← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
HOUR 2 – Nick Wright is on the Bills Bandwagon, The Justin Herbert-Jim Harbaugh Connection
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This is an iHeart podcast.
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Guaranteed Human.
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Remember when people were nice? When we could occasionally stop fighting and come together? Well, here's some good news. The Ripple Effect is here. Hosted by comedian Jenna Kim Jones. It's a show about how powerful it is when we reach out to one another. It's the perfect weekly proof that goodness isn't gone. The Ripple Effect is more than a podcast. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. Listen to the ripple effect on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
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I'm Colin Coward from the Herd. Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you'll definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. In the latest season, hosts Austin Hankwitz and Jenise Torres are talking to self starters about the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and how QuickBooks helps you to get more done in less time. You don't want to miss it. Listen to Mind the Business small business success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hi, it's Colin. I've been around long enough to know quality when I see it or in this case, when I taste it. Tito's Handmade Vodka. Good stuff. No flash, no gimmicks. Smooth, clean tasting, made the right way. Tito's made in Austin, Texas. Rock Real attention to detail. I like to keep it simple. Tito's Soda one lime, lot of ice. Refreshing easy summer, winter, spring. 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Find your local station for the Herd atfox sports radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It's hour two. First hour flew by live in Chicago. It's the herd. Brock Purdy, 7 on 7 passing drill last night. Those secondaries both very mid, as they say. All right, Nick Wright's couple of minutes away. I gotta tell you, I. There's a couple of teams in this league and they played on Thursday. Rams, Seahawks. You got to be impressed with those teams. But between the third best team in the league in the 10th, maybe a point and a half. Here we go. In our herd hierarchy. Herd hierarchy time is now. Let's go. The top 10 NFL teams according to college. Number 10, Buffalo. Josh Allen's hurt. Did you see the offense once he went for an X ray. They've been held under 200 passing yards in three of the last four games. They can't stop the run. I am not as high on Buffalo as everybody else is. People keep seeing, well, Mahomes doesn't make the playoffs. Have you watched Jacksonville? You watch Denver? They're pretty good. Seen the Texans defense? I don't know. I don't see this as a team that can win three playoff games. They have no passing attack downfield. Buffalo at 10, number nine. The Niners, opposing quarterbacks, including Philip Rivers, have a 101 passer rating against this defense. No, Bosa, I mean, last night's pass rush wasn't bad, but I think I. I think you can really beat this team in the back end. And Christian McCaffrey, 27 touches. They're 04 the game. After he has 27 touches. George Kittle's now hurt. Do you realize Kittle this year is worth a touchdown to their offense? That is insane. A lot of that's just blocking. I have the Niners at nine, number eight. I had no idea Woody Marks was that valuable. Texans were atrocious against the Raiders. Woody Marks didn't play. Now, listen. Opposing quarterbacks this year have a passer writing of 74. I do think and they'd be ugly but I think they could get to the conference championship. I like the coach, I like the quarterback. If Woody Marks is healthy, they can run the football. I got Houston at eight, number seven. Yeah, Denver just didn't play well. And the defense since the Week 12 buy has gotten worse. It's. It's allowing 26 a game since the buy and it's not the offense. They had 445 yards. Now the other thing though, I will give them credit. Teams that play Denver are 3 and 11 the following week. That tells you they're a really physical team and it also tells you you should bet against the Jags this week. Number six. The Jags. They were four and five in the red zone. And teams had struggled all year against the Broncos in the red zone. Six game winning streak hard to run against them. I like their story. I thought that game felt so big for them. They were very intentional. Their receiving core is a real deal. Listen, when you're bad for years and have top 10 draft picks, you got dudes. And Jacksonville at six has dudes. Number five. I like Philadelphia. Lane Johnson, Jaylen Carter coming back. The band is back together. There's only two teams in the league. The Rams are one, Phillies, the other that are top five in red zone offense and red zone defense. That's Philadelphia. I may not always love their coach, but I got The Eagles at five, number four. Bears beat him in Philly. I'll put them four now. They played an easy schedule, but they're 11 and two since week three. They do not give the ball away. And they take the ball away. That is really good going into the playoffs. Their quarterback, yeah, he's young but he is dynamic. I think situationally, I love their head coach. I know a lot of you have misgivings about him. I don't care that they get outplayed in the second quarter. I care they win games. Bears at four, number three. It's like New England. They've had one stinker in the last 10 weeks and they dominated new. They dominated the Buffalo Bills in the first half of that game. They lost. I like them seven and oh on the road. They're doing it now without their left tackle and left guard, so. And the weakest part of this team right now is their run game because they're all beat up on the offensive line. But the reason I took them over Baltimore is they move the chains. Their receiving core is way, way underrated. Go look at Big plays this season. I think you'll be shocked at where New England is number two. Rams are one or two. They lost to Seattle. I'll put them at two. Three straight games with 500 plus yards out, gaining opponents this year by almost 1100 yards. Nobody can stop Puka doing it without Devonte Adams. Now two running backs, three tight ends. I like getting a pass rush. Rams at two, number one. Well, Seattle turns the ball over too much, but they've been very good against good teams. They could have beaten the Rams twice, beat them once. Steelers, jagged. Texans, Colts. It's not just Sam Darnold. I've said it. If you turn the sound down when you watch the Seahawks, they look like the best team in the league. They can turn the ball over and still blow teams out. They can get outplayed for three and a half quarters and still beat excellent teams. I'll put the Seahawks at number one Now. Nick Wright, for the first time in his career is a Bills Stan and he is joining us live. I just. There's so much about the Bills that worries me. You've pivoted to Buffalo this year and it's a redeemable quality. Why?
