Hour 2 - NBA problems continue to drip, Dan Mullen

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: Hour 2 - NBA problems continue to drip, Dan Mullen
Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Release Date: December 20, 2024

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Introduction

In this episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, host Colin Cowherd navigates through a myriad of sports topics, from betting strategies and college football insights to NFL playoff dynamics and NBA trade implications. The episode features a special guest appearance by Dan Mullen, providing expert analysis on college football and the evolving landscape of the sport.

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Sports Betting Insights

Time Stamp: [02:00] – [08:56]

Colin Cowherd opens the discussion by reflecting on his challenging year in NFL betting:

"I've had a terrible year betting NFL. My worst ever. Most of the time I'm 55, 56%. But it's been a year in which favorites have done well."
— Colin Cowherd [03:00]

Despite his struggles, Cowherd shares his optimistic perspective on turning things around through strategic betting, particularly focusing on college games:

"My favorite bet of the week is Texas minus 12. I don't know how Clemson engineers any offense in that game."
— Colin Cowherd [07:35]

He emphasizes the potential of college bets, highlighting his confidence in his selections for the weekend's games.

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College Football Insights with Dan Mullen

Time Stamp: [08:56] – [28:25]

Dan Mullen, a seasoned college football coach, joins Cowherd to delve into the pressures within the SEC and his recent transition to coaching at UNLV. Mullen offers candid insights into the challenges faced by coaches:

"There's no one harder on themselves than the coaches. There's no one."
— Dan Mullen [20:25]

Discussing Ohio State’s performance under Ryan Day, Mullen notes the intense scrutiny and self-imposed pressure that coaches endure:

"They need to pull themselves out of that misery."
— Dan Mullen [20:25]

The conversation shifts to the impact of weather on game strategies. Mullen argues that superior teams should capitalize on their strengths regardless of adverse conditions:

"If we're the better team, we want to run more plays. The more plays we run, the better opportunity our talented guys have to make something special happen."
— Dan Mullen [22:55]

Mullen also critiques the current state of the transfer portal, advocating for a more stable roster system to foster player development:

"I just wish they'd get rid of that [second transfer portal window]. Establish your roster. Show kids."
— Dan Mullen [24:21]

He emphasizes the importance of long-term development over the transient nature fostered by frequent player transfers:

"I want guys to develop and learn their traits, not just jump around from one year to the next."
— Dan Mullen [24:21]

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NFL Playoff Dynamics

Time Stamp: [37:08] – [41:11]

The discussion transitions to the NFL’s extended season schedule. Cowherd expresses skepticism about the benefits of extending the season:

"The NFL extended to 17 games. It's already done. We got three games left and they're going to extend to another game."
— Colin Cowherd [37:08]

Mullen concurs, highlighting the redundancy and lack of impact on playoff dynamics:

"The AFC playoff picture ... is done."
— Colin Cowherd [45:00]

They critique the league’s decision to prolong the season, questioning its necessity and impact on the competitive balance:

"The money kids deserve some of the money. There's a lot of money coming from all the different TV networks."
— Dan Mullen [24:21]

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NBA Trades and Player Performances

Time Stamp: [32:07] – [35:01]

Cowherd and McIntyre shift focus to recent NBA developments, particularly Karl Anthony Towns' return to the Minnesota Timberwolves:

"Cat went off. He had 32 and 20. Didn't miss a three-pointer."
— Jason McIntyre [32:07]

They discuss the implications of Towns' performance for the Timberwolves and potential future trades, considering his contributions to the team's dynamics:

"He's part of a package that eventually goes after Giannis in Milwaukee."
— Colin Cowherd [32:33]

The conversation underscores the strategic moves teams make to bolster their rosters and contend for championships.

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Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers

Time Stamp: [48:19] – [50:09]

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to analyzing Russell Wilson’s role with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the upcoming game against the Baltimore Ravens:

"Russell Wilson's got a very unique career. The Seattle years where he was excellent … The Pittsburgh situation is actually the best of both."
— Colin Cowherd [50:13]

Mullen elaborates on Wilson's strategic value, highlighting his relationship with coach Mike Tomlin and his ability to influence the team's performance:

"They bring in Russell Wilson … believe they have found that solution … When he is tied, his production is tied to one receiver."
— Dan Mullen [50:25]

Cowherd emphasizes the importance of Wilson’s performance in defining both the current season and his future with the team:

"This game has always been about December 1st. It was the hardest six-game stretch I'd ever seen to end a season."
— Colin Cowherd [50:13]

They discuss the broader implications of Wilson's tenure with the Steelers, considering his past successes and current challenges.

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Conclusion

The episode wraps up with final thoughts on the evolving nature of sports leagues, the impact of player transactions, and the strategic decisions that shape team performances. Cowherd underscores the importance of meaningful game structures in maintaining the integrity and excitement of sports competitions:

"You have to make the games matter. You can't make hockey, baseball, and NBA regular season matter."
— Colin Cowherd [38:48]

Dan Mullen echoes the sentiment, advocating for reforms that prioritize player development and team stability:

"Players deserve some of that money. The opportunity to go make it."
— Dan Mullen [24:21]

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Notable Quotes

• "We're all on the same team in this country."
  — Colin Cowherd [00:00]

• "The hate in our country is getting out of control."
  — Doug Gottlieb [02:30]

• "Flavor favors the bold."
  — Advertisement Segment [45:58]

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Key Takeaways

• Betting Strategies: Emphasis on strategic college bets over NFL favorites due to recent performance trends.
• College Football: Insights into the pressures faced by coaches, the impact of weather on game strategies, and critiques of the transfer portal system.
• NFL Dynamics: Criticism of the extended season schedule and its limited impact on playoff outcomes.
• NBA Trades: Analysis of key player performances and their implications for team strategies.
• Russell Wilson’s Impact: Detailed exploration of Wilson’s role with the Steelers and the significance of his performance against the Ravens.

