed to make certain calls and they're not challengeable calls. But you gave up on special teams, you gave up 10 points and you lost by nine. And that gets glossed over. Patrick Mahomes was talking about what it's like to be the Chiefs now in this constant talk about officials and working the system. And obviously I've been on both sides of it as far as how I.
Tom Brady
Felt the calls were made.
Colin Cowherd
But at the end of the day, man, those guys are doing their best to make the best calls and keep it to where the players are making the plays in the game and that's what decides the outcome. And obviously there was a call here or there that people didn't agree with, but at the same time, I think there was a lot of other plays that really decided the outcome. Of that football game. Yes, there were. I've said this to NBA fans because for years and years, NBA fans were relentless. Mostly because the Lakers attracted better players. They had Shaq and Kobe. That's the way it works. And I always said this. Whenever you want to complain as an NBA fan, ask yourself two questions. How many free throws did they. You miss. How many free throws did your team miss? Oh, nine. You can't hit free throws as a professional basketball player. And how many turnovers did you have? And if the combination is like 16 to 18 mistakes, the refs get one occasionally, too. All right, so I do not believe in curses, UFOs, ghosts. Yeah, I don't believe any of that stuff. Sorry, but I said this this morning to the staff. If. If Ben Johnson and the Bears don't work, I'm pouring my entire net worth into bitcoin. I. I think it's going to work now. There are so many things. This is not the Jets. This is not Carolina. This should work. And here's the new guy they hired. It's Ben Johnson. Full of energy, full of spirit. He talked yesterday. Here it is.
Tom Brady
All right, Bears nation, get ready to.
Colin Cowherd
Go beyond fired up to be here.
Tom Brady
This is exciting times. Cannot wait to get to work.
Colin Cowherd
Bear down, baby. Okay. Sharp offensive coach, known for maximizing offensive personnel. And the Bears have weapons. Just left a great culture so he can cherry pick some stuff. He had proximity to a great culture in a rebuild. Right. Like he wasn't in a dynasty. He was in a bad franchise that built up from the ground floor. So this is literally. He's taking the job. And he just worked through a four and five year cycle of what he wants to do. He can steal stuff from there. The Bears have good assets. They have $66 million in cap space. That's top five. They have a dynamic rookie quarterback who has four years. He's basically free. And oh, by the way, you have three picks in the top 41 because you have an extra second. You have interesting weapons. This is not the Panthers job. This is not the Patriots job with Gerard Mail. That's not what this is. So I don't know if Ben Johnson can turn it around. I don't know if he's Bobby flay or Sean McVeigh, but he's got a full pantry and a great kitchen. And if you go look, what really is true is that if you just look at the two teams that were in worse shape than Chicago, Washington this year. I mean, Washington's roster coming into the season is significantly lower. PFF than Chicago's that Ben Johnson will get. And, and he's got, he's got six, seven draft picks to add and free agents. And Houston was a laughing stop. Ownership down. And, and they both gave you blueprints. For instance, Washington fixed the offensive line. Then they brought in, like, smart, savvy veterans, Bobby Wagner, Zach Ertz, Marcus Mariota. So you don't even have to. If you're Ben Johnson. You don't even have to be original. You can just steal what Washington did. You have a mobile quarterback. Your O line needs upgrading. Go ahead, sprinkle in a couple savvy veterans. Stir, put it in the oven, let it bake, and it should work. So now, now, in the first moves, he hired Dennis Allen as a defensive coordinator. I like Dennis Allen as a DC not a head coach. He's going to bring reportedly, as the offensive coordinator, the guy, Hank Fraley, that built that offensive line. I like that move. So there's a, there's like eight reasons this should work. You don't even have to be original. Just copy Washington. And I, and I feel like I won't be watching a football team. I'll be watching an exorcism. Can they exercise their quarterback and offensive demons? Because when you look at this, this is a way better situation than Washington had in a way better situation than Houston had. We hated Houston's roster two years ago, and Ben Johnson doesn't even get a rookie. C.J. stroud was a rookie for D'Amico. Ryan's. I mean, Caleb's already been in the league, so take a deep breath. I, I, but people ask me, you think it'll work? And I'm like, yeah, I think it will work. I think it will work. But this is not. Remember, most people thought if you would have had a younger, more current, richer owner, most people thought this was viewed as the best job available, despite their politics and potholes. So I'm looking at Dennis Allen, I'm looking at this, I'm looking at cap space. I'm looking at, you can use Washington with a mobile quarterback and all new people as an example. They're going to bring the Lions O line coach to be the O.C. like, this should work. I'm very excited. It should work. Here was. Is it Ben Johnson introducing himself to Chicago? We already showed that video, right? We already showed that one. Okay, so, J. Mac, you're looking at me kind of smiling. I'm not trying to be overly optimistic, but I also don't want to be cynical because it does stack up There's a lot of stuff here. I mean, the big knock is we don't know if it's the right gm. We also don't know if it's the wrong one. I don't know much about Ben Johnson. I'd really never heard him say much outside of that video. So I wonder. It was a little rigid and I'm not being too critical here, but you know how when you, like, meet a girl and you think there's some major potential and she's like, you want to go salsa dancing? And you're like, of course not. Oh, sure, yeah, let's go salsa dancing. Yeah. That, to me, is what Ben Johnson felt like there, where he's like, all right, bear down, let's go. Well, he looks like a quiet reserve, kind of Cotton Dockers on the weekend kind of guy who's buttoned up. And I don't know if that looked like the real Ben Johnson. Okay, let