THE HERD – HOUR 1 – Dodgers In Disarray, Mike McCarthy Underrated, Josh Allen Super Bowl Bound?

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd — Hour 1 — Podcast Summary

Episode Date: August 5, 2026
Host: Colin Cowherd
Guest Co-host: John Middlekauff
Featured Guests: Matt Hasselbeck, Albert Breer, Eric Karros, Mike Sando

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

Hour 1 of The Herd with Colin Cowherd focuses on key stories across MLB and NFL:

• The struggling Dodgers and MLB playoff narratives
• Why Mike McCarthy is an underrated (and misunderstood) head coach
• Josh Allen’s Super Bowl chances and the realities facing top QBs
• In-depth looks at Raiders, Ravens, 49ers, and the ongoing evolution of NFL quarterback reputations
• Notable discussions on the Rams’ allegedly “stacked” 2026 roster
• Dak Prescott’s career renaissance and the concept of “aging well” as an NFL quarterback

Colin and John blend big-picture takes, historical perspective, and current news to provide context and color on each theme.

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1. Dodgers Meltdown and Media Overreactions

Timestamps: 02:45–07:33; 48:36–49:23 (with some revisit later)

Key Points:

• Colin highlights the Dodgers’ struggles: 5 straight losses, 7 out of last 9, injuries to key players, bullpen and age issues.
• Media panic around “dominant” teams is contrasted with reality:

  “Three days ago, the Dodgers were ruining the sport. Three days later, apparently not. They are melting down.” (Colin, 02:52)

• Critiques of fatalistic, headline-driven sports narratives:

  “The media, by and large, attracts young people who push back on power and wealth. The Dodgers are rich and powerful. But the young media is wrong. Stop staring at the paint job. Look under the hood. The Dodgers are a mess.” (Colin, 03:34)

• Discussion of historical MLB “dynasties” (70s Reds, 90s Yankees) who dominated far more thoroughly than the current Dodgers—without the same public hand-wringing.
• Dave Roberts’ comments after another loss:

  “We have a lot of baseball left to play. He’s a guy that we’re all counting on…” (Dave Roberts, 07:33)

Memorable Moment:

• Colin on baseball randomness:

  “If there’s ever been luck in a seventh game of a World Series, everything worked the Dodgers’ way. Some of it Dave Roberts, some of it just out and out luck.” (Colin, 06:35)

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2. Why Mike McCarthy Is Underrated

Timestamps: 08:06–12:59, also revisited at 44:44–45:27

Key Points:

• Pittsburgh Steelers era under new head coach Mike McCarthy starts, with talk of a “softer” first day of camp compared to Mike Tomlin.
• Colin draws an extended analogy: McCarthy is “the Nicolas Cage of football coaches”:

  “Everybody’s like, Nicolas Cage—nobody mentions him as a great actor. And, like, everything he’s in is good…” (Colin, 08:39)

• Stacking resumes: McCarthy vs. John Harbaugh & Mike Tomlin. In column’s view, all have nearly identical track records, but McCarthy is seen as second-rate due to early media narratives (especially stemming from his days with Aaron Rodgers).
• Historical narrative issue: McCarthy unfairly took the blame for Packers’ perceived underachievement.
• Matt Hasselbeck weighs in, saying both McCarthy and Rodgers likely appreciate each other more after separating:

  “He probably has missed Mike McCarthy…for Mike McCarthy, for sure, he’s missed that intangible factor that Aaron Rodgers brings…” (Matt Hasselbeck, 12:22)

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3. Josh Allen, Quarterback Primes, and Super Bowl Reality

Timestamps: 17:54–22:17

Key Points:

• Colin’s Super Bowl pick: Rams vs. Bills.
• Highlights difficulty of winning as a QB:

  “A lot of things need to happen, right? Drew Brees won one, Favre won one, Rodgers won one. Dan Marino and Jim Kelly, none. Brady, Mahomes, Bradshaw—those are historical outliers.” (Colin, 19:09)

• Comparing Josh Allen’s lack of a ring to Phil Mickelson: sometimes you peak in the “wrong” era (i.e., alongside Mahomes).
• Allen’s perspective:

  “You knock enough at the door, it’s going to open at some point. That’s what we have to keep doing…” (Josh Allen, 20:31)

• Colin worries about Buffalo aging against surging youth movements like New England, with Buffalo ranked just 29th in “talent 25 and under.”
• Home-field advantage historically crucial for playoff QBs (Montana, Brady); concern that Allen may have to win as a road underdog going forward.

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4. Quick Hits: Raiders Promise, Lamar Jackson’s Shelf Life, Purdy’s Critics

Timestamps: 22:17–32:56

Las Vegas Raiders:

• New coach, improved offensive line, optimism about both Cousins and rookie Mendoza.

  “I’m genuinely interested, engaged and optimistic about the Raiders. I think they’re going to be incredibly watchable…” (Colin, 24:04)

Lamar Jackson:

• Drops from Tier 1 to Tier 2 in Mike Sando’s annual QB tiers.

  “Used to be he would go and outrun you. Now he kind of goes, but he’s not always moving with the purpose.” (John Middlekauff, 25:35)

• Colin draws parallel to Steve Young’s transition:

  “You have to learn to dominate from the pocket as a running quarterback. That to me is kind of the next step for Lamar.” (John Middlekauff, 26:30)

Brock Purdy:

• His processing ability praised, but physical “limitations” noted.

  “He sees things so quickly...he will read where he throws it to the right place almost every time.” (Colin, 27:35)

• Middlekauff: Purdy/Shanahan is a unique, effective partnership; expects a long, successful career in right system.

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5. Jalen Hurts: Proving He’s Super Bowl-Worthy

Timestamps: 29:44–33:24

Key Points:

• Sando’s QB tiers: Hurts is lowest-ranked Tier 2 QB—yet Colin says he’s proven you can “win a Super Bowl with him.”
• Philly is the NFL’s “loudest” market:

  “Brings the volume down…Puts out fires incredibly high EQ, never starts the fire. Always puts it out in the loudest city.” (Colin, 31:35)

• Jalen Hurts’ own words on team leadership:

  “100% alignment and zero entitlement…carry and protect the intimacy of this team…” (Jalen Hurts, 32:56)

• Colin: Hurts is the “best quarterback at the podium of all time”—like a life coach for the organization.

