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Colin Cowherd
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Jason McIntyre
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Jason McIntyre
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 herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast.
Matt Hasselbeck
Welcome back. Our number two here on the herd, it's me, Jason McIntyre. They went to the bullpen today folks. Cowherd a little travel issues. He'll be back tomorrow. That's promised. I think he's on a bird right now. Very excited to come back. He's got takes galore. This is a guy who can't stop with the takes. I mean if you guys ever see cowherd out in the wild, just chat him up. He will talk about sports anytime. Me, I'm more earbuds in. Just give the head nod. What's but very happy to be here on a Monday exciting week of sports ahead. A lot of NFL action. You got the Major League Baseball All Star game, Home Run Derby tonight. You got the WNBA All Star game coming up. And obviously we have Matt Hasselbeck dropping by here in a minute. Boy, I'm seeing his list of winners in the off season. Wow, he's got some takes. Final hour, Chris Broussard. I'm going to beat him up on some NBA topics. That's what I do. All right, let's quickly before we get to Hasselbeck, let's just get this out of the way early. I was going to save it for August, but let's just fire it now. I'm going to go ahead and pick your division winners because I'll be going to Vegas soon. My summer sojourn to get into the gambling contest Futures bets. Here are my eight division winners in the NFL. A lot of sameness from last year. Let's get started with the AFC East. This is a no brainer. It's going to be the Bills and Josh Allen. They are an overwhelming favorite. Understandably. They're my pick to win the Super Bowl. The short of Josh Allen not playing, the Bills are winning this division. I don't care how good the Patriots are, Miami ain't going to be great. My jets not there yet. The Bills will win the AFC East. That is an absolute lock. They are the biggest favorite to win their division at minus 280. Next up, AFC North. I thought about the Bengals. Obviously cannot do Steelers here or Browns. So you got to go Ravens. They are heavily favored to win the AFC North. Minus 150 obviously. Lamar Jackson has a very good group of receivers. His tight end is back. Derek Henry's back. I like what the defense did. And you got to give a shout out to Marlon Humphrey who was amazing on the show last week. What what a great guest he was. So you got to go Ravens in the AFC North. I will accept Bengals, but their defense is still in shambles. AFC South. Here's where I'm going. A little bit of a surpr. I don't believe as much in the Texans. I'm not ready to go Colts because of the Anthony Richardson situation. So I'm going Jacksonville jags going from 4 and 13 to winning the division. Shout out to Travis Hunter joining forces with their wide receiver they had last year who was awesome, the quarterback who's very good. If the defense could take a step up and the new coach can really get his act together in Jacksonville, they've had some coaching issues over the years. I like the Jags guys and Liam Cohen to win the division. Bit of a surprise. They are plus 260 to win the division. And finally AFC West Chiefs fans. You know go ahead and fire your mud at me online. I'm used to it. I'm going with the Chargers, going with Jim Harbaugh to deliver in year two. Obviously Herbert has better weapons. Hopefully Najee Harris's superficial eye injury suffered on July 4th. Hopefully he's okay. I think the offense is much better. Defense is going to be great. It's a tough division but I'm going with Chargers in the AFC West. All right. NFC East I toyed with the idea of Washington and Jaden Daniels. I'm not quite there. Obviously Giants stink. Cowboys are not going to be above.500 so I will go with the Philadelphia Eagles to repeat as the division winner. They are minus 130 to win the division, which is not bad for defending super bowl champ. The defense is still going to be exceptional. The offense, another offensive coordinator, somebody named Kevin Petullo. They added a a good linebacker in Campbell out of Alabama. I think this is gonna be a very good team. I don't think they're quite due to the schedule super bowl contenders but they're right there in the mix should something happen to one of the better teams. NFC north here's my major curveball. I'm going with the Minnesota Vikings. I know jay. They won 14 games. That's not a curveball. Well when you look at the odds they third after the Lions and Packers they are plus 350 to win the division. I have planted my flag in the JJ McCarthy camp. I know some people do not like that and yes I'll hear from you about it. Hopefully he cleans up his off field stuff and I think the confidence will be there. I like Kevin O' Connell JJ McCarthy to win the NFC North NFC South. Slight wrinkle though. Not a huge one. I'm going with the Atlanta Falcons and Michael Penix to dethrone Tampa in the division. I really like the offense. I think the defense Had a good draft with the edge rushers. I don't love some of the front office stuff, but I'm going to overlook it because I think Penix has a good enough year. And even if Penix flops, Kirk Cousins is still the best backup in the league. So give me the Falcons to win the NFC North, NFC south. Sorry. And finally NFC West. Oh yeah. Brock Purdy and the Niners, they will win the division. They are playing plus 150 behind the Rams. Folks, this is schedule oriented. Go look at the schedule. Easiest in the league by a mile. Robert Salah returns on defense. They'll need them because they're down four starters from last year. A lot of change. We'll get to the Jawan Jennings stuff. That popped this morning. Not great. Obviously they'll need Brandon Iuk badly. I think the 50 is it 53, $53 million man. Brock Purdy delivers. Niners win the division. So there are my division winners, Bills and Ravens, no surprise. Jags are a surprise. Chargers, an upset. Eagles nobody would be surprised by. And then Vikings, Falcons, Niners. So I've got Niners missed the playoffs, Falcons missed the playoffs, Jags missed the playoffs. Three new teams just are the division winners. All right, let's get to our guest. Matt Hasselbeck played eight teen seasons in the NFL. Obviously a great analyst here at Fox. I like he's coming right off the practice field and I will say this.
Colin Cowherd
Hey, yeah, I'm in my high school coaching outfit here, it's sweaty down here in Nashville. But I cannot wait for when J. Mac was right and when J. Mac was wrong.
