← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
THE HERD - Hour 1 - Bears fans need to be realistic, College football is changing, the Bengals are cheap
00:41:40
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- [00:00]
Colin Cowherd
This is an iHeart podcast.
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Colin Cowherd
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Colin Cowherd
Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast, be sure to catch us live every.
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Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
Weekday on Fox Sports Radio at noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific.
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Colin Cowherd
Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com.
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Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
Or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.
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Colin Cowherd
Now, let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. All right, here we go. It is a Tuesday, and there is a lot to talk about. We're live, we're in la. It's the Herd one hour from now. Because I'm doing the rest of this week right then. Little vacated. We're coming back for six months. I'm gonna do a herd hierarchy one hour from now. And this is kind of how I see the season. This is gonna be the last big one, a herd hierarchy. Before telling you who I think are the 10 best teams. A lot of familiar faces at the top. Some really good teams who I liked and maybe don't like as much as I thought are out. John Middelkopf joining us again today. John, you and I did an exercise last night on a podcast, and I'm going to do that again for the television audience about the Chicago Bears. And I think you and I agree, and we know this in life, your happiness is directly correlated to your expectations in life. Like, what do you expect? And I'll give you an example. Start the show with this. Last year, Denver won 10 games, and people are like, an amazing season. The Bengals won nine, one fewer. And people are like, do we got to fire the coach? I mean, we're keeping Burrow and Jamar Chase. We got to get rid of everybody. Well, the expectations for Denver, rookie quarterback Sean Payton in a rebuild, pretty low in that division with Harbaugh and Andy Reid, they won 10 games. You'd have thought they. They lost a Super Bowl. They got just this close since he won nine. Let's get rid of everybody, right? Happiness is tied to expectations. So I saw a headline this morning, Caleb Williams looks like a different quarterback in Ben Johnson's new offense. It's the preseason. Last year, the Jags, the Titans, the jets and the Bears went undefeated in the preseason. Okay, settle down. So let's just, let's do a hard count here. Let's take the Bears schedule, and I'm going to be optimistic, Colin. So I'm going to give Chicago a split in division. They win one and lose one with the Packers. They split with the Lions. They split with the vikings. They went 1 and 5 against those teams last year, and they're already a road dog. They're already a home dog in Week 1 against Minnesota. They're a dog at home against Minnesota. I'm going to give them a split, three and three. I'm incredibly optimistic. They just don't. They don't do well in division. I'm going to give them a split. I'm also going to give them four more wins. Hosting Dallas, hosting New Orleans, hosting the Giants and hosting Cleveland. No upsets. They win all of them. So now I got them at 7 and 3. But I'm also going to say they're going to lose at Washington, at Baltimore, at Philly and at San Francisco. So now we're at 7 and 7 and again, I gave them a split in Division. They're 7 and 7 with three games left. I'll continue my optimism. Three games left on the schedule now at Las Vegas. I'll give them a win, but they may go in as an underdog. At Cincinnati. They lose to Joe Burrow. That's reasonable. And I'll have him beating Pittsburgh at home in a close game. I think Pittsburgh's got a really good roster. You know what that gives the Bears, being incredibly optimistic? 9 and 8 in a division where Kevin O' Connell and Matt LaFleur and Dan Campbell have already proven their elite head coaches. Two of them are scheme guys, one of them's a culture guy. They're all really, really elite. We don't know that about Ben Johnson. So I got nine and eight. By the way. Two times in the last 12 seasons have they been.500 in division, and I'll give them that. They've done that two times in 12 years, by the way, they've only hit nine wins once in 12 years. And I'm giving it to them. So giving them wins that are not in the last decade plus guaranteed, you know, as a home favorite, I'm giving them Dallas, New Orleans, New York and Cleveland. I actually think New York's defensive line is going to be a problem, and the Giants are going to end up being one of those teams that plays a spoiler throughout the season because they're just going to suffocate some offensive lines that are banged up for not that very good. So again, expectations. If you go 9 and 8, that means you probably split in a incredibly highly functional division. You just don't do that. So, yes, they beat the Bills. Yes, Caleb Williams looked good, and yes, Matt Hasselbeck yesterday on the show was cautiously optimistic. He looked great.
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Guest Analyst
I mean, I think it's everything you're looking for. If you're a Bears fan, you're fired up about the head coach, the play caller. This is a division that has quarterback whisperers and Chicago hasn't had theirs. Now they have it. It looks like a great start. I would just say it's preseason football, so I'm not going to criticize him because it's the preseason. This is a, this is a great start. It was a great outing. There's been some up and down reporting about him. In this game against the Bills, he looked fantastic.
