Loading summary
Colin Cowherd
As we gather together during this holiday season, let me share a gift that keeps on giving. Chase Freedom With Chase Freedom Unlimited, you'll not only experience the joy of 1.5% unlimited cash back, but also the freedom to create cherished memories with your loved ones. Discover the magic and learn more@chaseasefreedom.com and let this season be filled with love, laughter and the delight of extra cash in your pocket.
Jason McIntyre
Cards issued by JPMorgan Chase Bank NA.
Greg Cosell
Member FDIC.
Colin Cowherd
Apple cart is the perfect card for your holiday shopping. You can apply on your iPhone in minutes and start using it right away. You'll earn up to 3% daily cash back on every purchase, including products at Apple like a new iPhone 16 or Apple Watch Ultra. Start holiday shopping for your friends and family today with Apple Card subject to credit approval Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch terms and more at applecard.com Jon Stewart.
Jon Stewart
Is back at the Daily show and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondents and contributors, and with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Greg Cosell
Hey, I'm Jack Please Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series, Black lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of black literature. Black lit is for the page turners, for those who listen to audiobooks while running errands or at the end of a busy day.
Colin Cowherd
From thought provoking novels to powerful poetry.
Greg Cosell
We'Ll explore the stories that shape our culture. Listen to Blacklit on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. ATT Connecting changes everything. The forces shaping markets and the economy are often hiding behind a blur of numbers.
Colin Cowherd
So that's why we created the Big Take from Bloomberg Podcasts to give you the context you need to make sense of it all.
Greg Cosell
Every day in just 15 minutes, we dive into one global business story that matters.
Colin Cowherd
You'll hear from Bloomberg journalists like Matt Levine.
Greg Cosell
A lot of this meme stock stuff is, I think, embarrassing to the SEC. Follow the Big Take podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. 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.
Jack Plume Thomas
Now let's get this party started.
Greg Cosell
You're listening to FOX Sports Radio. Here we go, hour two on a Thursday. Lions, packers. Tonight, live in la, it's the Herd. Greg Cosell in five minutes. Jordan Schultz an hour from now, the very latest on some breaking stories. Deion Dawkins of the Buffalo Bells. You know, J. Mac, I was thinking about this, we talked about this last week, is that you don't want to become the NBA if you're the NFL. The NBA's got very top heavy five or six really good championship level teams. That's it. A very large middle that's pretty soft. Lakers are in that middle to bottom middle and then just drek in the bottom eight. Nine teams for the first time that I can remember and I could be wrong. I think the NFL because they're so quarterback centric, you have one and you're done. Right now there's eight teams with three wins or fewer. So the bottom of the NFL is as bad as I remember it. And Dallas isn't even in that group and we don't think they're any good. So the middle is very and it may change, but it's very Arizona. It's the Rams, it's the Cowboys, it's the and if the Rams get hammered by Buffalo, they're definitely in that soft middle. So one of the great things about the NFL, you've always had about eight teams that you think can win it. Then the middle to upper middle is massive and a very tiny bottom. It does feel like the bottom has expanded. And my reasoning for that is when you make the quarterback the be all end all to your sport, if you don't have one, you're toast.
Jason McIntyre
So how do you, how do you avoid making the quarterback the be all end all?
Greg Cosell
Well, the NFL, after that CTE lawsuit where they wrote a billion dollar check, made the rules very quarterback protective, they wanted to extend the careers of the quarterbacks that are good. Now the good news is this is the good news. The hit rate for quarterbacks is going up. It used to be a 50, 50 proposition in the first round. It's much better than that. Now of the last, I think it's the last 27 first round quarterback picks, only 10 what you would call busts. And remember, four of those are from the COVID year where they were all overvalued.
Jason McIntyre
Is Bryce Young in that bus?
Greg Cosell
I don't know. I think Bryce Young, you cannot make a judgment on yet. I do not believe you can.
Jason McIntyre
Listen, we judge CJ Stroud after his rookie year.
Greg Cosell
No, no, no. He's in a spot. Exceptional. It's harder to spot. Not going to make it.
Jason McIntyre
Is Stroud exceptional? We now have more data. Half a season.
Greg Cosell
I think he's a very solid franchise quarterback. Remember, you watched American Idol. It's really easy to go, oh, God, Carrie Underwood's a rock star. It's harder to guess where somebody that's okay is going to land. Are they going to do lounge singing? Are they going to just do bar mitzvahs? Like, you can't tell. It's very hard to delineate. Kind of good to sort of good, but great. Herbert, first game. Whoa. Joe Burrow, second game. Wow.
Jason McIntyre
Herbert's multiple seasons of good. Now Stroud. I've just got to ask. They got him Joe Mixon and they got him Stefon Diggs. Now, I know Diggs got hurt.
Greg Cosell
Well, their O line is outside of. It's awful.
Jason McIntyre
It's very bad.
Greg Cosell
He can't do anything.
Jason McIntyre
It feels like it was Stroud and it was Bryce Young, and now Bryce Young's creeping up and Stroud is.
Greg Cosell
I think that's fair.
Jason McIntyre
I need another year before I say C.J. stroud's definitely a franchise quarterback.
Greg Cosell
Yeah, I think he is. I think C.J. stroud's better than Bryce Young. But I do think one's come down, one's moved up, and I think the offensive coaching is better. So that is going to increase the hit rate on quarterbacks making it. How do I know that? Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold. Guys get reborn now when they get better offensive coaches. So that didn't exist. It used to be if you. If your first team didn't work, Drew Brees was an outlier. You're done. Not anymore. Guys are circling back on their third and fourth team, like Darnold and Geno and Baker. And you're like, not only are they good, Sam Darnold's excellent. Baker looks very good. Geno's a Pro Bowler. So there's a lot of positive news with the NFL that we're getting more quarterback, and kids coming out of college have more snaps, they're more developed, more seven on seven camps. So there's good news. But I do feel like the middle is softer in the NFL than I remember. And the Bottom is enormous. There's a lot of garbage out there.
Jason McIntyre
Somebody at the bottom's got to take a swing. This, all that. If you want to come out of that dreck, as you called it, and surpass the middle class and get in the top, you got to take big swings. Kind of like life, right? You got to take big swings.
Greg Cosell
Yeah. Greg co sell Thursdays. We love him. If you bet football, play fantasy football. Want to get smarter at football. 45 years, NFL Films. You know, listen, I It's really interesting about Christian McAff. So when he came to the Niners, he'd been banged up. This was a. I compared it yesterday to getting an aging pitcher. Listen, can we get three big innings years out of him? We're not getting six. So I always thought if McCaffrey could get him a trophy, three years. But he came to the Niners banged up. What is remarkable though is that Kyle Shanahan has a losing record without him. And I think Shanahan's an excellent coach. What it tells me is McCaffrey is a sensational all time talent. Are you surprised? A little. That just taking him out? They're a different franchise. It feels like. Greg.