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Well, it's. I mean, no, I just Last year and this year I thought going into the season Buffalo was the second best team in the conference. Last year I was correct. This year, obviously both years to the Chiefs this year the Chiefs let me down on that end. The Bills are who they've been, which is they have one of the three best quarterbacks alive. I think he's the second best quarterback alive and the best healthy quarterback. Even though Stafford's having a great year and the supporting cast, it's. A few years ago it was wildly overrated and now it feels a touch underrated. I know people wish Josh Allen had better receivers, I get that. But I guess he just has to settle for having the rushing champ, a good to very good offensive line and really good tight ends. That's enough in a wide open afc. And I do think for Josh, when the hurdle for him to make the super bowl has or to get deep in the playoffs or make the super bowl has been Patrick Mahomes four out of five years and Joe Burrow the other year, the fact that neither of those teams or quarterbacks are going to be in the playoffs means this is wide open for him. So I just think. I don't think Buffalo has the best resume, but of every team in the afc, their resume is close enough that because they have the only hall of Fame quarterback in his prime that is going to be in the playoff field. I think I'd roll with them with the possible caveat of look out for my Jags. Colin. Oh, man. I told you a month ago, what if Trevor went on the Sam Darnold arc? I didn't know it was going to happen right now. I didn't know it was going to happen after Thanksgiving. He's been great.
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Now I want to. It's funny. So years and years ago, this may have been 30 years ago. I. I've never been a big car guy, but I loved Jaguars. I think I saw a movie with a guy in a Jaguar and I thought it was cool. But Jaguars had a reputation, they fell apart that you could not trust the Jaguar, British, the Brits. And then I think somebody bought them, like Ford or somebody bought them. And now the Jags, you know, they corrected those flaws. But I feel the car and the Jaguars franchise are similar. Where, boy, they look good, there's a lot of good.
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Man, they look good, but I don't.
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Trust them on a long roadie. Why do you suddenly trust them?
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Well, here's the thing. I don't know that I can't fully trust them, but what I will say is this. Liam Cohen just doesn't have like the PR that some of the other young coaches have. He's been excellent. He has been awesome.
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And.
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And as much as I love and I do love Baker, Baker seems to miss him in a way he didn't miss Dave Canales. And so Liam Cohen. Maybe because the Duvall thing was goofy, maybe because on camera he doesn't really cut the same profile as Ben Johnson or Demico Ryan's or some of the other young coaches everybody likes. He wasn't taking it seriously. And then there's Trevor, who here would be my argument about what has changed with Trevor Lawrence. I do not think his highlight throws this year are any different than any of the last four years. I think since Trevor's second year in the league, if you cut up his 20 best throws of the season, that they would stack up next to just about any of the all pro quarterbacks. What Trevor's problem had been, yeah, was his 20 worst plays of the season are brutal. Looked like the worst plays you've ever seen. It was just dropping the ball, red zone picks, terrible. And he's. The last month he has kept the highlight throws and cut out the other stuff. They are this. During this run, Colin, they are beating teams by an average of. Of 18.8 points per victory. Yeah, that is Last year they scored 18.8 points per game. It has been a transformation and I listen they are alive for the one seed. They are huge favorites to win the division and they feel a little dangerous and they, they do have a bit of a nobody believes in us since the whole media and your guy Sean Payton all made fun of Jacksonville for no reason. That's a fine American town. Nothing wrong with Jacksonville. So I, I like the Jags. I don't trust them as much as the Bills, but see if Trevor can keep this heater going.
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So you know, a couple years ago I said a story that's not a big story, but it's something is Andy Reid is aging and he's not going to be around. So Mahomes is going to have to have a second head coach and a second Gronk, Travis Kelsey trustable outlet. So they like anything in life. It's just, I mean that the Patriots weren't great at drafting but they got tight ends right for a few years and then in the end they didn't have enough players. So it's hard. Wide receivers hard. It's an emotional position. You get some immaturity, blah blah blah. So is there any part of you that looks at it and you may not say it on the air but you're thinking to yourself if Andy retired after next year and they're not quite great next year they, they, they retool but they're not quite great. They don't have the Rams, maybe the Seahawks roster. Is there any part of you that worries that the best is gone and then it was wonderful. It was a Broadway hit. But the understudies filling in aren't the same and Mahomes is never quite able to duplicate it.
