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- [00:00]
Colin Cowherd
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- [02:31]
Ben Johnson
Now, let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
- [02:35]
Colin Cowherd
I thought Chicago's O line would get better. Last year, it got worse. He. He completed 62 and a half percent of his throws running for his life. 20 touchdown passes, only six picks. Now, he was sacked 68 times. But the. The numbers aren't, you know, I mean, only six picks, 62 and a half percent completion percentage, running for his life in a division that had Detroit, Green Bay and Minnesota, all really good teams. So I don't think Minnesota is going to be as good this year, and I think Caleb's got a much better quarterback. Also, the story coming out today, Seth Wickersham had talked to Caleb's father, Carl Williams, and reporting that Carl did not want his son initially to play in Chicago. And Albert Breer addressed that an hour ago. His dad's a very smart and accomplished businessman and, you know, taught his son to think differently. And the reality is, like, this is something that all teams were looking into, and anybody that was going to be in a position to draft him was concerned about this. You can understand his concern, certainly. You know, I think this is something that more and more athletes think about. And, you know, it's something we heard about with Shador a lot, you know, going into his draft a lot of.
- [03:44]
Jason McIntyre
Times, you know, I think these guys.
- [03:46]
Colin Cowherd
Are able to take a bigger picture view of it, and the bigger picture view of it would show that going to the right place isn't more.
- [03:52]
Ben Johnson
Is.
- [03:52]
Colin Cowherd
Is absolutely more important than. Than getting drafted as high as you can. Yeah, I think, I think, listen, I never had a problem. I reported this a year ago. I said, you know, his dad had some misgivings about it, but Caleb's like, you know what? I'm going to go to Chicago. It's a great American city, and I'm going to be their first great quarterback. So I always like Caleb. I got along with him great. He's very respectful. I saw. I went to the Notre Dame USC game and I told the story. I saw his dad, said hi to his dad, and Caleb was sitting in the front row with friends, and I came down and just out of respect, I just tapped him on the shoulder. I said, hey, buddy, just great seeing you. He got up, made a point, and I'm like, you don't have to get up. I just wanted to say, hey, keep kicking butt. You're going to do great. And very respectful. Got up, came up the stairs. Caleb did And I was like, I just think he's a real. I really like him. And I also think it's sometimes it's unfair that, you know, all these quarterbacks now, the nil, they are stars coming out of college. Bill Parcell is a brilliant guy. Used to say, do not draft a celebrity quarterback. Well, Baker Mayfield was a star. Sam Darnold, you know, he was a star. Caleb's a star. I mean, you know, it's just the reality of it. I mean, Bo Nix at Oregon, I mean, everybody knew Bo Nix for the last five years. I think the world's changed. These kids make money in college. Take a deep breath with that. Ben Johnson now is joining us. The new Bears coach is joining us live. So, you know, it's funny you forget about this coach is that, you know, I was looking and people forget. Tua came out of college, didn't have a great fit with the staff. You know, he and the Brian Flores struggle, got Mike McDaniels Pro Bowl, Jared Goff, got a defensive coach, get a great start. Boom. Here comes McVeigh. Pops. So listen, we all said last year, I said it's just easier to get an offensive coach. Go ask Bo Nixon, Sean Payton. It just helps. Did you feel when you first sat down with Caleb, I got to build this kid's confidence up like a tool, like a golf. It's rough, it's a hard sport. Did you feel that was part of your process? I want to make sure this kid knows we really believe in him.
- [05:55]
Ben Johnson
Yeah, well, he does know that we believe in him. There's no question about that. But Caleb's deal has never been a confidence issue. He knows he's a high level player. He's been that way since middle school, high school, college, and it's going to continue to be that way here in the NFL. But what we're trying to do is we're trying to support him, give him some clarity on what our expectations are on and off the field and, and help him grow and develop. And so far we've only had, call it six weeks now, the offseason program, it's, it's going really well.