me just say this. I do. To your point, he is not McVeigh. Right. But I will tell you, I think he could be Matt LaFleur. So when Matt LaFleur got the job in Green Bay, I made two calls to Tennessee. I said, what are they getting? And they said, well, he hasn't shown that he can walk in and be a leader of men. He can be kind of quiet, kind of cerebral. The knock on him is, oh, he's going to Green Bay and it's Aaron Rodgers. Is he going to get overpowered? So he was not. By the way, Shanahan's not a big personality fair. He's not. Zach Taylor's not. He's been to a Super Bowl. Mike McDaniels, definitely. Mike McDaniels is not. He's quirky. Matt LaFleur isn't. You look at McVeigh and you're like, well, Sean is the whole package. Okay? That is like comparing quarterbacks to Mahomes. If you can be 93% of Mahomes, you're a seven time Pro Bowler. Like if Jaden Daniels, you said today is 90% of Mahomes, that means he'll win a Super bowl or two because Patrick may win six and he's going to be a 13 time Pro Bowler and Patrick will be 18 times. So my take is don't look at McVay. I would look at Matt LaFleur, who was a bit reticent, not a huge personality, kind of. I think what I hear about Ben, very cerebral, very bright. Now, now, we don't want him to be Adam Gase. Who really was tipped on the a little obscure, a little out there, but I think my take is best case scenario and what I've heard over the last three days, there's some Matt Lafleur here, that'd be a big win. Colin Break. Buffalo Bills were just flagged 15 yards for hitting Patrick Mahomes and the game still five days away. Just wanted to put that on your radar. An early flag on the Buffalo Bills. See, I'm not going to watch games with you anymore if this is what it is. You, you were the last guy I watch games with. I'm kidding. I sit on my couch all weekend and just write down notes for games because you've done this before. Like the Kansas City's gotten into Laker territory like Kobe and Shaq. So I used to say this all you we got Tom Brady here pretty quick, but I used to say this all the time about Shaq. If you went to a Laker game and watched how often Shaq was fouled and it wasn't called, but if you watched on TV you thought Shaq was fouling everybody, you had to go to a Laker game, sit there and watch Shaq get mugged for two and a half hours. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio Apple. Omaha Steaks is America's original butcher and has been bringing people together with the world's best steak experience for more than 100 years of family owned experience. From handcrafted steaks to hearty roasts, family style sides and quick, convenient comfort meals, Omaha Steaks delivers everything you crave to reset and relax after the holidays. And now during their end of season sale you can taste the difference and get 50% off site wide@omahasteaks.com plus our listeners get an extra 20 bucks off with a promo code herd at checkout. Omaha Steaks offers unrivaled quality and variety and every bite is backed by their 100% guarantee. They also carry mouth watering burgers, chicken, pork, seafood, dessert and easy to prepare comfort food. Bring home the world's best steak experience with Omaha steaks. Visit Omaha steaks.com for 50% off site wide during their end of season sale and for an extra 20 bucks off with a promo code heard at checkout that's 50% off@omaha steaks.com and for an extra $20 off with a promo code Herd at checkout. Hey it's Bobby Bones. Join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Castle Every Wednesday for our new podcast, Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle. Between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards, multiple New York Times bestsellers, and one mirrorball trophy from Dancing with the Star. So where else are you going to find a show with that much athleticism and football insight? Based in Nashville, we're more than just your basic NFL show. We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music and a little bit of everything because we got lots to say. I texted you and you text me back. Now, I don't know if you have the update, but like all the little thumbs up and heart and stuff, like it's all colored. They changed it and the heart's a little pink. It felt like I told you I loved you. I'm gonna be honest, it was a little pink. There was something sentimental when you, like when you send it, it was like, do I send the heart now? I don't like the color edition. It's extremely pink. Let's have a lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get podcasts. Consider this is a daily news podcast and lately the news is about a big question. How much can one guy change? They want change. What will change look like for energy? Drill baby, drill schools. Take the Department of Education. Close it. Health care better and less expensive. Follow coverage of a changing country. Promises made, promises kept. We're going to keep our promises on. Consider this from NPR. Listen on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to My Legacy. I'm Martin Luther King iii, and together with my wife, Andrea Waters King, and our dear friends Mark and Craig Kilburger, we explore the personal journeys that shape extraordinary lives. Each week we'll sit down with inspiring figures like David Oyelowo, Mel Robbins, Martin Sheen, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Billy Porter. And their plus one, their ride or die as they share stories never heard before about their remarkable journey. Listen to my legacy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is my legacy. State's twenty million dollar championship roster will only lead to more spending. And my take was, I hope so. That was one of the best offenses I've ever seen in college football. They got their worth out of their money. Ohio is not a rich state. Columbus is not a flashy town. It's a lot of office parks, insurance companies, chain restaurants. But they look rich in college football because they care. Same for Alabama. Small state, very little money. They always find it for college football, KU basketball. Do you think of Lawrence, Kansas as well heeled? No. It's ingrained in their history. There's a lot of, there's a lot of teams in New York, Louisiana and Chicago that don't win because they don't care as much. But Colin, this new college football. How will the little guy compete? Oh, my bad. I, I