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So here's the thing. Worry is not the word I would use.
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Okay.
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And I hear I if you are asking me do I think it is likely they ever duplicate the last seven years because let's just be clear on what it was. That's as good of a seven year stretch as any team has ever had in the history of football. Are they going to do that twice? Are they going to make seven straight conference championship games? Are they going to make five out of six Super Bowls including three straight? I think the odds are no. I like the Patriots best stretch ever 2011-18 they did on the back instead of the front end. But there is no they didn't do that more than once. I do think if your point is that we will look at the entire Mahomes era and say the best six year run was the one that just ended. I think that's likely. I don't think they are likely to make five out of six Super Bowls again and be the favorite every year. But that, that is a very, very to me far bridge from they are done being a perennial super bowl favorite. I that I think they will go into every season over the next, I believe five to seven years with the best quarterback in the league. And that being your starting point is the most important starting point. And so if you were to ask me do you know how many more Super Bowls do I think Patrick Mahomes plays in? I would probably say four. If you were to ask me how many more Super Bowls does Patrick Mahomes win, I would probably say two or three. Now again, that would in any era of NFL football, that career I just described would be incomprehensible because Tom Brady went to 10 and 1 7. That seems like odds, almost disappointing. But he's already second most all time in super bowl appearances and tied for third all time in super bowl or fourth all time, pardon me, in super bowl wins. So I think they are going to get back to being a dominant juggernaut, but making five out of six Super Bowls. Literally no one had done it before. So I don't know that I can say the Chiefs are going to do it again. I will say this quickly on this. I think you, for all the people poking at Mahomes and I saw you say Josh Allen's been way better for two years. Which again, I mean, I don't know. They play each other in the playoffs. One guy always outplays him. But set it aside. I think we saw on Sunday how much the offensive load Patrick is carrying.
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Yes.
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Because he goes out and they instantly become the worst offense in football. So they do need to retool some things offensively, most notably the running back room. And I think they'll do that next season.
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So I'm always fascinated by unicorns, people that do things and you know, it's like unbelievable that Jokic is the maybe the best center ever. Now he doesn't have Kareem Skyhook, but passing threes low post screening, you're like, sure, yeah, I've never seen. And he goes against type like he's not twitchy, he couldn't jump over a folded newspaper and you're like, yeah, you can't guard him. You literally can't say Draymond Green's like, yeah, that's the one guy I can't do anything with. So here's Caleb Williams. It's fascinating. When he paints his fingernails, he's awful on script. He jumps into the crowd to see his mom. All I talk to all these GMs, they're like, he's not very accurate. He's kind of moody. I'm not sure if he's elite. And now you're watching the dysfunctional Bears and he's going to win this incredible division, you know, before the season where he's at the best division. And it's fascinating. I don't worry about the completion percentage, but it is rare that you'd be like, because Cam was in the 59 60. But I think Caleb's. I think his ceilings more consistent than Cam because Cam's personality was kind of distracted. Are we. Is it possible that we are. Look, I said this a couple weeks ago. Is he a shorter Josh Allen? There's nothing else like him on the. That even looks like him. What do you make of his personality?
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So the Jacks. So all of it. So listen, the Josh Allen comp I struggle with, only because so much of Josh's greatness is just brute force. Just how big and strong and that. So, like, so I. That comp. I can't wrap my mind around. But so let me just go through all of it. Fact of the matter is, and people were, you know, kind of dancing around it, there was a lot of. Without saying it, people were like, ah, I think the guy's too effeminate. They didn't like that he cried. They didn't like that he painted his nails. And they didn't like that he was fine with it. Like that he was. He knew people were gonna have that criticism and he didn't care. I thought that critique from the beginning was nonsense. People were like, will locker rooms follow him? And the answer is, if he's good, absolutely. Like nobody. As long as he's good, no one will care. And if he's bad, you know, all of a sudden not painting his fingernails won't do anything. So that I dismissed that criticism. The him not being great at layups is a fair critique. But if you were to ask me, Colin, here are 15 traits that make a quarterback make up a NFL quarterback pick one that is most fixable. I would say not great at layups. The stuff he is great at, not only is it not, like, fixable, it's not teachable.
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Right?
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And so give me the guy who has the inherent greatness in him and then pair him with someone like Ben Johnson, whose job it is to help him with the other stuff, I would say this. After last year, I thought he finished his rookie year well behind schedule. I think now he's not only on schedule, but ahead of schedule. And still, the completion percentage is crummy.
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And.
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And if not for an onside kick recovery, he wouldn't have gotten any of the highlight moments that we got against the Packers.
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Yeah.