Jack Plume Thomas
I don't know if we have a large enough sample size, Colin, to say that for sure. I think what the film shows regarding when McCaffrey's not in is that they're limited in what they can do as far as the motions and the shifts and the formation variation. This is a very schemed up offense. When McCaffrey and Samuel are in the game together, they do a lot of things in terms of movement pre snap, in terms of formations, things that cause a lot of questions for defense is how they want to handle it and when he's not in. Even though Jordan Mason ran well for the first part of the season and gain yards maybe with second or third in the league and rushing, they can't do the same things in terms of the movement and the formation variation simply because McCaffrey is so good as a receiver and that's the other element to his game and it also allows Samuel to become a much better player. Samuel's not the same player because McCaffrey's not there because Samuel is a pure receiver. Colin and I think you would agree, you would not talk about Samuel the way you talk about Justin Jefferson or Jamar Chase. He's not that kind of player. No, he's a schemed up player and they can't do the scheming that allows them to be what they are.
Greg Cosell
I'm really interested on this next reply by you. So in the last three games, we know we both like Bo Nicks out of college and we both think Sean Payton's very smart. But in the last three games, they're averaging 36 a game. What is he giving him more to do? I'll tell you what, that seventh round Utah receiver they got, that kid can play, some of this is just their receiving cores may be a little tastier than people thought. What is the Bo Nicks Peyton relationship? What is the film saying over the last month?
Jack Plume Thomas
Well, you know, it's funny you asked me that because I think that the way he calls a game in certain situations, Sean Payton, that is, tells you everything you need to know about what he feels about Bo Nicks. Think about what he did with two third quarter plays from deep in their own territory out of the end zone, third and 11 and he throws the seam ball to Mims for a touchdown. And then second and long on, I think it might have been the next possession he throws. I think that's what we're looking at now, this boot pass to Sutton that tells you all you need to know the confidence that Peyton has in his ability not only to make the throws but to make the right decisions. Because if you make the wrong decision in your end zone, you've got a problem. And by the way, both of those throws came against a coverage we call cover two. Invert where they're playing cover two, but they get to it a different way. But the thing that really stands out about Nix is he's driving the ball. And I don't think we thought when he came out of Oregon that he'd necessarily be that kind of power thrower. You're certainly not going to say he's Matthew Stafford, but he's made drive throws with velocity. He made a far hash sideline throw this week. He's made these kinds of throws. A couple of weeks ago we showed a play, a window throw between the numbers, between the hashes. He has really shown the ability to drive the football at the intermediate and intermediate and deeper levels. And I'm not sure we all thought that would be the case.
Greg Cosell
So Lamar against the NFC is unbeatable. And then all of a sudden against Philadelphia, he was very beatable. Is it schemes, is it personnel? But Philadelphia did. And not only does Lamar beat NFC teams, Greg, he often humiliates them. It's like they've never, they've never seen anything like it blew out the Lions last year. What did Philadelphia do?
Jack Plume Thomas
Well, you know, it's interesting because, and I never question coaches because they know way more than I do and they know their teams better than I do, obviously. I mean, I sit in my office and watch tape, but I'm not there all week during the process. So what really struck me was 64% of Derrick Henry's runs prior to the Eagles game this year had come out of either 21 or 22 personnel, meaning that Patrick Ricard was on the field. Okay. And the Eagles, they have really evolved into being a purely nickel defense about 90% of their defensive snaps since Cooper DeJean started playing. But surprisingly to me, they did not play anywhere near as much out of 21 and 22 personnel. The Ravens, that is, as they had prior to that game. So when they lined up in 12 personnel with likely and Andrews, the Eagles stayed in their nickel and therefore to me, they kind of played into the Eagles hands. I thought that they would make the Eagles play in a way that they didn't really want to and they didn't really do that, in my opinion anyway. So I'm sure Todd Monkin would have a different answer, but I just don't think they played, in a sense, Ravens football and they allowed the Eagles to dictate the game on the defensive side of the ball.
Greg Cosell
So I'm going to throw. You may be surprised by this, but I've told everybody to take a deep breath and get away from the record with Caleb Williams. Don't look at 4, 8, because they've lost the Vikings, Lions and Packers. You flip those and all of a sudden they're seven and five and those are like last play of the game and the Hail Mary. It's not his fault. He has more 100 plus passer rating games than Mahomes, better completion percentage than Trevor Lawrence, averaging more yards passing a game than Justin Herbert and Kyler Murray, and the same number of touchdown passes as Jalen Hurts. And that's with his second play caller, a dysfunctional head coach and an organization that can't develop quarterbacks. So my take is, folks, get away from the record. Something's working here. Is that what you see with Caleb?
Jack Plume Thomas
Yeah, he's played a lot better. You know, we talked earlier in the year that even basic concepts he was struggling with, he just couldn't deliver the football. And now he is. And I mean, he's really gifted. Colin, you know you're close with usc. You've seen him for the two years he was the starter there and the ball comes out beautifully. He's clearly, and this is not an X and O point, but you can just see body language. He's more decisive. The ball's coming out now. It's a coach's job to nitpick. So there are a couple of things that the film shows that he absolutely needs to work on to even get better. He has a tendency to climb or step up in the pocket when there's no pressure on him. So he creates some of his own pressure by doing that, that he needs to work on. The other thing that he's getting better at, and this is good, is he used to leave the pocket by retreating backwards. You can't do that in the NFL. Maybe only Lamar Jackson can do that, but you can't do that. No one would teach you to retreat backwards. But he's throwing beautiful balls now. And what I really like is the innate mindset that he has to drive the ball into tight windows in the middle of the field. I'm not sure you can teach that. And he has shown the innate ability to do that.
Greg Cosell
So this next question. It's funny because for years and years I would say, Greg, you are wrong. Russell Wilson is amazing. And you were the only guy that would go. You'd go, I can't quite figure it out. It's almost like they're planned ad libs. I can't get my arms around him. But it's interesting. If you take out the Nat Hackett year, go to his last five in Seattle, go to this one in Pittsburgh and the Peyton year, his passer ratings around 100. He doesn't turn the ball over a lot. I feel like. Nope, in Pittsburgh, they didn't need a savior, they just needed an adult. And he. Have you changed your opinion? Do you look at him now and go, actually, this fits perfectly well.