- [06:27]
Colin Cowherd
So you got two new coordinators, you're on a first time head coach. Caleb's in year two. Who do you lean on in that locker room, Ben? Who? What player or maybe unit? Is it Tuney? Is it Dolman? Who do you lean on in that offense?
- [06:43]
Ben Johnson
We've got a number of players offensively and defensively that have Pro Bowls under their belt, that have playoff game experience. Win experience. And so I think when you look at that, those are the guys, not just for Caleb, but for the entire team that we're leaning on to show us what good football looks like, what good teams do, and to establish that standard for the rest of us to fall in the line. And so Tunis, a great name on offense. I mean, I don't know that anybody's had quite the level of success on our entire roster that he's had. Call it six Super Bowls, and he's won four of them. I mean, it's outstanding. And then you go over to the phase two drill, work out on the field, and he's busting his rear end. And he. He just had a Super bowl that he was in a few weeks ago. So, I mean, it's. It's pretty outstanding. And it doesn't take long for somebody that first time. These rookies coming in, they turn and they see how he goes about his business, and in pretty quick, they understand, well, if I want to last a long time, I need to just do what he does.
- [07:40]
Colin Cowherd
So I asked a gm, a very, very good GM in the NFL recently about you, and he said, you know, he goes, most coaches, we hire CEOs now. It's a CEO job. He said, you get occasionally lucky with a Shanahan or an Andy Reid, that they're scheme geniuses and they can do CEO. That's really hard. And he said, ben has a chance to do that. Ben's excellent on scheme and he has the personality. A lot of guys in the league think Ben has the chance to be the CEO, but most, it's a CEO job now more than it is X's and O's. So is the difficulty with you, Ben, you're going to be on that headset. How do you manage yourself to go, no, no, no. I'm the CEO here because there are things that happen on a sideline in game where you got to put the CEO hat on and you can't be a mile deep on calling place. Will that be hard on the first call? You disagree with coming through the headset? Well, shoot.
- [08:32]
Ben Johnson
I mean, yeah. Everything I'm doing right now, springtime training, it's my doing it. So there'll be some things that pop up that I got to work through and find the best process for not only myself, but what's best for the team. That's the most important thing. And the fortunate thing is the way this staff has been constructed is with that in mind, a lot of my blind spots or the areas that I could Use the most help in. We've got some really good experienced coaches with Dennis Allen or Richard Hightower on defense and special teams. On offense, we got Eric B. Enemy. That's, that's coordinated in this league. Press Taylor, that's coordinated in this league. So there's, there's a lot of highlights, level experience throughout this coaching staff that they're going to help, help foresee any, any bumps in the road and help me navigate on game day. We got a great game management guy of the name Harry Freed. He's done it for a long time and he's going to be able to help me stay ahead of that. That, because I really haven't. As a play caller, you have to be exposed to that and understand those situations. But now it's a little bit different moving over to the defensive side of the ball and being on the headset with them when they're up.
- [09:38]
Colin Cowherd
So one of the things I liked about Jaden Daniels and Caleb Williams coming out of college, they move a lot. You get all the upside. Not a lot of picks, it's a little Mahomes. Aaron Rodgers in his prime didn't throw a lot of picks. Most great quarterbacks, Elway, Manning, Favre, they throw picks. That's Andrew Luck. It's part of the deal. Caleb doesn't now, some have said, well, he holds the ball long, whatever. I mean, he's a playmaker. The criticism I heard out of college from GMs with rings was he is so gifted and we saw a little bit of this with Mahomes. Sometimes you got to just give him layups, just take what the defense gives you. How do you coach that? Because it's a strength, it can be a little bit of a burden. That great athleticism, how do you coach that?