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But after that onside kick, the fourth and four play was unbelievable. And the throw in overtime might have been the play of the year in the NFL. And he's young and he's figuring it out, and Ben Johnson is, you know, ushering him along. So I like. I love what he's doing. I believe in the Bears to a degree. Do I think they're going to win four playoff games to win the Super Bowl? No. But do I think that nobody wants to play them? Absolutely. One small critique about the Bears, and this was Ben Johnson's issue in Detroit, too. And I like Ben. You can be a little too cute for school sometimes, buddy. It's fourth and one in the first quarter against the Packers. Maybe that's not. When you call your trick play that involves snapping the ball between your tight end's legs to your 59 running back so he can throw a pass to your quarterback. Maybe save that one for a lower leverage moment. But I think overall, Bears fans got to be over the moon.
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By the way, MC. My only criticism ever of McVay was in his first two or three years, he showed off a little bit. He would do stuff. You're like, Sean, run the ball, Todd Gurley. Let's just do that. Okay.
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Correct.
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I want to show, you know, America should be proud of us. You now have pivoted to a pro Bills guy, and I am an abject charger homer because I love Herbert and hardball. They did not make my herd hierarchy.
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I was shocked by that.
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Okay.
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I wanted to ask you about it.
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Okay. So I put him in 11. And my takeaway is I have to put Josh Allen in. I don't know what to do with the Chargers. Where do you put him on that list?
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Well, I.
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That's my problem.
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I am. So here's. Here's what my response would be. And I'm not as high on the Chargers as you, obviously, or as our pal Danny Parkins, who I'm pretty sure thinks Justin Herbert's the third or fourth greatest quarterback in the history of the NFL. I think they're better than the Texans right now, so. The Texans. I don't know how much people watch Texans, Raiders, but the Texans offense. Colin is a problem. And here is my. Here would be my concern for Houston because I like D'. Ameco. The defense is obviously sensational when the. The 14 teams or I'm sorry, the seven teams that make the AFC playoffs if we were to power rank each team's offense and defense. So like the number one unit might be Denver's defense. Number two might be the Texans defense. Number three, Bill's offense. Whatever on down would 14th be the Houston Texans offense? Are they going to walk into the AFC playoffs or with the worst unit offense or defense of either of any team in it? I think they might. And so that. But I agree with you. I would have the Bills ahead of the Chargers. I think the job that Kyle Shanahan's done with San Francisco is unbelievable. And Colin, just so you know, be ready. I can't believe we're going to be pulled into it again. But after you and I won declared victory. We're drawing borders. We for the great Brock Purdy war of the 2000 and twenties. We're back in it. Everyone's going to forget that Mac Jones did all the exact same stuff. And we're going to hear about how elite this player is after last night, but the night. So I think all of those teams except for the Texans, I think I'd have ahead of the Chargers. So the Texans would be the spot. But I appreciate your integrity by not having, you know, just, just fitting in your beloved Los Angeles Chargers.
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I like to put friends in the Herd hierarchy. I don't know what to do. I had them at 11. Nick Wright, as always, buddy, great stuff.
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Great to see you. See you, Colin.
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Yeah, I did this last night. I sent it to Kyle, our producer after the Niners game. And I. And I sat there and I literally had Chargers jumping over like a fence. I was having these weird dreams. I'm like, what am I doing? These are my friends. I don't know what to do with them. I can't. Buffalo's got to be in it. Coming up next, be careful. The job you take, even if you're a great candidate and it pays a lot of money, I'm worried about a guy that's going to get offers and he shouldn't take them. Just because you get a job promotion doesn't mean it's a good decision. Next, be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.
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Paulie Fusco here with Tony Fusco. Yo. As Everybody knows we're the host of the award winning Paulie and Tony Fusco Show. Yeah, but instead, instead of us telling you how great we are, here's how.
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Dan Patrick described us when he came on our show. Quick, knowledgeable and funny. Opinionated. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
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What are you doing? You're interrupting our promo. Yeah, he wasn't talking about you. You took those clips totally out of context.
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Oh, yeah?
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Well, after this promo, I'm gonna take you out and beat you.
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Let me put this into context.
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Shut up. Yeah. Anyway, just listen to the Paulie and Tony Fusco show on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Did you know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop, voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere. And Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit LGUSA.com iHeart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops or with Windows 11 PC Mag. Reader's Choice. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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Ten athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.
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This is where mindset comes in.
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Someone someone will be eliminated. Pressure is coming down.
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Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com A new.
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Year is on the horizon, and your 2026 savings start here, right now. You can access the Washington post for just $2 every four weeks. Head into the new year with six months of savings at this special intro rate. After that, it'll cost $12 every four weeks. Cancel anytime. You'll get unlimited access to trusted journalism that helps you understand the year ahead and the world around you. Now's the perfect time to subscribe because great habits and great savings start together. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart that's washingtonpost.com iheart and start your year informed with a post. This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where Your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at don't sleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly A medicine company.
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Your ticket to Big Savings is that big blue envelope in your mailbox. Valpak. It's brimming with deals from big name brands and your favorite local spots, dining services, stuff you're already buying. All for less. And you could score $100 or other instant prizes just for opening it. Or save even faster with mobile coupons you can use right now@valpak.com Valpak there's.