Jack Plume Thomas
I think he's playing really well. And I'm sure when you think back to since he became a starter, there have not been many plays outside of structure. He's playing from the pocket at a really high level and they're giving him a lot of no huddle and he's making a lot of the right checks and the right play calls. They play a lot out of two tight ends and three tight ends. And that really helps a quarterback pre snap because you know what? The defense is going to give you more when they're in their base defense than they are when they're in their nickel or dime. And he's making really, really good throws. He's seeing things clearly. He's understanding what he's looking at and he's delivering the football. He's playing right now at a really, really high level.
Greg Cosell
That's great. Yeah. And you know, it's funny, I've always thought that savior tag is a bunch of nonsense. Stafford didn't save the Rams. You know, they were already. They went to a Super bowl and Brady actually didn't save Tampa. They, they were a 500 team with 30 picks from Jameis. They had all sorts of talent. I think when you get into savior air, into the jets, rustled the Broncos. When you get into savior territory, that's trouble. And Russell, isn't that in Pittsburgh because it's a very well run organization. Now, speaking of older quarterbacks, there was a pick last week by Kirk Cousins and I love Kirk, but I thought, oh my God, it looked like a major league baseball pitcher thrown at 83 mile an hour fastball. So OFers, zero touchdowns, six picks in his last three games. Is it possible? What does the film say, Greg? Is it time for Michael Penix?
Jack Plume Thomas
Yeah, you know, and I'm being totally honest, Colin, you know, I don't make this stuff up. Obviously I don't have a great answer. I mean he is. It's been so uncharacteristic of Kirk Cousins because. Say what you want. I know there are a lot of people that may not like him because he hasn't gotten to a championship game or a Super bowl, but over the last five, six, seven years, he's been absolutely one of the best pure pocket passers in the NFL. That's his game. And he is making uncharacteristic reads and throws and I don't know why, but they're really not good, some of these. And it's obviously been very noticeable the last three games. Some of the throws he made against the Chargers this past week, I mean, I was just scratching my head. He never does that. So I don't know what the answer is. Look, they're still in it. I'd be surprised if they go to Michael Penck at this point. I think the belief would be that Kirk Cousins and they've got a tough game this week, by the way, but I think the belief would be that Kirk Cousins can snap out of this and come back to being Kirk Cousins. And again, not being in the building and not knowing what they do, I'm struggling to figure out why Kyle Pitts is not a meaningful part of the pass game. Yeah, I saw he had two targets last week and no catches.
Greg Cosell
I don't get that either at all. Okay, before we go to your play of the week, which I can't wait for Packers Lions tonight. You know, Jordan Love's doing what he did last year. He's rocky in September and October, and then he catches fire. And so Jordan Love, like he was at the end of last year, he's on a heater again and he's going to Detroit. All of a sudden, Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love are clicking on these young receivers. What interests you? What matchup tonight are you interested in?
Jack Plume Thomas
Well, I think, you know, we always talk about the Lions offense. I think their defense really needs to be talked about. Aaron Glenn is patching together a defense that's lost really key players, and yet he stayed aggressive. They blitz a lot. They play man coverage. I think you could easily make the argument that they have the best safety duo in the NFL in Brian Branch and Kirby Joseph. I mean, Joseph has seven picks. I'm not sure anybody is aware of that. And Branch, he gives them tremendous flexibility. Collin, because Branch can line up and play man to man against wide receivers because he was a slot corner for them last year as a rookie. So he gives them tremendous flexibility and versatility in their coverage schemes. They can stay with the personnel they want to stay with because he can do that. So it's really their defense against Love tonight that probably to me is a fascinating tactical matchup.
Greg Cosell
So I thought one of the really interesting games. And Arizona has been in a lot of these because I really like their offensive personnel. McBride, Harrison's got seven touchdowns. Say what you want, he's inconsistent. Kyler, the running back, Connor, Minnesota. Arizona was fascinating because I thought Minnesota looked a little cooked. And then all of a sudden, here comes Sam Darnold with a drive down the field. He again. This year we get a lot less reckless and a lot more precision passing, especially in big spots. What did you make of Darnold's play against Arizona?
Jack Plume Thomas
Yeah, I mean, at halftime, if you looked on social media, you would have thought it was time for them to, you know, to whip out Joe Cap, you know, after the first half. But. And then of course, the second half, he came out and made some really good throws. I mean, this is, you know, in many ways, like the Lions, like the Rams, it's such a well skilled passing game. The spacing and the routes is really good. It really presents clean, defined reads for him. So the throws are evident and it's just really a matter of time in any game as long as he has time in the pocket. But he's also shown, as, you know, he's a good athlete, but it's not running out of the pocket that I'm talking about, it's moving within the pocket and I think he's doing that this year better than he ever has. And actually that's a part of the big play, because the big play I want to show came from the winning touchdown drive last week against the Cardinals, who, by the way, are a difficult defense to play against. Not a lot of talent, but Jonathan Gannon does an unbelievable job with schematics in his defense. So let's go to this play. It was a play to Jordan Addison for 26 yards and as I said, it was on the final drive and it really set everything up. And I think we want to start with the fact number one, which you don't see a lot in that Sam Darnold is under center and they play under center an awful lot and run regular play action and it's a three by one set. So now we're going to get to the route concept, which is a very staple concept for them. It's what we call dagger. So you're going to get an inside vertical by Naylor and Addison. He's going to run the dig route underneath that. So that's what Dagger is. It's an inside vertical and a dig route underneath that vertical. Now what the cards are going to end up playing here, even though it doesn't look like it now, and that's another part of this play is they're going to end up playing cover three. So what's cover three? It's three deep with four underneath defenders. That's what cover three is. And this is kind of base cover three. So as we focus on the two receivers as we start the play, you're going to see exactly how this plays out. You're going to see Naylor, he's going to run the inside vertical route. What that does is it attacks the safety who's got the deep middle third. Okay, so that lifts the safety and then you're going to have Addison and he's going to run, as we said, that in breaking route underneath Naylor. Now what Darnold has to do here is he's got to beat that underneath hook defender with his throw. And this has to be a big time anticipation and, and timing throw. And there's the void that he needs to hit. It's actually going to be inside that underneath hook defender, not outside of him. And he throws the ball really early and sticks it right on him. This is not an easy throw. Now we're going to see this from a different angle because I think it's really, really important to see this second angle. So if we can take a look at that, it would be really good. Yep. So right now we're going to see this. There's Darnold. Now he's going to get pressured here and this is what I was talking about, Colin. He's going to get pressure. So he has to move and he has to move while he keeps his eyes downfield. He can't lose sight of the coverage. So what he does is he climbs the pocket. He moves very comfortably, resets his throwing platform. He's now ready to deliver. There is that underneath defender that he has to beat. Look at when he delivers this ball. He delivers this ball when Addison is literally on the numbers and he's going to throw it between the hashes. This is big time NFL quarterback.