Matt Hasselbeck
Yeah, that's coming probably eventually next month, but really quickly. So you're coaching a high profile football program and I just love it. I'm just curious are what's it like on the recruiting trail? Because you obviously played in the NFL. Big name, you're on tv, you know, quarterback. Is it easy to recruit? Like is that stuff fun Again? I get nerdy about this.
Colin Cowherd
Well, I mean recruiting in high school football, it sounds like a big thing. I mean I think of it more like an open house, you know, like you're an open house to your program and everyone says, oh you guys recruit. I mean our whole conference recruits. But no, I think what it is is like, you know, and I had high athlete kids and I was once that that kid. You just want to go where other people, other good players are and you want to go where someone can develop you and to coach you. And you know personally how we coach, you know, we don't we don't tackle each other in practice. We kind of run it like an NFL program. And I think a smarter way to practice so that you can stay healthy and play multiple sports and that kind of thing. But also like not a lot of yelling at kids, more about coaching kids, you know, and that's not necessarily how I grew up. You know, I was kind of old school with Pop Warner. Like, get on the line, do it again. Like I don't even know what I did wrong. Come on. But it is fun. It is definitely fun coaching these guys. And we have a lot of talent down here in Nashville, Tennessee too. So Friday Night Lights are incredible and so much fun.
Matt Hasselbeck
That's awesome, man. Congrats. That's a big thing in the communities, you know, coaching kids like your father figure, people looking up to you. So anyways, let's get to. We'll start with my.
Colin Cowherd
I gotta give a shout out to my nephew is the quarterback and my brother Tim is the head head coach. It's his son. So I'm a nice little buffer between the father son the way that like Mike Holmgren had Andy Reed with Brett Favre. You know, Mike, you know, Jim Zorn was in there between me. So it can get a little, you know, it can get a little intense.
Matt Hasselbeck
Wow. Way to step in there. Nicely done. All right, let's go to quickly my division winners. Let me hear what you hate, where I'm going to be wrong, where I'm going to be right. We can get them on the screen here.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, throw it on the screen for me.
Matt Hasselbeck
You got to love the 49ers, Falcons, Vikings, Eagles. And then in the AFC I don't have the Chiefs, so go ahead and beat me up for that.
Colin Cowherd
Well, I'll start, I'll start with the afc. I think everyone's with you on the Bills and Ravens. That's a no brainer. I think every year there's a quarterback that is kind of like that'll be this year. Sam Darnold comes out of nowhere to me. I think Daniel Jones and the Indianapolis Colts have the best chance to be that guy. Someone will like research their career the way that Baker Mayfield once did. And I think Daniel Jones has an opportunity to win the division with Indianapolis Colts there and then the AFC west is an incredible division, but I think people are sleeping on Sean Payton and Bo Nix and what they could be in that division. I mean the easy pick would just to be said to say the Chiefs Chargers are kind of a sexy pick. But I think that in year Two, Bo Nix is going to be under center. A lot more running that Drew Brees offense. Their defense is way underrated with Vance Joseph. I love them. And then on your list, yeah, Eagles. I love the Vikings just as much as anybody. I think they're a great team. I think Brian Flores is going to be probably coach of the year on the, like a defensive coordinator, coach of the year type guy. But the Baker Mayfield slander here, like, leaving Tampa off is shocking. Like, I'm like, what? I don't get that one. So you'll have to explain that one to me. Maybe, but. And then the NFC west is a lot like the AFC West. Some really good teams. Good parody. I think I would go with the Seattle Seahawks in that situation. They're a lot better than people realized last year. They are double, double digit win team with a top 10 defense. Mike McDonald has his vision for what that offense is going to be. They're not spending as much in the wide receiver situation, but they've invested more in the offensive line, in the running game and some of that. Obviously they got a little bit younger and they think maybe more talented at the quarterback position. So I'll take the Seahawks in a tight division there.
Matt Hasselbeck
Wow. A lot to chew on there. Let me just drill down on the Colts for a second. So you just skip right over Anthony Richardson and went to Daniel Jones. Are you hearing that? Daniel Jones has an edge. I know Richardson's kind of banged up right now, but that would be a surprise. But like you said, the quarterback resurgence, first round picks, you know, kind of flame out in the first spot and then the second spot. Recently, guys have. Guys have popped again. So you're bullish on Daniel Jones.
Colin Cowherd
Well, here's the thing, like, if you go, I played for the Indianapolis Colts. They used to have signs around the buildings. One of those signs used to say, the greatest ability is availability. And so, you know, you've got Anthony Richardson, who was incredible at the combine. I was there. I saw it firsthand. I've never seen anything like it. It was so impressive. But he hasn't played a lot of football. I didn't play a lot of football in college. You know, he was hurt last year. I think the whole thing where he was out of breath and he tapped out and said, hey, I need to play. When your franchise quarterback does that. And the previous franchise quarterbacks were guys like Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck, like, I think it just, it's going to be hard to overcome some of that. And then, you know, he wasn't available all Offseason with a shoulder injury once again. And then Daniel Jones is a gu, you know, he's not as exciting to watch, but it's kind of a slow and steady wins the race kind of thing. And so I, I don't know that's it'll be a, it'll be a competition. But as I look at it, and I just kind of know that organization, I know what they're looking for. They're looking for consistency and they're looking to compete and win that division now this year. That doesn't mean that I don't think Anthony Richardson could have a great career. I just think he's off to a really, really slow start.
Matt Hasselbeck
Steichen maybe needs the wins to keep his job. I don't know.