- [29:19]
B
Definitely something in it for you.
- [29:23]
C
J. Mac with the news no, no, no.
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Heard on the news.
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This is the Herdline news. Let's go to Chargers Cowboys Colin interesting game on Sunday. Very nice win for Justin Herbert and company. I was blown away by Herbert's movement in the pocket, just shredding this terrible secondary despite not having his tackles. I'll get to that momentarily. But you know who loved it even more? Jim Harbaugh. Listen to him gush about Herbert.
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Justin Herbert. As far as quarterback performances go, that was a Picasso. Just incredible play by him and just dialed in like he always is, though.
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I mean, it's, it's that way every.
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Single week, you know, with numbing repetition, how well he plays. He loves his quarterback. Great place to be in the NFL. There's, there's not many quarterbacks. There's probably, I used to always say, you used to have this game. I'd say there's quarterbacks where you pick up the phone and try to move them. There's quarterbacks, a lot of them, where you'll take a call on the quarterback, but you, you don't get on the phone to trade them. And then there's like six guys in the league, tops. You don't even pick up the phone. There's not a single player in the league. Harbaugh would pick up the phone. There's not a single trade he would make to get rid of Justin Herbert. I mean, he is, that is not he. They are so simpatico. They're relationship. Like all Herbert cares about his football. Harbaugh is obsessed with football. That is a great head coach quarterback relationship.
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B
Yeah. Colin, Justin Herbert's been amazing. And it's interesting because nobody talks about this, okay? When Patrick Mahomes loses his two tackles, he shovels up and can't do anything in the super bowl this season. You know, both of Justin Herbert's starting tackles are on ir. He hasn't had them for weeks. He lost one of his tackles this week against the Cowboys. It didn't matter. I mean, listen, I'm not really comparing Herbert to Mahomes. Resume wise Mahomes has him by a mile. Herbert won't catch him. But right now, if you're asking me who's a better quarterback this season, it's not close. Justin Herbert has outplayed Mahomes and both of them have been missing their tackle. So I don't want to hear it. No excuses.
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C
How many quarterbacks in the league could take the beating Justin Herbert's taken this year? And I mean Josh Allen, maybe Herbert's.
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B
Also got the broken bone in his hand. Did you notice he went down against Dallas? It was. He came up win saying I favoring it and Harbaugh didn't care. He still called the tush push. Herbert runs it in. I was watching closely because he's my fantasy quarterback. Listen, I'm just saying I'm not bashing Mahomes. People will take this the wrong way, but Colin, you and I watch football closely. Justin Herbert's been a mile better than Patrick Mahomes this year and he doesn't have amazing skill position.
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C
They were down to a third string running back, below average at tight end. So this is what we say the difference between. There's a lot of levels of quarterbacks and tears the guys that can do it with an atrocious O line and no run game for six weeks. And what's their. What are they, 11 and 4 right now? They should not be 11 and 4 now.
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B
I. I'll. I'll just preface this. I don't love them this weekend against Houston. I know the Texans looked awful.
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Either do I.
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But you could. Your battle line can hold up against Dallas. I don't know that it can hold up against Hunter and Will Anderson. That's just a nasty combo. I'm leaning Texans, but I like.
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C
No, no, I'm saying I felt the same way. If Woody Marks plays for Houston, I like Houston in the points.
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B
Woody Mark, it's like Rice. Wait till Rasheed Rice and Xavier.
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C
Woody is part a big part of that offense.
- [33:11]
B
He's good, your USC guy. All right, let's go to the other Harbaugh, John Harbaugh. Now I was mentioning the speculation in Baltimore that people are upset, unhappy. Remember Derrick Henry didn't get any carries after going up 11. The Ravens have an 11% chance to make the playoffs. They need the Steelers to lose this weekend in Cleveland. That could happen. And then they of course they need to beat the Steelers. But after 18 years in Baltimore, there's questions about Harbaugh's job security, and he addressed it yesterday.
- [33:39]
C
And it's never been about keeping a job. And there's no such thing as, like, your job or my job.
- [33:45]
B
You know, we.
- [33:46]
C
We have. We have responsibilities. We're given opportunities to steward those responsibilities. And you're given a job to do.
- [33:54]
B
That until you're not, you know, and then you try to do the best.
- [33:59]
C
I try to do the job, not.
- [34:00]
B
Try to keep the job, because there's.
- [34:02]
C
No such thing as having a job.
- [34:04]
B
Just doing a job.
- [34:05]
C
And so my focus is on always.
- [34:07]
B
And has been for the last 18.
- [34:08]
C
Years here and the last 41 years in coaching. Or is it 42? It's up there. He's been to try to do the best job I can today.
- [34:17]
D
That's.