Greg Cosell
Yeah.
Jack Plume Thomas
And these are the kinds of throws that you have to be able to make in the NFL, particularly against defenses that play a lot of zone.
Greg Cosell
Great stuff. Greg Cosell, 45 years, NFL Films. As always, Greg, appreciate it.
Jack Plume Thomas
Thanks, Colin.
Greg Cosell
The gap in coaching in the NFL is as large as the gap in quarterbacking. Like when you watch how easily defined that play is for our radio audience. Basically, Sam goes back and everybody's moving. There's a symmetry. Everybody's kind of moving in the same direction. There's an underneath, there's a middle, there's an over the top. Sometimes you watch coaching in this league, it's like it's not a coincidence that Sean Payton and Kevin O'Connell, Kevin OConnell took Josh Dobbs without a practice and won a game. Remember that? Remember he made a trade for Josh Dobbs, didn't have a practice. McVeigh and Baker like the gap between the best and the and the average coaches. Like right now, the jets staff is a mess. They had one great coach, Salah fired him. I mean, their defense, straight downhill. We all know there's a gap in quarterback play, but the gap in general managers, owners, I mean, Stan Kroenke and Robert Kraft to the circus in Chicago. It's as big as Mahomes and Desmond Ritter and just you don't see it. Nothing against, you know, the kid, but it's like you watch some of this stuff. The gap in coaching is the Grand Canyon here. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.
Colin Cowherd
Apple card is the perfect card for your holiday shopping. You can apply on your iPhone in minutes and start using it right away. You'll earn up to 3% daily cash back on every purchase, including products at Apple like a new iPhone 16 or Apple Watch Ultra. Start holiday shopping for your friends and family today with Apple Card subject to credit approval. Apple Card issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, Salt Lake City branch terms and more at applecard.com Jon Stewart is back.
Jon Stewart
At the Daily show, and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondents and contributors, and with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Greg Cosell
The forces shaping markets and the economy are often hiding behind a blur of numbers.
Colin Cowherd
So that's why we created the Big Take from Bloomberg Podcasts to give you the context you need to make sense of it all.
Greg Cosell
Every day in just 15 minutes, we dive into one global business story that matters.
Colin Cowherd
You'll hear from Bloomberg journalists like Matt Levine.
Greg Cosell
A lot of this meme stock stuff is, I think, embarrassing to the Sec.
Colin Cowherd
Amanda Mull, who writes our BusinessWeek Buying Power column.
Greg Cosell
Very few companies who go viral are like, totally prepared for what that means.
Colin Cowherd
And Zoe Tillman, Senior legal Reporter Courts are not supposed to decide elections. Courts are not really supposed to play a big role in choosing our elected leaders. It's for the voters to decide.
Greg Cosell
Follow the Big Take podcast on the iHeartRadio radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
Questlove
Good people, what's up? It's Questo Questlove and Team supreme and I have been working hard to bring you some incredible episodes of Quest Love supreme with guests you definitely don't want to miss. Now, one of the things I love about this questlove supreme podcast is we got something for everybody, every type of music lover. We enjoy speaking to the people who are the face of some movements and some people you've seen on stage or TV or magazine covers. But we also love speaking to the folks who were making it happen behind the scenes and they paved the way for those that followed. You know, keystones to the culture. This season we've had some amazing one on one conversation like I'm PayPal chatting up with hitmaker Sam Holland, Sugar Steve chatting with the legend Nick Lowe. And I've had pleasures of doing one on one conversations with Willow Sonata, Maitreya, Kathleen, Hannah and the rza. These are conversations you won't hear anywhere else, so make sure you go back and you check those episodes out. All right? Listen to Questlove supreme on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.
Colin Cowherd
Experiencing the news each day can feel like a journey with up first from NPR, though it doesn't have to be. Welcome to 15 Easy Minutes of breaking news, clarity on international and national affairs, and a casual tone that you can take in with breakfast. Begin your day informed, ready and refreshed. Begin your day with Up first. Subscribe to Up first from NPR on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Greg Cosell
It is time to start thinking about holiday gifts. Headphones are the perfect gift. Podcast lover, student music lover. Go to jlab.com find the blue box at retailers J Mac with the News no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline news, and we.
Jason McIntyre
Haven'T talked as much about Brock Purdy this season because the Niners have struggled. Not his fault. He's been fine. Yeah, didn't play great in the snow, but who does? They're five and seven. And the big decision this off season is whether to extend Brock Purdy. He has one year left on his rookie deal. The question isn't really whether or not to.
Greg Cosell
It's how much do you pay him, by the way? The question is, why would you have to pay him now? This idea that he's going to hold the Niners hostage. He doesn't have a huge market. Little guy hurt twice. What's the market for?
Jason McIntyre
Listen, this is why you love this story. One NFL writer believes the 49ers don't need to rush into an extension, saying it isn't essential to their 2024 offseason. Yeah, boy, if I was Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch, I sure as hell would want a writer saying that. Wouldn't you put that out there for everybody? We're not rushing into anything.
Greg Cosell
Why would you have to?
Jason McIntyre
Because you don't want to send it. You don't want to.
Greg Cosell
He's not Justin Herbert. What happens if smallish Brock Purdy has his third injury in Week 6 next year and you're tied to him for.
Jason McIntyre
This with Jordan Love in the off season?
Greg Cosell
Jordan Love is a much better talent.
Jason McIntyre
You said you would. You didn't want to pay.
Greg Cosell
I said I'd like to see six more games. I've seen enough of Brock Purdy. He's a B level talent.
Jason McIntyre
That's not how it works. That is not how it works.
Greg Cosell
It is because you're not going into.
Jason McIntyre
A lame duck season.
Greg Cosell
You are with average B quarterbacks. You're not with Josh Allen average.
Jason McIntyre
The numbers say he's not average at all.
Greg Cosell
Numbers say a lot. He is an average BB quarterback. Well, it's funny how when Trent Williams gets old and Kittle's broken down, his numbers come down, his wins disappear. It's funny how it works.
Jason McIntyre
McCaffrey misses like nine games.
Greg Cosell
Barely plays Lamar Jackson's winning MVPs before Derrick Henry got there. He's not reliant on a running back.
Jason McIntyre
Oh my. What does he want in the postseason? Lamar does not have postseason.