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This comprehensive summary captures the essence of the episode, highlighting pivotal discussions and expert opinions shared by Colin Cowherd and guest Dan Mullen. For those who haven't listened, this summary provides a thorough overview of the key points and debates presented during the podcast.

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Jason McIntyre]

Hate so our team can regroup. We need to take a timeout against hate.

[Colin Cowherd]

Visit stand upto all hate.org to help. And join me in calling for timeout against hate by following what's up with Hate or posting the blue square emoji. Hey, so if I say Aflac, you probably think that famous duck. You should also think supplemental insurance. So that's like in football, what you'd call the second level of your defense. I mean, if there's gaps in your health insurance, Aflac's job is to help fill them. If you're sick or injured, Aflac can pay cash to help cover things your health insurance doesn't unexpected medical bills, even rent or mortgage payments. To learn more about how Aflac can help fill the gaps health insurance can leave behind, visit aflac.com what gift are you going to get that person that's impossible to shop for? Give the gift of sound JLab has the perfect gift for anyone with a variety of styles, sizes and colors. And they have products for under $100, under $50, and even under $25. I love that. Save up to 60% on select JLab products this holiday season on JLab look for the JLab Blue Box at retailers everywhere or visit jlab.com today. Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio at noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. All right, here we go. What a weekend of massive college football. The College Football playoff starts tonight. Indiana at Notre Dame, Texas and Clemson over the weekend. Penn State's playing as well. Live in Los Angeles, it's the Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. So, J. Mac, I've had a terrible year betting NFL. My worst ever. Most of the time I'm 55, 56%. But it's been a year in which favorites have done well. I tend take dogs. So I've been off all year. That's, that's the breaks. Nobody cares. But I will tell you today, I thought, I thought the single best bet of the weekend was a college bet.

[Jason McIntyre]

Oh.

[Colin Cowherd]

And so I thought, I'm going to open it up. I'm going to give people an opportunity. It's a bet that you and I both agree with. Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

And it, it's never too late to turn it around.

[Colin Cowherd]

Cowherd.

[Jason McIntyre]

You remember last year I think you started. I mean, who could, who remembers 0, 9 and 1.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. And you turn it around positive.

[Jason McIntyre]

So like you could do it, you know, finish strong, man. You know, it's not how you start, say finish.

[Colin Cowherd]

I like your optimism. So here we go on a Friday. My blazing five. That's a hot one.

[Dan Mullen]

Let's blaze it up.

[Colin Cowherd]

Fire it up. It's Collins blazing five.

[Dan Mullen]

Sponsored by DraftKings. Indiana had Notre Dame.

[Colin Cowherd]

I like Indiana plus seven and a half. It's going to be in the upper 20s. Wind chill in the upper teens. I don't think either offense is going to be great. I think the game will be fast. It will be the run game eating the clock. Indiana is really well coached coming off their most dominant performance of the year, crushing Purdue. This is not Ohio State in Columbus. The weather will be a factor. It'll slow down both offenses. And Notre Dame's defense, By the way, USC got 560 yards against him. Could have won that game without pick sixes. The last two opponents that Notre Dame has faced have both had over 190 yards rushing. So Indiana's the second highest scoring team in college Football. I think it is a game with a lot of running. I really like Indiana's coach. I think Ohio State's a different team in good weather than Notre Dame in bad weather. I'll take the Irish to win, but I'm taking the seven and a half points. 27, 23 Fighting Irish Clemson at Texas. Both J. Mack and I like the Longhorns to cover. I don't know how Clemson scores. I could argue, you know, are they really, you know, they don't really feel like a college football playoff team. Texas is 110 against everybody not named George. Their offense is sputtered, but I think their defense could score against Clemson. Clemson's the only playoff team with three losses from a weak conference. 02 against SEC teams outscored 51 to 17. And again the Texas defense. That's why their offense has been so conservative. They may not need to score more than a touchdown or two. I'm not sure how Clemson mounts long drives in this game. I'm going to swallow the 12 points. I think I'd prefer to see Arch Manning at quarterback. Texas wins 30 to 13. Rams at jets at minus 3. I'll take the Rams. First of all, the game means a lot more. This is a Jets team that had to fight like crazy to come back and beat an awful, awful Jacksonville team. Also, I get Stafford and McVeigh coming off extra time because they played on Thursday. They control their own destiny. They need to win this game. No turnovers and no sacks last two games. The O line's finally healthy. By the way, they are 5, 0 this year. When the the jets, by the way, last four games, you know, they're one score games. They keep it close. I think it'll be close, but the game means more. It's been a noisy, noisy week for the Jets. I'm going to take the Rams to win and cover 27, 23, 49ers at Dolphins. I'm going to take the Niners minus one to win straight out. Here's my problem with Miami. People have figured them out. Tyreek Hill has gone over 100 yards once in the last 13 games. Tua has not completed a pass over 20 yards in the air before Thanksgiving. And the Niners are a bully. They're very good against teams that are below.500. They average 32 a game. They're coming off extra rest four no against teams currently under.500. They remind me a little of Baltimore when you stack them up against a great team. The Niners have flaws. Wake and when they can bully an average Team like Miami, they win. I'll lay the one point. Niners win 28 to 24. Patriots and Bills. I don't like big favorites, but the Bills have won nine straight regular season home games. Minus 14. I'll lay the points. They've scored 30 plus in eight straight games. They don't allow sacks, so I don't think Josh Allen will be rushed. They've only allowed 13 sacks all year and they're outscoring their opponents at home by 17 a game. The Patriots have lost four straight. They can't score. There's questions about the coaching. Listen, I get the best NFL team at home that protects their quarterback against a Jarod Mayo team that has gotten worse. Whatever they do offensively, people have figured it out. Point differential. I think the bills cover 30 to 13. Our Draft King sportsbook. New customers bet five bucks, get 150 in bonus bets. If your $5 bet wins, download the app. The promo code is heard. H E R D when you sign up. Yeah, there we go. J Mac if you want to look at the picks. I like the college games this weekend. I kind of. My take is I hate big favorites, but Green Bay and Buffalo are not only big favorites, they're playing really good football. And I think my favorite bet of the week is Texas minus 12. I don't know how Clemson engineers any offense in that game.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, I like them. By the way, have you seen the images from South Bend, Indiana? Snow, Very cold. I got some buddies going to the game. They are fired up. I like Notre Dame. I'm excited. I can't wait for the playoff games. Yeah, Texas as well. I'm with you on that for sure.

