Hour 3 - Michael Irvin

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 3: Michael Irvin

Release Date: December 30, 2024

Host/Author: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

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Introduction

In the third hour of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd," the discussion delves deep into the intersection of college football dynamics, NFL coaching strategies, and playoff predictions. Featuring insightful commentary from hosts Jason McIntyre, Doug Gottlieb, and guest Matt Hasselbeck, the episode also welcomes special appearances from sports legends Matt Hasselbeck and Michael Irvin. The conversation is rich with analysis, personal anecdotes, and forward-looking perspectives on the sports landscape.

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1. College Football and Deion Sanders' NFL Speculations

The episode kicks off with a heated discussion about Deion Sanders and his recent comments regarding his sons' aspirations in the NFL.

• Deion Sanders' Twitter Comments:
  Jason McIntyre (03:00): “Deion Sanders is quoted on Twitter today saying, listen, it'll be multiple idiots that will say things that are totally untrue regarding where I want my son to play in the NFL. Can you clarify this?”

• Matt Hasselbeck's Perspective:
  Matt Hasselbeck (04:03): “You know, there's always a place that you prefer. But if you're smart, you prefer not to say it at this time. That's just smart to do, right?... You might... you can’t say, well, I don’t have a team now because we'll pull up film and receipts. Just be honest.”

Hasselbeck emphasizes the importance of discretion and honesty for players and their families, advocating for a focus on team fit over personal preferences.

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2. NFL Coaching Strategies and Discipline

A significant portion of the conversation centers on the Dallas Cowboys' coaching under Mike McCarthy and the broader implications of coaching discipline in the NFL.

• Critique of Mike McCarthy:
  Matt Hasselbeck (16:16): “Yes, I would. I just think it's time to go in another direction.”

Hasselbeck argues that McCarthy's approach lacks the necessary discipline, drawing parallels to past coaching legends who maintained a firm hand to cultivate team respect and performance.

• Discipline vs. Leniency:
  Matt Hasselbeck (17:03): “You can't come in soft and then try to get tough... You just get flat.”

The hosts debate the balance between strict discipline and flexibility, highlighting how inconsistent coaching can undermine team morale and effectiveness.

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3. AFC and NFC Playoff Predictions

The hosts transition to analyzing the current NFL playoff landscape, offering predictions and evaluating team performances.

• AFC Insights:
  Jason McIntyre (28:42): “Kansas City, Buffalo, Baltimore, Houston locked in, Pittsburgh and the Chargers locked in... Denver's got a better overall team than Cincinnati.”

• NFC Highlights:
  Jason McIntyre (28:42): “Minnesota, Philly, the Rams have been the most consistent team... Atlanta's issues, they probably stayed with Kirk Cousins two weeks too long.”

• Quarterback Impact:
  Jason McIntyre (29:56): “The best quarterbacks in the league... If you get the quarterback right, your chances, your opportunities in postseason football go through the roof.”

The discussion underscores the pivotal role of quarterbacks in shaping team fortunes, with particular emphasis on players like Patrick Mahomes and Joe Burrow.

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4. Jalen Brunson and NBA Eastern Conference Finals Predictions

Shifting gears to basketball, the conversation highlights Jalen Brunson's standout performance and forecasts the outcome of the Eastern Conference Finals.

• Jalen Brunson's Performance:
  JMac (37:12): “Jalen Brunson of the Knicks went off for the double nickel 55 points... Interesting in an overtime win against the Wizards.”

• Eastern Conference Predictions:
  Jason McIntyre (38:31): “Knicks, Celtics, Eastern Conference finals. I don't know who ends up in the Western Conference finals. OKC will. Lakers...”

The hosts express optimism for the Knicks, predicting a strong finish in the Eastern Conference, while also touching upon potential outcomes in the Western Conference.

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5. Special Guest: Michael Irvin

As the episode centers around Michael Irvin, his insights and experiences add depth to the discussions, particularly in the context of NFL legacy and player development.

• Michael Irvin's Contributions:
  Matt Hasselbeck (39:21): “You can't come in soft and then try to get tough. It's the right thing to say. Deion's saying the right thing...”

Irvin's presence reinforces the themes of discipline, legacy, and the evolving nature of NFL coaching and player relationships.

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6. Notable Quotes

• Matt Hasselbeck (04:03): “You know, there's always a place that you prefer. But if you're smart, you prefer not to say it at this time. That's just smart to do, right?”

• Matt Hasselbeck (17:03): “You can't come in soft and then try to get tough...”

• Jason McIntyre (29:56): “The best quarterbacks in the league... If you get the quarterback right, your chances, your opportunities in postseason football go through the roof.”

• JMac (37:12): “Jalen Brunson of the Knicks went off for the double nickel 55 points...”

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Conclusion

Hour 3 of "The Herd with Colin Cowherd" offers a comprehensive exploration of current sports narratives, blending tactical analysis with personal insights. From the intricacies of NFL coaching philosophies to the dynamics of playoff contention and standout NBA performances, the episode provides listeners with a nuanced understanding of the sports world's present and future trajectories. Featuring contributions from respected sports figures like Matt Hasselbeck and Michael Irvin, the discussion remains both engaging and informative, catering to both avid sports enthusiasts and casual listeners.