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Colin Cowherd
Nine and eight from positive Uncle Colin. Nine and eight. I think that's realistic, maybe a bit positive. Tough division, good coaches everywhere, some automatic Ls on the road. I think you beat Dallas, Saints, Giants, Cleveland at home, 9 and 8. Let's be realistic. Otherwise you're going to be miserable all year. I'll say so. I saw a headline and a lot of times headlines don't match the story. But I'm always interested when headline writers like to get your attention. So Sports Illustrated, the headline why College Football is emulating the NFL. And I know 90% of you college football diehards, and I am one, don't like that headline. You don't like that headline. I don't want to give you advice in life. I have a lot of opinions. If I ever go speak to young people, I'm like, I'm not going to give you any advice because my life isn't your life. My journey is not your journey. But I'll give you an opinion if you're offered Outback Steakhouse or Morton Steakhouse. Choose the latter. The first one's fine. The second one's excellent. Folks, college football has, has taken away the bumpers from the bowling lanes. Ohio State threw a gutter against Michigan and yet made the playoff. That is a good thing. Go look. I'm going to give you three or four schedules. Go look at Oklahoma schedule because college football always had a big game problem. If you're driving, I'll read it to you. If you're driving around listening, Oklahoma this year plays Michigan, Auburn, Texas, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Bama and lsu. That is seven must watch games. That's before the playoff. If they make it. There'd be four more good ones if they kept winning. Texas, Texas schedule at Ohio State, at Florida, Oklahoma, Georgia, Texas A and M. That is five must watch games. Yeah, I know they're not playing Kansas State. I don't know if I'll sleep at night. That's five must watch games before the playoff. Oregon they get to play Oregon State, their rival. I covered it for years. Great rivalry. But I get at Penn State, at Iowa, then two traditional rivals, usc, Washington, five. Must watch Oregon games before the playoff. Root for content. If offered multiple steakhouses. Take the best one. College football has always had a big game problem. If you go look at Nick Saban's dynasty and I love Nick, but after about year three, he refused to play a road out of conference game. He would make sure he and the athletic director always had a buy. Before they had to go, like to LSU or Auburn, there was a lot of Citadel and Mercer. At one point, Nick Saban complained, Alabama students aren't going to the games. Our games aren't sold out because students aren't dopes. And they have social lives. And they'll go to the big games. They're not going to the ugly ones. Kids have lives. There's a lot to do in a college campus. Mingle, socialize, drink, party. Nobody wants to watch Bama and Mercer. So college football, look at these schedules. Now they're in. In fact, I've gone on the air saying, I think you want to take Notre Dame off USC schedule. There's too many landmines. There's. So if you. If it's all about winning the natty. But it's not as punitive. Ohio State can lose at Oregon. They can lose at Michigan. Root for drama. Not that parochial. Purdue versus Iowa, playing for the Giants spittoon. That is at best a local rivalry. You can, you can try to convince yourself it's a regional rivalry. The quality of games, the quality of content in college football is insane. Just go look at Oklahoma schedule. Texas, Oregon, Washington, lsu. I know, I know. Auburn, Alabama won't meet as much. When's the last time Bam and Auburn played? And it did mean anything out of the state of Alabama. The Cam Newton years. It doesn't mean that much. Yes, college football may even expand it to 20 playoff teams. Maybe it's because of what I do for a living. I root for interesting. I root for better content. If I go on Netflix, if I turn on Fox or NBC. I just want the best content I get over the local rivalry. I grew up in Washington State, right? Like, I was a Husky fan. I don't need to see Washington play Cal or Arizona ever again. I'm going to be okay now. I get Washington, Penn State. Plus I get. I can still play in Oregon. I can still play in sc, but I got Washington, Michigan. I want to go to the. I want to go to the Iowa game. I get new fun stuff. But when I read that Sports Illustrated headline, oh, it's going to emulate the NFL. Thank God college football's taking the bumpers out of your bowling alley. Okay, you're going to throw some gutters now. You're, you're going to have bad games because you don't have Mercer coming up. Oh, God. We play lsu and you're going to get blown out and it'll be okay. It'll be fine. Go ask. Ohio State lost as a 20 point favorite. What did they go in as, like a four seed to the tournament? I mean, God, they wouldn't. There's a higher seed. If you're good, it's all that matters. And it didn't used to be that way. You could be good, but did you schedule right? Did you have enough buys? Did you play any difficult road game? All that stuff's done. It's over. Yes. I want it to look and feel a little bit more like the NFL. If you're paying players, it's time. All right. Ohio State, by the way, was an eight seed. Thanks for reminding me. An eight seed. That's why the NFL playoffs are fun. You just never quite know who's going to win. You had a feeling it'd be Brady or Mahomes. Never quite know. Chiefs have been blown out twice in the Super Bowl. You never, you're never quite sure. You could have looked at Saban's Alabama schedule and go, okay, those two games, they'll only be a field goal favorite, but ones at home, they'll win for sure. If they lose that game, they'll still get in. That's not the way you want it. I mean, I look at Oklahoma schedule, I don't know what I'm going to get. They may lose three games and still get into the playoffs. I mean, look at that thing. I'm not even counting other games, like the Missouri, Oklahoma game, which could be great. John and I kind of disagree on that traditional stuff. He went to Fresno State, it's a powerhouse. So he loves those big regional games. I'm not. I'm a non traditionalist. We didn't go to church. Child of divorce didn't have like that perfect white picket thing. So I'm not, I'm not a traditionalist. So I know I have some confirmation bias and some life bias. I know that I grew up going.
