THE HERD - Hour 1 - No excuses for Brock Purdy, Sean Payton pulled off a steal

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: THE HERD - Hour 1 - No excuses for Brock Purdy, Sean Payton pulled off a steal
Date: August 21, 2025
Host: Colin Cowherd (with John Middlekauff for the news segment)
Producer: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

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Overview

In this episode, Colin Cowherd dives into the latest NFL storylines, focusing on the challenge facing 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy amid injury woes, Sean Payton’s savvy roster moves for the Denver Broncos, and recent changes to the College Football Playoff selection process. Cowherd also analyzes NFL future bets, detailing why he thinks Vegas made some mistakes with early lines, while previewing the NFC West and NFC North divisions’ outlooks. Notable insights from guests and players, such as Kyle Shanahan and Matt Hasselbeck, punctuate the discussion.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Quarterback Challenges & “No Excuses” for Brock Purdy

• Colin opens with a parenting analogy, comparing the challenges of raising multiple kids (“firefighters and arsonists”) to the realities of quarterbacking a banged-up NFL roster.
  • “Parenting is crisis...that’s a little bit like being a quarterback in the NFL. Everybody’s good with a stacked roster. What happens when stuff gets messy?” — Colin Cowherd (04:10)
• He stresses that true quarterbacking is measured when things go wrong: injuries, coaching changes, missing star receivers.
• Examples:
  • Jalen Hurts dealing with coordinator/receiver losses.
  • Justin Herbert making playoffs with injured/inexperienced receivers.
  • Patrick Mahomes winning Super Bowls with a battered receiver group.
  • C.J. Stroud navigating depleted Texans’ roster.
  • Josh Allen winning MVP despite limited offensive support.
• Brock Purdy’s current situation: 49ers’ receivers are hurt or suspended; since 2018 (except one year), Niners have been top-10 in injuries.
  • “I don’t want to hear any excuses for Brock Purdy because to me, this is the separation. The separation in this league is, oh, your O-line lost your center and right tackle...” — Colin Cowherd (06:56)
• Colin highlights that Purdy must step up, drawing on his experience at Iowa State, and frames current adversity as a true test of NFL quarterbacks.

> Notable Quote

• Kyle Shanahan on the Niners’ WR injuries (07:54):
  • “It’s pretty tough. I promise you guys, if it’s a challenge for the fans, it’s a bigger challenge for me just dealing with all this… It does make that a huge challenge with the number of guys we’ve had down.”

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2. Sean Payton Pulls Off a Steal in Denver

• Colin praises Sean Payton for making a shrewd trade, calling it “Art of the Steal.”
  • “Saints are delusional. They don’t realize they’re in a rebuild…Sean Payton knew it.” (09:20)
• Breaks down the trade:
  • Broncos flip a 27-year-old (soon-to-be 28) seventh-round WR for 4th and 7th round picks to the Saints, who lack self-awareness and overvalue now-veteran players.
  • Colin explains Payton’s mastery as an offensive coach — extracting value from late-round picks, developing them, then trading at their peak.
  • Compares to Carolina getting a 4th-round pick from Dallas for Jonathan Mingo.
  • “The smart guys… the haves are working, the distracted and the delusional, the Saints are delusional…” (09:55)
• Colin highlights how Payton’s moves have rapidly improved Denver’s roster, especially the offensive line and wide receiver depth.
• Mark Schlereth on Payton’s culture change (13:15):
  • “This year we know we can win… we got rid of popular players that weren’t the right guys… guys that want to be here, want to contribute, want to sacrifice.”

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3. College Football Playoff Changes: Metrics and Strength of Schedule

• The playoff committee will now weight strength of schedule and quality wins more heavily, minimizing the penalty for losing to elite teams.
  • “Indiana never beat a ranked opponent…don’t confuse cool story with great team.” — Colin (19:08)
• Colin’s long-standing view: losing a close game to a contender demonstrates a team’s quality and should be rewarded, not punished.
  • “If Texas goes into the Shoe [Ohio State] and it’s 38–34… that’s a net positive. That tells me Texas is good enough to win the Natty.” — Colin (21:15)
• Critiques the media’s penchant for including “the little guy” over actual merit.