Greg Cosell
Postseason than Brock Purdy. Forget postseason. Can Brock Purdy carry an average roster? No, is the answer. I don't.
Jason McIntyre
This could be the end of us, this discussion. I mean, you're sounding unreasonable. You. You're telling me you would say to Brock Purdy with a straight face, hey man, we can't pay you. We need to see some more. So go into your lame duck season. If you have another shoulder injury, you're screwed.
Greg Cosell
Your future. I would say, Brock, play through your contract. We'll talk at the end of the year. Oh, my end of the conversation.
Jason McIntyre
That is not how it works, guys. It's.
Greg Cosell
I think that is how it works. It's not how it works with Josh Allen, Irma Holmes or Lamar, who's an MVP the first full year he starts. You know, it's like different for different people in the NBA. You know, there's LeBron had rules and the MJ rules and the Kobe rules. You know, who doesn't have those Dalton connects? Not gonna get those rules.
Jason McIntyre
He holds out and he's not holding out.
Greg Cosell
It's not how he's built. Not holding out.
Jason McIntyre
So he's just gonna fall in line and listen to these guys?
Greg Cosell
Yeah. No money gave him a chance to drive a Mercedes for a few years.
Jason McIntyre
He drove a Mercedes to the Super bowl with comeback wins against the packers and Lions and the playoffs, the loaded roster couldn't get them anywhere. Brock Purdy had fourth quarter comebacks.
Greg Cosell
Garoppolo got him to the Super Bowl.
Jason McIntyre
He did. Also. He lost the game as well.
Greg Cosell
How'd he do when he left San Francisco? How'd Garoppolo do when he left Kyle Shanahan? How'd that go?
Jason McIntyre
What do you have against under six foot two quarterbacks?
Greg Cosell
I like over six, two quarterbacks. Nothing against him. I'm just for the other guys. Yes.
Jason McIntyre
I was going to make Another joke, but nevertheless. Fine, fine. You lose that round, we'll move on. Stick it in the NFC West. The Rams host the Bills Sunday. This is a big one, Colin. Rams are a game back of Seattle, first in the division.
Greg Cosell
Don't like the Rams in this spot.
Jason McIntyre
Stafford has been dealing with an ankle injury. I think he got stepped on, maybe. I'm not exactly sure. Maybe it was a rollout. But he suffered against the Saints. I remember I was nervous. But he was a full participant in practice yesterday and he says he'll be good to go. So this line opened at 5 early in the week. As soon as Stafford cleared practice. All good. It went down to three and a half. You and I know there's a lot of Buffalo fans out here. So far it's going to be 65, 35 Bills fans.
Greg Cosell
And Buffalo is one of my favorite sides of the week, even though the number is dropping. Well, I think again at 5, you just take Stafford at home, but I think you get closer to three. And I like Buffalo, so we know.
Jason McIntyre
Buffalo loves to do what Colin? Offensively?
Greg Cosell
Well, I mean, they'll run the football team. They'd like to.
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, okay. The Philadelphia Eagles like to run the football. How did that work out for the Eagles at so far? They ran for what, 300 yards. Saquon Barkley had a career game. What, are the Rams suddenly gonna stop the run defense? Are they just gonna bottle up Cook and Josh Allen? I mean, we saw the Saints were having success. Do you know when that game turned? When Taysom Hill left the game?
Greg Cosell
Yep.
Jason McIntyre
The running guy. I don't. I don't see what folks are seeing here. I'm with you. I think the Bills at the side.
Greg Cosell
Yeah, I really like him. I also think you get to this part in the season and the really good teams focus and the teams that are banged up and less talented like Buffalo can have injuries and still blow people out. As you get later in the season, you have more injuries. Those teams that the margins are closer like the Rams, who are another draft away from being a Buffalo level team. So I think what happened is everybody suffers injuries. The really good rosters can handle it. Dallas can't.
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, Dallas two.
Greg Cosell
Top, right, Right. Dallas. The Rams can't.
Jason McIntyre
I got a guy looking into some. I don't know if there's anything to it, but late in the season, cross country trips after big wins.
Greg Cosell
Oh, what's that? What's the split?
Jason McIntyre
He's looking into it. I got a guy who's digging into that. And east to west after beating The Raven or the 49ers on blowout. I think just historically this is a spot, you know, the spot says Rams.
Greg Cosell
All right, maybe it does. My eyes say Bills.
Jason McIntyre
Your eyes say otherwise. All right, final story, Colin, is to the NBA. Let's go back to the Lakers. I think you want to pile on some more. Lakers started 10 and four. They are kind of sort of cratering. They've lost six of eight. The worst part is they're getting blasted. These aren't close games. The average margin of victory in defeat is 21 points per loss. Last night they got obliterated by the Heat by 41. The third worst loss of LeBron's career. Now earlier this week on Speak, Paul Pierce said he believes this could be LeBron's final season.
Questlove
This could be LeBron James last year in the NBA. Because think about this, what does LeBron have to play for? He's won championships on every team he's played on. He's the all time leading scorer. And then to top it off, to top it off, he got his son that he got to play with, which no NBA player has, has ever done. It's like what else do we gotta, Brian, what else you gotta accomplish?
Greg Cosell
I don't think he's necessarily wrong. I think LeBron's got too much pride. I think Brady had this and I think LeBron shooting slump. LeBron can see it, he can feel it. He just there. He'll have great moments. But I think this is the first time I've watched LeBron and thought he's out of the top 10 as a player. And I remember those MJ years. He would drop 42 and the next night have 16 and look awful.
Jason McIntyre
I need to see your top 10, but that's a reasonable take. I know you don't want to hear this, but they really miss. Austin Reaves, he creates, he shoots, he defends. Dalton connect. As soon as Austin Reaves left the lineup and Delta connects falling off a map, they can't find him. I will say to Defend Pierce here, LeBron doesn't have anything left to prove. And he has said he's not going to be hanging on the way Peyton Manning did. Remember, Peyton Manning got benched in his final year in Denver. I do wonder, is LeBron the kind of guy who would want that final season tour where every stop.
Greg Cosell
No, I think it feels like to me this could be. This team has no chance to win.
Jason McIntyre
But remember when Kobe it was his final year. Like everybody knew there was like a big to do at every stop. Would LeBron want that?
Greg Cosell
I think LeBron could announce it at the trade deadline.
Jason McIntyre
All Star this is my final season.
Greg Cosell
This is going to be it. If he has another six weeks where it's choppy, this is going to be it.
Jason McIntyre
I mean, he carried the league for two decades, made a lot of players millions of dollars.