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Note: Advertisements, promotions, and non-content segments have been omitted to focus solely on the episode's substantive discussions.

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Jason McIntyre]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Doug Gottlieb]

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[Steve Covino]

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[Rich Davis]

This is Doug Gottlieb from All Ball with Doug Gottlieb. Listen, I'm gonna get serious for a minute. The hate in our country is getting out of control. In fact, it's sadly at an all time high. But it's gonna take all of us to stop it. I mean, we're all on the same team in this country. So let's take a break from our hate so our team can regroup. We need to take a timeout against hate. Visit stand uptoallhate.org to help and join me in calling for timeout against hate by following at what's up with Hate or posting the blue square emoji.

[Doug Gottlieb]

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[Michael Irvin]

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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 and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening to the Herd Podcast. Twelve years in the NFL, three Super bowl championship Rings One of my favorite people, the Playmaker. So we got a lot of things. You know what? Let's just. I want to. I want to. Before we get to the NFL, I want to address a couple of college issues. So let's start with the easy one. So I have not heard Coach prime say I want my son to play blank, blank, blank. But once again, Deion Sanders is quoted on Twitter today saying, listen, it'll be multiple idiots that will say things that are totally untrue regarding where I want my son to play in the NFL. Can you clarify this? Is there places he wants his son, both of them, to play or not?

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Well, you know, there's always a place that you prefer. Okay, everyone has a place that they prefer. But if you're smart, you prefer not to say it at this time. That's just smart to do, right? Because you don't want to say, hey, we prefer to go just throwing out teams to the Giants and then the Raiders get you. Now you got to answer all of those questions. So you don't. Why even set yourself up for that? Just say, listen, I'm ready to play for any team that draft me. You know, the reality is now we can't lie and hide. Well, who's your team growing up? I'm sure you've said that a million times. So you might. You can't say, well, I don't have a team now because we'll pull up film and receipts. Just be honest. Like, I like the Cowboys growing up. But. But I. I want to play for whatever team that, see, that thinks I fit the team. That's just. That's the right thing to say. And Dion's saying the right thing, even though he's going to be like that, that man in wizard of the Awe. Back to pushing buttons. And then if you pull back the curtain, they go say, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain while he's pushing buttons. You know what? I. He's going to be pushing buttons.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay. Elway's family did it. Eli's family.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Right.

[Jason McIntyre]

I'm okay with that.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

And I'm glad you said that. I'm glad you said that because I said on my YouTube channel those guys did it.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Sure.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

And. And what I do now, I'm just gonna say that don't mean that people, but I'm gonna put it out there. I love, I love seeing that. That. I love seeing when I watch Beyonce and her daughter next to her in that appearance at halftime on Christmas. I love seeing what LeBron James has done with LeBron. And I love seeing Deion Sanders is doing with Shadow and Shiloh. We, as African Americans don't get a chance to see this. You just mentioned Eli and all of those guys.

[Jason McIntyre]

John Elway went out.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

They always done that. They've always protected and had people protecting them. I'm glad to see the African American parents having these. Presenting these lanes to their kids now as like those other guys have been.

[Jason McIntyre]

Happening in America forever.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Forever, right?

[Jason McIntyre]

Forever.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

But not, not, not over here on our side. So I'm just glad that some people are getting the power to do it now.

[Jason McIntyre]

Now, I don't want to be controversial. I try to avoid.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

I love when he says that, y'all, but Cam Ward. Oh, God.

[Jason McIntyre]

Just played to get a record and then bailed on his team. That. I'm not sure if that sits well with me.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

First of all, first of all, first of all, these things that come out. He can. Will play just to get a record. Stop, stop. The man played all year long. You know what I mean? So it is just to get a record. He. He told coach, we're going to play the first half. I want, I want. You know the first thing I thought about when I said, when I heard this.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

I thought about Allen Iverson. I said, practice, right? It's the Park Tarp Bowl. We're talking about the Park Tart Bowl. The Park Tart Bowl. You know what I mean? This ain't the. We ain't talking about the 12 team playoffs. We ain't talking about college football playoffs.

[Jason McIntyre]

We're not even Talking about the Citrus Bowl.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

We not even talking about. We talking about the Pop Tart Bow. The man popped in the Pop Tart Bowl. That's all you can expect for him. It's the Pop Tart bowl. And he's gonna be the top four, four, five picks in the draft. And he put it all on the line and pop in the Pop Tart Bowl. Stop popping. Stop popping. Just leave it alone. Let it go.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. Cut it out.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

But we gotta stop doing this, though. We gotta stop from the moment players throw their last pass or run their last. Their last play in college. Then. Oh, God, we turn to drop them. You know, we build them up all through. And now we're looking for the drop right here. Y'all can stop that. Cam ain't dropping. And we ain't nobody thinking about that. We talking about the Park Tart bowl, y'all. Yeah, the Park Tart Bowl.