- [34:17]
C
That's a great quote. That. That's a. That's a great way to look at it. I like the Harbaughs. Always are so quotable. That's Jack. That comes from dad. I mean, they just always have a. A perspective on life. That is gratitude. I mean, it really is both. The Harbaughs are incredibly grateful for their position. I hope everybody can acknowledge how valuable that is as an asset, as a human being, because you could just. It just comes through the camera every time they open their mouths. How gratitude. How grateful and what gratitude they have for their positions.
- [34:45]
B
Good leaders. I'll say this. The idea of moving off Har. Okay, I get it. You're unhappy, you're ticked off, the team is trending poorly. But what's the game plan, Colin? Is there a coach out there who's a legitimate upgrade?
- [34:57]
C
No, I mean right now. Yeah. I mean, there's some really good coaches in this league. I just don't even. I can't even broach the subject. John Harbaugh is the coach of the Ravens. I don't think anybody else fits that culture or could build an equal culture. So I. I just don't see, you know, it's like Andy Reid getting up there. Physically, it's coming to an end. It's like I feel like the same way if Kyle Shanahan had back to back losing seasons. I mean, I can nitpick, but the guy's so good. I mean, it doesn't matter. Garoppolo. Where was Garoppolo the minute he left Kyle? Mac Jones Pre Kyle. Seven teams passed on Brock. I mean, he's got this history. That's why I said when he Let go of Trey Lance, folks. Buyer beware.
- [35:44]
B
If.
- [35:45]
C
If Kyle can't fix you, you're, you know, you're probably not that fixable.
- [35:49]
B
I. I don't know.
- [35:49]
C
The. The.
- [35:50]
B
The. Was I going overboard with the Lamar stuff, or do you think that there's a question there?
- [35:53]
C
I think Lamar's beat up. His speed early in the season was 15 miles an hour. Now it's 10. He's not the same guy. Doesn't move the same. That was a week.
- [36:01]
B
Injuries or age or just.
- [36:03]
D
Yeah, he's beat up.
- [36:04]
B
So you think next season they can bounce back?
- [36:05]
C
I think. I think they will bounce back.
- [36:07]
B
We'll see. Is Derek Henry on the roster next year?
- [36:11]
C
That's a good question. He's got. He's. He's had some ugly fumbles this year.
- [36:15]
B
Yeah. Getting up there in age. Finally. Let's go to the Niners. Bang, bang, Niner gang. Colin, how about Brock Purdy? My guy, five tutties. Really impressive performance. Listen, I know you were kind of muted despite saying how good they look. You decided to talk about Christian McCaffrey and not Brock Purdy, but Trent Williams. Oh, boy. He talked about Brock and company chasing the top spot in the nfc.
- [36:40]
C
It's not end all, be all, but it's definitely important. You know, we got two playoff teams coming up, so I'm just more excited to see how we match up. Can we continue to play the football that we're playing? Proud of the football we played tonight, you know, because it's a great chance that we could see one of those two teams in the playoffs as well.
- [37:01]
D
So, you know, I'm not really the number one seed. Obviously, it's. It's a path to that, but it's.
- [37:06]
C
Not the number one thing in our mind right now. Especially not mine. Let me just say the offense is humming. Yeah. Now, George Kittle. Yeah, that's okay. So now you've got two days less rush than Chicago. Kittle probably doesn't play, and McCaffrey's coming off a 27 touch game. Those are bad numbers. That's why I like the Bears. Those are bad numbers for the Niners.
- [37:31]
B
I did drill down on the 27 touches. Unbelievably. All four times after he had the 27 touches. They played a tough team. Well, they played a tough team. They're not playing like the sisters of the poor. And I don't know that the Bears are tough, but you did give me pause because I already bet the over in this Sunday Night Football, and I may lay the lumber with the Niners. I'm praying this drops to two and a half. It's three now, but I hope people hear your. Your Bears love and maybe Roma Dunze returns. Luther Burton returns.
- [38:02]
C
Where I'm leaning.
- [38:03]
B
I just. I don't know that they can stop this Niners off. These guys are shredding. But how about this? We got the headline writers. Brock, you like a hurricane. Okay, we got a lot of stuff in the chain. We're ready for action. This Niners team. Hey, Colin, you. You gotta admit this. This 49ers team is very fun to watch.
- [38:21]
C
Oh God, they're a great TV product. I love watching the Niners. They're so much fun to watch. You gotta get Kittle back though. Dude, that guy is. Oh my God. It just the blocking alone changes their offense. He is arguably one of the top two or three blocking tight ends of all time. You took every receiver and tight end in league history. That was good.
- [38:41]
B
Yeah. And by the way, no Ricky Pierce all last night. He didn't even play. He was. He was an early pick. They love him. Super athletic. He can't stay healthy. Yeah, but I'm just telling if the defense can get just a few stops against the run. I gotta look up Robert Salah against Ben Johnson. I got this is chat GPT. Give me the history of their matchups head to head. I haven't done all the research yet, but it's early in the week.
- [39:04]
C
J. Mack with the news.
- [39:06]
B
Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by.