Greg Cosell
Oh yeah. I mean, Tiger woods to the PGA Tour. He made a lot of guys rich.
Jason McIntyre
Maybe LeBron will get into politics or something.
Greg Cosell
I don't know what he's kidding.
Jason McIntyre
I had to cowherd.
Greg Cosell
Come on J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the Herd Lie news. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app Jon Stewart is back.
Jon Stewart
At the Daily show, and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondents and contributors, and with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Greg Cosell
The forces shaping markets and the economy are often hiding behind a blur of numbers.
Colin Cowherd
So that's why we created the Big Take from Bloomberg Podcasts to give you the context you need to make sense of it all.
Greg Cosell
Every day in just 15 minutes, we dive into one global business story that matters.
Colin Cowherd
You'll hear from Bloomberg journalists like Matt Levine.
Greg Cosell
A lot of this meme stock stuff is, I think, embarrassing to the Sec.
Colin Cowherd
Amanda Mull, who writes our BusinessWeek Buying Power column.
Greg Cosell
Very few companies who go viral are, like, totally prepared for what that means.
Colin Cowherd
And Zoe Tillman, senior legal Reporter Courts are not supposed to decide elections. Courts are not really supposed to play a big role in choosing our elected leaders. That's for voters to decide.
Greg Cosell
Follow the Big Take podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen.
Questlove
Good people, what's up? It's Questo Questlove and Team supreme and I have been working hard to bring you some incredible episodes of Questlove supreme, with guests you definitely don't want to miss. Now, one of the things I love about this Questlove supreme podcast is we got something for everybody. Every type of music lovers. We enjoy speaking to the people who were the face of some movements and some people you've seen on stage or TV or magazine covers. But we also love speaking to the folks who are making it happen behind the scenes and they paved the way for those that followed. You know, keystones to the culture. This season we've had some amazing one on one conversations like Unpay Pill chatting up with hitmaker Sam Holland, Sugar Steve chatting with the legend Nick Low, and I've had pleasures of doing one on one conversations with Willow Sonata, Maitreya, Kathleen Hanna and the rza. These are conversations you won't hear anywhere else, so make sure you go back and you check those episodes out. All right? Listen to Questlove supreme on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.
Colin Cowherd
Experiencing the news each day can feel like a journey with up first from NPR, though it doesn't have welcome to 15 easy minutes of breaking news, clarity on international and national affairs, and a casual tone that you can take in with breakfast. Begin your day informed, ready and refreshed. Begin your day with Up first. Subscribe to Up first from NPR on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts.
Greg Cosell
Hey everyone, I'm Madison Packer, a pro.
Jason McIntyre
Hockey veteran going on my 10th season in New York.
Greg Cosell
And I'm Anya Packer, a former pro hockey player and now a full Madison Packers Stan. Anya and I met through hockey and now we're married and moms to two awesome toddlers. And on our new podcast, Moms who Puck, we're opening up about the chaos of our daily lives between the juggle of being athletes, raising children and all the messiness in between. We're also turning to fellow athletes and.
Jason McIntyre
Beyond to learn about their parenthood journeys.
Greg Cosell
And collect valuable advice like FIFA World cup winner Ashlyn Harris.
Colin Cowherd
I wish my village would have prepared me for how hard motherhood was going.
Greg Cosell
To be and peloton instructor and ratchet mom club founder Kirsten Ferguson.
Colin Cowherd
And I remember going in there a hot mess.
Greg Cosell
So listen to Moms who Puck, a production of I Heart Women's Sports and Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts presented by Capital One.
Colin Cowherd
Founding partner of iHeart Women's Sports Sunday.
Jason McIntyre
A huge doubleheader on Fox starts as the Panthers take on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles or other regional action. Then in America's Game of the Week, Josh Allen and the Bills take on Stafford and the Rams or Bears Diners. Check local listings for the games in your area only on Fox.
Greg Cosell
Well, it's one of Our final times of doing big bets. Maybe not. Maybe we'll do it during the playoff. Here we go. It's Thursday. Big bets, bets. It's time for big bets. Colin and JMac make their favorite Big Ten bets of the week. All right, I like Oregon minus three and a half over Penn State. They're humming. I think they're the best team in the country. Remember, they defend the tight end better than any team in America. Have not allowed a touchdown to a tight end all season. And Ty Warren is Penn State's primary weapon. The quarterback for Penn State, Drew Aller has not been great against ranked opponents. I think Oregon's got a arguable head coaching quarterback and perimeter speed advantage. Oregon's also been a better big game team. I'll take the Ducks to win by over three and a half points. I think there's a clear argument that Texas and Oregon are the best teams in the country after we watched Ohio State last weekend. Darn it.
Jason McIntyre
You beat me last week head to head and I want to go back against. So I'm going Penn State now. I don't understand this line. We've talked about this. Why is it only three and a half? Penn State has not been overly impressive this season. Right. Well, I think two factors come into play. So if you're an Oregon Ducks fan, Right. Are you traveling to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship or are you like, oh, we could be going to the Natty. We need to save up for the semifinal. I think there'll be a big Penn State crowd advantage at the Dome, closer proximity to Happy Valley. And I think James Franklin needs this game. I think he's 011 against top five opponents. Yeah, I think this is Penn State max effort. I think they cover. I don't know if they win, but I think this is gonna be very, very close. I would not be surprised if Oregon was like, ooh, are they really number one? They don't need this game, Colin. They've had an amazing season. So I'll go Penn State plus three and a half.
Greg Cosell
That's a pretty good argument. I'm gonna take the over on Georgia. Texas. So Georgia came out of an eight overtime game. They're banged up and they're exhausted. If you go eight overtimes, it's the defense that'll suffer. And Texas came off a clunky offensive performance. Quinn Ewers and Carson Beck are both good enough. They're the top two SEC quarterbacks in passing touchdowns per game this year. So you have potentially high powered offenses. One, Texas has something to prove after a clunky performance. And I just think Georgia's defense, by the way, Georgia's defense is allowed 200 plus yards rushing in back to back games. They look tired. They look like the gauntlet has worn on them. The offense not as good. They're on the field more. Georgia Tech, I mean, at different times in that game ran right at Georgia. I think this is over 49 and a half points. Yeah.
Jason McIntyre
One thing that's tough to anticipate with this new College Football Playoff is like, how much do teams care about certain games? Did Georgia look disinterested against Georgia Tech? It was like 17, nothing. I'm like, what's going on? And I just can't get over the earlier meeting, how much Georgia dominated the trenches. I mean, yours was under duress at one point. Remember, they pulled him for arch. He was just getting annihilated. I think Georgia is just too strong in the trenches. So I'm taking the points. If you can get Georgia getting three, I think you got to do it. I like Texas a lot. I don't think this matchup is good for the Longhorn Zone.