[Jason McIntyre]

Listen, it happened. I remember when Andrew Luck. The layoff between your last college game to the draft is so long, people. I mean, I remember Andrew Luck. They were like, I don't like his arm.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

The finding thing. You're gonna find things.

[Jason McIntyre]

Stop.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

What do you mean you don't like arm? Stop. I don't know if he loves the game. Stop. Let's stop finding ways to bring people down, bring these kids down when they're in their most precious and most incredible time of the. Of their life.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay? So the Cow tart bow.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Don't, y'all. Come on, man. Don't do that to us. Don't do that to us.

[Jason McIntyre]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio.

[Lauren Bright Pacheco]

Hey, it's Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio. And, of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to 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 KovinoAnrich wherever you get your podcast. And of course on social media, that's Covino and Rich.

[Doug Gottlieb]

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[Steve Covino]

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[Doug Gottlieb]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Details make the holidays from the Delta Sky Club. Welcome back Ms. Klein to the JetBridge. Delta Air Lines relies on 5G solutions from T Mobile for business to power operations and serve customers. F together we're putting 5G into the hands of ground staff so they can better assist on the go travelers with real time information throughout the airport. This is elevating customer experience. This is Delta Air Lines with T Mobile for business. Take your business further@t mobile.com now.

[Doug Gottlieb]

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[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

Uncertainty. I'm not even sure if I could describe it.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, it almost just felt like I was.

[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

I wasn't living isolation.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

I stopped going to the doctor. I stopped trying to find treatments. Nothing was working.

[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

Breakthrough.

[Jason McIntyre]

You couldn't imagine that anyone could be.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Alive and have a mutation in that gene.

[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

I'm Lauren Bright Pacheco, host of Symptomatic, a medical mystery podcast. Every episode we investigate the medical mysteries behind someone's truly baffling symptoms. Revealing how the quest for answers transforms the lives of everyday people. This is symptomatic. My name. My name is Kelly Athena G. Stoner.

[Jason McIntyre]

Jose Torres.

[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

And for 19 years, for 15 years.

[Jason McIntyre]

For over 12 years, I suffered with a mysterious illness. I struggled with I struggled with misdiagnoses.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Of a previously undiagnosed disease, an unknown disease.

[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

Listen, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get the stories that matter to you.

[Jason McIntyre]

Mike McCarthy had a pretty good December. Cooper Rush, pretty good. Obviously, this team has issues. What do we do with the Cowboys, Michael? What's job one? What is. What do you do with the Cowboys, man?

[Matt Hasselbeck]

And when I see a 79 record and you see what, how that game played out Sunday, you start saying, well, okay, wow. I know everybody felt good about December and all of that stuff. I still say it was too little, too late. But right here, right here, then everybody starts jumping this. For me, this kind of game race is December. I don't. You can't tell me, oh, play good in December. And then, and then the backups to the team, their backups playing your backups and they put up a 40 burger on you and you look like the way you look. So I think, yeah, this makes, this takes away some of the things that you have.

[Jason McIntyre]

Would you replace McCarthy?

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Yes, I would. Yes, I would. I just think it's time to go in another direction.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Okay.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

You know, and I hear these late, this late surge to maybe going to stay with Mike McCarthy. I, I'm not on that. I'm not on that bandwagon. I just. What I believe is this team needs more discipline. I don't. I'm not saying Mike McCarthy is not a good coach. X is an old coach, you know, But. But I think the team needs more discipline. And sometimes. And it's hard to bring that in when you say, okay, this guy who doesn't have that firm hand in discipline is now going to either bring somebody else in to help them.

[Jason McIntyre]

You know what I always said, Michael? It's much easier. It's easier to be the tough dad.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

And eat, lighten up and ease up.

[Jason McIntyre]

Than to do Wade Phillips. Where your ice cream for breakfast? You're over.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

You can't come in soft and then try to get tough.

[Jason McIntyre]

You can't.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

It's a wrap. You got to come in tough and then, and then lighten up because then the guys will feel like they've earned some respect and earn you lightning lighting them. But now if you're loosening up a little bit, but if you come in loose and, and, and, and, and I don't want to say soft, but you know what I mean.

[Jason McIntyre]

Players, coach players. Apologetic.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Try to get firm. You just, you just get flat. You get.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay. I want you to go back to your cowboy days. The Chargers they're going to have a buy. Would you play starters or not? Did you want to take a week Chargers cheap? No, I'm talking of Chiefs. So the Chiefs, my bad, are going into the playoffs. Belichick was always a let's play the guys. Tony Dungy was like, you know, if I can give an old safety time off, where do you land on this?

[Matt Hasselbeck]

And Jimmy was always, let's play the guys. And Jimmy would always say, we were playing the guys because Jimmy didn't want to lose the week of practice. See, see when you go in this week right now, everybody's talking about we're going to sit out Chiefs got this game a bye next week. After that game, I mean, you're Talking about forever 18 days or something like that, right? That's forever. For all of those teams you just mentioned for those Dallas Cowboys team because we played a timing offense. Troy hit that third step, fifth step, let that ball go. For, for all the New England teams. All of that timing stuff that they do not. And I'm sorry to tell everybody out there, but it won't affect Kansas City Chief. This is not a timing offense. This is an offense that is built between Travis Kelsey and Patrick Mahomes and there is no timing on it. That's why it's been impossible to stop because you can't figure out the time when he's supposed to do yeet, he does jack. When he's supposed to do yin, he does yang. That's what Travis Kelsey is. But it's not a timing to it. It's a. It's. We're going to find where you are not. And I'm going to go to that spot and look and they win.