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John Middlekauff
To Memorial Stadium with my dad watching Cal. So I'm not acting like Cal is Alabama or Ohio State. And no one is complaining about watching Ohio State, Texas or Texas. Georgia or Ohio State?
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Colin Cowherd
Oregon.
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John Middlekauff
But what about Washington State? A program that has tried. Oregon State? A program that has tried. You know who I sc, obviously. Big brand, no doubt. What about ucla? I mean, do they really care about football? And they got to benefit from it. So I understand the little guy at Oregon State and Washington State. Fresno State's always been a, you know, a small.
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Colin Cowherd
Right.
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John Middlekauff
Market program, but those, those programs were in the big conference and they kind of got screwed while they tried. But I guess it's business. They just weren't big enough.
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Colin Cowherd
Yeah, it's like Major League Baseball wants to do realignment. People say, I'm not comfortable with it. Guys, sports is a business. No business stands pat. Amazon Meta. You can't stand pat. You've got the. By the way, if you look at what happened to boxing, why did UFC take it over? Because boxing was poorly run. Why are we seeing all these changes in college football? Because college football did not have a CEO. It was poorly run. If you're well run, there won't be major changes. Baseball was poorly run under Bud Selig. Rob Manfred steps in. He's got to make multiple changes because attendance goes down and the game goes down and merchandise goes down. So Rob Manfred's like, okay, start at second base, extra innings, speed the game up, get rid of the D, double down. Pitchers don't hit. Rob Manfred had to correct why boxing died. Poorly run. College football changes. Poorly run. If you're not poorly run, you don't have to make drastic changes.
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John Middlekauff
You do need underdogs, though, right? The Yankees can't play the Yankees. Conor McGregor can't fight underdogs.
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Colin Cowherd
By the way, in the Big Ten, Iowa's an underdog now. They used to be an underdog six times. Now they're an underdog nine times. Okay, be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio. FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. He's Mike Carmen. I'm Dan Byard. We have a fantasy football podcast called called I want your Flex. That's right, Dan. Every week we're going to scour the waiver wire to find the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup. Sits starts fantasy football players rankings to get you ready to dominate the competition. Listen to I Want yout Flex with Mike Harmon and me, Dan byer on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts. And wherever you get your podcasts this.
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Colin Cowherd
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Colin Cowherd
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- [21:27]
Colin Cowherd
Cheers to that.
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- [21:36]
Colin Cowherd
So I watched the first couple of series. Joe Burrow played three series for the Bengals last night and completed nine of 14 passes, had a touchdown. He had a play where he was running around, got sacked. But to win a Super bowl, you need, like, a combination of things. You all know this. When New England had their two dynasties, it was great owner, great coach, great quarterback, great coordinators. Kansas City's got a great gm, a great owner, a great coach, and a great quarterback. Philadelphia, best GM in the sport, many believe. Great owner, top 10 quarterback, Rams, same thing, top to bottom. It's a combination of things. Cincinnati. You look at Cincinnati and you go, well, do we really like Zach Taylor? I'm not sure. It's just too lopsided an organization. It's Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase and everything else. Their de facto General Manager is 90 years old, Mike Brown. They have the smallest personnel department in the NFL. That's why they don't take big risks like the Philadelphia Eagles, who are constantly trying to get slightly better. They don't do that. They beat down their culture. They beat down all their star players to squeeze every last ounce out. And I, and I hear this, Colin, we made a Super Bowl. Oh, wake up. When you're not paying your rookie quarterback the big money yet, you don't have to be as buttoned up once you pay Jalen Hurts or Mahomes or Josh Allen or Matt Stafford. You got to be more buttoned up. It's all about the margins. So, I mean, the first two drives of the game, Washington had 160 yards running. Cincinnati's defense is atrocious. I think it's the worst in the league without Trey Hendrickson. Absolutely the pits. And yet they're beating down Trey Hendrickson for every penny. He's easily their best defensive player. So, you know, the way I look at let's, let's take the Baltimore Ravens in division with Cincinnati. The Baltimore Ravens are Disney theme parks, movies, tech, AI valuation over $3 billion. Cincinnati is 6 Flags a Step above the county fair. Yeah. Six Flags has roller coasters, too, and so does Disney. And Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. You got the quarterback, but if you want to win Super Bowls, do you pay top money for