Greg Cosell
Okay, I'm going to take the under 57 points on Clemson and SMU, mostly because they're arguably the two best defenses in the ACC. I don't think either team's great, but SMU allows 19 a game and Clemson allows about 21. And Clemson's coming off another game where their offense struggled against South Carolina for the last five games. Clemson can't move the ball very well. They've under 25 points. And again, I think these are two pretty average teams. Not a ton of great playmakers. And I think it's just going to be kind of low and ugly. And under 57 points, kind of a 24, 23, 27, 24 game.
Jason McIntyre
Ugly kind of lines up for this conference. I'm going to rock with SMU here favored by 2. I have not watched a ton of them this year, but the numbers say SMU's hella good. I haven't seen it, but this Dabo Sweeney situation in Clemson, very interesting. There's a lot of people. You know how they're out on Ryan Day at Ohio State. Yeah, a lot of guys out on Davos, Winnie.
Greg Cosell
Well, he won't use the transfer portal. He is very much stuck in his way.
Jason McIntyre
Loses his game, doesn't make the playoffs. I wonder what that offseason's like.
Greg Cosell
Well, they're not going to fire.
Jason McIntyre
I don't think they will. But what if he's ticked off enough that he starts looking at like, you don't respect me for what I've done for this universe.
Greg Cosell
Yeah, but he.
Jason McIntyre
I'm going to look around.
Greg Cosell
The only place he'd go is Bama and they have Kalen deboard. Kalen's not leaving. Kalen's going to win a Natty at Alabama. Just give him time.
Jason McIntyre
I'll lay it with SMU here as the. As the pro gamblers say, bet it and forget it. I'm probably not going to watch this game. I got a big Saturday night plan. But yeah, that's.
Greg Cosell
I don't know.
Jason McIntyre
It's been a good season for us.
Greg Cosell
No, that's. That's fun. I like doing this. It's fun. Okay. You know, we were talking about this last hour. I always considered, you know, there's a group of coaches I always thought didn't have a Natty, but I think are good enough to get one. And I. That's Brian Kelly, Sark, lane, Kiffin, Kaylin DeBoer, Dan Lanning, I think Josh Hypel at Tennessee. I always had Ryan Day in that group. But new information. I watched the Michigan game and I'm like, wow, that was a clunker. With much better personnel. They scored 10 points against Michigan. And Ryan Day's an offensive quarterback coach. And so yesterday they're still talking about it. Here's Ryan Day on the loss to the Wolverines. As much as this hurts, you know, we got a chance to go play for a national championship. And so I think the culture is strong as it's ever been. I think we have great players. I think we have great coaches. It was a bad day, and so now we have to go forward and we got it, you know, and the mindset is going to win the whole thing now. So I'll make the argument that the best team I've seen is Texas and 1A is Oregon. If you ask me, the two other teams that I think can win a Natty, it's Tennessee and Ohio State. Now, I picked Tennessee to win the national championship. I didn't look very smart middle of the season, but I have Tennessee as my national champion. And if I win, I'll be unbearable, completely unbearable to deal with. But I think. I think Oregon and Texas look like the two best teams I've seen. I think Oregon, speed, Texas size and speed. Those are the two best teams. Two excellent coaches. But I think Tennessee and Ohio State are just a field goal below them. So I don't think the sky is falling. I know there's a lot of pride. But I kind of like the only thing I don't like about Ohio State in the current playoff format and it could change. They play Tennessee now. They play them at home. But I think Tennessee's I think everybody in this is capable. I think Tennessee is the team nobody thinks going to win a Natty. Like I don't think Alabama can win a Natty. I just think they're way too inconsistent, especially on offense. But Indiana is not going to win one. I mean, who knows Notre Dame? Who knows Penn State? Who knows? You know, I kind of like you taking Penn State and the points against Oregon. That's pretty shifty.
Jason McIntyre
Remember I convinced you last week to switch to usc and they were close to covering and then the quarterback threw two 90 plus yard pick sixes in the final four.
Greg Cosell
Zach's actually bad advice. This podcast is sponsored by PayPal. Now here's the kicker. The PayPal debit card earns you 5% cash back in a monthly category of your Choice. Up to $1,000 of monthly purchases. So groceries, health and beauty, gas apparel restaurants. On top of that, you can get cash back offers within the app from brands like Doordash, Instacart, Sephora. This month, it's all about that apparel. I got a crazy schedule. I shop online a lot. Snag a suit here, there's fresh gear. 5% cash back adds up fast and signing up is easy. Just Download the new PayPal app to sign up and you're ready to start earning cash back on your everyday purchases. Pay Smart. Earn Cash Back. Enjoy peace of mind with a PayPal debit card. Don't just pay PayPal terms apply. See PayPal app cash back earned as points you can redeem for cash and other options. This card, issued by the Bancorp and a person went to license by MasterCard.
Colin Cowherd
International Inc. As we gather together during this holiday season, let me share a gift that keeps on giving. Chase Freedom With Chase Freedom Unlimited, you'll not only experience the joy of 1.5% unlimited cash back, but also the freedom to create cherished memories with your loved ones. Discover the magic and learn more@chasefreedom.com and let this season be filled with love, laughter and the delight of extra cash in your pocket.
Jason McIntyre
Issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA.
Greg Cosell
Member FDIC.
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart is back at the Daily show and he's bringing his signature wit and insight straight to your ears with the Daily Show Ears Edition podcast. Dive into John's unique take on the biggest topics in politics, entertainment, sports and more. Joined by the sharp voices of the show's correspondents and contributors, and with extended interviews and exclusive weekly headline roundups, this podcast gives you content you won't find anywhere else. Ready to laugh and stay informed? Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Greg Cosell
Hey, I'm Jack Please Thomas, the host of a brand new Black Effect original series, Black lit, the podcast for diving deep into the rich world of black literature. Black lit is for the page turners, for those who listen to audiobooks while running errands or at the end of a busy day.
Colin Cowherd
From thought provoking novels to powerful poetry.
Greg Cosell
We'Ll explore the stories that shape our culture. Listen to Blacklit on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. ATT Connecting changes everything. The forces shaping markets and the economy are often hiding behind a blur of numbers.
Colin Cowherd
So that's why we created Big Take from Bloomberg Podcasts to give you the context you need to make sense of it all.
Greg Cosell
Every day in just 15 minutes, we dive into one global business story that matters.
Colin Cowherd
You'll hear from Bloomberg journalists like Matt Levine.