[Jason McIntyre]

Like, look at their wide receiver.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Un.

[Jason McIntyre]

They have different guys every week, every week.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

And now even though they had different guys every week, they still, they barely won those games. I won't be. People were getting and saying, man, should we keep Kansas City up there? Because they're barely winning these games. Do you know all of these games come down to this? I had Minnesota over Green Bay yesterday, right? Went in, it was minus one, you know, and I'm okay, I got Minnesota minus one. And I'm watching the game. We're up 17, 10. I'm like, oh, this is over. It's over. Then we go up 27, 17.

[Jason McIntyre]

I think it's over.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Next thing you know, it's 25, 27. I'm sweating like a monk. I'm like, it all comes down to this. Every one of them comes down to this, if you can win late, you can win great in this league because they all come down to this.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, and all the teams that make the playoffs, almost all of them have great quarterbacks. Meaning you go into a little bit of a prevent defense, you soften Kufar, they're just, it's a wrap. They're just going to go 8 yards, 12, 15, 18. Jordan Love, just boom, boom, boom. Okay.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Right. Jaden Daniels. Yeah, yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay. Finally set you up for this. So I'm, I understand players. If I was a coach and a player could get a record, I would try to do it. If it's super close, I'm just going to call plays to win the game. But if it's like Cowboys getting thumped, I want Saquan Barkley to get a record. I get it. Players have bonuses. But now all of a sudden. So I got Jalen Hurts, beat up Saquon Barkley. I think running backs different. I wouldn't play him this week. Now, now, left tackle, Mike, linebacker, wide receiver. Do you play Barkley if you don't have to this week?

[Matt Hasselbeck]

You know, and this is, this, this is a tough decision, this tough decision because let's be real here, where the running back position is in the league on the whole, I'm sure Saquon wants to go and try to help that whole position, not just him, by getting this record. It kind of reintroduced the year of the running back. And we can call this the year of the running back because two running backs have moved and made major differences in both offenses. So, yes, this is a 40 year record. What I love most, what I love most, and I gotta say, this is how coach Sirianni handled it. He said, we're, we're going to do what the team wants to do. Let me tell you why that's very important. Because he's saying, I'm not breaking the psyche of what they want, what they want to accomplish in that locker room. They went in that game yesterday, that game Sunday, saying, we're going to get you over 2,000 against the Durham Dallas Cowboys. So, so, so they set their mind. They went and got it done. If they're setting their mind to get him the record, I want to be right there with them. Because that means every time after we set our mind to get him the record, we're going to set our minds on the Super Bowl. I want them to keep running right on the setting of their minds. You see what I mean? I'm going to stay with that. That's why, that's very important. Now all intents you would want to say, hey man, this man's too important to lose. But it's as important to lose that mentality, that team mentality is. It is an injury. So if the. I love that he said, I'm going to do what the team wants to do. Even though Jimmy Bill would have never said that. Are we gonna do what I want to do that what they would have said. But I love that he says that at this day and time. And I hope, I do hope he gets it.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. I think things. I think things have changed. I think players, college players now get paid. I saw. I saw a story. Somebody said that every sec one is a guy.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

You. You. If anybody's going to get it, that's the guy you want to get.

[Jason McIntyre]

Think about this, though. The world's changed. Every SEC quarterback makes more than Brock Purdy in nil money. It's the player.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Right? Right.

[Doug Gottlieb]

So, I mean, listen, if a guy.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Wants a record that is crazy, you.

[Jason McIntyre]

Got to give him. If a guy can get the record, get him the record.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Yeah. Get it. And especially a record that stood for 40 years.

[Jason McIntyre]

And also a guy that's a great guy.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Right. A great.

[Jason McIntyre]

And Barkley is one of the least selfish guys in the league. He's never been about records.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Right. And. And you know he would be. Okay. Yes. You didn't. If you didn't chase it. And I, and I thought that I knew they went in saying, we're going to get this 2000 against the Dallas Cowboys. And I'm going to say this now, if that would have been. If that was one of those games like last year where that game came down to between Dallas and Philadelphia for the NFC east. And Barkley went over 2,000, that would have pushed him right on in front for the MVP because, you know, because of the eyes. It's kind of like the Heisman Trophy. Now as you get down towards the end is who. Who did I see play great late.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yes. Carson Palmer. Remember Carson Palmer?

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Yep, yep, yep. That year in Cincinnati. And that's exactly how these things. So. So yeah, that would have been a meaningful game. I think Saquon could have snatched the MVP yesterday.