Colin Cowherd
Given the, He's a great runner, too. I, I, yeah. And I think Anthony Richardson's like, you know, he's, he's a real, I mean, he's a great runner, red zone threat, all that stuff. But Daniel Jones, ironically, is a much better runner than people realize. I mean, even in New York, it didn't go great there. But Brian Dabal was running a lot of that Josh Allen run game with Daniel Jones. I think he did a lot better. I mean, he, I know what some people say, well, he looks like a giraffe on ice when he runs, but like, I think it's pretty effective. I think it was pretty effective as a runner.
Matt Hasselbeck
Yeah. Remember, Vanilla Vic was his nickname, which, yeah. Not everybody loved, but yeah. All right, let's move to Denver Broncos real quick. You said Bo Nixon, Sean Payton. I keep reading this defense, man, they might have the best defense in the league. Like, certain is amazing. And then what they did in a draft and Riley Moss, Hunga, Dre, Greenlaw, a lot of guys coming over Denver might have the number one defense in the NFL.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, no doubt. Listen, I played a long time in the NFL. One of the, one of the toughest guys to go up against on third down was Vance Joseph. And you know, wherever he was, like, it always seemed like he was very aggressive. His DBs and his linebackers all kind of played on a. Yo, yo. They were all disguising at the same time. One of the best quarterbacks at the line of scrimmage that I've ever seen was Peyton Manning. And I would say that Vance Joseph is one of the guys that I feel like had a, had a, had an advantage on a guy like Peyton Manning at the line of scrimmage. They do a nice job with their pre snap, post snap stuff. I think that's a pretty good fan base. With crowd noise, they can get rolling if their offense can score. I think this is a good team. You know, Bo Nix had an incredible year last year. I think surprised a lot of people. Sean Payton said, no, I know exactly what I'm looking for in a quarterback. That is my guy. There weren't a lot of scouts saying, oh yeah, he's definitely the guy. He's definitely going to succeed. He had a great year. And if it wasn't for Jaden Daniels having just an epic all time historic, historic rookie campaign, people would be talking a lot more about Bo Nix. And last year, like I said, they were in shotgun a lot more because that's what he was most comfortable with. But I think what Sean Payton is most comfortable with is more under center stuff. So you're going to see Bo Nix under center more. It's going to be better for the play action, better for the run game, harder to defend. They'll still go empty, they'll still all do that stuff. Running back out of the backfield type stuff is dangerous for this team as well. I just have a lot of respect for what that team can be.
Matt Hasselbeck
Interesting. All right, let's go to ESPN. Had a list of the 10 best quarterbacks. Apparently they pulled executives, coaches and scouts. I don't, listen, I don't want to hammer the list too bad. Obviously the top four needs no introduction. We all agree with that. But five through 10, I just had a lot of issues again, you know, do people understand that Jalen hurts statistically is winning from the pocket? Matt, do you think that there's maybe a little bias because he's the only non first round pick among all these guys and then first round picks get like the benefit of the doubt in these guys.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, you're asking a six round pick. So you think that I would be biased here? No, I don't think so. I think people are looking for a certain thing when they hear that word quarterback. You know, that's kind of what I love so much about that Netflix documentary quarterback. Because there's not one style, there's not one flavor, there's not one leadership style, play style, none of that. I love that top five. I would put Lamar higher, but I love that top five. Listen, Jalen, you could make the argument that, I mean I think he's definitely in that 6 to 10, but you could make the argument that he should be at number six. And I think why I say that, you know, people don't give him enough credit for the quarterback sneak, like, they just don't, like, they think like, oh, it's just a quarterback sneak. It doesn't count. It's just like a free play. We should make it illegal. That is a real weapon that he uses. And like, so like sometimes it's maybe easy to gloss over some of, some of the other stuff because he's not, you know, he's staying in the pocket. He's not bolting. A lot of young quarterbacks just bolt outside the pocket. He stays in the pocket. He doesn't flinch. You know, maybe it's boring to some people, but listen, my favorite ice cream, ice cream flavor is vanilla. It's Haagen Dazs vanilla. And it's better than all the other vanillas. You can't just say, oh, it's just vanilla. No, it's way better. And Jalen hurts at some of the things that he does. It might be boring, but it is way better than how the other guys in the league do it.
Matt Hasselbeck
Totally agree. I do have to ask. I mean, listen, it's just one season of Jaden Davis. Was it the greatest rookie season ever? Maybe, Possibly. But it's also possible that he just took the league by storm. They were not ready for him and his speed and his third down scrambling ability. They did win a lot of close games late. You could say there was some luck involved. I'm not comparing it to CJ Stroud, but Stroud as a rookie was, oh my gosh, where'd this guy come from? And now he doesn't even make the top 10. After year two, there was some regression. I don't know, are we going a little irrational on Daniels after one season? I get he's top 10, but five.
Colin Cowherd
I mean, I love him. I think he's awesome in every way. I mean, I, I can't find a weakness in his game. His weakness is that he was putting himself in, in put himself in harm too much. But I think he learned that lesson. He got the rib injury. You know what, once you get the rib injury, you're like, oh, okay, yeah, I'm good. I'll slide earlier. You know, that kind of stuff. But they also invested on the offensive side of the ball this year. They invested in, you know, two tackles. It's going to help the run game. It's going to protect him more. You know, the weakness of this team and why I don't think they'll dethrone the Eagles right away is because their def. Hasn't caught up. You know, they let Fowler go. They, I Think they could have. I guess you got to pick what you're going to do. They invested in this young quarterback. It's hard to argue that. So offensively I think he will be just as good as he was last year, but he was incredible. And I think the clutch gene is what I would point to him like, you know, a lot of guys look, oh, I can make that throw. I could make that play. Yeah, well, guess what? Jaden Daniels makes it in the one opportunity when it's there to be made. He makes it in that split second and just he makes it look easy.