coordinators? Do you have a big scouting department? Do you have one of the top GMs in the league? It's not. It's not. I mean, when did New England's dynasty die? When Belichick started taking over the draft. When they had Scott Pioli and Bill didn't have as much power and they had better rosters. Like. Like, even dynasties can die when they try to go cheap. And one guy, the coach, gets too much money and has too much power. So I watch him like Joe Burrow running around last night. Everybody's freaking out about that. But Joe Burrow, he needs live game action in the preseason because he has to carry this franchise. Lamar Jackson, they already had a great run game. Hey, we'll give you Derrick Henry. The Rams already have good running backs. We'll draft another. They're constantly upgrading. San Francisco, Denver was good last year. Playoffs. They get Hufunga, Evan Ingram, Greenlaw. Constantly upgrading because they have the richest owners. I think Denver does now in the NFL. So I didn't mind Burrow running around. Here's Zach Taylor on it. It's one of those things for him. That's what preseason football is for. Do I love seeing that? No, I don't. But at the same time, he's out there learning what he can and can't do, and we've seen him get out of that stuff before, and that's. That's why he's playing in the preseason, for a chance to. To feel what it's like to feel in a game. Yeah. I mean, listen, Joe Burrow doesn't have to prove anything. It's. It's wide preseason. I think there's some valuable snaps, but I. With Cincinnati, I. Once you pay Joe Burrow, once you pay Matt Stafford, once you pay these quarterbacks, you got to get really good on the margins. You have to have a really good general manager. You got to have somebody like a Brett Veach, you got to have somebody like a Howie Roseman. And there's a lot of good GMs, Les Need. There's a lot of good ones all over this league. But. But once you pay the quarterback, unless you get, like, a Baker Mayfield deal, where you get kind of a deal for a really good player. That's rare in the NFL, where you can get a Darnold or a Baker at A pretty good price point. Joe Burrow. You got to pay. And so once you got to pay, I need a really good scouting department. It's amazing to me, Cincinnati can't figure it out. Like once you pay the quarterback, you gotta, you gotta hit on the drafts. It's like that's Dallas's problem. Jerry controls the draft too much. Once you pay the quarterback, the minute you pay the quarterback big money, you should hire 10 new scouts. You need to nail third, fourth, fifth, sixth round picks. You gotta find cheap labor somewhere because you're paying your quarterback so much of your money. John Middlecock for the news. No, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herd line news.
- [26:36]
John Middlekauff
Okay, let's start with some breaking news this morning. The Indianapolis Colts have gone with Daniel Jones. Anthony Richardson will not be the starting quarterback. And Shane Steichen spoke about this and he said this isn't a short term thing. He's going to be the starter for the season, adding that he does not have a short leash. To me, the question is, Colin, can Daniel Jones resurrect his career.
- [27:04]
Colin Cowherd
In that division? Could he win nine games and sneak in as a wild card? Certainly possible. I mean, I'm a little surprised because it basically signals the end of Anthony Richardson. So you don't. Now he doesn't even have any trade value because if Shane Steichen gives up on him. Well, do you have a better offensive coach than Shane Steichen?
- [27:21]
John Middlekauff
He is younger than guys like Caleb Shador Sanders, Dylan Gabriel. Anthony Richardson is not like a 26 year old player. Very, very young.
- [27:29]
Colin Cowherd
But he has very rough. I mean, he hasn't shown a two game stretch where you went, wow, gets dinged up a lot. I mean, a lot of these young quarterbacks that struggle. There have been moments with Justin Fields in Pittsburgh where he goes like 4 and 2 and you're like, why are they taking him out Like Anthony Richardson? The easy stuff is really hard.
- [27:46]
John Middlekauff
I've always respected Chris Ballard, but I think we gotta call a spade a spade. This currently is one of the worst draft picks we've ever seen. He was drafted fourth overall and going into year three, he was just replaced by a guy who last year was cut mid season. I mean, Daniel Jones is, you know, I know they just gave him $14 million, but the Giants cut him in the middle of the season after giving him $80 million.
- [28:06]
Colin Cowherd
Well, the problem with Indianapolis is that the late great Jim Irsay was highly impulsive and you had two things happen that screwed the franchise. Andrew Luck retired early, right before the season, they're trapped. And then they go get Carson Wentz, who goes 27 touchdowns, 73 has a bad final week in Jacksonville and Jim Ursay says, I want him out of here. Ballard wanted him. Irsay wouldn't let him keep him. So Andrew Luck retires. Whoa. Jim Ursay says, I want Carson Wentz out. Whoa. So they go to Philip Rivers, who was pretty good, and they try Matt Ryan. Well, the truth is they have been bailing water since Andrew Luck retired. They thought they had an answer with Carson Wentz and the owner's like, get him out of here. So I'm going to defend Ballard on this. I think this league, what you don't want to be is desperate at quarterback. And I think once Jim Ursay said out of here with Wentz, they thought they had him for two to three years. They have been, they have been with a life preserver since just bailing water on the ship.