- [10:28]
Ben Johnson
Well, I think it starts with what we're doing right now in the springtime is establishing the intent of every play call and, and that takes time and it takes a number of reps. But the more time we spend together with myself, with Declan Doyle, our offensive coordinator, with J.T. barrett, our quarterback coach, in that room with the quarterbacks, the more it comes to light in why we're calling plays and where that ball should go. And the more the quarterback understands the why, the quicker he is to see the defense and deliver the ball to the primary or the secondary targets. So that's what we're working through right now. At the end of the day, though, Caleb was taken as a high draft pick because of that playmaking ability that you're alluding to. And so we don't want to neuter that as well. So there's a fine line of understanding what we're doing and how we're doing it. But at the same time, when things don't go maybe to plan, we're not going to discourage his playmaking ability and his ability to create outside of the pocket as well. So that's going to be a fun balance for us to, to go through both spring and training camp. I mean, we can't, we can't get enough reps right now really, as a team. And so we're looking to maximize those going forward.
- [11:40]
Colin Cowherd
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They're going to have until Thanksgiving to get that puppy rolling. You don't want to face the toughest part in the first four weeks. I not that your early schedule is easy, but at the end you're facing defensive fronts that can be substantially tough. How long? What is realistic to say? Okay, Dolman Tuney, the rookie. What is a realistic time to go? Okay, we are a cohesive top 10 unit.
- [16:27]
Ben Johnson
Yeah, I think that's going to be the challenge there during training camp is how quickly can we come together. I mean, they're really bonding as a unit right now, communication wise. But we don't have the pads on. I think we need the pads on before we truly start gelling together. So training camp is going to be critical for us. I actually like where that bye week is because it usually takes about four weeks into the season to find out who you are as a team and what you do well and what you don't do well, and then that's at a good time so that we can reflect on that as a coaching staff to really hone in on what we want to be for that the remaining three quarters of the season. I would say my experience has been when you, when you get a new group together, it could take up to half the season before they really start to mesh and, and come together. In terms of the run game, more so than pass pro, I think I think we should be a pretty good pass pro unit right off the jump. But that run game, the communication, the angles with which we're all going trusting each other, particularly in the wide zone scheme that, that we're installing right now in OTAs, that's, that's something that we want to make sure that we get plenty of time on task on.
- [17:38]
Colin Cowherd
So all human beings are the same in one aspect. If you're afraid of flying and you're on a plane and the minute turbulence hits, where does your mind go back to your fears? So I reported a year ago, Seth Wickersham reported it today, that Caleb was worried about the history of the Bears offense. And so you didn't Inherit it. That's not your issue. You don't care about that. But there is a psychology, Ben, that's true. He goes into a two week losing streak and it's turbulence on a plane that he was scared to fly anyway. How do you ensure that when there are bumps in this division and there are bumps for him that those fears that are now reported of oh man, this organization and quarterback, he's had those, that's okay, some installed by his dad, whatever. How do you ensure during the turbulence of this season and there will be your division's too good, there's too many good teams on the schedule. How do you ensure he doesn't lose face, faith and belief in your system?
- [18:41]
Ben Johnson
Well, you talk about fears and I don't see it quite the same way. I see this is what a great opportunity we have to do something that really has never been done. There hasn't been a 4,000 yard passer here in this franchise and I think Caleb's going to be the first one and one of many years, many seasons to come where he's able to accomplish that feat. So I see a chance for greatness here for him. He's been communicated that way and he feels the same way. I don't know what's gone on prior to him joining the organization but he is very proud to be a Chicago Bear. That's what our conversations have included. And he's really excited to get to work right now and be the best version of himself for 2025. There's no question we're going to face adversity both. He will. He's not going to. We want to see growth from here to here over the course of the season. It's not going to be linear growth. It's going to be a little bit of ups and downs and stair steps along the way. But we want to see from Game 1 to Game 17 that we're getting better as a whole. And that's not just him, that's us as a team as well. So I'm excited. That's what makes coaching fun is when the hiccups occur, when the adversity strikes, how do we respond to it? That's when you find out who you are as a man finally.
- [20:01]
Colin Cowherd
Was there a moment in your practices in seeing Caleb, it could have been a throw, it could have been something that you went oh, oh, that's pretty good. Like have you had one of those moments yet where you were just like yeah, no, no, I, I, I see it. I see the number one pick that's every day.