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4. NFL Headlines & Analysis (with John Middlekauff “The Herd Line News”)

Pittsburgh Steelers & Aaron Rodgers (23:00)

• Focus on Rodgers’ success and offensive line concerns.
  • Ben Roethlisberger (23:19): “Can Aaron have enough time to throw the ball?...If [the O-line] can give Aaron time, watch out.”
• Colin: running game just as vital, not just pass protection.
  • “The one thing that ensures it…is have your number one back and be able to run consistently.” (23:43)
• Predicts 8–9 wins for the Steelers unless the defense drastically improves.

Dallas Cowboys & Micah Parsons (25:45)

• Contract dispute with edge rusher Micah Parsons; Schottenheimer expects him to play, but lack of practice is a concern.
  • Colin: “When you sign late and didn’t get that three weeks of hitting in practice, that’s when you get banged up.” (26:09)
• Defense was not a strength last year even with stars; situation described as potentially “untenable.”

Cleveland Browns & Shedeur Sanders (27:24)

• Rookie QB Shedeur Sanders dealing with injury, likely to be inactive.
  • “If you’re not able to play in [preseason] once the season starts, you…the backup quarterback typically runs the scout team. The third and fourth string quarterback don’t do that much.” — Colin (28:07)

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5. Bill Belichick in College Football

• Discusses Bill Belichick’s transition to coaching at North Carolina, skepticism about his talent evaluation in college drafts, and program overhaul.
  • “As a defensive coach, A+++. But when he was controlling the drafts and evaluating college talent, he over-evaluated average players all the time.” — Colin (29:40)
• Comparison with Deion Sanders’ surprising impact at Colorado — successful in visibility and excitement but not in dominating wins.
  • “Mostly lost to good teams, and the hype was real and fun…But I have no idea how good the team’s going to be.” (31:55)

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6. NFL Future Bets: Seattle is Undervalued

• Colin analyzes Vegas’ win totals, noting they rarely make mistakes but highlighting Seattle (8.5 wins) and Green Bay (9.5 wins) as undervalued.
  • “Seattle went 10–7 last year…with a rookie head coach…Geno Smith was the quarterback and the offensive line was putrid. They’ve certainly helped solve the offensive line…” — Colin (42:00)
• Seattle has a favorable schedule — AFC/NFC South, struggling divisional foes, and improvements on roster and coaching.
• Matt Hasselbeck’s take (48:25):
  • “People are pinching themselves…this is the best the Seahawks have looked in the preseason in a long, long while…the plan is to be physical, be the hammer not the nail…play great defense.”
• Seattle’s division is open due to 49ers’ injuries; Green Bay’s favorable schedule and improving youth cited as reasons to expect overperformance.
  • “I see them as a ten-win team, maybe eleven, and Green Bay nine and a half…I just think the Packers are winning 10 games.” — Colin (46:34)

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7. Listener Mailbag / Bold Predictions

• Colin predicts Minnesota won’t win 14 games again and reiterates confidence in Seattle’s and Green Bay’s win totals exceeding expectations.

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8. Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Colin on QBs facing adversity:
  • “Parenting is when stuff gets messy. That's real parenting…So I don't want to hear any excuses for Brock Purdy because to me, this is the separation.” (06:45)
• On Saints’ poor self-awareness:
  • “The Saints are delusional during a rebuild. What are you doing? The sharks eat the minnows, the hammers meet the nails.” (10:11)
• On CFB Playoff revision:
  • “How about we start with competency? We can have inclusion second or third…this is sports meritocracies and I love this.” (22:45)
• Mark Schlereth on Payton:
  • “Guys that want to be here, want to contribute, want to work hard, want to sacrifice for one another, that's how we're building this roster.” (13:21)
• Matt Hasselbeck on Seattle:
  • “People are pinching themselves…this is the best the Seahawks have looked in the preseason in a long, long while. So it is preseason, but…I think they're looking to and expecting to take a jump again this year.” (48:25)