- [29:08]
John Middlekauff
My prediction is Anthony Richardson will be traded the next couple weeks even if they don't get much. Because you saw this a couple years ago. Trey Lance, he didn't win the backup job and they just got rid of. Yes, it's very hard to draft a guy high who have been the starter, then demote him and keep his credibility in that locker room. I mean, Daniel Jones has been there, what, six months, some spring practices now, a couple weeks of training camp. It's not like he's, he's been in.
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Colin Cowherd
The program for three years. The Niners are well run and look what they gave up for Trey Lance. It's hard.
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John Middlekauff
It is.
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Colin Cowherd
And when you get into these situations where like somebody retires or, or somebody gets injured, I mean, where would the Niners be if they don't get Brock Purdy with the last pick? I mean, Brock Purdy should get paid because he saved the franchise.
- [29:49]
John Middlekauff
Yeah. I mean, they would have had to go all in on Sam Darnold. Speaking of dysfunction, the Cowboys, they, they've dealt with a lot of drama this offseason. Obviously, the Micah contract negotiations, negotiations have not gone well. But they also dropped their new Netflix documentary detailing the the teams from the mid-90s. And one interesting bite that came away from Jerry Jones, who was asked why he hasn't hired a gm, to which he said, I like the pain. Is Jerry Jones holding the Cowboys back? Colin?
- [30:19]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, and I, you know, I said this a couple years ago, maybe I was premature, but it does have an Al Davis, old Al Davis feel where Al Davis was this maverick and this pioneer and really knew the game. And I Think Jerry knew it better than 90% of the owners, but it does feel like he's, he's been reluctant to surrender some of it. And I think all of us lose our fastball. You know, you get into the 80s and it's just an energy thing. And I, I feel the same way with Mike Brown of the Bengals. Although the Cowboys are a much more, you know, well heeled franchise, well capitalized franchise, the NFL's gotten smarter and it's gotten harder over my lifetime. There's more smart offensive coaches and Jerry has never respected coaches. And now is the time that you have to respect coaches more than ever. Look what Jim Harbaugh did in six months to turn around the Chargers. So in an era where coaching's never been better and more valuable, Jerry has almost a disdain for the profession. He does not care. And I think it, and I think Cincinnati's in the same spot. They just don't, they don't think it matters that much. And it's like, folks, what is Sean Payton worth in Denver? Whatever you're paying him from Nat Hackett to Payton is not enough. He saved eight years of misery in Denver.
- [31:36]
John Middlekauff
Well, let's look at their division. They've won. The Giants have won a couple Super Bowls in the last 20 years. The Eagles have obviously won a couple Super Bowls in the last seven, eight years. Jerry Reese was a great gm. Howie Roseman obviously is arguably the best gm. Now the Washington commanders have Adam Peters, who was trained by Belichick and John Elway and John Lynch. Shouldn't Jerry try to hire a Howie Roseman and let him run? I mean, Jeffrey Lurie goes, yeah, I benefit from having Howie do this. Josh Harris, pretty successful guy, says, adam, you run the football aspect and Jerry's just not willing to do that. Now these contract negotiations would still be a problem because he's the owner and he's signing the checks. So even if the GM was there, maybe nothing would even change. Before we get out of here, let's take a look at the NBA. My favorite team, the warriors in your squad. The Lakers are littered all throughout the nationally televised games this year.
- [32:26]
Colin Cowherd
Yes, they are.
- [32:26]
John Middlekauff
Obviously, the Knicks have been resurrected in the Thunder, but all four of them have 34 nationally televised games, which I'm pretty sure is the max allotted amount. Yeah, it's pretty clear that the NBA still riding Stephan LeBron pretty hard, huh, Colin?
- [32:40]
Colin Cowherd
Well, yeah, I thought about this this morning. Did you see what the sphere in Vegas is doing? So the sphere in Vegas is this wildly popular music venue. They're bringing the 1939 hit wizard of.
- [32:55]
Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
Oz to the sphere.
- [32:57]
Colin Cowherd
No new movies, no wizard of Oz. Old in music, in politics and sports, old and familiar cells. I mean, Biden, Trump to Biden to Trump, they're all near an 80 old is familiar. It see, we get a little comfort out of it. It's a little bit more traditional. Everybody tells me about all these young politicians. They got no shot to be in the White House in three years. I look at this and I think they're going with LeBron, they're going with Steph, they're going with the Knicks. You know, they're going with a lot of Celtics. If they had Jason Tatum, by the way, would be right behind the Lakers and Warriors. But they don't. So I think they're just leaning on familiar faces.