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6. LA Rams Roster: “Best in a Decade”?

Timestamps: 37:16–40:26

Key Points:

• Colin makes a case for the 2026 Rams as the most stacked roster of the hard-cap era.

  “I do not remember a football roster this good…This team has no flaws.” (Colin, 38:35, 40:00)

• Aaron Donald’s potential un-retirement as final piece; extensive praise given to both roster stars and depth.
• Albert Breer confirms Donald likely back, Rams can “use him creatively” thanks to depth along the defensive front.

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7. Dak Prescott: The NFL’s Quietly Great “Aging Well” QB

Timestamps: 40:26–46:00

Key Points:

• Colin describes Dak as the NFL’s “401k guy”—not flashy, but consistently excellent as he ages.

  “He’s just eats right, sleeps right, a lot of water, a lot of fluids, a lot of coffee. You look up and he’s 72 and you’re like, God, that guy looks like he’s 54 years old.” (Colin, 43:25)

• It took Colin “Chapter 8” of Dak’s career to realize how high-level he is—including elite all-time rankings for completion percentage, TD/INT ratio, passer rating, and points per game.
• Sameness with Jalen Hurts: Steady, thoughtful, great at the podium—exactly what’s needed on “loud” NFL teams.
• Mike Sando on the league’s view:

  “He got almost as many tier one votes as he's gotten for his whole career…he’s a good pro quarterback.” (Mike Sando, 44:22, 44:57)

• One exec calls Dak “the cockroach of the league for his ability to keep playing at a high level no matter what.” (Colin quoting exec, 44:44)

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Notable Quotes

• On Media Cycles & Dodgers:
  “You’re all staring at the paint job. Open up the hood. This is an old team.” (Colin, 05:50)

• On McCarthy’s Reputation:
  “He’s like the Nicolas Cage of football coaches. Nobody ever mentions him as a great actor. And, like, everything he’s in is good.” (Colin, 08:39)

• On Rams as Super Bowl Favorites:
  “I think the Rams have the best roster in a decade…they have no flaws.” (Colin, 17:56, 40:00)

• On Jalen Hurts:
  “Jalen Hurts is the best quarterback at the podium of all time.” (Colin, 33:24)

• On Dak Prescott Aging Well:
  “Dak is just aging well… you look up and he’s 72 and you’re like, ‘God, that guy looks like he’s 54 years old.’” (Colin, 43:25)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:45] — MLB: Dodgers’ collapse and historical context
• [08:06] — NFL: Mike McCarthy’s reputation revisited
• [12:22] — Matt Hasselbeck on McCarthy-Rodgers dynamic
• [17:54] — Colin’s Super Bowl pick: Rams vs. Bills, Josh Allen at a crossroads
• [22:17] — Raiders optimism, Lamar Jackson’s evolution, Brock Purdy’s reality
• [29:44] — Sando’s QB Tiers, “Can you win the Super Bowl with him?” segment, Jalen Hurts leadership
• [37:16] — Rams’ roster evaluation, Aaron Donald’s return
• [40:26] — Dak Prescott’s quiet greatness, Sando on NFL QB evaluations

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SUMMARY

Hour 1 of The Herd with Colin Cowherd blends historical perspective, sharp analogies, and behind-the-headlines analysis to reframe current sports stories. It is a potent mix of stats, personality, and informed speculation—delivered in Colin’s conversational, slightly iconoclastic style. The episode focuses on institutional reputation (Dodgers, McCarthy), the randomness of championship runs, and the undervalued steadiness of certain NFL quarterbacks, making strong cases for the Rams and Bills while debunking splashy sports panic.

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Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Rob Parker]

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[John Middlekauff]

You're Listening to Fox Sports Radio.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, it's Wednesday. How much fun is Wrigleyville? Especially if you're a Cub fan. We are live. It's the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for making us on a Wednesday part of your day. John Middelkoff, as always, filling in this weekend next, for J. Mack, who's on vacation. Well earned. Well, went to the Cubs game last night. 5 1. Cubs won. Dodgers lost again. You know, three days ago, the Dodgers were ruining the sport. Three days later, apparently not. Five straight losses. Lost seven of nine, by the way. The Braves have won six straight. The Red Sox have won six straight, 29 and five in their last 34. The Dodgers are melting down. Their best players are hurt or can't hit. Is the media ever right with their fatalistic claims? I know I'm a broken record, but God, I push back on this stuff. The sky is falling doomsday, folks. The media, by and large attracts young people who push back on power and wealth. And the Dodgers are rich and powerful. But the young media is wrong. Stop staring at the paint job. Look under the hood. The Dodgers are a mess. Ohtani's got two home runs since the All Star break. Health, age, brittle, Expensive Mookie Betts. 1 for 16 during the losing streak. And I mean anemic, feeble at bats. So this, this Tariq Skubal acquisition was much more life raft than adding, you know, a helipad to the yacht. This team is. I'm looking at the numbers since July 31st for our radio audience. Tied for the worst record, the most home runs allowed. The home run differential's the worst, second most runs allowed. The team ERA is shot. It's almost seven second worse than baseball. Again, the Red Sox on fire. The Braves on fire. The Cubs playing well. The Dodgers have bullpen issues, age issues. Now, now, now, I will say all you fatalists, let's say the Dodgers had just, you know, won 114 games and flown through the baseball playoffs like the 98 Yankees did, who lost one game in the entire 98 playoffs. One game. The Yankees in the late 90s were so good, they swept back to back World Series. The Dodgers are winning on the margins. Game seven, they went to rotational players and backups, starters out of the bullpen. From 98 to 2000, the New York Yankees won three straight World Series. They were 121 in those World Series. It wasn't. The sport wasn't competitive. And I don't remember this outrage. You're all staring at the paint job Open up the hood. This is an old team. They're on the hook for Mookie Betts contract for six years. He looks shot Ohtani. Now, this is what happens when you pitch and you play. I mean, I'm watching the Cubs last night. The Cubs have added five arms at the trade deadline. Their batting order, their position players are excellent. The last two nights, they're the better team. The Braves are the better team. The Red Sox are the better team. I mean, I grew up in the 70s where the sport was lopsided. The Cincinnati Reds batting order, these are the guys that hit in order. Pete Rose, Ken Griffey Sr. Joe Morgan, Johnny Bench, George Foster, Tony Perez. They had average pitching and dominated the sport. The Yankees go 12 and one in three straight World Series, dominate the sport. This team's winning on margins the last two years, and now they're broken. They are broken. So, I mean, last year in the World Series, The Blue Jays hit.270. The Dodgers hit.200. The Blue Jays had 22 more hits. I mean, I don't believe in luck, but if there's ever been luck in a seventh game of a World Series, everything worked. The Dodgers way. Some of it Dave Rogers, some of it Levers, Dave Roberts, and some of it just out and out luck. I mean, it's crazy. World Series, Game 7. So the brewers and the Braves could have acquired Skubal. Blame them for not landing the plane. Don't blame the Dodgers for being desperate, badly needing him, knowing they're getting old, expensive and brittle. And this is probably the last potentially great team in September. Here's Dave Roberts on the debut. And another loss.