- [20:21]
Ben Johnson
That's every day we're out there. Routes versus air, we're changing maybe some footwork and some coaching points with what we're working through right now. But today it was a post route that he just, he probably threw it 60 yards right on the money. A few days ago it was a, it was a keeper. He's out of the pocket going to the left and he just able to flip his hips and fling that thing right on the money. So he's got, he's got such great God given ability that we're looking to tap into. You see it every day right now and like I said, it's going to be more fun once we get the competitive nature of offense versus defense a little bit. And OTAs.
- [20:58]
Colin Cowherd
Coach, it is great seeing you. All I see is a smile. All you coaches smile so much during this period. Keep the smile through the season. Don't let the league beat you down as a head coach. Coach, it's great seeing you.
- [21:11]
Ben Johnson
You got it. Thanks Colin. Thanks for having me on.
- [21:13]
Colin Cowherd
All right, coach, thank you. No, I think those are good answers. Like my, and my takeaway on this story is it's, it's not Ben Johnson's issue, but if you're afraid of flying when you hit turbulence, where does your mind go? Right back up. We're going down. And if Caleb goes into a two game winning streak, is he going to be, oh boy, this is last year. How do you keep him on track? Self belief. Caleb's got confidence. We all, you know, a rod got moved down to eighth in a batting order. I don't care how great an athlete are you struggle, it gets into your head. J Mac with the news. No, no, no, no.
- [21:44]
Ben Johnson
Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.
- [21:49]
Jason McIntyre
All right, Colin, let's start with a team in the NFL that you know I love to hate on. That's the New York Football Giants, the second best team in New York City. Colin. They have a brutal schedule. New York's opponents boast a 57% win percentage based on last year and start the season with six playoff teams in their first eight weeks. This is a rigorous schedule. I think if Brian D were smart, he would already start looking for an exit door. He should start looking at his other options around the league because I'm telling you right now, if they start two and seven, I, I think that's generous. I find me the second win in their first nine games.
- [22:29]
Colin Cowherd
Colin. Well, what's really interesting to me because D can coach and he'll get a job. What's interesting is what do you do with Jackson Dart? So you know at some point they went all in on Jackson Dart as pointed out yesterday. Doesn't mean the next guys will. I don't see Jackson Dart as a top 10 quarterback in the league. And I think if you draft a quarterback in the first round, your hope is always they become a top 10 quarterback. I think Bo Nicks has a chance to be somewhere 10, 11, 12, eventually, maybe it's this year. So it'll be interesting. I'm at the. The most interesting part of this team is watching Jackson Dart because Russell's going to get the nod. Absolutely. But this schedule is too good not to have a three and four game losing streak when it happens. When do you go with Jackson Dart so that, that this is not a playoff team. This is not a roster offensively built. Yeah. So. But I do listen, it's. I'd rather be right than wrong. I want to see Jackson Dart prove me wrong. All right.
- [23:23]
Jason McIntyre
Humor me for a second. Let's call up the schedule. Colin. They're going to be at least a seven point underdog. I mean, if you want to say four and a half, fine. But I think six or seven point dog in a lot of these games, certainly against Washington, Dallas, you know, probably a coin flip there, but I think Dallas probably wins that game. Kansas City, they're big underdogs even at home. Okay, that's going to be on Sunday Night Football as well. The Chargers are going to be favored. The Saints game is the one they should win. They should face a bad quarterback finally. Eagles are going to be dogs. I'm just telling you right now, this Denver team, I love the Denver defense. They're the first bet I'm making in week one. We'll talk about that later on. But I think Denver smashes the New York Giants and then the Eagles again and then San Francisco. Colin 2 and 7 start. I just don't see where the upside is for Jackson Dart. Dable. They need an utter miracle to get anywhere near.500 midway through the season.