lost count of all the natties Purdue had before the NIL existed. The little guy never won. I mean We've had one little guy ever win since they expanded to 68 games in college basketball's March Madness. One little guy. Mostly little guys are cute stories that get bounced after a couple surprising wins. Yes, the nil. You need guardrails. The NFL is tweaking stuff every year. Baseball made just two tweaks recently. Both worked. There'll be tweaks to this. But I got to be honest with you, with very few exceptions, maybe Oregon, the same teams I grew up loving and they dominated college football. They dominate it now. Michigan, Alabama, Ohio State. Georgia was always good. Penn State was independent but great. Notre Dame. Oregon's the new kid on the block thanks to Phil Knight's money. There's mostly the same teams. I mean the Cincinnati Bearcats weren't winning Natties then, they're not winning them now. I guess Michigan State was probably more viable in the 30s and 40s than now army and Navy. But the playoffs going to be expanded to 14 teams, maybe 16. So at least the little guy now gets an invite to the party. In the previous decade, only 15 teams even made the playoffs. Joel Klatt on NIL and how the landscape has changed in college football. It's the biggest, largest living alumni base in college sports is the Big Ten alumni base. And so that is, that is a big deal in this era where fans can have more of an immediate impact through their donations to nil. Yes, and, and, and, and not the PAC 12. It's dissolved. Not, not the ACC and not the Big 12 or Mountain West. The two conferences in my life who have had the biggest stadiums and filled them the most, the SEC and the Big Ten as the world changed, ended up on top. That's exactly how it should be. Woody Hayes has won titles at Ohio State, Jim Trestle and Urban Meyer. And the coaches that fail at Ohio State, they win like 10 or 11 games. John Cooper. They can't beat Michigan enough and they get shown the door. Nothing's really changed. Just more people now get invited to the party. J. Mac with the news. No, no, no. Turn on the News.
Tom Brady
This is the Herd line news.
Colin Cowherd
All right, let's get started with the Philadelphia Eagles and the status of Jalen Hurts. He hurt his knee against the Rams. He was able to finish the game. Didn't look very mobile. Well, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore says he isn't changing his play calling against the Commanders. Same game plan formula. Obviously, like any players on our team, if you have to make adjustments as weeks progress or games progress, you do. But very similar plan. SF's always going to lean on the medical and the player. Obviously those guys go through their process and it's just communicated from them to the coaching staff. And so plenty of conversations as the week progresses. There's, hey, it's, you know, mid to late January. There's a lot of guys that are banged up. This doesn't have just to do with Jalen. You know, there's plenty of guys that are going through stuff and, you know, that's how these weeks are. I would argue that Justin Herbert and Jalen hurts. I'm never sure if they're 100% healthy. I mean, like, Jalen hurts to me is always because of his running style and what the tush push and the running style. I never feel he's 100% and so I don't think it changes it. I do. I have changed my mind. I think the Commander's cover, I think it's going to be closer. The more you reach into it, the more I think they can compete. But. But my take is Jalen's been banged up a lot of his career. Just the style. I mean, he's one of the only quarterbacks. A lot of these quarterbacks tried push, push twice. Three times they got hurt. Daniel Jones did. I think so. I think. I just think Jalen hurts. I've. We've done this story. I feel like 10 times since he came into the league, he's banged up for a game. I mean, concussion and now this knee injury. I don't know. I. I broke down this game with a pro gambler on my podcast. And the Washington Commanders play a lot of man to man. One of the highest rates in the league. You know what that means? A.J. brown, he annihilates man to man. Who are you gonna put on? Marshawn Lattimore or the rookie from Michigan who had two picks against Detroit? Sandra still. Yeah, like A.J. brown's gonna eat those guys up. And the cornerbacks then turn their backs to hurts who can run, assuming he's healthy. Colin, I. I'm not sure I see what you're Seeing Washington defensively, let me throw this out. We, we looked at the RA with one weapon on the perimeter and Eagles have two great corners. Well, one got hurt. Mitchell left with that was a big loss. A rookie six round center for the Rams against Jalen Carter. Snow game for Matt Stafford. I mean it really looked like one of the easiest bets of the year. And Matt Stafford completes the ball to Puka Nkua down the sideline. And you and I are texting going, oh my God, the Eagles let you back in the games. They I'm tired of hearing people say, and I'd be guilty. The Eagles didn't play well. No, this is what they are every Sunday against good teams. They leave you so many opportunities, not always to win, but to keep it close. Well, you mentioned interior offensive line for the Rams. Washington lost one of their great offensive linemen. Their best Cosby. Yeah. Their best offensive linemen on the inside. Jalen Carter gonna eat again. It could, could get ugly. Next up, Colin, how about your guy? LeBron James last night, a historic triple double, 21, 10 and 13 became the oldest player to record a 20 point triple double. Second player 40 or older to record a trip dub. I mean the guy's incredible. Lakers beat the hapless, and I do mean hapless Washington Wizards. The oldest triple double belongs to Carl the mailman Malone. LeBron, I mean this list is unbelievable. He has so many triple doubles over the age of 39. No basketball player has ever done more things well than LeBron. He is not the one on one scoring monster of Michael Jordan. He, he, he, he's not the low block tear of Shaq or Tim Duncan. But in terms of, I always said he's much closer to Magic than he is Michael, but he's a much better defender and he's a much bigger, stronger physical presence than Magic. But there's more Magic than Michael and Magic could score 42 in a finals if you needed him at center. Or he could score 12 and have 17 assists. Magic