[Colin Cowherd]

So, I mean, Notre Dame, Indiana. I think people look at Indiana and I think it's being overplayed, that they're a fraud. Ohio State, good weather at home. That was a. That was a tough place for Indiana.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. Okay.

[Colin Cowherd]

This. First of all, it's not going to be as loud because people are going to be wrapped up. It is freezing. And again, this is a Notre Dame defense. I went to the game at the Coliseum. USC moved the ball.

[Jason McIntyre]

They got shredded through the air. Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. So. And also I do think that Indiana is closer in talent to Notre Dame than they are at Texas or an Ohio State. I just, I felt watching that game, we were two series in and I'm like, okay, this is big boy football. They don't have the players. The Buckeyes do. And Ohio State, by the way, does that to a lot of people. I don't think But I think Indiana can play a Penn State, a Notre Dame, other teams that are good and compete.

[Jason McIntyre]

I wonder how much like the winter break comes into play because a lot of colleges, you know, the kids are back off campus, they're not there. I don't know how juiced up these home stadiums are going to be. They're calling for a whiteout in Happy Valley. Is it going to be. Are all the students still there? Are they hanging out? Did they hang around after finals? Everybody usually wants to get out of Dodge. I don't know what this is going to be like. We've never seen this before.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, no, I mean and I think anytime you've never seen anything before, it makes it. I can't wait to watch it. And I'm going to the Dome at Cosm. Oh, I want to go watch it. I'm going to see what it looks like. By the way, if you've never gone to that thing, there's one in LA and Dallas, one coming to Atlanta, Detroit, if you've never been to that place in a snow game it's incredible to see what the players are going through and the officials. I don't know how you call a game and is official in snow games. I don't know how you do it. By the way, I just, I want to show you something that's really. I like Jim Harbaugh a lot. I love the last night was so much about Jim Harbaugh going with the old school kick in that football game that hadn't happened since a 52 yarder by Paul Horning of the packers in 1962. So it was, you know, it was the end of the half and it was a fair catch and there was interference and a penalty and so there's a fair catch and you are allowed to do this. Now none of us have ever seen this thing before but now you are on that penalty, you can kick it from there. And the Chargers have one of the best kickers in the league and so they're like, alright, we're going to kick it before half and there's a big difference being down 11 and being down eight. Okay. Down eight, okay. It's a one score game and two point conversion. So Dicker the kicker bang hits it. From that point on the Chargers dominated. And I thought it was a real glimpse of the culture that Jim Harbaughs created. It was a banged up football team. You trail but they're opportunistic. They bring back an old school football play. And here, this is so classic. Here's Harbaugh after Sing it loud and proud like we've never sung it before. So the echoes out into the stadium. One, two, you know what to do. For he's a jolly good fellow. For he's a jolly good fellow for he's a jolly good fellow who could possibly have it better than us? He's a gym fluencer. By the way. December 14th last season they gave up 60 points to the awful Raiders. This year they secured a playoff spot. 97 chance they make the playoffs. That's that game last night had Jim Harbaugh written all over it. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio Apple. Hey, it's Steve Covino and I'm Rich Davis and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio. And of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to do 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 Kohvino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course on social media, that's Covino and Rich. This podcast is sponsored by PayPal. We've partnered with them to make this holiday season even better. With all the shopping, gifting and holiday prep, my PayPal debit card is my go to for getting more out of my purchases. Here's how it works. I choose my monthly category. Gas, restaurants, apparel, groceries, health and beauty or just for the holiday season, tech. And I earn 5% cash back on up to a thousand bucks in the purchases in those categories. Yeah, 5% cash back this month. I'm gonna go with tech. 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Artichoke spinach dip. Wings are wingier than ever with the original Louisiana brand wing sauce. Perfect for self appointed flavor experts. The original Louisiana brand hot sauce the game day flavor changer Flavor favors the bold. Available at a store near you. Well, he worked at ESPN last couple years a college football analyst. Mississippi State and Florida in the sec knows high end football and now he's a coach at UNLV which has the best collective in the Mountain West Conference. And he knows Urban Meyer and Dan Mullen. They worked together years ago. He's now joining us live. And I remember when the UNLV's facilities were in a dark dingy place and now it's sunshine everywhere for Dan Mullen. Good for you. Okay, I want to start with this. So I talked to Urban this week and you know the pressure of the sec, you know the pressure of big football. And I've always said that Ohio State, Dan is an SEC team North. They're the only SEC team North. Ryan Day bad performance. Do you like? So after a bad game at Florida, you know at Florida and you get a month off, did it help you or hurt you? What should I expect from Ohio State off that stinker against Michigan?