- [24:16]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I mean it's. Look at the Niner schedule and look at the Giant schedule. I mean, it's not the same sport. I mean, you face Jaden Daniels, Dak Prescott, Mahomes, Justin Herbert. Jalen hurts, Boneck with Payton, Bo Nix with Peyton. Then you face the great Brock Purdy after Jalen hurts Caleb Williams, Jordan Love, Jared Goff, Drake, Jaden, Daniel Khan. Just insane.
- [24:40]
Jason McIntyre
Murderers Row. A nice dig at Brock Purdy, by the way. I saw it. I Heard it. Let's go on to the next story. Collins, and that's the Detroit Lions. They're going to look a little different this season. No, Ben Johnson, he's. He's with the Bears now. Detroit brought in their former senior offensive assistant from 2022, John Morton, to replace Ben Johnson, and he doesn't plan on shaking up their winning formula.
- [25:07]
Colin Cowherd
Some ads maybe I've done before in the past, you know, we'll see. It'd be something like that. Other than that, I mean, not changing much. I mean, why? I mean, it's working, right? So that would be the smartest thing to do.
- [25:22]
Ben Johnson
No, it's just.
- [25:23]
Colin Cowherd
It's just about, like, techniques and certain things, man. Yeah.
- [25:28]
Jason McIntyre
So hardcore NFL fans remember Johnny Morton, former wide receiver, good player. So if you just looked at the name John Morton, you're like, oh, they got Johnny Morton. He knows football. And then you see this is a different John Morton. I don't know this guy. I'm looking at his history. I'll let you guys do the homework. I don't have any faith whatsoever in the Detroit Lions this season. Colin, that schedule is very difficult. I see aggression. I'm ready to almost say they missed the playoffs.
- [25:56]
Colin Cowherd
No, boy, slow down. It is hard to miss the playoffs when you have the first or second best offensive lineup in the sport.
- [26:02]
Ben Johnson
It's hard.
- [26:03]
Colin Cowherd
That O line, Philadelphia's O line, they're going to make them. They're. They've got too many smart people in the room. But I do think when you lose coordinators and you just kind of move people up from inside the building, it's a little too insular for me. I like. I. I don't think the two best candidates in the world were both in your building. I like. I like reinventing yourself, but. So they kind of went safe. And I think some of that is they love their culture and they didn't want to bring anybody in that maybe would tweak the culture. But I also think this Dan Campbell sold for the first three or four years, nobody believes in us. We are not losers. That no longer works. People all know you're good. So Dan Campbell has to tweak his formula. It was, we're the underdogs. No, you're favored overwhelmingly to win your division. Everybody believes in you. In fact, we were disappointed you lost to Washington. So I think what they were built on doesn't work anymore. Like, you can't tell the players. Nobody believes enough. And it's like, no, we're favored to win 14 games. Everybody believes in us, we're scrappy underdogs.
- [27:16]
Jason McIntyre
By the way, there's some breakdowns online, Colin, about this lion schedule. So last year I think they had something like 14 games indoors. They play like six outdoor games early in the season. Now they got lucky that a lot of these are not in cold, terrible weather. They could have had to go to Baltimore in December, Cincinnati, kc, those are all early, which is a bit of a benefit. Their only cold weather games are maybe Philadelphia in November and then of course the bears in week 18. But there's a bit of a break they caught there. But this is a, this is a top five toughest schedule in the league and that's why I've got them coming out like 10, nine or 10 wins.
- [27:53]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, I think they're a 10, 11 win team. I think they're going to be fine. I think they just got two many smart people upstairs. I think they. Goff's too consistent, O line's too good. Hutchison's back. I. They feel like a 12 win team to me.
- [28:06]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, you know, not a dig, but it felt like the brains behind this team last year were Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn and they're both out the door. I mean, listen, Dan Campbell's a rah rah guy. You've said that. I'm not saying he's a bad coach. He's a rah rah guy. He's not a ski. He's not going to.
- [28:20]
Colin Cowherd
That's right.
- [28:20]
Jason McIntyre
Scheme you up to victories.
- [28:22]
Colin Cowherd
So he's a CEO.