- [39:09]
C
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon, Easter, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.
- [39:18]
B
Did you know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop? Voted PCMag's Reader's Choice top laptop brand for 2025. Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere. And Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit LGUSA.com iHeart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.
- [39:48]
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Ten athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will lead here with an IFIT contract for $250,000.
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This is where mindset comes in.
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Someone will be eliminated. Pressure is coming down.
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Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com A new.
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A
Year is on the horizon, and your 2026 savings start here. Right now. You can access the Washington post for just $2 every four weeks. Head into the new year with six months of savings at the special intro raid. After that, it'll cost $12 every four weeks. Cancel anytime. You'll get unlimited access to trusted journalism that helps you understand the year ahead and the world around you. Now's the perfect time to subscribe because great habits and great savings start together. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart that's washingtonpost.com iheart and start your year informed with a post. This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or osa, in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at don'tsleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company. It's the most wonderful time of the year and Valpak is here to make it even better this month as you sip through holiday mail, don't miss the blue Valpak envelope.
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From dining to holiday shopping, there's a.
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Plus a chance to instantly win $100. That's right, you can find $100 Christmas cash inside. Want to save even more money on what you love?
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Go to valpak.com for local local coupons and offers. It pays to open Val Pack.
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Prices are randomly inserted.
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A
See specially marked Valpak envelopes for details.
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Sunday the Colts tried to keep their playoff hopes alive against the division leading Jags or other regional action. Then in America's Game of the Week, it's a potential super bowl preview as Jalen Hurts and the Eagles take on Josh Allen and the Bills. Check local listings for the games in your area. Sunday on Fox.
- [42:23]
C
I said if I if there was an award for the best coaching staff in the NFL this year, I would give it to the San Francisco 49ers. What Robert Sal has done is amazing. So Sala signed for the Jets. I think it was five years, 25 million and he's the highest paid defensive coordinator in football. And I have said all year I would hire him as a head coach in the right spot, he's going to eat. He won't be taking public transportation much. He's done well for himself. I think he should follow the Mike Vrabel or Ben Johnson route. Ben Johnson turned down multiple teams until he found a quarterback. He thought that's dynamic. And Mike Vrabel took a year off. So if you look at Jim Harbaugh and you look at Ben Johnson and Mike Vrabel, they waited until in their mind, okay, that's a quarterback I can win double digit games with. You can't predict Super Bowls, but that's a guy I can win 10, 11, 12 games with. And that's when you jump. The Titans have an opening dysfunction. Giants have an opening. I wouldn't go back to New York, first of all. Both those organizations have dysfunction and they don't have a ton of momentum as franchises and that matters. But it's weird because I've always thought a good coaching candidate. Now Harbaugh is a great candidate. Brable's a great candidate. Salah did get fired. Sal is a good coaching candidate. And a good coaching candidate should be like a good actor. Wait for the right script. But both professions are weirdly insecure. Is that good actors, they don't get, they don't get called for the big movies. They gotta audition. Right. They need to know a director. And so it's easy for Matt Damon who once told his wife, we'll take an extended break. I will. Unless Christopher Nolan calls again. And he did for Oppenheimer it's like, okay, I'm going back to work. Jim Harbaugh went, okay. Justin Herbert is great. I'm leaving college football for that gig. Mike Vrabel watched, took a year off watch Drake man said that that looks a little like Tom without, you know, with better movement. So I think Salah and it's a, it's a weird space. I think he should stay in San Francisco for as long as he has to. There's only been a handful of great job openings. Now I thought the Patriots was great. Owner Robert Kraft, Josh McDaniels, the OC had failed at head coach, wanted to stay there. And Drake May was super talented and you had $300 million of free agent money and you don't have a lot of. It's a good organization. That was a Great job. Mike McCarthy, Matt LaFleur getting Aaron Rodgers late prime, great job. I mean Mike McCarthy getting Dak in his prime, that's a pretty good job. Harbaugh to Herbert, very good job. But I think I look at Robert Sala and there's a weird thing about coaches. It's not just the money, because he's made good money, not amazing money relative to what, you know, high end coaches make. But I think he could work in college. He just doesn't want to coach college. I think he'd be a rock star in college. But that nil nonsense, you know, a lot of coaches now are like, if you're going to pay players, just go coach the best players. But here's Kyle Shanahan on his amazing defensive coordinator. I think Robert had a lot of.
- [45:38]
D
Opportunities to be the coordinator.
- [45:40]
C
I think that was definitely one of them.
- [45:43]
D
So just talking through that whole thing and he got close to, I think, a couple head coach jobs in the time too. So he was definitely our first choice and we were hoping that we would be his. And that's a hot commodity. And the way he carries himself to how he is. I hope for us he's not a head coach next year.
- [45:59]
C
But I also know when you have.
- [46:00]
D
The talent that someone like Robert does, it's only a matter of time.