[Dan Mullen]

Well, listen, it's going to help their performance in the end when they get on the field because they're going to be a little angry when they get out there, but it hurts. That is a long, miserable month of everybody telling you how awful you are. I mean, it's just like it's. I mean, it's just dreary. It's miserable. You got to find a way to motivate yourself and pick yourself up out of it in those situations, which is not easy to do as a coach. Listen, you know, fans are so critical of coaches. Like, you know, I mean, I think every person, Ohio probably thought Ryan just walked up and kicked their dog that was laying on the fly, you know, and they look at him that way. But no one's harder on themselves than the coaches. There's no one. I hate to say it for all your Buckeye fans out there. There's no one in the state of Ohio that wanted to win that game more than Ryan Day and put more into it. So I know he's awful about it. He's going to be ready to get back out there on the field. They need to pull themselves out of that misery.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, you had a job like that in Florida, and I want to pivot to the sec. So Carson Beck's not playing for Georgia. I don't think they can win a Natty without that. And. And I'll tell you, I think Texas, I love Texas, but offensively, they're. Defensively, they've gotten a little conservative offensively as a favorite, because I think Texas passes the eyeball test. Would you want to be Texas, where you're kind of. Kind of scuffing a little bit, but you're the. You got the best roster. Is that a place that's comfortable as a coach? Because you were a favorite in a lot of big games at Florida. Did you like being a little bit of a dog, or did you like being the big dog coming in with a chest out? They're both a lot of fun.

[Dan Mullen]

And listen, I spent a lot of time at Mississippi State, and I don't think. I think we were the underdog about every single week in the sec, right? And that was a lot of fun. You have a little chip on your shoulder. I think you just adjust to both and as a coach and you get your team to believe in that. It's hard when you're in Texas. Hey, let's go really get that chip. You have to say, we have to play to our standard. We have to play to our talent level. We have to do the things that we're good. We have to be as good as we are. Supposed to do and perform that way every week. It's hard to play the chip on the shoulder card when you're at Texas. But I'll tell you what, as a coach, both are fun, both are great challenges to go do it, but there's no way they're going to get it. Texas has to go and they have to say, hey, we've played like a dominant team. When we played, people were better than when we played, people were equal to. We have not shown that. And there are two games against Georgia. You saw their offense didn't show up. You know, they're. They're throwing the ball. Were you watching these clips? They're throwing the ball down the field, scoring touchdowns. If you're going to play Georgia, you're going to play the big teams. You have got to hit explosive plays down the field throwing the football, and they haven't been able to do that.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, you're not going to get 13 play drives against the Georgia Bulldogs. So I was thinking about this tonight. If I was Marcus Freeman, I got the better roster. I'm at home, I'm playing in a blizzard. Yeah, Dan, I'd want to run that puppy, eat the clock, get out of there. I do. I wouldn't want to get tricky. I got the better roster. I'm at home. Have you ever gone into a game and maybe not because of where you coached, where you're the favorite, you got the better roster. Weather can be a problem. Maybe it's raining sideways in Starkville. Notre Dame's in a weird spot tonight that the weather is not their ally. Because by the way, Indiana can. They can run it. They're well coached. If you were Notre Dame tonight, with this weather you're facing, does it change the game plan?

[Dan Mullen]

No. Usually when you're the better team, you want to run more play. So, you know, you don't want to slow it down because the. If we have better players, better talent, the more plays we run on the field, the better opportunity our talented guys have to make something special happen. I do, though, see, with the weather and listen, Notre Dame, I know they're explosive, good players with better roster. They like to run the ball, too. Listen, in TV terms, I don't see a Phil coming in this game right now. This one's going to be over and it's going to be over fast. You better tune in early. This is probably going to go as fast as that Army Navy did, because both teams are going to be, I think, run the football, be conservative and, you know, might set football back it's going to look like the, the Four Horsemen might come out with another name in this one. Like the 20s playing.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. So listen, I like the transfer portal and the nil. I do think everything needs to be managed. I think you need to have a cap with the NF. I mean, hell, the NFL's got a salary cap. I think you should have like a 16 to 17 million cap. So the gap between Ohio State and Purdue, does it become 40 million to 8? And I also think the transfer portal. I don't know exactly what you do. I think we're getting a little caught up. The truth is USC lost some good guys. They're going to find some good guys. I don't worry too much about it. Is there any, and I love the playoff. Is there anything that worries you from somebody who was coached in the SEC you've broadcast, now you're in the Mountain West. Anything worry you about all these changes in college football?

[Dan Mullen]

You know the great thing, being out of it for the last couple of years and not having to deal with the adjustments on a day to day basis. When you see it from the 10,000 foot view, I'm more comfortable coming back into it and having seen it and understand it. The second transfer portal window they have after spring practice, I kind of wish they'd get rid of that. Like, you know what, establish your roster. Show kids. I'm going to go to this school, I'm going to make a one year commitment. Like we're just here for a year. Coaches can manage their rosters. Players know they have a chance to develop. This is their team, the signing day. I think if they just tweak the calendar in college football, they can help it. Yeah. Hey, the money kids, if they would, if they, if the NCA would have tried to find a way and figure out how to pay the kids a long time ago and give them a little something, it would have helped. And maybe we might not be in this as crazy a situation as we are, but you know what? The kids deserve some of the money. There's a lot of money coming from all the different TV networks and the kids deserve some of that money. The opportunity to go make it. The other thing I think though, the hard one, that the message to give the kids and the message I'm trying to give the kids, come here. Don't forget about development at some point, you know, if you're going to a school, a different school every year for four years, when are you really learning the system? When are you learning to develop? What are you Learning to go take that next step. I've coached quarterbacks my whole life. I don't want to. I want to have a quarterback that can coach, develop and start learning. Graduate level classes, not just kind of we're going to try to dumb it down because we have it for a year and you can learn a system. I want guys make sure guys understand you need to really spend time, develop yourself, learn your trait and not just be jumping around from one year to the next. But hey, that's the system. They're going to do it. I understand it. It's great. We had a bunch of players go to the Portal after our bowl game the other night that are going to look at opportunities here at unlv. But I mean, my phone's blowing up with guys that want to come play. You know, we have the opportunity, the great thing you said, the playoffs. I think we have a great path to the playoffs here at unlv. Look at, boy, we have beaten Boise in the championship game last year. I'm sitting on a buy right now. I'm going to be hanging out with you. We're having a good time in Vegas and we're sitting on a buy, going to watch, you know, smu, Penn State game tomorrow, see who we're going to play in the second round. So I love our path and I think college football is doing some things the right way. They just need to get everybody on the same page to tweak it, to make it the best for the student athletes, the players, the high school kids coming in. Just put a little barrier around it and, and just clean it up a little bit and get out of. We can't get out of our own way sometimes.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I just saw the world's best fake punt at that UNLV win over Cal. You were an attendance, the best fake punt I've ever seen in my life. And I want to, I want to say you had a cushy job as a broadcaster. What did your wife say when you said, hey, I want to go back coach again?