Matt Hasselbeck
I do have to ask. Dak Prescott is the highest paid quarterback in the NFL. He's not even on the top 10. Also two years ago he was runner up for MVP. So again, I don't want to say people are getting knee jerk, but should Dak be in there? I, I, he was hurt a lot of last year, but still no, no.
Colin Cowherd
No, he should not be in there. No. I mean I know he's the Cowboys quarterback, but no, I mean who are you going to take out? There's a, that's a hard, I love.
Matt Hasselbeck
But Herbert doesn't have a playoff win.
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, okay, but I mean I'll just say this, but this is one of the best things about the NFL. Then good teams get this right. And Mike Holmgren, I remember the packers were coming off of two consecutive Super Bowls and we, I came in my very first meeting with Mike Holmgren and he said, listen, I do not care how much money you make, I do not care where you were drafted, I don't care what you have done in the past. The best players are going to play. It is not about these other things. And listen, that's a room with Reggie White and Brett Favre coming off of like three MVPs in a row. And that's the mindset. So like for players and I think the best coaches, what someone's contract is is irrelevant. And I would say that when I'm game planning against a defense, I don't care if you're the highest paid corner in the league. If I find a weakness in your game, we're going to try to exploit it. And I think that's the best way to look at, you know, some of these positional rankings as well. Your contract, that's for somebody else. For us as we evaluate, you know, I think you let the film do the talking.
Matt Hasselbeck
All right, final one on this before we get to your offseason winners. My guy Brock Purdy did not crack the top 10. Now he didn't have a phenomenal year. A lot of injuries. But, Matt, you saw him before this. He was an elite quarterback. He was in the MVP discussion two years ago. Led the Niners to a Super bowl, led them to a conference championship. Brock Purdy's numbers are really good. Should he have made a case for the top 10?
Colin Cowherd
No, listen, I think he's awesome and I think Dak's a good quarterback, too. But top 10 is top 10. I mean, that's, you know, it's, it's, it's rare air. I think that Brock Purdy is the right quarterback for the 49ers. I think Dak is the right quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. But Brock is a guy that is always going to get doubted. You were talking about the fact that Hertz wasn't a first rounder. I don't think. I don't care what Brock Purdy does the rest of his career. I think he will always be, to some people, Mr. Irrelevant. To me, he is not that into Kyle Shanahan and to John lynch, he is not that. The challenge for them is they got to stick together as guys are leaving. There's a lot of change. Juwan Jennings wants a new contract right now. Like, there's a lot of stuff. Can't pay everybody, but, you know, he's. I think. I think he's a good player. I think he could be a great player if he continues to win that division, that he continues to kind of do it when it needs to be done. That's. There's a fine line between being a playoff quarterback and not a playoff quarterback. To be a quarterback that wins playoff games and a quarterback that's just one and done. And so I think he certainly has the ingredients to do it. He's got the coaching staff to do it. But that turnover is going to be an issue for them.
Matt Hasselbeck
Yeah. All right, finally, let's get to your winners of the offseason. I will say you listed four teams here. I agree with two and a half of them. Colin will greatly agree with one of them. But why don't you reveal your four winners this off season?
Colin Cowherd
Well, you know, I'm not sure what the order is here, but I love Minnesota. Like, I think Minnesota is going to be the sneaky Tim. I mentioned Brian Flores. I think that defense is going to be underrated. They invested up front. They spent $106 million at center and right guard with, you know, with the veterans that they went there, they invest. I mean, they're just, they're going up Front in the trenches. I think we kind of learned from Philly that that's what they did last year. Now it's going to be all on J.J. mcCarthy. Can he do it? That's a huge question mark. Young quarterbacks. But I'll say this, the people in Minnesota believe that he can. That's why they let Sam Darnold walk. They said no to Aaron Rodgers. They said no to Daniel Jones. They like, they believe with Kevin o', Connell, they feel like he could be the guy, you know, another team that I think you kind of got to like, buy low, sell high here that really improved. I think the Las Vegas Raiders did a great job. You know, I think about Pete Carroll, they went and got Chip Kelly, they upgraded. They got Geno Smith, they got Ashton Genti, they got a good running back room, Brock Bowers in this offense. I like it. You know, I can't. I think Tom Brady's influence in this is something. It's not nothing. So to me, I think the Raiders are a much improved team. Will they be relevant enough in this division? Yeah, I don't know. It's a year one thing. The New England Patriots, in a similar way, I think it's a big upgrade. Mike Vrabel, Josh McDaniels, Drake, May, year two. They've invested in the draft on the offensive side of the ball early, and then they kind of went free agency with guys like Milton Williams. They got Christian Barmore back. They got two of the best corners in the league, and Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis iii. I think the Patriots make a huge jump. They were terrible last year. They're going to be potentially a playoff team this year. And then this might surprise people a little bit coming from me, but I really believe that this team has done probably more than anybody, the most to improve, and that's the Chicago Bears.
Matt Hasselbeck
Wow.
Colin Cowherd
And part of the reason that I say it is I love the fact that they locked up Ryan Poles. I think one of the biggest issues in Chicago is that they have not had continuity and symmetry with the GM and the head coach. So now you get polls, you get Ben Johnson, you go maybe done the best job of any team, solidifying the inside of the offensive line. They're building this whole thing around Caleb Williams. They're saying, caleb, Caleb, it is your job. We are setting you up. You are the guy that should be the most improved quarterback from last year to this year. And. And we'll see. I mean, it's. He's certainly. I've said it many times, he has the talent he is off to a very slow start. He has the potential. It's all surrounded. Great coaching, great protection, weapons. Like, I really think that this is, this is a make or break year for him in that sense and he certainly is capable of doing it. But if you look on paper improved, I'll say that they've done a great job this offseason.