[Mike McCarthy]

We got to find a way to win a ball game. You know, I thought tonight Tarek was. Tarek was fine. A lot of emotion, adrenaline, and it was, you know, he limited the damage. You know, there's probably. Probably a little bit more in there for sure. But I'm not going to push him every time out. We have a lot of baseball left to play. He's a guy that we're all counting on. So I think that I'm going to. I'm going to manage, know, pick my spots with him. And, you know, you still got to score.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, so the Pittsburgh Steelers in Mike McCarthy era begins in earnest, right? And there was a quote yesterday by one of the running backs. He goes, this is not like Mike Tomlin. This is the easiest first day of camp ever. And I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. I really don't. Mike McCarthy, the Steelers coach has the distinction, and I believe this to be true, of being the greatest football coach ever with a mediocre reputation. He's like the Nicholas Cage of football coaches. Everybody's like Nicholas Cage. Nobody ever mentions him as a great actor. And, like, everything he's in is good. I mean, Con Air was great. Adaptation was great. Leaving Las Vegas is unbelievable. Raising Arizona is one of the funniest films I've ever seen in my life. The Rock Face off seems like a pretty good actor every. He's good in everything he's in. I mean, Marlon Brando had six bombs. Everybody's in bad movies. So Mike McCarthy, between Dallas and Green Bay, has eight division titles when Dak was healthy, number one offense in the league. Here's what's funny. If you look at John Harbaugh's resume stacked up with Mike McCarthy. Now, for the radio audience, you won't see all of this, but remember, John Harbaugh got fired in Baltimore, was the hottest candidate on the market. Their resumes are identical. The only difference is, oh, wait, there is none. Mike McCarthy gets hired and the Steelers settle. Harbaugh gets hired with the Giants home run. Mike Tomlin put up Mike Tomlin's resume against Mike McCarthy. Tomlin's viewed as a legend. McCarthy. That's all the Steelers did. Look at their resumes. The only difference, McCarthy's got more playoff wins. So why in the world is Tomlin's reputation this? I mean, he had Big Ben and, and. And John Harbaugh's reputation this? He had Lamar Jackson and Joe Flacco in his prime. And I think it's this. McCarthy took all the heat and Aaron Rodgers took none of it at the time in Green Bay. So the narrative got set in his coaching prime that he was the problem in Green Bay. Remember, Aaron wasn't political. Aaron wasn't as passive aggressive. Aaron wasn't as weird in the early years in Green Bay. Right? He was that really cocky kid under Brett Favre. He was beautiful. He was fun to watch. He moved. And something happened late in Green Bay and he just, you know, off season commitment, ayahuascas. Even Matt LaFleur's like, All right, let's move on. Let's go with Jordan Love. But what happens when the narrative gets set in your career? You're not a good actor after a couple of early bombs. And I think that's the difference, is that Mike McCarthy took all the arrows in those early days in Green Bay. We all know now there's a lot to unpack with Aaron Rodgers, forget what he said a couple days ago. Just, there's a lot with Aaron, the off seasons. I mean, it's amazing. These people who find such things, like People magazine know who everybody in the world's married to except Aaron Rodgers. I mean, it's. There's a lot of enigma and mystery. And so the truth was Green bay was a 50, 50 split. Like Brady and Belichick both get credit in New England. McCarthy and Aaron both get criticism and blame in Green Bay. But Mike took all of it. And I don't think he's ever been able to rid himself of that negativity. Now, Matt Hasselbeck was on earlier this week. He said, listen, I don't care what happened earlier with McCarthy and Rogers. People in sports get over it. Quarterbacks and coaches get over it.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

I believe it's going to be great. I mean, I know what it's like to, you know, feel like nails on a chalkboard with a guy, and then all of a sudden he leaves. And then it's like, oh, man, I missed that guy. I didn't realize how had it. And so I think for both guys, for Aaron Rodgers, man, he probably miss. Miss. Has missed Mike McCarthy. I think for Mike McCarthy, for sure, he's missed that intangible factor that Aaron Rodgers brings to the table. And I, you know, so I think, like, kind of like you're saying, like that old relationship that gets back, hey, man, the grass wasn't greener necessarily. I have respect for you. And then when you have that deep background of, of experiences together and a deep respect for one another, I think it works.