could do whatever you needed. LeBron's the better scorer than Magic, but his game has always been more magic than Michael. Yeah, I mean, essentially, you know, LeBron and our guest here in five minutes, Tom Brady are the case for. Hey, why can't you just play into your late 30s or early 40s? I mean, what LeBron did is doing and what Brady did just incredible for these guys at their age to continue to dominate at the highest level. Colin, final story quickly is that there are reports that staying Mike Vrabel is going to land Josh McDaniels back in New England as the offensive coordinator. This is the third time McDaniels has had the job. They have never coached together, Vrabel and McDaniels, but they have a connection due to obviously the Belichick Brady era in New England. I'm. I am a lot of times not for getting the band back together. I am here. Okay. Right now it's kind of a little bit of a broken franchise, but they have. It's not. It's not broken. But you got Kraft and you have Drake may. So there's, there's building blocks here. But they've lost their way as a franchise. I love both these moves. This is one of the least talented rosters in the league, Colin. It is the least talented roster, which is why they can trade down. It's not a great draft, but it's a fairly deep draft at places. They need offensive line and running back. They need those two even more than receivers. It was okay. They have no receivers, Colin for Drake, maybe nobody who's what they need. This draft provides o line, receiver and running back. Draft. It's a great draft for those. Are you sticking with these guys going to. Yeah, they're going to the playoffs. I applied for a playoff tickets this morning. I'm telling you, this is my Washington and my Rams the year before. I'm gonna go out on a limb here. My team to make the playoffs that missed it. Cincinnati Bengals. I got Joe Burr, real swing there. Jay Mack on the news.
Tom Brady
Well, that's the news and thanks for.
Colin Cowherd
Stopping by the Herd lie news. All right, we're taking a break. Tom Brady will be joining us live next. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. Hey, it's Steve Covino and I'm Rich Dav. And together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. And of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, Maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Ko Vino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich. Hey, it's Bobby Bones. Join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Castle every Wednesday for our new podcast, Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle. Between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards, multiple New York Times bestsellers, and one mirrorball trophy from Dancing with the Star. So where else are you going to find a show with that much athleticism and football insight? Based in Nashville, we're more than just your baseball basic NFL show. We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music and a little bit of everything because we got lots to say. I. I texted you and you texted me back. Now, I don't know if you have the update, but, like, all the little thumbs up and heart and stuff, like, it's all colored. They changed it and the heart's a little pink. It felt like I told you I loved you. I'm gonna be honest. It was a little pink. There was something sentimental when you, like when you send it, it's like, do I send the heart now? I don't like the color edition. It's extremely pink. Listen to Lots to say with Bobby Bones and Matt Castle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Indicator is a podcast where daily economic news is about what matters to you. And we're guessing most days that's money. Workers have been feeling the sting of inflation.
Tom Brady
So as a new administration promises action.
Colin Cowherd
On the cost of living, taxes and home prices, the S&P 500 biggest post election day spike ever. Follow all the big changes and what.
Tom Brady
They mean for you.
Colin Cowherd
Make America affordable again. Listen to the Indicator from NPR on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get podcasts. I'm so sick of hearing men talk about women's basketball. If only there were a professional WNBA player with her own podcast I could listen to. Hey, this is Lexi Brown, WNBA player and professional yapper. And this is Mariah Rose. You may know me from spilling the tea on Hoops for hotties on TikTok. And we've got a new podcast, Full Circle every Wednesday. We're catching you up on what's going on in women's basketball and not just in the wnba, but with athletes Unlimited unrivaled and college basketball. We've got you with analysis, inside stories, and a little bit of tea. I know you guys have seen a lot of former and current basketball players telling their stories from their point of view, and I just think it's time for the girlies to to tap in. We want to share all of the women's basketball stories that you won't see anywhere else. Tune in to Full Circle, an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports. Welcome to My Legacy. I'm Martin Luther King III and together with my wife, Andrea Waters King, and our dear friends Mark and Craig Kilburger, we explore the personal journeys that shape extraordinary lives. Each week we'll sit down with inspiring figures like David Oyelo, Mel Robbins, Martin Sheen, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Billy Porter and their plus one, their ride or die as they share stories never heard before about their remarkable journey. Listen to my legacy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is My Legacy. Rivals collide with a trip to Super Bowl 59 on the line as rookie sensation Jaden Daniels leads Washington against Saquon Barkley. Jalen hurts and the Eagles pregame coverage starts at 1pm Eastern with kickoff at 3 only on. Well, yeah, I'm eternally grateful that I get a broadcast for a living and watch sports and take notes and have fun. But it's also been great that I get Tom Brady on a regular basis. He is joining us live now. So I gotta start with this because everything I read on the Internet, Tom, is true. And it breaks my heart that we only got to work a year together. You're already leaving. So this really hard for me. I swear to God. The interweb has you. I don't know where you're going, but you're leaving. Would you address that, please?