[Dan Mullen]

She, she's like, what? Like what? I thought we were kind of retired with this broadcasting life, like somewhat, you know, out of this world. And you know what? It's crazy. A lot of people say what's going on is, you know, I've had a lot of people call with interest, offer different jobs over the last couple years. And it was just something you said. I was enjoying broadcast and I was really enjoying tv. Somehow something about this job hit a spark in me. Yeah, you know, I don't know if it's. We have great facilities here.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yep.

[Dan Mullen]

The Fertitta Football complex. The family's done a great job. Have given us feelings. We played Allegiance Stadium in an NFL stadium, one of the nicest stadiums in football at any level around the world. You're in a great market. Las Vegas is a great place to live, as you know.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Dan Mullen]

And, you know, we have so much going on. It kind of got me really excited. The path to the playoffs, I'm thinking, I think I'm gonna go have some fun. We're gonna go coach some ball, have some fun and. And have a good time and see if we can get ourselves to the playoffs and win a championship here at unlv.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, the weather's a little better than Bristol, Connecticut. No shot at the. My former employer. Hey, it's great seeing you. Say hi to the people at unlv. Fertitta family has been amazing in that community. Unbelievable family. Dan Mullen, unlv, the Mountain west, they got a little collective money. Thank you, Dan, for coming on the show. I do appreciate it. He did a great job.

[Dan Mullen]

Thank you.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yep, yep. Yeah, I did wonder when I saw him take that job, I thought. I bet his wife thought, oh, okay. We're going to do the broadcasting thing. You know, it's interesting about recruiting now. It used to be it had to be on the road all the time. What's happened a little bit now with the collective? The players come to you. They come on your campus in the summer or spring. It's like, all right, what do you want to make? Here's what we have. It's a different ball game. J. Mac with the news. No, no, no. Heard on the news. This is the Herd line news.

[Jason McIntyre]

You know, we like Texas a lot.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes.

[Jason McIntyre]

In the game this weekend, but there's the quarterback situation is really starting to get tricky. Well, Sark was asked about the Quinn Ewers arch banding stuff, specifically about this potentially being yours last game as a Longhorn, and Sark was not happy with the question.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, Quinn obviously needs to make a decision after this season is over, but if this ends up being his last game. No hypotheticals. I'm not doing hypotheticals. Next one that it's not a hypothetical. I'm saying if he. This ends up being his life's game. Can you talk about his impact that he's had in the three years that he's been here? Has, has, or he has not had an impact? I'll answer the question as it pertains to his impact now. I'M not going to answer the question with a hypothetical. So do you want to rephrase the question? Yeah. I mean, it's. I get it. I'm not going to take your question, which hasn't happened and give you an answer to a column. It hasn't happened. So I'm not going to be his last game again.

[Jason McIntyre]

But by the way, there's chatter. There's Texas fans out there who think, listen, Arch is starting next year. If Quinn isn't ready for the NFL or doesn't get a high grade, he going to transfer Colin and he's going to be somewhere else next year.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, but let's wait until it happens. Why should I feed you a column?

[Jason McIntyre]

That's fair. I'm just saying I don't. Nah, I understand the question and I understand the non answer. Does that make sense? Is that okay to say I don't.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm not blaming you for asking the question. I've always said ever in my entire career when I ask questions, you have a right not to answer. And if you say I'm not going to answer, I'm not going to reframe it and try to trick you, which the writer did. So my take is I, if I was stark, I wouldn't have answered it either. I'd say, I'm not going to take that narrative and give you a column.

[Jason McIntyre]

What do you think about this?

[Colin Cowherd]

In fact, Sark said, would you like to refrain? And the guy, the stubborn man, media guy went back to, it's like, I'm not going to give you a column.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, where are you on this whole Arch versus yours?

[Colin Cowherd]

Like, Arch is the better quarterback. He's more mobile.

[Jason McIntyre]

I like who's the better quarterback now.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think Arch Manning. Oh, but I've never been a Ewers fan. I, I don't think he's a first or second round pick. I think he's a fifth round. I think he's. No, I think he's. It's a lot of Kenny Pickett. To me, he's fine. He's a backup. I don't think he's a starter in the NFL. I don't. Oh my.

[Jason McIntyre]

That's a take.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I didn't think Zach Wilson was a starter in the NFL. I didn't think Daniel Jones was. I didn't think Tebow was second overall.

[Jason McIntyre]

Can you believe it?

[Colin Cowherd]

I called those before they happened. And I knew Sam Darnold was magic.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, it just took six years to become the magic. Let's go to the NBA. NBA fans, Knicks Timberwolves trade. Remember that in the summer. Massive. Karl Anthony Towns returned to Minnesota last night. Former number one pick by the Wolves set after the game. Personally, this game wasn't just another game. And if anyone told you otherwise, that's a lie. Cat went off. He had 32 and 20. Didn't miss a three pointer. Anthony Edwards said that while he was mad his team lost, he was happy to see Kat do well. Knicks want to blow out Cat flexing.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, whatever. What? Oh, I've seen him play.