[Colin Cowherd]

Remember the 13 years he was in Green Bay? McCarthy always had the offense, right? That was never the issue. He only had two top 10 defenses, and in one of them, he won the Super Bowl. So I. I can't. We're going to. We're going to talk once again to Mike defebo. He's at Steelers camp. He's going to join us later in the show, so. Can't wait for that. Today, Albert Breer, Eric Caros is going to be joining us. I mean, the Dodgers are just. They got so many issues right now. And I gotta tell you, if we had a lot of baseball guys on our staff, if you've never been, this is my second, third Cub game. If you've never been to Wrigleyville in July or August or September, make a pilgrimage. I've said this before. If Wrigleyville was in Belgium, if it was in, you know, Vienna, Austria, it would be a bucket list. Like for a lot of Americans who want to go watch a Liverpool play or they want to go to the Tour de France, they want to do if if Wrigleyville wasn't in Chicago and it was overseas in Europe, it would be one of those bucket lists for people that place is was popping last night. I mean just, just another Tuesday night at Wrigleyville. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am

[John Middlekauff]

Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Rob Parker]

Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington

[Colin Cowherd]

from the Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio.

[Rob Parker]

And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10pm Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's right, you can now watch the Odd couple live on YouTube every day.

[Rob Parker]

All you got to do search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube again YouTube just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube and subscribe

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

So if I had to guess today, and I think it's a pretty strong guess, who's going to win the super bowl or at least meet in the Super Bowl, I would say the LA Rams and the Buffalo Bills. I think the Rams have the best roster in a decade. I mean, that's how good it is. You got to go back to that. Those Seahawk teams, Russell Wilson in his prime when he wasn't making any money and they could load it up with Percy Harvin and Cliff Averill, who didn't even have to take that many snaps because they were paying Russell Wilson nothing and he was productive. I think the Rams roster is insane. The defensive line now, if Aaron Donald comes back, I never seen anything like it. And then I think the Buffalo Bills. And which brings up the inevitable question, which is when's Josh Allen going to get there? Never forget 14 years of John Elway's career. 14 year period. He didn't have a trophy. A lot of things need to happen, right? Drew Brees won, Favre won, Rogers won. Dan Marino and Jim Kelly, none. Brady, Mahomes, Bradshaw, those are historical outliers. Bradshaw had the best defense for 25 years. Montana had the best coach and best wide receiver arguably ever. Brady's first three Super Bowls, he won by a field goal. I mean, it's, the margins were narrow for New England for years, and they were winning narrowly. So it's like he's in year nine. He's really good. A lot of it is almost like Phil Mickelson. When do you enter in your prime? Phil Mickelson's prime was Tiger woods prime. Well, Josh Allen and Mahomes entered the league one year apart. Mahomes got the better owner, arguably GM coach and weapon Travis Kelsey. In an offensive league, the weapon matters. Offensive coach Andy Reid. So, like, a lot of advantages just didn't go Josh Allen's way, you know, and it's almost like movies. Shawshank Redemption comes out in the same year as Forrest Gump and Pulp Fiction gets overlooked, you know. 2017, the shape of Water wins a story about a woman who falls in love with a fish. What are we doing? Yeah, weaker year. I mean, so who knows? But I, I, I tend to think the Rams are going to win the NFC, the better conference. And I like Buffalo in the AFC. I think the D.J. moore offensive coach now, I think it all works. But Josh Allen, this is the inevitable question, bro, when are you going to get one? His response?

[Albert Breer]

The playoffs. A lot of times in the last, you know, however many years I've been here now and, you know, just continuing to find ways to learn from it. And I think that's, it's a hard pill to swallow sometimes because we haven't gotten it done. But, you know, you knock, you knock enough at the door, it's going to open at some point. And that's just a. What we have to keep doing is keep knocking on that door and giving ourselves chances to be in that situation again.

[Colin Cowherd]

The thing that worries me the most, when you go look at the old Joe Montana playoff clips, those are a lot of home games. When you look at a lot of Tom Brady playoff moments, that snow game, it's in Foxborough. What worries me is that ESPN last week ranked the teams in terms of talent 25 and younger. Number one was New England in Buffalo's division. They already won two more games in Buffalo last year with a bunch of kids. So are you going to be playing road playoff games? Ask Tom Brady about playing road playoff games at Denver. It never worked out well. So a lot of this, a lot of those Niner highlights with Joe Montana, those playoff highlights, they were at home. A lot of Brady's at home. So that's where. That's what worries me. Not that the windows closed that New England now has the better coach, a elite quarterback, a great owner, lots of historic momentum and success. That and a lot more good young players. Buffalo right now is ranked 29th in terms of talent, 25 and under. And you can blame the GM, but some of it becomes you're not paying Drake May and you're paying Josh Allen a lot. And you got to move off really good players. John Middelkoff with the news.

[Mike McCarthy]

No, no, no.

[Rob Parker]

Turn on the news.

[John Middlekauff]

This is the third line news. Well, let's start in Las Vegas where Fernando Mendoza, he's been a little up and down. Reports came out on Sunday. He had a really, really rough practice, but he bounced back on Monday. His, his new coach, Clint Kubiak, had some thoughts on his rookie quarterback.

[Albert Breer]

There's 60 to 80 plays in a game and there's going to be ups and downs and you know what quarterback can get the rest of the other 10 players playing at their best. So that's what we're looking for. And there will never be a perfect game or a perfect practice. But, you know, I think, I think he's, he's doing a good job. I don't expect him to be perfect right now.

[Colin Cowherd]

I can't wait to watch it.

[John Middlekauff]

Do you know how many career snaps during his college career he had under Center Fernando Mendoza?

[Colin Cowherd]

3.

[John Middlekauff]

5. When you think the Shanahan family and the Kubiax might as well be the cousins of that family, it is a lot of under center.

[Eric Karros]

Yeah.

[John Middlekauff]

And you know, knowing people in Vegas, I think the bumps in the road in the off season was that's a big transition for any court. Remember Jared Goff when Hard Knocks Jeff Fisher's, you know, before Sean McVay got there and it looked like Jared Goff didn't even know how to play football. I mean, the last 10 years, Jared Goff just 35 touchdowns a year. You know, it's, There's a process.