- [33:42]
John Middlekauff
I gotta take for you. And listen, this could be prisoner of the moment, but I don't think we will ever see a guy or two guys in the NBA as famous as LeBron and Steph moving forward. I mean, we. You bring up Jason Tatum, he's not even remotely in the same universe as those guys in terms of fame and recognition from the casual fan. That's what the NBA's always had. Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Larry Magic. That is what Stephen LeBron still have to the guy that's not watching 82 games, maybe watching three or four, but he will tune in especially for Steph.
- [34:12]
Colin Cowherd
So my theory on this has always been the downside to the NBA going international. So when we grow up, it was a domestic league, big time. And we watched all these college stars for three and four years at Duke and Kansas and Yukon and Syracuse and ucla and we built these visceral connections like college football. Now it's a lot of one and done and it's a lot of international players. So we don't have any familiarity with the young stars who often go to bad teams, don't make the playoffs for two or three years, and then we forget about them. International guys, I love them. They're like the top five players in the league. But they don't have big personalities. They go to their town, they're loyal, they don't want to move, they want to hide. They just want to ball and sleep. And I totally respect that. But this is why Adam Silver is my only real knock on Adam Silver. He demonized college basketball and now I think he really realizes the value of Duke and Carolina and UConn and Michigan State. Please do not demonize them. They are your free marketing campaign. I fall in love with college Players and they go to the NFL. I'm already a fan. I don't watch college baseball. So they go to the minor league system. I forget about him. College basketball needs to embrace college. NBA needs to embrace college basketball because their issue is as the international pool has grown. And these are remarkable players, those guys. They're not personality guys. Jokic and sga, they want to go. They want to go back to Belgium the minute the season ends. I don't blame them. But. But what you're seeing now is, you're right. There is no LeBron. Steph. And I mean, I think KD battling people on social media is actually great. Yeah, because it makes him. I mean, he's. He's interacting with the fans. These international guys, they want a ball and get ready for the next game. Totally respect it. But it's not good for marketing. They don't want to be on social media.
- [36:14]
John Middlekauff
So they're going to need LeBron and Steph and Kevin Durant to play like they're Tom Brady into their mid-40s. Luckily, LeBron looks like he's going to John.
- [36:23]
Colin Cowherd
Middle cop of the news.
- [36:25]
John Middlekauff
Well, that's the news, and thanks for.
- [36:27]
Colin Cowherd
Stopping by the herd. There's always a duality with good comes bad, and. And I think the international guys make the NBA. So I love watching Jokic, but he's not a big personality. I love Jokic, Giannis, the top five players are international. But you have to realize international guys don't plan March Madness most of the time. That may change, but they don't plan March Madness. Well, what do we watch in college basketball? March Madness. So if you go to Michigan or you, you know, you go to Michigan State, I'm going to watch you. I'm going to have. I'm going to forge a relationship with you. And so that's the only downside to international basketball is the league has been grappling here with who's the face of our league. And it's. They're really struggling. I don't think you have to have a face of the league. I think there's been far fewer. Like when I was a kid growing up, I mean, my favorite player was Dr. J, and he was from the ABA, but I just liked his style. So I don't think you have to have a face in the league. But it did help when you had Magic Bird and MJ and Shaq and Kobe. It helped. I mean, Tim Duncan, great player, wasn't like a personality. So they're kind of looking for that guy. And I don't think he currently exists and that's why the schedule is heavy. LeBron and heavy Steph. And again, KD going back and forth on social media actually, actually is a positive for the league. He's interacting, communicating back and forth with a customer. It's a good thing the home you've worked so hard for is ready to work hard for you. Home Equity loan that's the part of your house you actually own. You could use that to put a kid through college. Buy a rental property. Learn how to turn your home's equity into cash. Visit RocketMortgage.com today. Rocket Mortgage LLC. Licensed in all 50 states. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am.
- [38:18]
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- [39:19]
Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
American Public University where service members like you can access high quality, affordable education built for your lifestyle. With online programs that fit around deployments, training and unpredictable schedules, APU makes it possible to earn your degree no matter where duty takes you. Their preferred military rate keeps tuition at just $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's tuition and with 24. 7 mental health support plus career coaching and other services, APU is committed to your success during and after your service. Learn more at Apu Apus Edumilitary. That's Apu Apus Edu Military Imagine never buying gas again. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and perfect for everyday life. Drive daily with confidence everywhere you go. Most Americans drive 40 miles a day. Most EVs are equipped with 200 to 400 miles of range. They've got fewer parts, fewer repairs, and fewer headaches. With hundreds of new and used EV models available today, there's an EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. I love my electric vehicle. It's easy. No more gas stations. The way forward is electric. Learn more@electric for all.org hey folks, this message brought to you by the one and only official whiskey of the herd with Colin Coward, Green River Whiskey. Now here's a story that'll knock your socks off.