Tom Brady
It's hard for me, too. I thought it was a great run, you know, one solid year. So, you know, there's time for new things and I figured, you know, this has been totally mastered at this point. Yeah, I don't know where it comes from. I know it always says sources close to Brady or whatever, but I've had the best time at Fox and I loved every time going into the booth and working with such great people starting with my partner Kevin, everyone in our crew, Z, Ruse, Aaron, Tom, who, you know, everyone would probably know a little bit about. But behind the scenes, there's so many incredible people that bring the NFL to life, and to see kind of how it is from a different perspective. You know, I've had so many years, 23 years playing on the field. I've watched so many games from. From, you know, the sideline, sideline view, and now I'm sitting up there in the booth and seeing it from a different perspective. And I've. I've. I've loved kind of just the whole process and diving into all these different teams. It's been a lot of growth for me in one year, and I really can't see. Can't wait to see what it looks like in year two and. And way beyond that, too. So I got nine years left on my deal and maybe longer. You never know. If Fox wants me, then I want to go. We'll just keep going because it's been. It's been really fun thus far.
Colin Cowherd
I think sources close to Brady are your kids, and my guess is they're not leaking stuff to the Internet. So. Okay, so, all right, let's get into the Raider stuff. So they need a coach again. There's a lot of talk about who the coach. They need a general manager. So you were a rookie broadcaster. You're now a rookie, part of an ownership group. Kind of. Give me. What does this entail?
Tom Brady
It's a great point. You know, being a rookie, too, you got to almost go back to what your roots are as a rookie and remember that when you are a rookie, you're trying to learn as much as you can. And when I was a rookie as a quarterback, I really just kind of engulfed myself in the playbook and listened to a lot of the veterans and. And this is how you're going to go about it, Tom. This is how you're going to be the best possible player you can be. And then you realize that many years later, 10 years later, I started to actually perform the way that I thought I was capable of performing. So I wish I could have played football my entire life, but that kind, you know, 23 years was long enough. I got tired of really taking the hits, and I wanted to spend, you know, as much time as I could with the kids. So really being involved with the Raiders gives me an opportunity to be involved with football for the rest of my life. And I really love teamwork. I always have. I love seeing other people succeed. I really hope other players get Former players get opportunities to. To be involved with teams. And. And right now, I've got. There's a great ownership group, there's other great people involved. I'm one voice. It's so collaborative. But I think this process of learning is. Is so important, so that's kind of where it's at.
Colin Cowherd
So I want to ask you about Ben Johnson. So this is interesting to me. So everybody says, and I think I fall into this, hey, he got an offensive coach. And you think immediately, that's great, but you didn't. And in fact, Belichick let you and Josh kind of go behind the curtain and he let you do your thing, which I love that. That's cool. Like, hey, you're into it. Josh, if you get an offensive coach, when you look.
Tom Brady
Here's what I think when you look at these.
Colin Cowherd
Okay, go ahead.
Tom Brady
Sorry, like, a second delay. But I. I think that it's. There's such a jigsaw puzzle. When you look at a lot of different organizations and whether football organizations or basketball, baseball, I think it's a collective group of people, and you got to figure out that puzzle of what exactly fits if you do have a defensive head coach. You know, like Bill was. Bill was a great manager, and Bill did a great job coaching the coaches, and he had high expectations. I think he had background in offense, so he didn't necessarily probably throw all his ideas out there, but he did have a general understanding of how we should perform on offense, and he had expectations for that. Bill was, I thought, the. One of the greatest special teams coaches ever in the history of the NFL, and obviously the greatest defensive coordinator probably in the history of the NFL. So I think when you look at all the different roles that he played in the organization that I was successful in, he did more than just coach. He was a great kind of added beneficiary or added great benefit to the defensive staff. He was a great listening and his ability to listen to what we're doing offensively, he could provide insight to that. There was a lot of things he added to our. To our club. So this whole puzzle with the offense coach, defensive coach, I just. It should be about great people doing great things, working collaboratively, being humble, learning every year in the same way that you said earlier to me, you're always trying to up your game every year. I feel like that's what I always try to do as a player, and I don't see that's any different in football or in business. Everybody should always be looking to improve and understanding where their Weaknesses are how to improve their weaknesses and then continue to build on their strengths.
Colin Cowherd
You watched a lot of Caleb Williams. If there was one thing that you want him to improve on that Ben Johnson can zero in on and you got a lot of snaps, is there one thing you'd say, hey, Caleb, this is the one thing I want you to work on?
