The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 1
Date: October 15, 2025
Podcast: The Herd with Colin Cowherd – iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Episode Theme: Prime-Time Excellence – Dodgers Dominance, Caleb Williams’ Growing Pains, and Sorting the NFL Super Bowl Contenders
Episode Overview
This episode of The Herd is a tour through the current top stories in American sports, led by Colin Cowherd’s signature mix of insightful analysis, candid opinions, and a few pointed critiques. Colin opens with passionate praise for the Los Angeles Dodgers’ operational excellence, addresses Caleb Williams’ developmental hurdles in Chicago, and delivers a tiered breakdown of NFL teams residing on the ever-shifting “Super Bowl Bubble.” Along the way, Colin attributes success (or lack thereof) to organizational management, accountability in sports commentary, and the importance of resourcefulness over simply having resources.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Dodgers: Baseball’s Best-Run Organization
(Starts ~00:47)
- Unmatched Stability: The Dodgers are held up as the gold standard in American sports front-office performance.
- “There is no organization. From research and development, drafting, scout... The Dodgers are unbelievable. It’s an impeccable organization.” (Colin, 00:47)
- Playoff Consistency: 12 out of the last 13 seasons in the playoffs, showing a dynasty-like sustained excellence even with roster fluctuations and injuries.
- Winning with Depth: Despite Shohei Ohtani’s slump (2 for his last 25), the Dodgers’ offensive and rotational depth continues to paper over weaknesses.
- Pitching Dominance:
- Yoshi Yamamoto and Blake Snell anchor a starting rotation that nullifies bullpen anxieties.
- “The bullpen liability? It doesn’t matter. I mean, Blake Snell was so dominant in Game 1. It was Koufax-level dominance.” (Colin, 03:36)
- Comparing Dynasties:
- Like the Chiefs or Warriors, the Dodgers are so loaded that regular season motivation wanes before playoff urgency kicks in.
Notable Quote
“It’s like the Chiefs dynasty. It’s like the Brady-Belichick dynasty, it’s like the Warriors dynasty. It is hard to stay self-motivated... And the Dodgers treat the regular season like a lot of us treated college — you do the bare minimum, and then on the finals it’s an all-nighter.”
(Colin, 04:45)
Key Segment
- Dave Roberts on Pitching Decisions:
[07:54] Dave Roberts remarks on the importance of starting pitching and headspace:“The strength is starting pitching… all four of those guys are in a really good headspace. Physically, they're sound... and they're prepared for this.”
2. Honest Sports Commentary & The Caleb Williams Debate
(Starts ~09:16)
- Critical Honesty: Colin champions honest sports analysis, referencing Troy Aikman’s candid national broadcast refusal to "hand out flowers" to the Bears and Caleb Williams after a narrow win.
- Caleb Williams’ Struggles:
- Remains last in the NFL in “expected completion percentage” (~61.5% when it should be 72%).
- Key weaknesses persist from his college profile: inconsistency in accuracy and slow decision-making in structure.
- Developmental Progress:
- Improvement noted in staying within offense structure; comparison to Lamar Jackson’s evolution.
- Defending Tough Critique:
- Colin insists sports fans and players benefit from real critique over “blowing smoke.”
- “When you’re as gifted as him, it’s very easy to take off... Caleb’s doing a better job to play in structure. I will defend him all day on that. But the accuracy thing? They’re leaving some completions out.” (Colin, 12:03)
Notable Quote
“If an announcer is willing to say unpopular things, I’m here for it. I appreciate that. I don’t need you to blow smoke. I’m not looking for rainbows and pots of gold. Just give me honesty, right? Like I’m a grown up.”
(Colin, 12:52)
Key Segment
- Ben Johnson on Coaching Caleb’s Expectation:
[13:20] “The standard has been set. The bar has been set high. He has said that he wants to be not just one of the top five quarterbacks, but have a legacy... and so we’re coaching him that way.”
3. College Football: Coaching Carousel & Money Talks
(Starts ~14:35)
- Penn State’s Pursuit of Marcus Freeman:
- Penn State plans to aggressively woo Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman for the head coach position.
- “No shot whatsoever... Marcus Freeman’s next stop will be the NFL...” (J. Mac, 14:35)
- Money and Commitment:
- Colin reiterates that top programs always have money to get their guy — schools will pay football coaches $15 million/year if necessary.
- “Universities, institutions, governments always have the money. They always have the money.” (Colin, 34:19)
Notable Quote
“If I was Penn State, I’d pay $15 million a year to get Marcus Freeman. Penn State football last year made $240 million. Is the coach worth $15 million? Yeah, absolutely. Notre Dame, step up and pay it.”
(Colin, 34:40)
4. Roster Construction in Baseball: Dodgers’ Resourcefulness vs. Big Spending
(Starts ~17:30 and again ~41:18)
- Smart Spending:
- Dodgers’ success isn’t just about payroll size, but about targeting undervalued players: Tommy Edman, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy.