Matt Hasselbeck
So wrap up with give me your order for that division then. I mean, I agree they got better, but is there any way they're not last place in the division?
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I. Listen, I, I think it's going to be hard for Detroit. I think it's going to be hard for Detroit with all the losses that they've had. I mean they were one of the best teams in football all last year. Loved them. But losing both coordinators is tough. There's a lot of adversity that they're going to have to overcome in Detroit and they might overcome it. They might. They've got strong leadership there. They've got the same quarterback back there. That could happen to me. I think Minnesota is a team that's going to shock people. I think they're really good. Like really good. Green Bay is underrated. I thought they, you know, a double digit win team last year, you know, are the Bears going to be fourth in that division? Possibly. But look, I think it's. They're kind of putting all their chips on this guy that they think is a franchise quarterback. The first pick in the overall in the draft. Can he be a difference maker the way that Jaden Daniels was? Jaden Daniels took a bad team and said, hey, get on my back, follow me, I will lead us. And they were one game away from, from doing something incredibly special. So you know, is Caleb that guy? I guess it kind of comes down to if you believe Caleb's that guy or not. But they put all the pieces around him for her for him to do it.
Matt Hasselbeck
Yeah, I like it. That's a, that's a spicy take. All right. The great Matt Hasselbeck. Keep up the good work. You guys doing two a days this week?
Colin Cowherd
No, no, no, no, no. We're doing. Come on now. We're not crazy. Those two days are over. Like science has told us. That is not even smart. So. So we practice once a day, Monday through Wednesday day. Enjoy your weekend. You know that kind of.
Matt Hasselbeck
Wow. Maybe I should play football for you. Oh my. That sounds cushy. Geez.
Colin Cowherd
Well, most our, most our kids are playing baseball and summer lacrosse and other stuff too. So we believe in multi sport athletes.
Matt Hasselbeck
I like that. Totally agree. All right, Matt Hasselblad. Good stuff, man. Thanks a lot.
Colin Cowherd
See you, Jace.
Matt Hasselbeck
All right. He's a good guy. Sounds like a great coach. I mean, geez, letting kids play multiple sports. I know a lot of coaches who are like, hey, you gotta drop the other sports and focus on this, which is a terrible idea. Anyways, coming up next, I'll tell you why Travis Hunter should not play both ways next season, and a celebrity endorsement comes along with it. That's next year on the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the iHeartRadio app.
Rob Parker
Hey, it's me, Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for 22 minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the eye test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.
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Jason McIntyre
Stay Ahead if you're an inventory specialist in a warehouse, Granger knows you've probably faced a situation like this before. Your forklift, your facility's workhorse, is leaking hydraulic fluid, and with a full schedule of shipments on the docket, this has the potential to cause a major delay of game. But you're not worried. You're prepared for this type of situation, and you have an ace in the hole. Grainger Grainger offers professional grade products for every industry, from hydraulic oils and hoses. So much more. Plus fast, dependable delivery. So you can be confident that you'll have the product you need on hand to fix that forklift and get it back in the game. Call 1-800-GRAINGER Click grainger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. Hi it's the Herd. Nothing says summer like long days, clutch plays and firing off a few bets on the game. All with DraftKings sportsbook. As the season heats up, so do the bats, and DraftKings sportsbook has you covered with live betting, home run, props, odd boosts and more. Whether you're chasing dingers or jumping in mid game, always action to be had. If you've never been on baseball before, it's easy. Just pick a guy to go yard, hammer some live odds mid game or just ride your squad. Hope for the best. No spreadsheets, just vibes dingers. So here's something special for first timers new DraftKings customers. All you have to do is bet five bucks and you'll get $150 in bonus bets and you'll get it instantly. So download the DraftKings sportsbook app. The code, as always, is heard. H e r d that's code. Herd new customers. 150 bucks in bonus bets instantly just betting five bucks only on DraftKings. The crown is yours.
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Matt Hasselbeck
Back here on the Herd. Fun stuff with Matt Hasselbeck, one of the Seminole quarterbacks in Seattle CBS Hawks history. He said he had a great career. Three time Pro Bowler. Interesting teams to watch. I listed the Jags as a team to watch earlier in the show and we had a gambler on last week. I forget if it was. It might have been Adam Chernoff or Chris Felica. One of those two was hyping Trevor Lawrence to lead the league in touchdowns and it's an interesting take because you know, Lawrence has not really lived up to the hype. Hype and they, you know, they had a good receiver BR I think Brian Thomas last year put up some great rookie numbers and then they trade up, which I didn't love at the time to draft Travis Hunter, the great wide receiver who also plays cornerback at a very high level at Colorado and now he's going to the pros. So I'm bullish on the Jags offense. But the question becomes, is Travis Hunter going to play both ways? We've never really seen. Seen it. Obviously, people want to compare it to Deion Sanders. Deion was a great cornerback and returned punts and stuff. And then he played baseball. Like, that's a little different than playing defensive back and then playing wide receiver. And Travis Hunter had a quote this week about how, hey, listen, it's a lot for Travis Hunter, but he can handle. It's a lot to put on his plate, but he can handle. He's a really polished route run. He's an excellent cornerback. He's just a sick athlete. And I don't know, I think I said at the time that it struck me as, hey, we need to make a splash as Jacksonville. You know, there's a lot of jokes about the Jags. They're London's team. They don't really have a fan base. And this was the kind of move, like, Travis Hunter was one of the most popular players in the draft. When you factor in social media activity, off the field, endorsements, he's just. He's super popular. People like him, gravitational toward him. So it was a play of, hey, we've got a dual threat athlete. Hey, we've got an elite athlete. And, oh, by the way, he's super popular. Everybody loves him. So you kind of put Jacksonville a little more on the map. However, we had Marlon Humphrey, the great Ravens defensive back last week who said, travis Hunter, I don't know about going both ways. Here's Marlon Humphrey to do both.