[Eric Karros]

Yeah.

[John Middlekauff]

And I think the Raiders deserve a lot of credit because a lot of pressure for throw young guys out there. They can't remember. They kind of manipulated that contract with Cousins and they got them, you know, to come there. Brady convinced them. And even if Cousins isn't that good anymore, it does give them a little buffer early in the season to not force Mendoza out there.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's the first time I remember being genuinely even despite the division and how good it is, I'm genuinely interested, engaged and optimistic about the Raiders. I think they've got the coach, the quarterback. They last couple of years they've attacked the offensive line. They've got some skill players. I think Genty will pop a little bit this year. Brock Bowers, I think their receivers are good enough. They got that kid from Minnesota, that number three receiver who like nobody unless you have a. Yeah, I mean he can really run. I think their offense is pretty special. Defense wasn't terrible. It just got beat up last year. A lot of injuries. So I think, you know, there's two teams in this league, Minnesota and the Raiders, that a lot of people predict are fourth place. If those are fourth place teams, the league's in a really good spot because they're both incredibly. I think the Raiders are going to be incredibly watchable and their schedule almost like the league said, okay, we'll give you Miami at home to start. We'll give you a little positive vibes. But I look at that schedule, it's a little rough early, but you get into the middle of it. There's a lot of Cleveland's, you know, there's a lot of Tennessee's and Arizona's and Jets. I think the Raiders could make some noise.

[John Middlekauff]

Well, it's an extremely quarterback friendly offense too. Speaking of quarterbacks, you know Lamar Jackson, you're your guy bump down a tier in Sando's list going from where he'd been a tier one guy for a long time to tier two. One coach who was quoted in that story said he can't be special without the threat of the run. He needs to be more active when he does run. It used to be he would go and outrun you. Now he kind of goes, but he's not always moving with the purpose. My thought, Colin is he's just not quite as fast as anymore. That's part of aging. I mean he used to. I, I think the. Probably since Michael Vick, the most electric quarterback we've seen, the Internet era.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, he could. He used to be able to humiliate you. Now he can beat you. But there's a difference. I mean you prepare differently for being humiliated and being beaten. Tiger woods in his prime humiliated other golfers. You know, 10 stroke leads in a major and then Neil, that doesn't last forever. I think Lamar, he's not. He doesn't run like he used to. I Still think he's dynamic by quarterback standards, but there was about a seven year, six year window where, I mean, it was if he was playing, you had to watch. And I found myself last year, it was like he was a quarterback. He was just kind of a guy.

[John Middlekauff]

Well, my favorite player as a kid was Steve Young. And the Steve Young I Remember in the 90s was a pocket quarterback. But you watch the highlights from the 80s when he was basically some version of Lamar. He's always said that to create longevity in the position, you have to learn to dominate from the pocket as a running quarterback. And that to me is kind of the next step for Lamar. You can't just depend on the run. And I'll give Lamar a lot of credit. You know, Jalen hurts. Yeah, I don't want to do that. You know, Russell Wilson always pushed back. Lamar has been pretty amenable over the course of his career. He's had multiple offensive. He's won multiple MVPs with two different offensive coordinators. So I would expect him to play pretty good football this year.

[Colin Cowherd]

Brock Purdy.

[John Middlekauff]

He continues to face some skepticism from people in league circles despite leading the 49ers significant success early in his career. One longtime NFL GM said, quote, he's

[Colin Cowherd]

never been a franchise quarterback.

[John Middlekauff]

For me, on pure ability, he's closer to a backup than a top 10 guy. Colin, was this you?

[Colin Cowherd]

No, no, I think he's a starting quarterback. I think the one thing Purdy does and, and, and I've talked to people, quarterback coaches on this. I've talked to coaches on Purdy that are college pro people that faced him in college. And the one thing they all unanimously say is Sam Darnold has said this. He sees things so quickly. Is that above the. He's got smart parents or something because above the shoulder. Sam Darnold said he'd never seen a player process an offense so quickly. So now Purdy, he's got to have his hips, you know, he throws with his lower body. He's not a big physical stature guy. So he needs to have healthy trunk, healthy legs. He's got a step and throw. He can't just wing it. He doesn't have that kind of ability. He's not Sam Darnold. But if you give him set throw, he will read where he throws it to the right place almost every time. Now he's got a little gunslinger. He'll let it rip. I'm okay with that. I don't mind the picks, but I do think there are some physical limitations. He, he throws with his legs. Some guys can get away with just having. They're so good with their arm and their shoulders and their. That's not who he is. But he's not a backup. He's a starter in this league. It does help that Shanahan is the great quarterback whisperer of our generation, but

[John Middlekauff]

isn't that part of his package? Like, Purdy's not a solo act. This isn't Roger Federer or Tiger. He has Kyle Shanahan. They're a partnership. And this is not, you know, a situation where it's like, well, if the coordinator leaves, like, Kyle's not going anywhere. So I'm higher on Purdy than a lot of people. I think last year, I mean, the second to last game of the season, remember the Monday night game against Caleb Williams, he out dueled him. I mean, Purdy's proven to be. He's never going to be Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes in his prime, but he, he's going to have a long career like the Dax and the golf's as long as Kyle Shanahan's right there by his side.

[Colin Cowherd]

Totally agree. John Middlekop with the news.

[John Middlekauff]

Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news.