- [28:23]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah, exactly. We'll see. Final story calls to the NBA. The spurs have the number two pick in the draft and there's a lot anticipation. Now I think one guy's saying 99 that San Antonio is going to draft Ron Harper's. Kick Dylan Harper out of Rutgers with the number two pick. However, there is a world where the San Antonio spurs make a play for Giannis.
- [28:46]
Colin Cowherd
Right.
- [28:46]
Jason McIntyre
And they whiff there is a guy. I'm just telling you right now, there's a guy out there who they have pursued in the past. His name is Lori Markkanen of the Utah Jazz. He's a very good player. Not one of these supermax guys. He would fit amazingly next to Wembanyama. Stretch four hits, threes. I mean he hasn't been on a winning team in a while. I would say keep an eye on Larry Markkanen going with the number two pick from the Utah to the San Antonio Spurs. That's a name that hasn't really been out there. But you know, I'm a gym rat. I'm a nerd who goes to the gym. And there's. I'll just say there's NBA players working out of my gym frequently. Lori Markin is a name a lot of guys respect, and San Antonio has pursued him in the past. Utah has him and would love to move up to two in the draft from five.
- [29:31]
Colin Cowherd
Well, I would keep an eye on Dylan Harper. Great wingspan, can play multiple combo guard. So can Stefan Castle. Great wingspan. He's a one or a two. So those guys can play together. So can de' Aaron Fox. So they have three guards that I think could play together. This kid's really talented. It. I mean, Lori market in his 24 points. It feels like anytime he wants it, he's just a scorer. He scores the ball really well. I do. I do worry about if your best players are Dylan Harper, Wemby and Castle. You are really young.
- [30:05]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah. You're not going anywhere anytime soon.
- [30:07]
Colin Cowherd
No, no. I mean, so if you have Wemby Marketing.
- [30:13]
Jason McIntyre
Wemby Market in front line, that's a playoff team next year in the West.
- [30:16]
Colin Cowherd
Well, yeah, I mean, I just. I think that Houston's a great example. Like, Amen Thomps works, but a lot of those. Jabari Smith, Jalen Green, you can be too young. You know, you think OKC's young. SGA is not young. SJ's been around the league for a long time. He's not young. So it is Caruso. You got to have a mix. Like, to me, Houston is. Is too young.
- [30:39]
Jason McIntyre
Well, you made a great point. The Thunder were super young. So what they do, they brought in veterans. Caruso who? Hartenstein. Those guys are on the, on the floor at the end of the game against Jokic. And the spurs don't have that. They need to go get market in San Antonio. Make it happen.
- [30:56]
Colin Cowherd
J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.
- [31:02]
Ben Johnson
The Herd Lie News.
- [31:04]
Colin Cowherd
Wemby Marketing, Stefan Castle, De' Aaron Fox. That's pretty good. That's pretty good. Now, Utah would have to replace 25 points, but I don't know. A lot of people don't want to take the call when Danny Ainge. When the phone rings and you see Salt Lake City area code, a lot of people are like, I'm not answering. It's Danny Ainge. I don't want to get worked. I don't want to. I'm not answering. I'm out for lunch again. But it's four in the afternoon. Late lunch, liquid lunch. I'm out Live in Chicago, it's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am.
- [31:37]
Ben Johnson
Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.