Marlon Humphrey
It seems very Mission Impossible esque. You know, I think Dion obviously did a little bit of it, you know, back in his day, but I just think the game has changed so much since then. Dion was clearly light and day, the fastest guy out there. Nowadays, everybody's fast. I think he's really got a tough challenge ahead. I think eventually he will realize, man, it's really, really hard to do this at a high level where every week you're playing a top NFL team. It's not like college where, where, you.
Colin Cowherd
Know, there is teams on everyone's roster.
Marlon Humphrey
Where it's like, this should be a pretty easy game. And that's just not the case in the NFL. I hope he has success with it, and I hope he just decides it's just too much for me as opposed to, you know, he kind of struggles with it.
Matt Hasselbeck
Yeah. And I totally agree with Marlon Humphrey, by the way. I don't know that Many other people are advising him against this. Everybody's endorsing it as being positive. And I get it. You want to be positive. Positive. By the way, this is how popular Travis Hunter is. After we had on Marlon Humphrey last week, I said I agreed with him. I got a DM from my guy, Lil Wayne, the rapper, who has appeared on this network plenty of times. And he's like, hey, man, that's my guy. You got to stop putting him down. Why are you guys hating on him? And again, we're not hating on Travis Hunter. He's a great athlete. But the idea that he's going to go out on the first defensive series and try to tackle running backs in space and then chase wide receivers, and then, hey, we're on offense. Go out there and run route. That's insane. That's way too much pressure on a young kid. And I looked at the Jag schedule, okay? So you know what's going to happen. Travis Hunter can play both ways against the Carolina Panthers in the opener. He can do that. He probably will excel. Carolina's not a great offense. You know, Bryce Young doesn't have any weapons. They don't have a running back. That scares you. He can do that in the opener. And everybody's going to say, see, he. I told you guys he can do it. And I'm. I'd be happy for him. Week two Cincinnati Bengals. He's gonna be chasing around Jamar Chase and Or T. Higgins. That's a tall order. And then he's going to be running routes. Week three. Hello. Nico Collins, who emerged last year before the injury. It's one of the best receivers in the league. League, okay. And C.J. stroud, you know, likes to chuck and duck. Week four, San Francisco 49ers. Hey, man, we need you to tackle Christian McCaffrey. Hey, George Kittle's gonna be blocking you. Good luck getting around him. And then we need you to chase around IUK or Jennings or whoever. They got a receiver. Not gonna be easy. Week 5 Kansas City Chiefs. Hey, man, Isaiah Pacheco. He. Few guys run as hard as him. Need you to get him in space, wrap him up. No pile inspector stuff. You got to get in there, wrap. And then I need you chasing around Xavier Worthy, one of the fastest players in the league, and Rasheed Rice over the middle. It's just. You just look at the schedule and you're like, okay, Travis Hunter may excel for a week, and maybe he has a splash play or two against Jamar Chase or Xavier Worthy or Rashid Rice, but that schedule is brutal. Guys, guys, I just don't like this for Travis Hunter. And I like the kid. He might be rookie of the year. I just think it's too much for a young guy. All right, coming up next, former NBA center Ryan Hollins drops by. Listen, this LeBron stuff is concerning everybody. He's near the end. He's carried the league for 15 years. What does Ryan Hollins have to say about the goat? That's next year on the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.
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Jason McIntyre
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Can fast forward through editing images, designing presentations, generating code, debugging code, running lots of apps without lag, creating live transitions and captions, summarizing meeting notes, extending battery life life, finding that file you were looking for, managing your schedule, meeting your deadlines, responding to Jim's long emails, leaving all the time in the world for more you time and for the things you actually want to do. No offense, Jim. Get a new Dell AIPC starting at 699.99@dell.com aipc how those ahead, Stay ahead.
Jason McIntyre
If you're an inventory specialist in a warehouse, Grainger knows you've probably faced a situation like this before. Your forklift, your facility's workhorse, is leaking hydraulic fluid and with a full schedule of shipments on the docket, this has the potential to cause a major delay of game. But you're not worried. You're prepared for this type of situation and you have an ace in the hole. Grainger. Grainger offers professional grade products for every industry industry from hydraulic oils and hoses. So much more, plus fast, dependable delivery so you can be confident that you'll have the product you need on hand to fix that forklift and get it back in the game. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.
Matt Hasselbeck
All right. He spent 10 seasons in the NBA with nine different teams. That's some clean living. Let's welcome in Ryan Hollins, Fox Sports radio every Sunday, 9am Eastern. Look at my guy sitting in his Elon Muskmobile with the shades on, looking tough. How hot is that Houston heat? Was it 110?
Ryan Hollins
It's burning up, man. I'm over in the gym with my guy Justin Allen over in Houston. And you are right, man it is burning up. The humidity is different for this California boy, man.
Matt Hasselbeck
Yeah, you got to get back to Cali, baby. A little too hot in Houston. Houston. By the way, I will say, speaking of hot, how good did Reed shepherd look in summer league? He's out here frying, guys. He's going to be big in the rotation for the Rockets this year, right?