[Jason McIntyre]

And. And we leave you with this. It was the Pop Tart Bowl. Chill out, folks.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

The Pop Tart Bowl. The man popped in. In the Pop Tart bowl and now you want to mess with them.

[Jason McIntyre]

Michael Irvin.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

We're back popping with that stuff. Just pop out of here with the Pop Tart Bowl.

[Jason McIntyre]

Back in LA after this Pop Tart bowl, be sure to Catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern.

[Doug Gottlieb]

9Am Pacific this podcast is sponsored by PayPal. We've partnered with them to make this holiday season even better. With all the shopping, gifting and holiday prep, my PayPal debit card is my go to for getting more out of my purchases. Here's how it works. I choose my monthly category Gas, restaurants, apparel, groceries, health and beauty or just for the holiday season, tech. And I earn 5% cash back on up to a thousand bucks in the purchases in those categories. Yeah, 5% cash back. This month I'm gonna go with tech. It's my category. It's a no brainer, right? Everybody loves the latest tech gifts, so whether it's stuff for the fam or adding new gadgets to my personal collection, that cashback adds up fast. So this holiday season, let the PayPal debit card do the heavy lifting. Sign up for the card when you download the PayPal app. Then pay in store and online and get cash back with a PayPal debit card.

[Steve Covino]

Don't just pay PayPal terms and limits apply. See paypal.com rewardspal the PayPal Debit MasterCard is issued by the Bancor Bank N.A. pursuant to a license by MasterCard International, Inc. And may be used everywhere MasterCard is accepted.

[Doug Gottlieb]

What makes the holiday special are the details from Genesis. And every little detail in a Genesis is another gift to you. Like during winter, you'll be thankful for the available heated steering wheel and the available snow mode to help get you through the snowiest of snow days. And the available all wheel drive is helpful all year round, but especially during the winter. I mean, Genesis has put a lot of thought into the details. And of course the best gifts are thoughtful ones like the available Nappa leather seating. Oh, speaking of gifts, you'll have plenty of room to haul around everything you've picked up for family and friends, no matter which Genesis you're driving. And with a lineup featuring SUVs, EVs, Sedans, something for everybody. Experience the Genesis Signature event. And as one big final gift, Genesis is offering you a $1,000 bonus on select Genesis vehicles. The deal ends January 2nd. See participating Genesis retailers for details. Visit genesis.com to see how Genesis can make your holidays even brighter. Details make the Holidays from the Delta.

[Colin Cowherd]

Sky Club welcome back Ms. Klein to the JetBridge. Delta Air Lines relies on 5G solutions from T Mobile for business to power operations and serve customers faster. Together, we're putting 5G into the hands of ground staff so they can better assist on the go travelers with real time information throughout the airport. This is elevating customer experience. This is Delta Air Lines with T Mobile for business. Take your business further@t mobile.com now.

[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

Uncertainty.

[Jason McIntyre]

I'm not even sure if I could describe it.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Well.

[Jason McIntyre]

It almost just felt like I was.

[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

I wasn't living isolation.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

I stopped going to the doctor. I stopped trying to find treatments. Nothing was working.

[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

Breakthrough.

[Jason McIntyre]

You couldn't imagine that anyone could be.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Alive and have a mutation in that gene.

[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

I'm Lauren Bright Pacheco, host of Symptomatic, a medical mystery podcast. Every episode we investigate the medical mysteries behind someone's truly baffling symptoms, revealing how the quest for answers transforms the lives of everyday people. This is Symptomatic. My name. My name is Kelly Athena gstoner and for 19 years, for 15 years, for.

[Jason McIntyre]

Over 12 years, I suffered with a mysterious illness.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

I struggled with.

[Jason McIntyre]

I struggled with misdiagnoses of a previously.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Undiagnosed disease, an unknown disease.

[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get the stories that matter to you.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Whether you're ordering wings for the game, whipping up a seven layer dip, or ordering pizza, there's something about football that makes me want to eat. And this football season, UberEats has the best deals for me on game day. Food, no matter what I'm craving, from two for one pizza. To buy one, get one wings. Uber Eats will be dropping new deals each week. All season long, I'm in Uber Eats, the official on demand delivery partner of the NFL. Order now for game day. Terms and conditions apply. See app for details.

[Jason McIntyre]