[Jason McIntyre]

Talking positive NBA and look at you.

[Colin Cowherd]

I've seen him play live four times. He's been great. Three of them. But when I need him in big spots, I've always had my questions. I still contend he's part. He is part of a package that eventually goes after Giannis in Milwaukee. I believe that draft picks. Carl Anthony Towns, maybe OG is hot.

[Jason McIntyre]

Take summer get arriving early. I mean, Arch Manning better than you were. You know, you don't you think yours is right now. I think Arch would be starting if he were better.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think there's a lot of politics involved. I think there's a lot of walking on eggshells to be involved. I think this is the bottom line is if Arch starts Quinn Ewers like I'm out of here, then I don't have a backup quarterback I love.

[Jason McIntyre]

Now. Carl Anton Townsend is one of the best games of his career. I know. I know he's always been talented, but 30 and 20 against his old team, kind of impressive. And you're. And you want to ship him to Milwaukee.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, I need to celebrate the NBA.

[Jason McIntyre]

NBA, baby. It's fantastic. Final story. Let's go back to the NFL. The Detroit Lions. It felt like three weeks ago. They were the darlings of the NFL. But the injuries, oh, my gosh. Destroying this team. A lot of people are starting to doubt the Lions the line coming down against the Bears. But defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, he's got no doubts.

[Colin Cowherd]

We're 12 and 2 and the sky is falling. We're going to the playoffs. We're in the dance, we're in the tournament.

[Jason McIntyre]

Why in the hell is sky falling for us?

[Colin Cowherd]

What do we have to sit back and. And be sad? I mean, we didn't live to you guys. We let you guys do that. Our jobs to go play football.

[Jason McIntyre]

But why should we sit back and wallow and.

[Colin Cowherd]

And think the sky's falling? It's dumb.

[Jason McIntyre]

I don't like that. I kind of like that he's good.

[Colin Cowherd]

He's good at the podium.

[Jason McIntyre]

He was a Mouthy cornerback back in the day. Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

I got no problem with. By the way, I don't know this. I'm just throwing it out there. How many former cornerbacks are NFL head coaches? Dion's obviously a college coach. It's a funny position that it's. It's a big personality position, so you'd think there'd be more like college coaches that were corners. Has there been an NFL coach who was a great corner?

[Dan Mullen]

What was?

[Jason McIntyre]

Dan Kael.

[Colin Cowherd]

He was.

[Jason McIntyre]

Was a tight end, maybe.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, he won the corner.

[Jason McIntyre]

It was not a corner. It might have been like a. Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

He doesn't look real twitchy. You're right.

[Jason McIntyre]

There's some random positions out there, and.

[Colin Cowherd]

A lot of it's a big personality position. So I would think there'd be corners in college, because you gotta sell. I mean, Dion's a prime example. Big charisma.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, you've got that Riz.

[Colin Cowherd]

That Riz. Is that what they call it? The Riz? Yeah. Oh, I like that. I haven't used that. I just started using mid and lit.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

So Riz is charisma.

[Jason McIntyre]

Use Riz on Christmas Eve, making the cookies. Don't bring that to my house on Christmas day. The kids will laugh at you.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'll tell you. I'll tell you. I'm gonna stand on business with a Riz.

[Jason McIntyre]

I don't know that that was said correctly, but we'll just let it slide.

[Colin Cowherd]

Who cares? I thought that was lit. All right. J. Mack with the news.

[Dan Mullen]

Well, that's the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

And thanks for stopping by. The herd, lie, news, all sorts of stuff. It was great watching that game last night. I don't know about everybody else, but I was watching that game last night. My takeaway was, oh, we're watching playoff teams. If you go look at the AFC right now, the playoff picture, it's done. I love Burrow, but they're not winning three straight games and Denver's not losing all these games. So I think the AFC playoff picture. And here's what's funny. The NFL extended to 17 games. It's already done. We got three games left and they're going to extend to another game. That's why I don't like extending the NFL season. As the league has become more quarterback centric. Teams separate faster, folks. The AFC playoffs are done. They're all over. Anthony Richardson can't win three straight, although I think they beat the Titans this weekend. Miami's too finesse. They're not winning three straight games. And I think you can give Joe Burrow an outside shot, outside 5% chance. But the NFL extends their season. What's the point? The AFC's done. We got three games left. Go to the NFC now. The NFC. I think if the Rams win this weekend and the Niners lost and Seattle lost, then it, then it's starting to feel like it's done. Okay, So I think there's a little bit on the bottom of this. But we all know right now Atlanta, unless Penix comes up and lights the world on fire, Detroit, Philly, Tampa, Minnesota, Green Bay are in. So it is interesting is the NFL has expanded the season and they're going expand it to 18. Is the last four to five weeks of the regular season. 90% of the playoff teams are done. Don't you want that's. I've said this about baseball for years. Speed the game up. Check. Get rid of the defensive shift. Check. Lop off 40 games, get to 120 games, stop playing in cold winter weather. You want to get your season done by about October 5th because you start playing late October. Good luck with football.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right, hold on, hold on.

[Colin Cowherd]

Good luck.

[Jason McIntyre]

You want to lop off how many games from the baseball schedule?

[Colin Cowherd]

20 home games per team.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay, 20 home. You think the owner is going to good?

[Colin Cowherd]

No, I don't think they will because they're all greedy. But my take is baseball got rid of their time issue, got me to watch more. They got rid of the defensive shift issue. Now they have to create at least a little scarcity, make the games matter. I've said this for years. If I was the NBA, I always felt 68 regular season games create urgency. First round playoffs, three game series. Second round series, five games, five give seven all a seven round first game, first round playoff series at one against an eight. I have no reason. I mean LeBron never even barely lost games against eight seeds.