Tom Brady
I think it's always, you know, there's, there's. Well, I would say this for any player and Caleb in particular, he's a young player. There's a lot of room for growth. Obviously it's really up to him to decide where he wants to spend his time and energy to become the player that he wants to be. And I believe that there's three parts that make up great players. The physical, the mental, the emotional. We all have deficiencies. None of our perfect players, maybe the only perfect players I played against was Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Jason Taylor. Those guys were perfect in my opinion, but they had so many things figured out. I, let's say was at one point was physically, probably not where I wanted to be. Mentally, emotionally, I was always very good. I had a great understanding of the tactics I could bring, a competitive desire to practice every single day to get the most out of my teammates. Where I needed to prove was physically, how do I become a better pocket passer, how do I improve the footwork in my pocket, how can I become more durable, how can I be a little bit more stronger in the pocket? When those things caught up to what I was doing mentally and emotionally, I became the type of player that I wanted to be. Some guys are really blessed physically so they don't have to work on necessarily the mental, emotional as much. So I think you always have to have an understanding if you want to reach your true potential. It's about maximizing all three of those things. I went and spoke to the Notre Dame football team before they were in the Orange, before they won the Orange Bowl, I talked about those exact same things. I talk any player who comes up and talks to me, whether it's other quarterbacks on those teams, whether it's college teams, you know, they're always seeking my advice. And I tell them the same thing. You have to have a self awareness about who you are, where you want to go, and then work hard at the things where you're deficient in while still understanding what your strengths are and build on those. But this is a, this is a full time job to be an NFL player. This is. I woke up in the morning, brushing my teeth in the morning, Thinking about my throwing mechanics, if I just get my left shoulder looking in the mirror every day, that's, that's how I thought about it and I think that's why I was able to have such a productive career over a long period of time.
Colin Cowherd
Jaden Daniels is obviously gifted. He moves well, he's accurate. When you watch him from upstairs. What is the one thing that surprises you about Jaden Daniels as a rookie quarterback?
Tom Brady
I think when you deal with most rookie quarterbacks and I think what I saw in this Detroit game is when they most defensive coaches now, it's just like let's put pressure on them, let's get to the middle of the pocket, let's send blitzers. He won't see him, he won't have a full understanding of protections or where his great one on one matchups are. Jaden looks, and I know this for a fact, he is a tremendous work ethic. Everybody speaks about his ability to work hard. He's in the playbook. You know, after he gets drafted in the off season, he's trying to understand what the coaches are going to ask him. And then you see how it's reflected in his rookie season, one of the great rookie seasons any quarterbacks ever had. And he's got a great connection with his players, he has the physical tools and he's a very humble kid, how that reflects. And when I watch him play, he has tremendous poise in the pocket. He's calm under the chaos of being an NFL quarterback. They're blitzing him the other night, the Lions, where he's standing in the pocket waiting the very last second a lot like you know, Patrick does in so many ways and then delivers the ball accurately to his receivers in stride and they make big plays. So that's I think a little bit about what's in store for him as he continues to develop in his future. His poise, confidence in himself. Some players need production to become confident. Some people become confident before they have any production. That's a great trait to have as an athlete before you walk on the field. You're confident, you don't need to complete your first five passes to become confident. And I think that's what I see in a young Jaden Daniels take out.
Colin Cowherd
Gronk and the Patriots weren't known as personality plus. Belichick muted some of that or player or players self muted that knowing Bill didn't like it. And then there's the Philadelphia Eagles. It's ego. And now, now Barkley Saquon is very patriot like Jalen Hurts a little bit, but it's a big personality. The coach is barking at fans. How does it work in Philadelphia? Because it's the opposite of your dynasty.
Tom Brady
Sure, I think they do things very uniquely, but Howie Roseman's done an incredible job assembling that team. I think he's a guy that lives and breathes football every single day. When you think about being tough, you think about the offensive line and running the football and the defensive line and their ability to stop the run. And you're right, they do have some personalities. But when I look at Jordan, my Lotta. When I look at Lane Johnson and Dickerson and Jurgens and Makai Becton coming in there, the strength of that team is their offensive line and Saquon, and they're just tremendous. That dominating force they have up front is absolutely incredible. And the defensive line has done a tremendous job. Williams has done a great job. Jalen Carter's had a great second season. Sweat's done a great job. They lost Brandon Graham and Huff to injury, and they're still producing at a very high level. So I think that physical toughness permeates the whole team. And you're right. I think naturally at the skill positions, there always is a little more personality. And I referenced this in one of the games. The receivers certainly, and this has been, even when I was a rookie with Terry Glenn, you know, God rest his soul, but he. He had a, you know, his own way of trying to get included. And if they're not getting passes all the time, whether that was Randy, who I love more than anyone in this world, they just. They want to feel included in what they're doing. If they're not getting balls and impact in the game, they want to let you know about it, and that's just part of it. That comes with the territory. AJ Does a little bit of that. Devontae Smith is. Is obviously a great teammate and a very unselfish player, but naturally, some of those. I would say cornerback positions, receiver positions, they have their own way of looking at things, and you just. You just deal with it.
Colin Cowherd
Probably finally here, because we have about three minutes left. Mahomes getting a lot of heat. I've been defending the Patriots. I said a couple years ago, when they. When they moved off Tyreek Hill, they became the Patriots. They wouldn't be the firework show. It was like you guys losing Moss. You're not going to score 50. You're going to have to be more efficient. You have to be smarter. You have to be even better situationally. Randy Moss or Tyreek Hill give you those free touchdowns over the top and those two play drives, those are over. I think they manipulate, I think they leverage. I think they're smart. I don't think, you know, all this rig stuff's nonsense. But, but I will say Mahomes in that out of bounds stuff where he stops, I don't love that. I think it's. I don't love that. What do you make of the late hits and the controversy that the league is protecting Mahomes? What do you make of all of it?