So many good things going on. We should give you a look at the AFC and NFC playoff picture before I get to JMac because it's, it's almost all settled. And yes, I'm proud that I figured out Washington would make it, but right now you've got Kansas City, Buffalo, Baltimore, Houston locked in, Pittsburgh and the Chargers locked in. And it feels like to me, I think Denver's got a better overall team than Cincinnati. I think they have a much better defense, a better offensive line, better run game. It's just Joe Burrow may just sneak Denver into sneak Cincinnati into it, but I mean, the seven teams currently in feel like the best teams. The Bengals do not feel like a playoff team. Joe Burrow is just willing this franchise, despite all the nonsense, he's willing them to a potential playoff berth. If you go to the NFC playoff picture again, these teams have mostly been good. Tampa's weird because they lost twice to Atlanta, but Atlanta had quarterback issues with Kirk Cousins, they were late on that to move. So Minnesota, Philly. I think the Rams have been the most consistent team and certainly since Thanksgiving that defense has played that young defense for the Rams has played really well. They've got their little Puka Nakua dependent offensively. Detroit, Washington, Green Bay, I don't have a problem. Atlanta's issues, they probably stayed with Kirk Cousins two weeks too long. That's my take. Some can disagree with that. I like Cousins and Pennocks. I probably would have gone over week nine or ten and not waited to whatever week it was. But they feel like the playoff team. What you notice in both is the best quarterbacks in the league. I mean, you know Darnold right now, Jalen Hurt, Stafford, Baker, Jordan Love, Jaden Daniels, Jared Goff. And if you go to the afc, it's your Lamars and your Herberts, Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar, C.J. stroud, Herbert, the only guy out. And by the way, Russell Wilson has had a pretty lean three week stretch when George Pickens was out especially. But by and large, if you get the quarterback right, your chances, your opportunities in postseason football go through the roof. It's why if Cincinnati didn't have Burrow, but they had a better roster, I think they're out of the playoffs. But Burrow is so outrageously gifted, you know, you kind of feel like they got a shot. J. Mac with the news.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

No, no, no, turn on the news.

[Jason McIntyre]

This is the Herd line news.

[JMac]

All right, let's get started with the top seed in the afc, the two time defending champ, the Casey Chiefs. They have locked up the number one seed and reports indicate they are expected to sit Patrick Mahomes among other stars. Obviously Chris Jones will not play. I'm just curious if you think this is a good idea for them, Colin. Obviously this is a.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, I would sit for instance Chris Jones. Travis Kelce would. Absolutely. If you're going to sit Mahomes, sit Kelsey. Right. Like so to me, Noah Gray needs the reps. He's an emerging star at tight end. But if you're going to sit Mahomes, then just sit Kelsey because they can both use it. If Mahomes was going to play, I think I'd still set Kelsey and I would play Noah Gray to get rep because they're wide receiving tight end. Core can be very Travis Kelsey dependent.

[JMac]

I get that logic. Let me add this. They just played one of the Chiefs. Did the Chiefs play a couple days ago, right? Christmas day, right?

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. Three games on 11 days.

[JMac]

So they played on the 25th they will not play another a live football game until the second round of the playoffs because they have a buy. So not January 5th.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Right.

[JMac]

Which is week 18. Not January 12th, which is first round of us.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[JMac]

They would have to not play until January 19th. That's over three weeks.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay? So. But here's where I'll argue their four best players. Veteran Mahomes, veteran Chris Jones, veteran Joe Tuney, veteran Travis Kelce, are for their best five players. Their old guys know what the playoffs are about. This is not like the Green Bay Packers, a super. Yeah. Or like a team like Minnesota that's red hot. It's like, I want them playing.

[JMac]

Okay.

[Jason McIntyre]

But. But when you look at this team is. It's like the old Brady teams. Edelman, Gronk, Brady, Dante, high power. It's like those guys have been in the wars. They get it.

[JMac]

So the second layer to this is the Broncos. They just got to beat the Chiefs. And if the Chiefs aren't starting anybody. You see the line on the screen. Denver minus 10.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. No, Denver's home. Denver. And also Denver's kicking themselves because they had. They had a chance to win this game multiple times. So I think they come out hair on fire. And Denver plays. I mean, Denver's actually got some things. I really like that Bo, Nick's pass.

[JMac]

That might have been the best pass he's had this season. Beautiful strike. Yeah. Listen, he was good.

[Jason McIntyre]

24, 31. But compared to Burrow, he looked like a backup.

[JMac]

Well, Burrow does that to a lot of guys.

[Jason McIntyre]

Is it Bo Nix?

[JMac]

I mean, that was fourth in ball game and he's just Chuck and Duck and then.

[Jason McIntyre]

And the other thing is, Bo Nix can run.

[JMac]

Yeah, no, no, he can.

[Jason McIntyre]

He is athletic.

[JMac]

I. I feel bad for the Bengals. It just doesn't seem right. But listen, if you're.

[Jason McIntyre]

They lost in New England. Buffalo.

[JMac]

Buffalo Bills are out here just. Oh, thank goodness. We do not have to face potentially Joe Burrow. Defense is a joke, but Burrow, Higgins and Chase are going to keep them in a game against anyone.

[Jason McIntyre]

Nobody wanted to play Cincinnati, believe me. Everybody is thanking Andy Reid, sending him a New Year's card. Thank you. Because nobody wanted to face Burrow, Higgins and Chase.

[JMac]

Is there a world where the Broncos screw this up and. And somehow.

[Jason McIntyre]

Where's the game at?

[JMac]

Denver?

[Jason McIntyre]

No.

[JMac]

Okay, next up. Oh, gosh, this one hurts. Indianapolis Colts. All they needed was a win Sunday.

[Jason McIntyre]

To keep their playoff hopes alive.

[JMac]

And they lost to the New York Giants. Look at that on the screen. 45 points. I mean, it was the Giants had scored over 22, I think, once this season against Seattle, they erupted for 45. They're averaging 14 points a game. On just a shocking turn of events, Shane Steichen answered questions about, yes, yes. His job security.