- Other examples include Freddie Freeman, Ohtani, and the strategic signings from international leagues well before rival teams.
- Comparisons:
- Yankees and Mets also have top budgets, but fail to match the Dodgers’ roster-building efficiency.
Notable Quote
“Yankees have a ton of money. They’re totally uneven. They don’t run the bases particularly well... The Dodgers... figure it out once they get to September and October.”
(Colin, 23:55)
- GM Praise:
- Andrew Friedman’s transition from low-budget success in Tampa Bay to elite efficiency in LA is lauded.
- “Andrew Friedman was making the playoffs with no money. You took his brainpower, put it with a big bankroll, and they just don’t miss a lot.” (Colin, 43:09)
5. NFL: Super Bowl Bubble Teams
(Starts ~44:50)
- Tiered Contenders:
- Colin defines his “Super Bowl Bubble”:
- Top Tier: Kansas City, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia, Detroit, Seattle, Green Bay, Denver.
- Second Tier: Colts, Rams, San Francisco, Buffalo.
- Just Outside: Pittsburgh, New England, Chargers.
- Acknowledges how quickly teams shift in and out based on health and performance.
- Colin defines his “Super Bowl Bubble”:
- Kansas City Chiefs:
- Mahomes, Andy Reid, and Steve Spagnuolo form the best “coach-QB-coordinator” trio in football.
- “They are fast defensively and they have the best head coach, quarterback, defensive coordinator, combo in the sport.” (Colin, 46:05)
- January Football: Importance of O-line, defensive front, and weather comes into focus after Thanksgiving.
- Value of Winning Close Games: Tampa Bay’s undefeated streak in single-score finishes is highlighted as a positive omen.
Notable Quote
“There are two seasons: pre-Thanksgiving and post-Thanksgiving. The football changes... so things are going to change.”
(Colin, 48:29)
Super Bowl Bubble Summary
- Eye test, roster, coaching, and health are all emphasized as key.
6. Herdline News Highlights (with J. Mac)
(Starts ~25:04)
- Bengals-Steelers Preview: Clash of old QBs (Flacco vs. presumably a veteran Steeler) labeled the “Icy Hot Bowl.” Colin roots for Flacco’s “joyful” presence and quick adaptability.
- Bijan Robinson’s Breakout:
- On pace to break NFL single-season yards-from-scrimmage record.
- Colin lauds his character: "Bijan is the safest player in this draft... catch, block, run, character, doesn't fumble." (Colin, 27:47)
- Dallas Cowboys/George Pickens:
- Jerry Jones gushes about Pickens’ inspiration and emotional development, noting his contract year is big for maturity.
- "When CeeDee Lamb comes back... that's when we'll see the maturity and how he handles it." (Colin, 31:41)
Notable Quotes & Moments
-
On the Dodgers’ Deep Roster:
“Their menu is so deep, doesn’t matter if the milkshake machine in back is broken. They got somebody else stepping up.”
(Colin, 02:41) -
On Honest Broadcasting:
“Just give me honesty, right? Like I’m a grownup. I remember again when I was a kid... I liked Howard Cosell, I liked the local sportscasters that I thought were telling me the truth.”
(Colin, 12:52) -
On College Football Money:
“All you schools have money. Penn State right now is doing a $700 million Beaver Stadium upgrade... If you want to win, you’ll have to spend money.”
(Colin, 34:19) -
On January Football:
“There are two lead seasons — pre-Thanksgiving and post-Thanksgiving — and the football changes.”
(Colin, 48:29)
Key Timestamps
- 00:47 – Dodgers as best-run team discussion begins
- 03:36 – Playoff pitching dominance; Dodgers’ regular season mindset
- 07:54 – Dave Roberts on starting pitching
- 09:16 – Honest commentary and Caleb Williams analysis
- 12:03 – Lamar Jackson and Caleb Williams comparison
- 13:20 – Ben Johnson on coaching Caleb
- 14:35 – Penn State’s coaching search and college football money
- 17:30 – Dodgers’ acquisition strategy versus “just spending”
- 25:04 – Herdline News: Bengals-Steelers, Bijan Robinson, Cowboys
- 41:18 – Dodgers’ shrewd moves: Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Max Muncy
- 44:50 – NFL Super Bowl bubble breakdown
- 46:05 – Mahomes/Reid/Spags KC core assessment
- 48:29 – Football seasonality and weather impact
Tone & Style
Colin’s tone is confident, candid, and at times slightly irreverent, balancing sharp critiques with moments of elemental sports nostalgia. J. Mac complements with energetic analysis, quick stats, and betting angles.
For Listeners Who Missed It
- Expect a balanced diet of praise (for the Dodgers, Bijan Robinson, honest analysis) and skepticism (over merely spending big, overhyped QBs, and organizations not maximizing their resources).
- Super Bowl “Bubble” teams and college football’s high-stakes coaching carousel round out a sports episode rich in context, perspective, and wit.
End of Hour 1 Summary