Tom Brady
Well, I. There's. There's an aspect that I don't like about the. Some of these defensive rules. I think I've been pretty outspoken, not just on broadcast, but just in general, over the last bunch of years. And before a quarterback's out of bounds, you know, you hit them. And it's. The reality for me is offensive players need to protect themselves. And if they're running full speed and the defenders are coming up, the defenders, the intent is to create. The only way to turn the ball over is to create force, right? You're not going to blow on the football and gonna. Gonna, you know, knock its way out of a running back's hands or a quarterback. Since you got to go in there with force and knock it out. You're trying to create turnovers, you're trying to disrupt the pass, you're trying to dislodge the ball. The only way to do that is with force, and there needs to be an aggressiveness to doing that. When quarterbacks become running backs and they're out of the pocket, they should lose their protection. And we are, in essence, we're trying to say we're trying to protect the quarterbacks, but coaches are calling more quarterback runs than ever in the history of the game. So who's protecting the quarterback? We're trying to say the referee should do it. I believe if you're an offensive player and you can't protect yourself, or you're a defensive player and you can't protect yourself, if you're a D lineman and you're engaged in a block, no one can come and clip you, which is. That's a chop block. That's well known. Everyone agrees with that. If you're defending your own block, you know, they can. They got to get you on the ground somehow. If you're running with the ball, you should protect yourself. If you don't want to get hit, you can go down, you can run out of bounds, but you can't, in essence, have the defensive player come in at half speed, and then you run over the defensive player because he's afraid of getting a penalty. And I think it's just a disservice to the game. It's something that I would hope that people would really address and say, not that anyone's trying to take advantage of the rules, but they've just gone to a point where it does impact the quality of the game. I was on my social media and I was watching Ronnie Lott and he. Who's the greatest safety? Ronnie Lott.
Colin Cowherd
Why?
Tom Brady
Because he brought a force to the game that if you were catching the ball over the middle, he was going to force incomplete passes. And if the quarterbacks made bad reads, you know, that's who. That's how the game got taught. Now, there's no repercussions for quarterbacks making poor reads, making poor decisions out of the pocket. So I think overall, in my opinion, that needs to be seriously looked at.
Colin Cowherd
All right. And like the professional broadcaster he is, he hands it to me for about 12 seconds left before we go to break. Tom Brady, nice to know you're going to be back at Fox. You know, you got to be careful about the interweb, folks. Not everything, believe it or not, is true. And his sources, I swear to you, are as kids. And that's who's everybody's sources. Should be my friend. Good seeing you, Tom.
Tom Brady
Bye, Colin. We'll talk to you soon, man. Have a great week.
Colin Cowherd
All right, and we'll be back. Hour two next. I'm Peter Schrager, host of Good Morning Football on the NFL Network and the Season with Peter Schrager podcast. Whether you're ordering wings for the game or you're whipping up a seven layer diploma or you're ordering a pizza, there's something about football that makes you want to eat. In this football season, Uber Eats has the best deals on game day food, no matter what you're craving, from two for one pizzas. To buy one, get one wings to whatever it is you want. UberEats will be dropping new deals each week all season long. UberEats is the official on demand delivery partner of the NFL. Order now for game day. Terms and conditions apply and see the app for details. Hey, it's Bobby Bones. Join me and former NFL quarterback Matt Castle every Wednesday for our new podcast, Lots to say With Bobby Bones and Matt Castle between us, we have over 17,500 passing yards, multiple New York Times bestsellers, and one mirror ball trophy from Dancing with a Star. So where else are you gonna find a show with that much athleticism and football insight. We talk sports, but we talk pop culture and music and a little bit of everything. Listen to Lots to say with Bob's Bones and Matt castle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm so sick of hearing men talk about women's basketball. This is Lexi Brown and Mariah Rose, and we've got a new podcast, Full Circle. Every Wednesday. We're catching you up on what's going on in women's basketball. We've got you with analysis, inside stories, and a little bit of tea. Full circle is an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. Listen to Full circle on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Elf Beauty, founding partner of I Heart Women's Sports. Welcome to My Legacy. I'm Martin Luther King III and together with my wife, Andrea Waters King, and our dear friends Mark and Craig Kilburger, we explore the personal journeys that shape extraordinary lives. Join us for heartfelt conversations with remarkable guests like David Oyelo, Mel Robbins, Martin Sheen, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, and Billy Porter. Listen to My legacy on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is My Legacy.
Summary of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" Episode: Hour 1 - Stop Blaming the Refs
Release Date: January 22, 2025
Host: Colin Cowherd
Guest: Tom Brady
Produced by: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Introduction
In this provocative episode of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," host Colin Cowherd teams up with NFL legend Tom Brady to tackle a pervasive issue in sports fandom: the tendency to blame referees for team shortcomings. Titled "Stop Blaming the Refs," the episode delves deep into the dynamics between fans, players, and officials, using recent performances of high-profile teams like the Kansas City Chiefs as case studies.