[Jason McIntyre]

Disappointing as it gets, you know, and as later, the football team, you know, shoot. I always say that, you know, I got to be better. We all got to be better. It's a group effort. Everyone's got to chip in and do their part, so stuff like that doesn't happen. Shane, do you worry about your jobs? I control what I can control. Shane Steichen would be out of work for five minutes.

[JMac]

The jets better hire him.

[Jason McIntyre]

If Shane Steichen gets let go, if Jim or say gets super impulsive, Steichen will have a job in 10 minutes. I'm not joking. He would get hired. It's not a great year for candidates outside of Rabel. He'd have a job immediately. I mean, if you're the jets hire in a second. If you're the Patriots. Shane Steichen is just. Sometimes owners do impulsive things, Jim, or say, take advantage of those owners.

[JMac]

Remember a few years ago, Carson Wentz had that, like, 27, 27 touchdown, seven pick here, and he just vomited all over himself in week eight against Jacksonville. Jacksonville cost him the game, cost him the playoffs. Ursay, just get him out of my line of sight, like one of those deals. And I don't think he's going to do that here to Steichen, do you?

[Jason McIntyre]

Steichen's a. Listen, Joe Flacco is as old as my couch, and Anthony Richardson is probably not a starting quarterback. And remember, Anthony Richardson pulled himself out of a game that didn't sit well with so many people in the league.

[JMac]

There are some Colts fans wondering, well, if Steichen's so good, why couldn't he fix Anthony Richardson?

[Jason McIntyre]

Because you can't. Hey, Shanahan's great. He couldn't fix TREY Lance. Josh McDaniels is amazing. What did he do with Mac Jones?

[JMac]

I mean, you look around. Kevin O'Connell's fixing whoever he's.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, but Sam Darnold always had talent. Sam was always an NFL quarterback. He went to the Carolina Panthers and the Jets. But people in the league. Shanahan loved Arnold. Kevin O'Connell liked him. McVeigh liked it. People liked.

[JMac]

Doesn't Anthony Richardson have talent? Or.

[Jason McIntyre]

He played 13 college games and wasn't extraordinary in the games he played in college.

[JMac]

A little harsh, but I agree. I largely agree. All right, final story is my Man. Jalen Brunson of the Knicks went off for the double nickel 55 points. Interesting in an overtime win against the Wizards, but this is the part you're going to love. 42 came after halftime and oh, by the way, only made three threes. A lot of his other points at the free throw line and in the paint, depending on your definition of mid range. And yeah, knicks are cooking 2210 for my boys.

[Jason McIntyre]

You mean you can be great in this with a mid range game?

[JMac]

Well, okay, this is the. I just had a. We got a great staff here. We were just chopping it up. What is the mid range? If you make a shot in the.

[Jason McIntyre]

Painted area, that's mid range to me. Oh, for a point guard because he doesn't want to finish at the rim because it'll get blocked and he pulls up eight and a half feet away. That's mid range.

[JMac]

Every he made was either in the paint or three threes or free throw line. And I was like, interesting.

[Jason McIntyre]

That was good.

[JMac]

So is the mid range dead Mr. Cowherd or not?

[Jason McIntyre]

He is the mid range Mamba. I love the mid range game.

[JMac]

I like it.

[Jason McIntyre]

Love Bronson. The mid range game, as I told you last week, that's the separator of real men using your butt, your elbow, your shoulders. It's physical. That's the mj. Kobe leaning back, feeling it. Barkley, the great ones had a mid range game. Not out here playing Frisbee 28ft from the basketball.

[Kelly Athena G. Stoner]

It.

[Jason McIntyre]

Hey, Frisbee golf. Just flinging it up there.

[JMac]

By the way, all these fans who were like, oh, Carl Anthony Towns got.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Traded to the Knicks.

[JMac]

They state they struggled early. I think they were.

[Jason McIntyre]

He's a new. He's got a different game. You got to get used to starters.

[JMac]

Ton of new bench guys. They're now cooking at 22 and 10. And I'm just.

[Jason McIntyre]

No Celtics.

[JMac]

I don't want to say sputtering.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, come on.

[JMac]

Are coming on.

[Jason McIntyre]

I'm just going to say it right now. Let's make a prediction. Knicks, Celtics, Eastern Conference finals. I don't know who ends up in the Western Conference finals. OKC will. Lakers, sorry, Lakers with that Dennis Schroeder move. Is that the camper?

[JMac]

No, I would agree. Knicks are going to the conference finals. I mean, barring injury, I think they're there. Lock it up. I love this Knicks team.

[Jason McIntyre]

Oh, my bad. With Schraders on the. On the Warriors. My bad. I had him on the leg. I'm sorry. He's bounced.

[JMac]

LeBron and not taking him back. No.

[Jason McIntyre]

So it's. They got Finney Smith and the warriors got Dennis Schroeder, by the way, had a big shot the other night. I should know.

[JMac]

Not big enough. Yeah, the west is a little.