[Jason McIntyre]

Things are at play here. This is a business for these billionaires. There's a business for the leagues. More games equal more money. Pretty simple. More games in the playoffs equal more teams get money.

[Colin Cowherd]

I don't have a problem with more teams in the playoffs. I have a problem as we have this phone. People are now on their phone more than watching tv. They're almost on streaming and social more than tv.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, so the games have to matter. Hockey's regular season down, NBA regular season hemorrhaging. It's part of that is there's a lot of arguments. Some of it is as we are more distracted and we're all more distracted. You have to make the games matter. You can't make hockey, baseball and NBA regular season matter. The baseball ratings last year met the playoffs were huge.

[Jason McIntyre]

But again but that's from the our perspective look on the inside. The owners are making money hand over fist. They don't care that ratings are down. It doesn't impact them. The only people who should care about the ratings are the TV broadcast partners, right? Yes, if they got beef.

[Colin Cowherd]

But I will tell you this prime example baseball. Right now Fox and ESPN are not opening up their wallets for baseball.

[Jason McIntyre]

That's when the discussions really well and.

[Colin Cowherd]

That'S when they're starting. I mean baseball signed a deal with Roku this year. Year. I'm not joking. It was $30 million. Each team got a million. I mean that. That is desperate. That's like embarrassing. The NBA, it may be a business, but any business that's trending in the wrong direction, be careful.

[Jason McIntyre]

They just got their new deal. They are flush with cash. It was what a billion dollar deal. I mean they got so much money. Colin, they're not really worried about this. I would not be shocked if you heard from the NBA.

[Colin Cowherd]

But remember here in the coming television the television revenue in these sports is like 30% of it. Attendance is also.

[Jason McIntyre]

Attendance is not really that big of an issue.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well if it again when businesses start to erode. Baseball attendance wasn't an issue then. About five years ago it's an issue. Then three years ago it became a real issue. Now the television money's become again. Drip, drip, drip, drip.

[Jason McIntyre]

Drip is right. It's just like the cable people cutting cable. But did you see what the Sun's owner did this week?

[Colin Cowherd]

I loved it it awesome.

[Jason McIntyre]

I think we should see more billionaires doing this for the teams you own.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, these NBA guys making all this money. Matt, what's the last name is basically said $2 menu for food for everything. I thought it was great.

[Jason McIntyre]

That's amazing.

[Colin Cowherd]

One of my favorite.

[Jason McIntyre]

Dude, bro. I went to the Chargers game.

[Colin Cowherd]

Do you know how much a beer.

[Jason McIntyre]

Costs at an NFL 14? No. $18 for one drink and then like a three tacos are like $25. I mean Colin, the prices are exorbitant. But again to these guys, they're business guys. They're making tons of money. That's all they care about.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think. I think there are lines in the sand. We're getting close to crossing and we're not fans. All this TV streamer money is great. That's 30% of the revenue. The other 30% before you get to marketing and merchandising and parking and sales and tickets and suites. It's. It's regular guys going to games, regular people going to games games. So the TV money pays a lot of the bills. It doesn't pay all of them. It doesn't pay all of them. Be sure to catch live editions of.

[Dan Mullen]

The Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Jason McIntyre]

A special day of football Tomorrow on Fox. Catch the next chapter in a bitter historic rivalry as Russell Wilson and the Steel take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. It all kicks off tomorrow at 4 Eastern on 5.

[Colin Cowherd]

So it's really an interesting game for a lot of reasons. It's always very close. Steelers are big underdogs and Tomlin is the best underdog coach of his generation. So Russell Wilson's playing for a million two a year. He's the steal in the league because you know, Denver's paying him all that money. So if you watch the, you know, the hard knocks thing that's going on in season, you can tell he loves Pittsburgh and he and Sierra like they found a place that likes them. And this game's really interesting. It feels, it's, it's very important because Lamar Jackson, the two time mvp, maybe the MVP this year's on the other side of the field. So you can kind of juxtapose the two and say, okay, here's what a star looks like. How close is Russell to that? So in the two games without George Pickens, Russell has thrown for 158 yards against Cleveland and 128 yards against Philly. I don't mind paying my quarterback, but I'm going to struggle paying my quarterback if he is tied. His production is overwhelmingly tied to one receiver and without Pickens, it's not the same offense. So this story has always been, from the very beginning of this story, even in the summer we talked about it, the Steelers season was all about December 1st on. They had the hardest six game stretch I'd ever seen to end a season. It was at Joe Burrow, at Philly, at Baltimore, Kansas City, Joe Burrow. And it not only will define the Steelers season because, I mean, we all know Pittsburgh's pretty good, but I think it will define the future of Russell Wilson. So if he's going toe to toe with Burrow and he looks like easily the second best quarterback and then tomorrow easily the second best quarterback and he's absolutely beholden to George Pickens. You know, is this thing just going to be a fling or is Pittsburgh going to put a ring on it? And that's what it kind of feels like to me. So Mike Tomlin talked about the relationship and on facing the Ravens this weekend, really excited about this opportunity for obvious reasons.

[Jason McIntyre]

It's a divisional game, It's a rope divisional game.

[Dan Mullen]

It's Baltimore.

[Colin Cowherd]

And I understand the nature of this rivalry and the amount of tension that it brings and it's exciting and humbling.

[Dan Mullen]

To be a part of it. We're highly familiar with these guys, but.