[Colin Cowherd]

So Mike Sando yesterday at the Athletic. I always spend two days on it. It's one of my favorite things. It's called the quarterback tears. He has four tears and I always attack it the first day and then it kind of fil out. Today's day two on it. Albert Brer in 10 minutes, by the way. And it's interesting because the one quarterback who we hold in high regard that was really low on the list was Jalen Hurts, was the last quarterback in tier two. And I was thinking about this this morning. Here's all I know about Jalen Hurts. You can win a Super bowl with him. I mean, honestly, all you guys out there, women, young women, are looking for guys that can hold a steady job and have some personal integrity. After that, everything's negotiable. Life is mostly about one or two things matter the most. And you know, guys have personal integrity, try to keep a pretty good job. You'll be good, you'll be rest of it, you can negotiate. And I think, here's the thing. I think there are a lot of quarterbacks in this league. Bo Nix, who I like Brock, Purdy, Goff, Jared Love, C.J. stroud. The question is, can you win a Super bowl with him? And I don't know. I think with Goff you can. I think with Jordan love you can, but I don't know. I know with Jalen Hurts, there's, there's guys in the league. I'll give you Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, nobody asked that question. Josh Allen, everybody says, well, Justin Herbert, 6' 6, 240, huge arm, 4:2, biology major. Nobody doubts that. Justin Herbert, good God, he was. They made the playoffs last year with a 32nd ranked offensive line. So Burrow, Allen, Herbert, Lamar Jackson, to me in his prime, you can win a Super bowl with that, but I think there's a lot of people out there. There's a lot of, there's a lot of Bo Nixon, Brock Purdy, and you know, Jordan love guys and nobody's sure Jalen Hurts. You can win a Super Bowl. I've seen it. So I, you know, Philadelphia, I always say every quarterback has different straits. Philadelphia is the loudest NFL market in terms of media, coach, fans. The GM's famous Philadelphia is loud. It's loud. Bill Parcells famously told Andy Reid when he got the job, that's the hardest place in the league to coach. New York's second, and it's not close. So I think part of Jalen Hurts appeal, and it's a little bit Dak Prescott's appeal. Good at the podium, puts out fires incredibly high. EQ never starts the fire. Always puts it out in the loudest city. Brings the volume down. If you put Baker Mayfield in Philadelphia, good, hell, that would be Jay Cutler in his prime in Philadelphia. No, thank you. Here's Jaylen on leading the way for this Eagles team.

[Rob Parker]

100% alignment and zero entitlement. You know, I'd say one of my main points coming in, especially talking to, to my teammates and getting a sense of where we are throughout the summer and where we're going, is just the importance of discipline and unity. And I can't emphasize enough how important it is to carry and protect the intimacy of this team and what we do, because it takes all of us.

[Colin Cowherd]

Mike Tomlin's the best coach at the podium of all time. I think Jalen Hurts is the best quarterback at the podium of all time. I mean, literally, that's, that's like one of those life coaches. You just take his podium hits, write it down, you're like, oh, it's like Zig Ziegler, the old sales guy. It's like Tony Robbins say that. Now the quarterback for the Eagles, I mean, he, he puts out fires like nobody else. All right, Albert Brer's around the corner. It looks like Aaron Donald's coming back you guys are all worried about the LA Dodgers. I'd worry about the LA Rams. That team is stacked.

[Mike Sando]

Next.

[Colin Cowherd]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. For any small business owner, there's a moment when you realize the next hire could be the difference between staying busy and actually growing. The challenge is finding the right person without wasting time sorting through candidates who aren't the right fit. That's where Indeed Sponsored Jobs comes in, where a workplace chaos hits and you need somebody who can step in and make a difference. This is a job for sponsors. It helps you put your job in front of candidates who match the criteria that matter most to you, whether it's skills, experience, certifications or location. And you're certainly not alone in using Indeed. Join the 3.3 million employers worldwide that use Indeed to connect with quality talent that fits their needs. That's millions of businesses turning to Indeed to help solve hiring challenges and find people who can drive results. Spend less time searching, more time actually interviewing candidates who check all the boxes. Less stress, less time, more results. Get your $75 sponsored job credit today at Indeed.com podcast terms and conditions apply. Hiring now then, this is a job for Indeed. Sponsored Jobs. If you're spending time outside, it's important to know the potential risks of skin cancer. Non melanoma skin cancers, or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, are common in the US and can become advanced and harder to treat undetected. Our sponsor, Regeneron, is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let'sget Real About Skin cancer.

[Angie Martinez]

Com Foodies Unite. This is Angie Martinez from IRL Podcast here to tell you about something new and delicious from McDonald's. So they just released an all new Caesar sauce that is a creamy blend of rich Parmesan, zesty lemon and bold garlic flavors. The sauce on a Chicken Caesar snack wrap.

[Mike McCarthy]

Ooh.

[Angie Martinez]

Or the McCrispy strips. Delicious. Which by the way, the crispy strips are even crispier now. And that combination is perfect for McDonald's. And for a drink. I'll probably have a nice cold Sprite to go along with that perfectly and I will be a happy girl. Don't take my word for it. Try it out for yourself for a limited time while supplies last at participating McDonald's.

[Verizon Business Announcer]

This episode brought to you by Verizon Business when we watch the World cup, we focus on the stars, the players, the coaches, the matches but here's what's fascinating.

[Colin Cowherd]

What does it take to make an

[Verizon Business Announcer]

event this big actually work? The World cup from FIFA isn't just the biggest ever. It's also the most technologically complex. 104 matches, 16 stadiums, 3 countries. Think about that. That's not just a sporting event. That's one of the biggest logistical and technological challenges in the world. And with billions of people watching, there's no room for error. But for Verizon business, that's another day. With private 5G networks in every stadium, more than 80,000 miles of fiber, end to end security, Verizon business is powering FIFA's World Cup. If Verizon business can do that, imagine what they can do for your business. Visit verizon.com powering FIFAWorld cup now to learn more.