Ryan Hollins
He's going to be huge. He's right. Now, as everybody assesses Houston's Rocket roster, you like to say that he can be the most pivotal piece. You know, everyone's looking to what he can do. And last season, the biggest frustration, I would say wasn't, you know, that Reed wasn't talented or didn't have the iq. He knows everywhere that he's supposed to be on the floor, you know, it's the other way. You know, I never had these problems, J. Mac. They're like, shoot the ball more, you know, let it rip, let the ball fly. So at summer league, you can see the big emphasis for Reed to look for his shot. And he's got a unique skill set. Comparable. J. Mac, don't go crazy when I say this. Oh, don't go crazy when I say this. Okay. Comparable to Steph Curry in the sense of a smaller guard. J. Mac, come on, bro. That's not. That's not. I said comparable. I didn't say he's Curry. But he can get his shot off. Off the bounce. He has a very quick release and you see why he's encouraged to shoot the ball more. And that's one thing that Houston really needed. That you have the defense, the rebounding, but the three point shooting, which would open up the floor for guys like Durant and Van Vliet and Min Thompson and Chengun inside. Just stop laughing, man. What's wrong with you?
Matt Hasselbeck
Sorry for laughing. Obviously, that wasn't a comparison. I'll say. Shepherd's game is clean, clean, smooth, nice. It looks like he has worked on these moves like Kobe Bryant over the years. Like, Kobe's moves are just so smooth. It's like it's perfected. Now it is only summer league. Let's see him do it against elite NBA players. But. All right. One last thing on summer league before we move on. Cooper flag looked, I thought, fine in the opener. A lot of people were saying more mid 5 for 21 shooting. And then he goes off for 31 against the Spurs. Just dunk after dunk off the dribble bombs like, that's the real Cooper flag. How impressed were you?
Ryan Hollins
I was extremely impressed with Cooper Flag, and I think it's a great call by Dallas. You know, the one reason he has, one reason to be in summer league, not just to show the fans and pay it off, because it's just a part of our game and the way that it's played, but to have confidence. He is gaining confidence. In that second game where he went off was great. And then Cooper Flagg being the number one pick, he's the guy that the media is going to be all over. You know, unfortunately for Saar, last year in the kid over in Atlanta, you know, everybody was talking about Bronny James. He took that pressure. But this year, Cooper Flag undisputedly is the guy. So you get him feeling good, he's positive, There are excellent storylines are going to be going around him. And the one thing that I take away, and we saw this is for Cooper Flag. He's in the perfect situation in Dallas. He's not going to be great creating off the dribble, just going one on one. But he excels in the open floor. He brings it out a lot of length. And I think for the mistakes or, you know, rookie understanding of where to be on the floor, you know, you got Anthony Davis behind you, you got Gafford behind you. You know, you got Derek Lively behind you. You have those big bodies. So I think he's going to be excellent over there in Dallas. And if you defend, you can get out and run. And one thing Dallas wants to do is play a lot faster.
Matt Hasselbeck
All right, Ryan, I'm workshopping a table take. So the Bucks, you know, they probably should trade Giannis, but they don't want to, right? So, oh, let's go overpay Miles Turner, which is a bad deal. The Damian Lower thing, disaster. They're not going to be good, but they're keeping Giannis. For now. The Denver Nuggets are doing the opposite. We got to do everything we can to keep Jokic, right? Let's get Cam Johnson, Tim Hardaway Jr. Let's get. We actually have a bench this year, and Jokic said no thank you to the extension this year. Year. Let me see how we do now. Obviously, you can make more money next year, but I'm just curious, are we seeing a different approach toward keeping these European stars? Because even the Lakers with Luka, hey, we don't want to commit to anybody long term. LeBron. Sorry. So we're seeing, like, Luka, Giannis and Jokic, the three next pillars in the league and how teams are trying to keep them or build around them. I'm just curious your thoughts about team building in regards to those three.
Ryan Hollins
Well, the one thing that you have to understand, J. Mac, is you don't want to go back into the ice ages of development and tanking. We'll just call it for what it is. And if you're not one of these mega markets, you can use this, J. Mac. If you're not one of these mega markets and you have one of these mega stars, you gotta sign the NASA's to keep them. You gotta be aggressive in free agency. You gotta make these moves because, because they mean that much. And even more so, you know, following the heels of LeBron James, these stars know their value and they're willing to go. So, you know, with the stars of the past would stay put. You can build around them. You know, there wasn't movement going to be there. These guys get it. So I'm all in for Milwaukee. Giannis is that darn good that you go and you make moves. And it was a historical buyout with Damian Lillard. That's not the best thing, obviously, for the franchise moving forward, forward. But for Giannis, he want to stay competitive. And you look at the injuries in the Eastern Conference, Giannis Antetokounmpo has to be looking over and saying, okay, I lose Lopez, but I get, I get a guy a little younger, a guy who can block shots the same, and I can go pound for pound for the best, the best of them in the East. And now you put a chip on my shoulder. So they get a buyout with, with Anthony, goes over there from Memphis. So I'm telling you, man, I'm not completely against it. They're settling for the now.
Matt Hasselbeck
Wow. You Cole. So Cole Anthony could start. I, I don't know, Ryan. I, I, I like how you're hyping the bucks, but hey, how about this? We didn't even get into LeBron, you know, there's just not enough time. Yeah. So anyways, Ryan Hollins, the former NBA center, FOX Sports Radio star, enjoy the summer and the heat. Stay cool in Houston. Ryan.
Ryan Hollins
All right, brother, we'll talk soon, man.