- [31:42]
Colin Cowherd
Hey, Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis, and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio. And of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved, too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio, maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Kovino and Rich wherever you get your podcast. And of course, on social media, that's Covino and Rich. Summer is almost here and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. Now, what do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A day at the lake? That's a no. A Philly cheesesteak? That's a yes. A nice tan. Sorry. A box fan. Happily, yes. What about a day of sunshine? Not happening. How about a box of fine wines? Yeah, that's happening. Delivery's on its way. Okay, how about some clear skies? Nope. Well, how about some French fries? Yeah. So how about a freshly cut lawn? Can't help you there. But a barbecued prawn? Order it and it's on its way. Even throw in some paper towels. Clean up after the feast. So while you can't get fun in the sun delivered, don't worry because you can get pork buns delivered. 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It's the same reason why people were not happy when it changed. So if you've never tried it, it might be a good time to see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart target and try the OG degree. Cool rush for yourself. So it is interesting if you look we have a graphic here and I I do apologize to the radio video audience a little bit here because it's a it's a lot of teams but the most standalone games it's really interesting. Who gets standalone games. Like I would put Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson in standalone games like every week. I have no problem. Kansas City, Dallas and Washington have the most standalone games. I have no problem with Kansas City and Washington. Dallas, sorry. Eight standalone games. I think by like week six they're going to be two and four. But what's interesting also Minnesota has seven standalone games. I think they're going to finish fourth. How did Miami get six standalone gate I don't get that like it just I'm looking where's Buffalo? Okay, Buffalo has five standalone games. I think Sean Payton and Bo Nicks are interesting. Rams do Niners do Chicago charge Steelers five standalone games. That that's betting on Aaron Rodgers. But I mean it's amazing. I guess it's market size. I love watching Baltimore play. I love watching the Ravens play four standalone games. Vikings have seven. That's crazy. I that's prime market size. Who else jumps? Titans are the one of the few teams that doesn't have a single standalone game. I think again I, I if Cam I'm certainly going to watch Cam Ward in September now if the team's awful but I I think Tennessee's going to make the playoffs. It, it, it's Atlanta's got six standalone games now that's some of that's panics and they do have some nice skill people. So Atlanta could be a fun watch. But you know there's Dallas eight standalones.
- [38:05]
Jason McIntyre
Colin if you look closely, the NFC north is so highly thought of. The Bears have five, the packers have six and the Vikings and Lions have seven of peace piece. They're just really good teams that put on a good product. And oh by the way Minnesota Vikings just keep an eye on them. If they're in the NFC Championship it would not shock me. That's how good this team is. The roster and the coach. Hey, you got your boy Caleb Williams out here. I want to go play for Kevin o' Connell said that a year ago. It's in the book. Like, I'm just telling you. Vikings.
- [38:35]
Colin Cowherd
Vikings would be the arrow out for me again. I don't have a problem with Philadelphia, Detroit, Washington, Kansas City, Green Bay. Harbaugh's captivating. San Francisco is a big brand. I think Chicago is going to be fun. I don't have a problem with most, but boy, they're. They're putting some stock in Minnesota.
- [38:56]
Jason McIntyre
Yeah.
- [38:56]
Colin Cowherd
And then Look, Miami has six standalone games.
- [38:59]
Jason McIntyre
Call it AFC South, Jaguars, 2, Colts, 2, Titans, 0. I mean, I mean, these are teams that I hate to be mean, but nobody cares about those teams.
- [39:10]
Colin Cowherd
They're terrible.
- [39:11]
Jason McIntyre
Bad quarterbacks, bad markets.
- [39:13]
Colin Cowherd
Like, think about how lean you have to be, how little the NFL regards you. When the jets and the Giants combined have fewer standalone games than Minnesota. I mean, think about that. That gives you an example. I mean, like the jets and the Giants, they would love to put those new. When Eli Manning was winning Super Bowls with the Giants, it felt like they were on Sunday Night Football every third week. And it's some of its quarterback. To me, it's such a quarterback. Like, I will watch Bo Nix and Sean Payton. Like, that's interesting to me because I love the coach and I really like the quarterback. To me, Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. I'm going to watch that. That's interesting to me. So it's a combo deal.
- [39:58]
Jason McIntyre
You could also tell the teams with 8, 7, and 6 how many of those are west of the Mississippi. Colin, I'll wait for you to count them off up.
- [40:07]
Colin Cowherd
Not a lot.
- [40:08]
Jason McIntyre
Exactly. Nobody cares. West coast, you know, you cut off half the audience. You know, the, the wacky start times. So it's loaded up with teams in big markets. Just the way it's a.