Greg Cosell
A lot of this meme stock stuff is, I think, embarrassing to the SEC. Follow the Big Take podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 2 Featuring Greg Cosell
Episode Details:
a. Evaluating C.J. Stroud vs. Bryce Young
Greg Cosell delves into the evolving quarterback dynamics within the NFL, particularly focusing on C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young. He emphasizes the increasing hit rate for first-round quarterbacks, attributing this improvement to better offensive coaching and more comprehensive quarterback development programs.
Greg Cosell [05:14]: "The hit rate for quarterbacks is going up. It used to be a 50/50 proposition in the first round. It's much better than that now."
Cosell compares Stroud's potential to that of seasoned quarterbacks who have shown resilience and adaptability, suggesting that Stroud is poised to become a solid franchise quarterback.
Greg Cosell [06:00]: "I think C.J. Stroud is better than Bryce Young. The offensive coaching is better, which is going to increase the hit rate on quarterbacks making it."
b. The Impact of Coaching on Quarterback Success
The discussion highlights how offensive coaching innovations are revitalizing quarterbacks who previously struggled, such as Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, positioning them as valuable assets in their new teams.
Greg Cosell [06:21]: "Geno Smith, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold—guys get reborn now when they get better offensive coaches."
a. The San Francisco 49ers and Christian McCaffrey
Cosell analyzes the synergy between the San Francisco 49ers and running back Christian McCaffrey, noting how his presence significantly enhances the team's offensive schemes. He points out that Coach Kyle Shanahan’s strategies become less effective without McCaffrey on the field, underscoring his pivotal role.
Greg Cosell [07:16]: "McCaffrey is a sensational all-time talent. What is remarkable is that Kyle Shanahan has a losing record without him."
b. The Baltimore Ravens vs. Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Strategies
Greg and co-host Jason McIntyre discuss the Ravens' defensive adjustments against the Eagles, critiquing the decision to maintain a nickel defense that plays into the Eagles' strengths. Cosell argues that the Ravens failed to impose their own defensive style, allowing the Eagles to dictate the game's pace.
Greg Cosell [11:58]: "They didn’t play Ravens football and allowed the Eagles to dictate the game on the defensive side."
Cosell elaborates on the significant disparity between top-tier and average NFL coaches. He argues that the quality gap is akin to a "Grand Canyon," affecting team performance across the board.
Greg Cosell [24:32]: "The gap in coaching is the Grand Canyon here. You know, some of this stuff... nothing against the kid, but you don’t see it."
He also touches on organizational challenges, citing examples like the Jets, who have struggled due to coaching instability and poor management.
Greg Cosell [24:32]: "The gap in general managers, owners... It's as big as Mahomes and Desmond Ritter and just you don’t see it."
a. Sam Darnold’s Performance Against Arizona
Greg Cosell breaks down Sam Darnold's strategic play during the 49ers' game against Arizona, highlighting his improved decision-making and precision in passing. He explains a pivotal play where Darnold executed a complex route, showcasing his growth as an NFL quarterback.
Greg Cosell [20:53]: "He throws a ball really early and sticks it right on him. This is not an easy throw. This is big-time NFL quarterback."
b. Lamar Jackson vs. Philadelphia Eagles
The conversation shifts to Lamar Jackson’s performance, noting his usually dominant presence against NFC teams but recent vulnerabilities against Philadelphia. Cosell suggests that specific defensive schemes employed by the Eagles have successfully neutralized Jackson's strengths.
Greg Cosell [11:30]: "Lamar against the NFC is unbeatable. And then all of a sudden against Philadelphia, he was very beatable."
a. Lakers' Performance Decline
Transitioning to the NBA, Cosell and McIntyre discuss the Los Angeles Lakers' recent slump, attributing their poor performance to defensive lapses and inconsistent play. They highlight the significant losses the team has faced, questioning the sustainability of their current roster and strategy.
Greg Cosell [36:14]: "This team has no chance to win. This could be LeBron's final season."
b. LeBron James’ Potential Retirement
A major segment is dedicated to LeBron James' future, with Cosell contemplating whether this could be LeBron's final season. He compares LeBron's situation to other legendary athletes who have pondered retirement, suggesting that LeBron's achievements may lead him to retire on a high note.
Greg Cosell [36:14]: "Paul Pierce said he believes this could be LeBron's final season. What else do we gotta, Brian, what else you gotta accomplish?"
Jason McIntyre [37:25]: "LeBron doesn't have anything left to prove."
COSCEL also speculates on LeBron's post-retirement possibilities, hinting at potential ventures into politics or other fields.
a. Big Ten Football Bets
In the latter part of the episode, Greg and Jason engage in their "Big Bets" segment, where they make predictions on upcoming Big Ten football matchups. They analyze team strengths, weaknesses, and recent performances to inform their betting choices.
Greg Cosell [43:01]: "I think Oregon’s got a head coaching, quarterback, and perimeter speed advantage. I'll take the Ducks to win by over three and a half points."
b. College Football Playoff Predictions
Further predictions are made regarding potential national championship contenders, with Cosell favoring teams like Tennessee and Oregon, while critiquing traditional powerhouses like Alabama.
Greg Cosell [49:27]: "I think Alabama can't win a Natty. They’re way too inconsistent, especially on offense."
In his concluding remarks, Greg Cosell underscores the importance of understanding the complex interplay between coaching, player performance, and organizational stability in determining team success. He reiterates the significant gaps in coaching quality within the NFL and stresses the need for strategic adjustments to enhance team performance.
Greg Cosell [47:46]: "The gap in coaching is the Grand Canyon here."
Notable Quotes:
Greg Cosell [05:14]: "The hit rate for quarterbacks is going up. It used to be a 50/50 proposition in the first round. It's much better than that now."
Greg Cosell [07:16]: "McCaffrey is a sensational all-time talent. What is remarkable is that Kyle Shanahan has a losing record without him."
Greg Cosell [24:32]: "The gap in coaching is the Grand Canyon here. You know, some of this stuff... nothing against the kid, but you don’t see it."
Greg Cosell [36:14]: "This team has no chance to win. This could be LeBron's final season."
Conclusion:
In this episode of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," Greg Cosell provides an in-depth analysis of the current state of the NFL, focusing on quarterback development, coaching disparities, and team dynamics. He seamlessly transitions into NBA discussions, contemplating the future of LeBron James and the Lakers' declining performance. The episode is rich with expert insights, strategic breakdowns, and thought-provoking predictions, making it a valuable listen for sports enthusiasts seeking a comprehensive understanding of contemporary sports narratives.