- [46:05]
C
So he's coached the Jets. He's been in a bad movie with a bad director before and a bad script, so he doesn't want to do that again. So you have to be choosy and like an interesting one. You say, oh, what about. What if Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati job is available? I think Zach Taylor's fine. I don't think he's. McVeigh, he's fine. I don't think that's a great job because of ownership and Joe Burrow's injuries. I do not think that's a great job. Titans like the quarterback, not a great job there, folks. There's not as many good jobs as you think. Like, I think the ownership in Buffalo is strong and I think if they got bounced in the first round, that would be one of the last great jobs in the last five, six years. Buffalo. I'm not rooting for that to happen. I think Sean McDermott is. Is good and, and Brandon Bean, the GM, is known as a very sharp cap guy. He knows, he knows how to work his way around the math. But it, you know, it. These coaches, they want gigs there. There is a lot of good coaching going on in the NFL. There is unbelievable. I mean, think about this. The playoffs are not going to have Mahomes, Burrow and maybe Lamar Jackson, but you're going to get Stafford and Aaron Rodgers and Caleb and Beau Nix and Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert. And Drake May and they're CJ Stroud and you're going to get a lot of great quarterback play. So if you're not going to have Burrow, Lamar and Mahomes, you would think that's a dent to the playoffs. Jalen Hurst is going to be around. Brock Purdy's absolutely on fire. Great stories. I do like Philadelphia to beat Buffalo over the weekend because I think Josh Allen still dinged up. We could throw the schedule up if you want. It's not the one o' clock window on Sunday does not hearken back to the great early windows in league history. The best. I mean you know Thursday you know you're getting backup quarterbacks. I do want to watch Detroit at Minnesota.
- [47:54]
B
So not just backups, Colin. Josh Johnson's a third stringer.
- [47:57]
C
I know.
- [47:58]
B
Max Brosmer is the third string rookie. A ludicron, whoever that is, is a third stringer. Those are brutal. Yeah, this is a really weak slate.
- [48:06]
C
Saturday's great though. Chargers. Whoa, hold on, hold on. Ravens have to win. It's the season.
- [48:13]
B
It's. It's probably going to be Josh Johnson or not Josh Johnson. Who's the backup? A Snoop Huntley against whoever. Malik Willis is hurt.
- [48:21]
C
Snoop Hundley and Malik Willis. There's an argument those are the best backups in the league.
- [48:25]
B
We'll see. I think Texas Chargers is really, really good Sunday. I'm circling that Panthers Seahawks game. Colin. I just sent a request to our great statistician researcher.
- [48:38]
C
The play is Carolina plus seven.
- [48:41]
B
Yep. But is there a money line play on it as well? Because we've seen some teams from the west coast go east in November. December really struggle.
- [48:50]
C
Yeah. See well yeah. Travel early is not travel late. Teams are beat up and there's it, it, it is interesting about when you get this time in the NFL season and people always bemoaned that we have all these backup quarterbacks and and this is something I think I know I've been on this for years is of all the positions in the NFL we know quarterbacks most important, left tackle. Either a pass rusher, an elite pass rusher. When you're front four to five, a weapon or two. I think the center, I think the center is underrated. Corners overrated. Let me tell you another position that's underrated. Backup quarterback. If not for the quarterback room and for three or four potential mid game's moments.
- [49:37]
B
Did you know Microsoft has officially ended Support for Windows 10? Upgrade to Windows 11 with an LG Gram laptop Voted PCMag's Reader's Choice Top Laptop Brand for 2025 Thin and ultra lightweight, the LG Gram keeps you productive anywhere, and Windows 11 gives you access to free security updates and ongoing feature upgrades. Visit LGUSA.com iHeart for great seasonal savings on LG Gram laptops with Windows 11. PCMag reader's choice used with permission. All rights reserved.
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Ten athletes will face the toughest job interview in fitness that will push past physical and mental breaking points. You are the fittest of the fit. Only one of you will leave here with an IFIT contract for 200.
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B
This is where mindset comes in.
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Someone will be eliminated. Pressure is coming down.
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C
Trainer Games on Prime Video January 8th. Watch the trailer on trainergames.com A new.
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Year is on the horizon, and your 2026 savings start here. Right now, you can access the Washington post for just $2 every four weeks. Head into the new year with six months of savings at the special intro raid. After that, it'll cost $12 every four weeks. Cancel anytime. You'll get unlimited access to trusted journalism that helps you understand the year ahead and the world around you. Now's the perfect time to subscribe, because great habits and great savings start together. Go to washingtonpost.com iheart that's washingtonpost.com iheart and start your year informed with the post at CVS, it matters that we're not just in your community, but that we're part of it.
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Your ticket to Big Savings is that big blue envelope in your mailbox. Valpak. It's brimming with deals from big name brands and your favorite local spots, dining services, stuff you're already buying, all for less. And you could score $100 or other instant prizes just for opening it. Or save even faster with mobile coupons you can use right now@valpak.com Valpak there's.
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Definitely something in it for you.
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B
Guaranteed Human.