[Colin Cowherd]

Welcome back. So it sounds like Aaron Donald Arnold, who retired he was 32 years old, got tired of being triple teamed, is going to play for the LA Rams. And just to give you some sense of how good the Rams were last year, remember they they brought in Trent McDuffie two time all pro at corner to solve their number one issue. D line's not an issue, it's a strength. Last year PFF ranked the Ram Rams number one overall team number one offense number one passing Number one receiving number one run blocking number one defense number two rush defense number one coverage Number three pass rush. If you look, just think of how good let's put their top 10 players in order. I won't count Aaron Donald who would not come back if he couldn't play. So if I was going to tell you in order, the top 10 players Miles Garrett's 1 best pass rusher off the edge since Lawrence Taylor. Matthew Stafford, last year's MVP is two. Puka Nakua Top three receiver number three Trent McDuffie two time All Pro corner Devonte Adams led the league in touchdown receptions is five great red zone target Kevin Dotson six. Well, he was the number one rated guard in the league one or two last year. Byron Young would be seven Pro Bowl 28 sacks last three years. Puna Ford eight. He was the number one rated defensive tackle. Kyron Williams three straight years of a thousand yards rushing plus I think ten touchdowns. And then Kobe Turner, who again has been PFF had him as the sixth best interior defensive lineman outplayed Chris Jones last year of the Chiefs. I'm not mentioning Aaron Donald by the way. They're very good at safety, excellent at tight end. I do not remember a football roster this good. You're getting down and my take is Aaron Donald. If he plays, let's say he plays 14 games, they bring him back late September, plays his way into shape. Is it the best compilation of defensive talent up front ever? And those giant teams that beat the Patriots, that had Strayan, tug ocu minor, that was good. It wasn't this. Here's Albert Brear on Aaron Donald possibly coming back and playing for the Rams.

[Eric Karros]

He's coming back and I think he will play the full season. They've discussed this. You know, Sean McVay and Aaron Donald are very, very close and they, they already have the framework of a plan laid out for what this is going to look like. The other thing that really helps is the depth they have at that position. Like, they don't need to play him 60 plays a game. They can use him creatively and they like the, you know, the Kobe Turner's, the Braden Fisk's, the Puna Fords, the Tyler Davis's. This is a situation where they can really use them in a way that's going to, I think, put him in position to be at his best when it matters most.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, 24 snaps. Aaron Donald instead of like 48 to 58 and being triple teamed. So everybody's worried about the Dodgers. No, the stacked roster is. Is the Rams. I mean, you again, since the hard cap has been enacted, I'm not sure we've seen a team like this. We've had super bowl teams like the Kansas City Chiefs that were mediocre in their wide receiver room, running back room, like, had spots. The Rams won a Super bowl last time. Rams won a Super Bowl. Linebacker and safety, not great. This team has no flaws. I mean, I mean, the only thing you worry about is Matt Stafford's age. He tends to be the last old quarterback who's willing to sit in the pocket and get smoked. Most old Eli Manning, Brady, Aaron Rodgers, they find the dirt like they get out of it. He'll just sit in there to the last second and get drilled. That's what I worry about. The other thing on Mike Sando's quarterback tears yesterday, and I've said this before, I take great pride in being pretty darn accurate on the quarterback position. Not great, not perfect, but pretty good. The hardest quarterback for me to evaluate probably since I've been doing this, is Dak Prescott. He almost made the first tier. He was high second tier. He wasn't high second tier a year ago. So what's happening? Dak is aging really, really well. And we were talking about this as a staff some Guys go to the gym, they have a six pack, they're ripped, right? And you're like, that guy's in great shape. Those guys age poorly. They look old and they look weathered and they take. They're all beat up. Heavy lifters, what really ages well. Lot of water and coffee, sleep well, eat light, like diet water, rest, that's never impressive. That's kind of Dak Prescott, Aaron Rodgers, little quirky, weird, not aging well. Cam Newton, Big Ben especially. Cam didn't age particularly well. Jay Cutler didn't age well. Dax, a guy that's just disciplined, compartmentalizes things. Smart, thoughtful. He's aging well. I've said before, most quarterbacks, by the middle of the second chapter, I've got a pretty good read on him. Hit, miss, average. It took me to get to about Chapter 8 with Dak, where I'm like, yeah, he's really good. I mean, good God, folks, you start looking at his career all time rankings. I mean, second all time in completion percentage, top six and touchdown interception ratio, passer rating, teams, points per game, like it's all time stuff. And he's not terribly big, six two, doesn't have a huge arm, not hyper athletic. And I think he's just one of those people in life. He's not the guy that goes squats 450. He's just eats right, sleeps right, a lot of water, a lot of fluids, a lot of coffee. You look up and he's 72 and you're like, God, that guy looks like he's 54 years old. Dak is just aging well. He's not a highlight film. He doesn't have a lot of playoff moments, but he's never had his Bill Walsh. He's never had his Belichick or his Andy Reid or a Sean Payton. And I think Mike McCarthy's good, but he's never had that guy. He's got a meddling owner. You know, divisions had some really good teams in it. The Eagles. So I, I mean, it's. I asked Mike Sando yesterday about, like, like Dak, literally, as he ages, post surgeries is surging up. According to league executives. The quarterback tears.

[Mike Sando]

How does Dak Prescott at this stage of his career move up like five spots? I mean, he's still in tier two, but I feel like that surprised me. He got almost as many tier one votes as he's gotten for his whole career, you know, and it's like a. It's like a dozen or something like that. But I'm, I'm just like, what do we know about Dak Prescott that we didn't know already, right? I mean, he's a good pro quarterback.

[Colin Cowherd]

So 50 executives were anonymously quoted. And you can read some of the quotes since he came into the league. Dak Prescott, number two, total offense, number three, scoring offense isn't that remarkable. Here were the quotes. The guy I might be higher on than I ever have before his Dax had one exec. He was so impressive last year. I don't know what the hole in his game is, said a former head coach. Another coach called Prescott the cockroach of the league for his ability to keep playing at a high level no matter what. He's really good. He's a good leader. Everybody loves him. He's going to make most throws. Could you win the whole thing with Dak Prescott?