- [40:18]
Colin Cowherd
It's a huge bet on the NFC North, Detroit, Minnesota and Green Bay and Chicago. Between those teams, you're talking, you know, 25 standalone games. So the, the NFL made a huge bet and Fox is going to lean into Minnesota, Chic, Detroit and Green Bay. I don't have a problem with three of those. I just. Minnesota doesn't work for me.
- [40:43]
Jason McIntyre
You're a Jason McCarthy hater. That's what it is. You don't like McCarthy or Brock Purdy.
- [40:47]
Colin Cowherd
There's like, there's, there's. There are some people in the league who I am connected to. I am not the only one with J.J. mcCarthy doubts.
- [40:59]
Jason McIntyre
Okay.
- [40:59]
Colin Cowherd
I am not the. I'll just say this. I am not the only one.
- [41:05]
Jason McIntyre
All right, well, you like to be on an island.
- [41:07]
Colin Cowherd
You know, the only outrageous thing is the layup. Brock purdy got for 17 weeks. Seriously. He may not even have to do game prep. Just show up on Sunday, park your car and walk in and listen to Kyle Shanahan's play calls.
- [41:21]
Jason McIntyre
Do I need to look up for.
- [41:24]
Colin Cowherd
Ben Johnson was very good. JJ McCarthy here's an interesting stat since September of 2023 so what is it now? It's May. It's May of 2025. So September. Since September of 2023 JJ McCarthy. JJ McCarthy the Vikings quarterback has thrown over 30 passes one time he didn't play last season.
- [41:48]
Jason McIntyre
Come on.
- [41:48]
Colin Cowherd
That's it. Well sharing, picking and in that, in that division. That's a track meet division. Those offenses are fueled creative coaches. You better get ready to throw 38 times 40 times a game. We are out of time. Thanks to Ben Johnson, head coach of the Bears. We'll see Summer is almost here and you can now get almost anything you need for your sunny days delivered with Uber Eats. Now what do we mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivery, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A nice tan. Sorry, a box fan. Happily, yes. A day of sunshine? No. A box of fine wines? Yes. Uber Eats can definitely get you that. Get almost almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. See app for details. Interested in investing in Bitcoin but not sure how to get started? Well, with the Gemini Credit Card you can dip your toes into Bitcoin without even trying. Just spend like you normally do groceries, gas or a night out and instantly earn up to 4% back in Bitcoin or one of over 50 other cryptos straight to your account with no annual fee. The Gemini Credit Card is pretty much a no brainer and right now you can grab grab a 200 bitcoin intro bonus. So go to gemini.com card to learn more and start earning today. Terms apply. Again, go to gemini.com card start building your Bitcoin stash now. Terms apply. The Gemini Credit Card is issued by Web Bank. In order to Qualify for the Intro 200 crypto bonus, your application must be approved by June 30, 2025 and spend $3,000 in your first 90 days. Terms apply Some exclusions apply to instant rewards, in which rewards are deposited when the transaction posts this content is not Investment advice and Trading Crypto involves risk. For more details on rates, fees and other Gemini Credit Card terms, see Rates and Fees. Every once in a while you get the chance to make a real difference and this is one of those moments. Folds of Honor provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. It's a powerful mission, honoring their sacrifice through the Gift of Education. But last year, about 7,000 qualified students didn't receive funding, and that number is expected to grow to nearly 10,000. Don't let financial needs stand in the way of their future. Visit foldsofhonor.org to donate. Any amount helps. Together, we can close that gap one scholarship at a time. Okay? Have you heard about this? Last year, Degree changed the formula for their Cool Rush deodorant and their fans rebelled and wanted the old scent back. And Degree listened. That doesn't happen often. They admitted they effed up and they're bringing back the original Cool Rush scent. They're bringing it back and it's exactly how you remember it. Cool, crisp and fresh. There's a reason it's the number one men's antiperspirant and it's back in Walmart, Target and other stores now for under four bucks. So try and see what the fuss is about. Head to your local Walmart or Target to try the OG Degree Cool Rush for yourself. You're listening to an Iheart podcast.