- [40:53]
Colin Cowherd
Picture this.
- [40:54]
Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
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- [41:35]
Colin Cowherd
Cheers to that.
- [41:36]
Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
A product of Green River Distilling Company, Owensboro, Kentucky. Alcohol by volume varies by product. Greenriverwhiskey.com Please drink responsibly.
- [41:46]
John Middlekauff
With two races to go, newly crowned four time champion Alex Pullow continues his quest for a record 10 win season and the most dominant run in IndyCar history at the Milwaukee Mile Sunday at 2 Eastern. Only on Fox.
- [42:05]
Colin Cowherd
Adam Schefter had a tweet. There's an increasing feeling that the Cleveland Browns will carry four quarterbacks on their 53 man roster. So you're probably saying I don't get it. I don't understand it. So what I'm, I'm not going to insinuate somebody's tanking, but I do think there is a way to build a roster that doesn't prioritize winning today. Let's say for a franchise in a tough division that needs a star quarterback like Arch Manning. So you're not going to tank in the NFL. But if you keep four quarterbacks, that means every Sunday you have three people that will not play in already one of the weakest rosters in a tough division. So Philadelphia is prioritizing winning every day of the year because they have their offensive line they have their quarterback when, when, when the Colts had an old Peyton Manning. I think they made a move in that final year seeking Andrew L. Where they didn't prioritize winning for the short term. I have defended that you can't tank in hockey or football, they're too physical. But you can make roster moves that don't prioritize winning Sunday. Guys a little banged up. Why don't you take Sunday off? You're valuable to us next year. So it's like quiet quitting. I, I would get rid of Kenny Pickett and try to get a seventh round pick. I've said before I'd start Flacco, I'd go with Shador. After that, many people really do believe. I thought it was interesting. Dylan Gabriel. And again, I view Shador Sanders. Better size, better movement. Many people view Dylan Gabriel as better in the film room, more serious and throws a beautiful accurate ball. I'm not sitting here judging film. I like what I see with Shador, but again, he's kind of an unserious kid. That bothers me a little bit. I've always said I want my quarterbacks hat on straight, boring, all business. I'm not a Johnny Manziel guy. He's probably a great person. Total turn off to me. Total turnoff. And Shador's got some of that I don't love. But I don't think he's a bad kid. I think he's a good kid and I think he's a talented kid. Dave Wanstadt was on the show yesterday and the quarterback dilemma in Cleveland. I think Sanders is probably your second best option. And Gabriel, will he ever get better? Is he about as good as he's going to be right now? Can he improve? I don't know. That's a real tough one. I try to keep the personalities out of it as long as they're doing all the right things in the classroom and on the field. So again, if you, if you keep four quarterbacks, you could see like the Philadelphia Eagles saying, listen, we have a great roster. We don't need the extra slot corner. We've already got two we like Cleveland needs the most athletes they can get. And, and so by going into every Sunday with three guys that aren't going to play, you know, you could probably use another slot corner, you know, probably another interior lineman on the roster. And you're like, now we're not going to do that. So I don't think it's prioritizing winning, but I totally get what they're doing. They want to get Jimmy Haslam wants Arch Manning. There is one. Jimmy Haslam likes headlines. Manziel Baker, Deshaun Watson's ridiculous contract. He likes the headline. I get it. It's his team. He's a billionaire. I'm not. But I think he wants Arch Manning. He is very closely connected to the sec, Jimmy Sexton. I think they absolutely want Arch Manning. That is my belief. And so keeping four a weak roster is just a little weaker. That's what it feels like to me. Doesn't mean you're tanking, you're not trying to lose. But we all know this. There are certain things, as a parent, you prioritize now. And some things, you're like, yeah, this is fine. Let's worry about down the road. You know, we all sacrifice some things now for later. It's called a 401k. I could have a much better car now, but I'd like to retire at 66 and not 74. Same in pro sports. Like, we're prioritizing next year's draft number one, winning Sunday. I mean, we want to do that too. But you're prioritizing next year's incredible quarterback draft class. That's what it feels like to me. So I've said this before when I used to work in a local television, and when I left, I mean, journalism died at a local level. So when I used to work in local tv, I had a couple of news directors that were very fiery, and eventually they were very good. And eventually they'd burn some people out, polarizing. And then the owner of the station would hire a replacement for the fiery, intense news director who was really good, but kind of wore people out after like six, seven years. And they always, without exception, the pendulum swung too far. And they hired a soft guy and a nice guy and a never mean guy and ice cream for breakfast guy. And the newsroom would deteriorate over time because now we had Mr. Softy running the operation. And the truth is, sometimes mean helps. And in the NFL, building a culture means breaking stuff. It means being hard, cutting players. I mean, I love Andy Reid and Sean McVeigh. I love those guys. They're cutthroat, don't kid yourself. Sean McVeigh's handsome smiles looks good. Pro player, cutthroat Andy Reid. That Jim Harbaugh, John Harbaugh, I love him. Sean Payton, love him in business. Okay, so Miami had one of those guys, Brian Flores. He was mean, but he, like, had a culture. By, like week nine of his first year, they, like, led the NFL and takeaways Year two, one of the least penalized team didn't get along with Tua, but that team was physical and tough. I think by the end of year one, he beat Brady and Belichick when they were, you know, rolling. But he was tough and some said, borderline abusive. And so they got rid of mean Guy and they hired Swell Guy. And I think Mike McDaniel's really smart and I like him. He's funny. He's kind of like, kind of looks like a sports writer with a good sense of humor. And this team right now, they're a big bowl of jello. And I've talked about that. And so Jalen Ramsey took a shot at him the other day. Now, as a Pittsburgh Steeler. And it's just a classic example of. And I've seen this my entire life, I've seen it anecdotally in my life, is when you've got harsh, mean, tough guy and he wears some people out and you let him go, the pendulum always swings way too far the other way. And I wish Mike McDaniel had a little. Brian Flores. It's been a bad camp for Miami. It's not been good. And Tua yesterday talked about yesterday's practice and this sounded like another stinker.