[Jason McIntyre]

How many teams has Dennis Shooter been on? Let's guess. I'll say seven.

[JMac]

I'll go eight.

[Jason McIntyre]

He, you know, he's obviously functional because he's been on a lot of teams.

[JMac]

He's great in international play.

[Jason McIntyre]

I thought, wonderful. The Lakers just played the warriors, so I got confused. But he's, you know, he's. I think he's from Germany or something like that.

[JMac]

He played on the Germany national team at the Olympics.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[JMac]

And he could, he can score and get boxes.

[Jason McIntyre]

Eight teams.

[JMac]

Oh, nailed it.

[Jason McIntyre]

But in a weird way you can say, oh, he's a bounce around guy. But the. If you look at some of the teams that have, I mean like Steve Kerr wanted him. Well, Steve Kerr's got a pretty good sense of.

[JMac]

He does.

[Jason McIntyre]

I mean, so like the coaches, he's had two or three great coaches that.

[JMac]

Have said they lost Melton to injury.

[Jason McIntyre]

That's right.

[JMac]

So they needed.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah.

[JMac]

Because they can't run Curry into the ground at like 40 minutes and you just can't do it.

[Jason McIntyre]

J. Mac with the new. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by the Herd lie news. What a fun show. We, we had a lot of energy today. Matt Hasselbeck and Michael Irvin stopped by the. It is interesting. I understand, like, and I think you and I are both like this, J. Mac. We like new stuff. I'm not a rear view mirror guy. Like when baseball purists get worked up over, you know, stuff in baseball, I'm like, if baseball was a university, purists would be majoring in wrong and minoring and stubborn. It's like, just let, let new stuff happen. It works out. I always tell a story. I remember when I was a kid and the speed limit was 55 years old, 55 miles an hour. And they were going to raise it to like 65. And people were freaking out. Oh, there's going to be all these accidents. And the truth was car manufacturers then made safer cars. And over time there were fewer car accidents. You know, progress, it's going to happen. You can go along with it or fight it. And I think baseball's changes have helped. I think the NBA needs to do some tweaking. These bowl games, people are freaking out. But Christian McCaffrey, if I recall, and Leonard Fernet pulled themselves out of bowl games. People freaked out Christian McCaffrey. How many carries do those two cats have in college to carry their programs? And they want to take the Liberty bowl off. Cam Ward played a half. I'd prefer he either played all of it or none of it. But no team in the NFL is saying, you know what? We need a quarterback. We're not taking him. It doesn't happen. People understand that. Second tier bowl games, especially now with a 12 team playoff, they just don't matter. J Mac, don't worry. Be happy. Cam Ward's gonna get drafted. Top five or six, it's gonna happen. Thanks for everybody. We got good, good college bowl. Get college playoff games coming up. I want to thank Matt Hasselbeck and Michael Irvin for stopping by on a Monday. Be safe. We'll be here tomorrow. Live in LA, it's been the herd.

[Doug Gottlieb]

I'm partnering with PayPal. The holiday season is here and I'm gonna save big with cash back offers in the PayPal app. It's easy. I browse deals from my favorite brands, save offers in the app and use PayPal checkout online. Really, really easy. Whether I'm buying gifts for my family or treating myself to something nice, I'm earning cash back and you can too. Don't just pay PayPal.

[Steve Covino]

Check offers in the app for details and exclusions. Cashback earned is points redeemable for cash and other options. See PayPal rewards terms.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Whether you're ordering wings for the game, whipping up a seven layer dip or ordering pizza, there's something about football that makes me want to eat. And this football season, Uber Eats has the best deals for me on game day food no matter what I'm craving from two for one pizza to buy one get one wings. Uber Eats. We'll be dropping new deals each week all season long. I'm Uber Eats, the official on demand delivery partner of the NFL. Order now for game day. Terms and conditions apply. See app for details.

[Colin Cowherd]

From the Delta Sky Club welcome back Ms. Klein to the JetBridge. Delta Air Lines relies on 5G solutions from T Mobile for business to power operations and serve customers faster. Together we're putting 5G into the hands of ground staff so they can better assist on the go travelers with real time information throughout the airport. This is elevating customer experience. This is Delta Air Lines with T Mobile for business. Take your business further@t mobile.com now.

[Rich Davis]

This is Doug Gottlieb from All Ball with Doug Gottlieb. Listen, I'm gonna get serious for a minute. The hate in our country is getting out of control. In fact, it's sadly at an all time high. But it's gonna take all of us to stop it. I mean, we're all on the same team in this country. So let's take a break from our hate so our team can regroup. We need to take a timeout against hate. Visit standuptoallhate.org to help and join me in calling for timeout against hate by following OTs upwithhate or posting the Blue Square Emoji.

[Jason McIntyre]

As we gather together during this holiday season, let me share a gift that keeps on giving. Chase Freedom With Chase Freedom Unlimited, you'll not only experience the joy of 1.5% unlimited cash back, but also the freedom to create cherished memories with your loved ones. Discover the magic and learn [e-mail] and let this season be filled with love, laughter and the delight of extra cash in your pocket.

[Colin Cowherd]

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