[Mike McCarthy]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Three different head coaches, meddling owner, high profile, noisy media. I mean, it's not Philadelphia, but Dallas is. Loud talk radio is a thing. Aggressive newspaper TV is a thing. And it's taken me Chapter eight. But, you know, I just think if you look around in life, some people, it's like, you know, you know what nobody ever talks about when retirement is 401k? Everybody in the streets talking about, oh, the entrepreneur, the whiz kid. Nobody ever says, yeah, that guy's got a giant 401k. He's just been dollar cost averaging for the last 42 years. Paid his house off like that stack. Just ages. Really well. Smart people usually do. Very disciplined, very compartmentalized, very good at the podium. Doesn't start any fires again. And I'm not picking on Baker Mayfield. You put Baker in Philadelphia or with Jerry Jones, house fire like that's a nightmare. Jay Cutler, same thing. But Cam Newton in Philadelphia, Newton with the Cowboys in his prime. It'd be so noisy. You put Dak there, you put Jalen hurt. Some of these guys are just so good, so confident in her scoreboard. Bring the temperature down. A lot of quarterbacking is beyond arm strength. It's like, you know, it's just saying the right stuff. Jerry Jones is not the easiest quarterback to plan. He's not nothing against Jerry. He's not. Not the easiest quarterback. Owner, I should say. Mike Defebo at Steelers camp will join us. Albert Breer has been at several camps will join us. Eric Carros will stop by. The Dodgers are a bit of a wreck right now. I was saying, John, as football starts now, if we go from NBA playoffs, little vacation into the NFL. Baseball is having a bit of a renaissance now. I mean, Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, Wrigley Field. It was fascinating to watch the Dodgers last night. So the crowd booed Tariq Skubal. I turned to my friend, I'm like, they're just booing capitalism. They're not really booing him. They don't, he was, he pitched for the Tigers. Nobody here knows him, nobody cares. The Cubs didn't bid on him. But what was interesting is the Dodgers went out and got him. High profile ace and a pitcher that doesn't necessarily go eight innings. He's as likely to go five and two thirds or six as he is seven innings. And the Cubs went and got four or five pitchers, one of them from Toronto. But as you're watching last night, position players, momentum, batting order, I'm like, are the Cubs better than the Dodgers now after the trade deadline? They're, they're younger, more players in their prime, excellent at home. Dodgers currently struggling at home. But it was a just an electric atmosphere last night. And it's funny, it's this fear of these dominant teams. We talked about it earlier. The Yankees were sweeping World Series and you didn't hear the fear mongering you do with the Dodgers who are winning in the playoffs on the margins. But I watched last night and my take after two games, now that the Cubs have improved their starting pitching, I don't know if the Dodgers are better than the Cubs.

[John Middlekauff]

Well, isn't the knock on school? I mean, baseball playoffs can be weird for a long period of time. A rod Barry Bonds weren't that successful in playoff abs, but the guy hasn't exactly been Pedro Martinez in playoff games. Right. So I'm, I don't care as much as I once did, but I, I love the San Francisco Giants. They won three World Series in five years and they never remotely had the best regular season team. They were never the best team on baseball playoffs. This isn't the NBA. If you have Kevin Durant, you're basically guaranteed to go to the finals. The Dodgers could have lost in the first round a couple times.

[Albert Breer]

Yeah.

[John Middlekauff]

So it's just, you have, you have one bad outing, all of a sudden you're down. If your pitching's a little off, your bass go cold. I think the baseball playoffs can be really, really random. I don't care what your roster looks like.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think people looked at Tariq's goble and thought, oh, they're just adding a helipad to the yacht. Yeah, it's like, no, it's a little bit more of a life preserver than people think. They're struggling to score runs. Edwin Diaz came over. His velocity is not what it once was. So from the bullpen to the batting order, Mookie Betts is struggling and they got bad and they got six years left on that thing and he is hit. His at bats are just, they're really soft at bats. So they it's interesting. I mean, I think it makes baseball more interesting. But if you look at historically in the 70s or the late the 90s Yankees, those teams blew the league away. That's not what the Dodgers were last year. It is not what the Dodgers are this year at all. Look under the hood if you're spending time outside, it's important to know the potential risks of skin cancer. Non melanoma skin cancers or NMSCs, including basal cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma are common in the US and can become adv advanced and harder to treat if left undetected. Our sponsor Regeneron is raising awareness about advanced NMSCs. Learn more and take the pledge to see a dermatologist annually at let'sget realaboutskincancer.com Foodies Unite.

[Angie Martinez]

This is Angie Martinez from IRL podcast here to tell you about something new and delicious from McDonald's. So they just released an all new Caesar sauce that is a creamy blend of rich Parmesan, zesty lemon and bold garlic flavors. The sauce on a Chicken Caesar snack wrap or the McCrispy strips. Delicious. Which by the way, the crispy strips are even crispier now and that combination is perfect for McDonald's and for a drink. I'll probably have a nice cold Sprite to go along with that perfectly and I will be a happy girl. Don't take my word for it. Try it out for yourself for a limited time while supplies last at participating McDonald's.

[Verizon Business Announcer]

This episode brought to you by Verizon Business. The World cup from FIFA isn't just the biggest ever, it's also the most technologically complex. 104 matches, 16 stadiums, 3 countries. But for Verizon business, that's another day with private 5G networks in every stadium, more than 80,000 miles of fiber end to end security. Verizon business is powering FIFA's World Cup. If Verizon business can do that, imagine what they can do for your business. Visit verizon.com powering FIFAWorldCup now to learn more.

[Carrie Brownstein]

Hey Portlandia fans Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen here, the dream of the 90s

[Colin Cowherd]

is alive in podcast form.

[Carrie Brownstein]

We're launching Podlandia AO Rewatch our brand new podcast where we revisit every episode of Portlandia together, breaking down sketches, going deep on our iconic characters, and pulling back the curtain on how it all got made.

[Colin Cowherd]

And we'll also be joined by the people who helped bring it all to life, guest stars, collaborators and friends, including director Jonathan Krisel, the mayor himself, Kyle McLaughlin, legendary musician Amy Mann, and many more.

[Carrie Brownstein]

Kyle is going for it. Here you fully improvised, not just words, but a song.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I thought you were all gonna write a song.

[Carrie Brownstein]

I remember you thinking that. Listen to Podlandia AO rewatch on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.