- [49:12]
Guest Analyst
I wouldn't give myself a grade. I don't think that's. That's fair to grade yourself. I think that's for you guys to do with however you guys report that and whatnot. I think today offensively was a very frustrating day, you know, in regards to what we wanted to do, what we said we wanted to do came out, you know, and, and we, we just weren't able to get things jump started. So that was very frustrating today.
- [49:36]
Colin Cowherd
Now, the good news for Miami, they're in the same division as the jets, and that could be a two and oh run this year, but New England is significantly better. And as long as Josh Allen's in his prime. Buffalo. Buffalo is dominated. Dominated. Miami just scores whatever they want to, so. But it is kind of a cautionary tale, and I've seen this a lot in my life, is that if you want to bring in a coach that changes the culture, you got to break some eggs. And it's mean Guy has value. You want me like Tom Coughlin came into New York. He was a lot. And the owner finally said, tom, we love you, but you look like a plum. Your bright red face. Brian Kelly had some of this at Notre Dame. I was like, brian, lighten up a little bit. But. But what's Interesting. Notre Dame didn't go get a softy. They went and got a super hyper intense smart guy, Marcus Freeman on staff and he's intense and he holds players accountable, but he's more likable than Brian Kelly. So Notre Dame did it right. Like they had a guy that was really intense, needed to lighten up a little bit, but they didn't let it swing the other way and and go get vanilla soft serve ice cream. You know, they went and Marcus Freeman is intense, smart, demanding. Now it's Notre Dame. So you recruit really accountable smart kids. But it it that's the Notre Dame did it the way you should do it. Take some of the gifts of the intent demanding guy, Marcus Freeman. I mean that team is physical, they play hard. He, he is, he is tough but fair. Notre Dame did it right. I think Miami kind of missed on it.
- [51:14]
Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
Well, we all have juggles and struggles and faults and flaws because to be.
- [51:19]
Colin Cowherd
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- [51:21]
Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
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- [51:27]
Colin Cowherd
And I got a lot of dogs. Hills helps burn fat and benefits include.
- [51:31]
Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
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- [51:36]
Colin Cowherd
Hills Science led nutrition helps you give.
- [51:38]
Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
More love than humanly possible. If you love your dogs like I do, use hills. You're only human. There's hills. Science does more American Public University where service members like you can access high quality, affordable education built for your lifestyle. With online programs that fit around deployments, training and unpredictable schedules, APU makes it possible to earn your degree no matter where duty takes you. Their preferred military rate keeps tuition at just $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's tuition and with 24. 7 Mental health support plus career coaching and other services, APU is committed to your success during and after your service. Learn more @apu apus edu military that's apu apus edu military Imagine never buying gas again. EVs are as easy to charge as your phone and perfect for everyday life. Drive daily with confidence everywhere you go. Most Americans drive 40 miles a day. Most EVs are equipped with 200 to 400 miles of range. They've got fewer parts, fewer repairs and fewer headaches. With hundreds of new and used EV models available today, there's an EV to fit every lifestyle and every budget. I love my electric vehicle. Well, it's easy. No more gas stations. The way forward is electric. Learn more@electric for all.org Summer is 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?
- [53:21]
Colin Cowherd
Well, you can't get a well groomed.
- [53:23]
Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
Lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered.
- [53:27]
Colin Cowherd
A nice tan.
- [53:28]
Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
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.
- [53:45]
Colin Cowherd
Product availability may vary by region.
- [53:49]
Podcast Announcer/Advertiser
See app for details.
- [53:51]
John Middlekauff
This is an iHeart podcast.