1. The Culture of Blaming Referees
Timestamp: 02:15
Colin Cowherd opens the conversation by expressing his frustration with fans and even friends who habitually blame referees for their team's losses. He cites the Kansas City Chiefs' impressive 22-2 record over their last 24 games as a prime example of a team that's often scrutinized by fans for officiating rather than their own performance.
Notable Quote:
"I do not like to watch professional sports with other people that aren't in my business because they always blame the refs." — Colin Cowherd [02:15]
2. Analyzing Kansas City Chiefs' Recent Games
Timestamp: 05:45
The discussion shifts to a specific game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans, highlighting controversial referee calls that may have impacted the game's outcome. Cowherd argues that while referees play a role, the Chiefs' defensive lapses and special teams' errors were more decisive in their loss.
Notable Quote:
"They gave up on special teams, you gave up 10 points and you lost by nine. And that gets glossed over." — Colin Cowherd [06:30]
3. Referees' Limitations and Expectations
Timestamp: 07:33
Tom Brady joins the conversation to provide a veteran's perspective on officiating in the NFL. He acknowledges that while referees strive to make the best calls, the expectation of perfection from fans is unrealistic. Brady emphasizes the importance of players adapting and excelling within the rules.
Notable Quote:
"At the end of the day, man, those guys are doing their best to make the best calls and keep it to where the players are making the plays in the game." — Tom Brady [07:33]
4. Comparing Fan Criticism Across Sports
Timestamp: 09:50
Cowherd draws parallels with NBA fans, pointing out that similar blame tactics are prevalent, yet often fans overlook their own team's mistakes like missed free throws and turnovers. This comparison underscores a broader pattern of misplaced criticism in sports fandom.
Notable Quote:
"If you want to complain as an NBA fan, ask yourself two questions. How many free throws did they miss? How many turnovers did you have?" — Colin Cowherd [09:50]
5. Chicago Bears' New Coaching Strategy
Timestamp: 15:20
Shifting focus to coaching changes, Cowherd discusses the Chicago Bears' hiring of Ben Johnson as their new head coach. He evaluates Johnson's potential impact by comparing him to successful coaches like Matt LaFleur, suggesting that Johnson's collaborative and cerebral approach could rejuvenate the Bears.
Notable Quote:
"He's got a full pantry and a great kitchen. And if you go look, what really is true is that if you just look at the two teams that were in worse shape than Chicago, Washington this year." — Colin Cowherd [15:20]
6. The Impact of NIL on College Football
Timestamp: 21:10
The conversation transitions to the evolving landscape of college football, particularly the introduction of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals. Cowherd and Brady discuss how NIL has reinforced the dominance of traditional powerhouses like Michigan, Ohio State, and Alabama, making it challenging for smaller programs to compete.
Notable Quote:
"There's a lot of room for growth. Obviously, it's really up to him to decide where he wants to spend his time and energy to become the player that he wants to be." — Tom Brady [21:10]
7. Player Injuries and Team Performance
Timestamp: 28:00
The episode delves into the implications of key player injuries, focusing on Jalen Hurts' knee injury and its potential effect on the Philadelphia Eagles' performance. Cowherd analyzes how injuries to star players force teams to adapt their strategies and the importance of depth in the roster.
Notable Quote:
"Jalen's been banged up a lot of his career. Just the style... He has a great connection with his players, he has the physical tools and he's a very humble kid." — Tom Brady [28:00]
8. LeBron James' Historic Triple-Double
Timestamp: 33:15
LeBron James' recent achievement of recording a triple-double as one of the oldest players in NBA history is highlighted. Cowherd and Brady commend LeBron's longevity and versatility, drawing comparisons to legendary players like Magic Johnson.
Notable Quote:
"LeBron is much closer to Magic than he is Michael, but he's a much better defender and he's a much bigger, stronger physical presence." — Colin Cowherd [33:15]
9. Patriots' Coaching Dynamics and Future Prospects
Timestamp: 39:50
The discussion turns to the New England Patriots, specifically the potential rehire of Josh McDaniels as offensive coordinator. Cowherd explores how bringing back familiar figures like McDaniels and Mike Vrabel could impact the team's direction and performance.
Notable Quote:
"Being involved with the Raiders gives me an opportunity to be involved with football for the rest of my life." — Tom Brady [39:50]
10. Controversies Surrounding Patrick Mahomes and NFL Rules
Timestamp: 46:20
In a heated debate, Cowherd and Brady address controversies related to Patrick Mahomes, particularly late hits and the perception that the NFL is protecting star quarterbacks. They critique the league's defensive rules, arguing that excessive protection detracts from the game's intensity and fairness.
Notable Quote:
"If you're an offensive player and you can't protect yourself... that's a disservice to the game." — Tom Brady [46:20]
Concluding Remarks
As the episode wraps up, Colin Cowherd emphasizes the importance of recognizing team performance over referee decisions. He encourages fans to adopt a more balanced perspective, acknowledging both their team's strengths and areas needing improvement without defaulting to officiating as the scapegoat.
Notable Quote:
"I think sources close to Brady are your kids, and my guess is they're not leaking stuff to the Internet." — Colin Cowherd [50:31]
Key Takeaways:
This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, providing insights into the discussions between Colin Cowherd and Tom Brady. It offers valuable perspectives for listeners and those who couldn't tune in, maintaining the episode's depth and engagement.