Matt Hasselbeck
Good stuff. Ryan Hollins. I was going to tell him, hey, could you text LeBron on and tell them, LeBron, just chill like it's going to be fine. Start talking to the media. All right, coming up next, we got kind of a controversial top 10 quarterback NFL list floating around, so I'm giving you my version of it. Obviously more accurate.
Colin Cowherd
This is an iHeart podcast.
Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 2: NFL Predictions
Podcast Information:
Timestamp: [02:25] - [07:00]
Colin Cowherd kicks off the episode by presenting his predictions for the NFL division winners, preparing audiences for a deep dive into his analysis as he heads to Las Vegas for Futures bets. He outlines his picks for each division, emphasizing both favorites and surprise contenders:
AFC East: Buffalo Bills – Colin asserts, “They are an absolute lock” to win the division, highlighting Josh Allen’s leadership and the team's dominance ([04:33]).
AFC North: Baltimore Ravens – With Lamar Jackson at the helm and key players like Derek Henry and Marlon Humphrey, Colin believes the Ravens are “heavily favored” ([04:33]).
AFC South: Jacksonville Jaguars – A surprising pick, Colin forecasts a turnaround from 4-13 to division winners, citing Travis Hunter and a promising new coach ([05:20]).
AFC West: Los Angeles Chargers – Contending against the Chiefs, Colin supports Jim Harbaugh’s leadership and Herbert’s improved offense ([05:20]).
NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles – Defending champions with a robust defense and a solid offensive lineup make them favorites in this division ([06:00]).
NFC North: Minnesota Vikings – Colin takes a major curveball by predicting the Vikings to top the division at +350 odds, banking on J.J. McCarthy’s potential ([06:00]).
NFC South: Atlanta Falcons – Bolstered by Michael Penix and Kirk Cousins as a reliable backup, Colin sees the Falcons dethroning Tampa Bay ([06:00]).
NFC West: San Francisco 49ers – Despite challenges, Brock Purdy is expected to lead the Niners to a division win, emphasizing their schedule advantage ([06:00]).
Colin concludes with a summary of his picks: “Bills and Ravens, no surprise. Jags are a surprise. Chargers, an upset. Eagles nobody would be surprised by, and then Vikings, Falcons, Niners” ([07:00]).
Timestamp: [07:00] - [28:27]
Former NFL quarterback Matt Hasselbeck joins Colin to dissect the division predictions and delve deeper into quarterback performances.
Key Discussions:
Quarterback Rankings and Evaluations:
Daniel Jones vs. Anthony Richardson (Colts):
Colin expresses skepticism about Anthony Richardson’s readiness, stating, “the Bills will win the AFC East. That is an absolute lock” and favors Daniel Jones for consistency ([09:17]).
Matt counters by highlighting Richardson’s athleticism but agrees on Jones's steadiness: “Daniel Jones is kind of a slow and steady wins the race kind of thing” ([13:19]).
Jaden Daniels’ Performance:
Colin praises Daniels’ clutch performances, noting his ability to “make it in the one opportunity” ([19:28]).
Matt questions whether one stellar season warrants a top-10 ranking, contemplating potential regression ([19:28]).
Brock Purdy’s Role:
Colin downplays Purdy’s placement in the top 10, asserting, “No, listen, I think he's awesome and I think Dak's a good quarterback, too. But top 10 is top 10” ([22:15]).
Matt agrees but emphasizes Purdy’s suitability for the 49ers despite not being a top-10 QB ([22:15]).
Team Improvements:
Las Vegas Raiders:
New England Patriots:
Chicago Bears:
Notable Quotes:
Timestamp: [23:38] - [28:27]
Colin and Matt shift focus to the NFL offseason, discussing teams poised for significant improvement.
Colin’s Offseason Winners:
Minnesota Vikings: Emphasizes their strong defense and investment in the offensive line, banking on J.J. McCarthy’s development ([24:00]).
Las Vegas Raiders: Credits Pete Carroll and strategic signings for the team's enhanced performance ([24:00]).
New England Patriots: Highlights coaching upgrades and key player acquisitions as drivers for their resurgence ([24:00]).
Chicago Bears: Applauds the Bears for securing Ryan Poles and building around Caleb Williams, setting a foundation for success ([25:39]).
Matt’s Insights:
Notable Quotes:
Timestamp: [28:58] - [47:28]
A heated debate unfolds around Jacksonville Jaguars’ Travis Hunter potentially playing both offense and defense.
Key Points:
Travis Hunter’s Dual Role:
Matt expresses concerns about the feasibility of Hunter excelling on both sides of the ball, comparing it to Deion Sanders and citing the NFL's increased complexity ([35:07]).
Colin remains skeptical, highlighting the grueling schedule and the high-pressure environments Hunter would face: “Travis Hunter may excel for a week, and maybe he has a splash play or two… but that schedule is brutal” ([35:07]).
Expert Opinion:
Fan and Celebrity Reactions:
Notable Quotes:
Timestamp: [47:28] - [End]
The episode concludes with teasers for upcoming segments, including discussions on LeBron James with former NBA center Ryan Hollins and a preview of Colin’s own controversial top 10 quarterback list.
In this episode of The Herd with Colin Cowherd, listeners received an in-depth analysis of NFL division winners, quarterback performances, and team offseason moves, enriched by expert insights from Matt Hasselbeck. The debate around Travis Hunter’s potential dual-role role highlighted the challenges and differing opinions within the sports community. The episode effectively covered key NFL topics while maintaining engagement through expert commentary and notable quotes.
Notable Quotes Recap:
For those who haven’t listened, this episode offers a comprehensive look at the current NFL landscape, blending predictions with expert analysis and spirited debates.