[Jason McIntyre]

The same thing can be said.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm sure for them, they're highly familiar with us. I think that's what makes these games so exciting. I will say Russ has this going for him for the previous five years. Pittsburgh's offense was a tough watch the last year with Big Ben. Then there's Mason Rudolph and Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky. He gives them some juice. And we always know Pittsburgh drafts well. They develop well, they're well coached, they're inspired. A great underdog team. The question though, in a division with Burrow and Lamar Jackson, you got put points up. You just got to put points up. And they've had, you know, they've had great success against Lamar, so. But. But if you want to win, there's just too many good quarterbacks. You're watching Herbert in the second half. If you want to start winning multiple playoff games, you got to have some juice. The best quarterbacks in the league are in the afc and so I do think Russell gives them not only juice, but he gives them kind of clarity. He's kind of elusive, though not as much as he used to be. He throws a beautiful deep ball better than the previous four quarterbacks. So Jordan Schultz was on. He was on an hour ago. And you know, his. What he's hearing is this thing may become semi long term.

[Jason McIntyre]

Before the season when they moved on.

[Colin Cowherd]

From Kenny Pickett, the Steelers really wanted to make sure that they could find not just a bridge, but potentially a long term solution. They bring in Justin Fields, they bring in Russell Wilson. I think they believe they have found that solution with Russell Wilson. We have seen a version of Russell.

[Jason McIntyre]

Wilson that compares favorably to Seattle Russell.

[Colin Cowherd]

The biggest thing that Russell has going for him is the relationship with Mike Thomas Tomlin and because of that, that dates way back to when they met for multiple hours before Russ signed. Tomlin really advocated him to ownership. Said this is the guy I can build around. So Russell Wilson's got a very unique career. The Seattle years where were he was excellent, but he always felt a little overlooked and disrespected. You know, he kind of felt like Pete got the credit. Marshawn Lynch, Richard Sherman, the defense got the credit. So Russell was very good, but he mostly felt overlooked. But it worked. The Denver experiment be the savior did not work at all. That's not what Russell is. The Pittsburgh situation is actually the best of both. Where they do need him, clearly. So it's got, you know, it's got a Denver feel they need him. But like Seattle, they're really good when it comes to the other stuff beyond quarterback. They draft well. They Develop well. They get after the opposing quarterback. So I feel like you got a little Seattle where he doesn't have to be the savior. You have a little Denver where there is true value like that there. He's going to change this thing. He's going to make it better the offense. So because Denver for years, we got to be fair here. Before Russell Wilson, they had a quarterback issue. They had, they were, they, they were, they're starting to feel like Chicago, you're like they can't get quarterback right. So I, I think, I, I think there's basically two levels of quarterback contracts in the NFL. There's the sign them early. Herbert Burrow, Lamar Mahomes, Allen Stafford. Just get it, get it done. Then there's the, for the time being, he's our best option. We like him. We don't love him. And I think that that is kind of in the Russell where we're going to spend some Brock Purdy. We like him. We know his limitations. Russell Wilson, we like him. He helps us. He's necessary. We also know he's past his prime. I think Sam Darnold could get into that. Like teams, Indianapolis are going to like him. They don't think he's Mahomes or Allen. So my take is the Jordan Love has moved into the big class. That one I don't doubt. But I, but I think Russell falls into the Brock Purdy, Sam Darnold's next team situation. There's absolute value. But let's not get silly here. Let's not get crazy. I don't want to see any fives. I don't want to see five. And I. And I'm going to push back on the four. May have to start with a three hour, three. Next, I'm partnering with PayPal. The holiday season is here and I'm going to save big with cash back offers in the PayPal app. It's easy. I browse deals from my favorite brands, save offers in the app and use PayPal checkout online. Really, really easy. Whether I'm buying gifts for my family or treating myself to something nice, I'm earning cash back and you can too. Don't just pay PayPal check offers in the app for details and exclusions. Cashback earned as points redeemable for cash and other options, see PayPal rewards terms. This is Doug Gottlieb from All Ball with Doug Gottlieb. Listen, I'm gonna get serious for a minute. The hate in our country is getting out of control. In fact, it's sadly at an all time high. But it's gonna take all of us to stop it. I mean, we're all on the same team in this country. So let's take a break from our.

[Jason McIntyre]

Hate so our team can regroup. We need to take a time out against hate.

[Colin Cowherd]

Visit standuptoallhate.org to help and join me in calling for timeout against hate by following ot'supwithhate or posting the blue square emoji. The flavor, the tradition and the spirit of Carne Asada lives on at Del Taco. Join the Asada today with Del Taco's new limited time half pound chipotle carne asada steak burrito. Packed with sweet, spicy and smoky flavor, wrapped up and grilled to perfection, the whole carne Asada steak menu delivers the bold flavors you crave with epic burritos, loaded fries and street tacos. Starting at just 2.99. Only at Del Taco, it's the get holiday ready sales event with Hank and Sam from the Ford crew. Today, a new shipment of inventory. Hank, what's going on? Another hauler full of new ford trucks and SUVs. Sam so much SUV capability is that Ford F series, the best selling trucks for 47 years. And a big selection means big savings. Yep, which means it's the best time to buy. Well done Sam. And time for America to get holiday ready with ford. Based on 1977-2023 cy industry reported total sales. What's up everybody? Adnan Virk here to tell you about a new podcast. It's NHL Unscripted with Virk and Demers.

[Dan Mullen]

Jason Immers here And after playing 700.

[Colin Cowherd]

NHL games, I got a lot of dirty laundry to air out.

[Jason McIntyre]

I got a lot to say here too.

[Dan Mullen]

Okay?

[Colin Cowherd]

Each week we'll get together, chat about the sport that we love.

[Dan Mullen]

Tons of guests are going to join in too. But we're not just going to be talking hockey, folks.

[Colin Cowherd]

We're talking movies, we're talking tv, food and Adnan's favorite wrestling.

[Dan Mullen]

It's all on le Table.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen to NHL Unscripted with Virk and demers, the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.