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Timestamps for Notable Segments

• Brock Purdy/Parenting Analogy: 04:10 – 07:54
• Kyle Shanahan on WR injuries: 07:54
• Sean Payton “Art of the Steal” / Roster Management: 09:20 – 13:15
• Mark Schlereth on Broncos’ new culture: 13:15
• College Football Playoff committee changes: 19:08 – 23:00
• NFL News: Steelers, Rodgers: 23:00 – 25:05
• Cowboys & Parsons contract drama: 25:45 – 27:12
• Browns & Shedeur Sanders: 27:24 – 29:10
• Belichick to UNC & College coaching debate: 29:13 – 36:22
• Vegas future bets; Seattle & Green Bay picks: 40:07 – 51:05
• Matt Hasselbeck on Seahawks: 48:25

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Summary

Colin delivers his signature blend of analogies, league-wide insight, and sharp takes, with pointed commentary on quarterbacking through adversity, NFL and college football roster dynamics, and the hidden wisdom (and rare mistakes) in sports betting lines. The hour is packed with insider anecdotes, sharp guest insights, and context for listeners wanting more than just scores — a look at the “why” behind every headline.

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Transcript

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[A]

It's pretty tough.

[B]

I mean, I promise you guys, if it's a challenge for the fans, I promise you guys, it's a bigger challenge.

[A]

For me just dealing with all this.

[B]

But, you know, we haven't had the best luck this year.

[A]

Down probably more guys than we've had.

[B]

It's, you know, it's a tough situation. You got to Keep practicing because we got to, we got to improve, we got to be ready for the season. We got to continue to get better for the season. But it does make that a huge challenge with the number of guys we've had down. Now, I said last year, stacked roster. Brock Purdy's getting you to conference championships. Last year, beat up old brittle roster. A lot of guys hurt 1 and 6 against playoff teams. So the schedule is easier. KD and McAffrey are back. San Francisco is going to be better. They're not going to be one and six against playoff teams. But this is quarterback play in the NFL. Brock Purdy went to Iowa State. That prepared him for the NFL pass rush. 2nd best roster, not always the best coach. So th this Michael Penck and Brock Purdy already between camp and preseason, up against it, Real, real injury issues. And that schedule at Seattle for the Niners, Arizona plays them tough. Jags, Rams, Bucks. Okay, I got to talk about this. Yesterday I got a text from a couple of front office people. Yesterday, the Broncos Sean Payton made a deal. You know how Trump wrote that book, Art of the deal. This was Art of the Steel. The Saints are delusional. They don't realize they're in a rebuild. A year ago, Sean Payton drafted an old receiver out of Utah. He entered the NFL at 26 years old. Entered the NFL at 26 years old. He's now 27. He'll be 28 in the season. They draft him in the seventh round and they traded him. Yesterday they flipped him for a fourth and a seventh round pick. And the Saints are going to be bad. So that's going to be top of the fourth and top of the seventh. Art of the steel. The kids played one year in the NFL. He's already older than CD Lamb, so he's probably got two to three years of prime left. And Sean Payton knew it. And this is what great offensive coaching does. You find insane value later in the draft. You make it immediately productive within your system and then you sign it like a Brock Purdy or you flip it. So they're going to get a top of the fourth and a top of a seventh round pick for a receiver that will be 28 by December. And he knew next year when he turns 29 in a season, you're not going to get the value for it. People are going to go, well, he's a year away from his prime. So Sean knew this is the time to move off him. You know, it's really smart. So it's that Jordan Belfort Wolf of Wall street, you know, sell me this pen. That's what it feels like. And so, and it's amazing the Saints got work because they had Sean Payton in the building for 15, 50 years and they still got worked. But it's a great example. Offensive coaches find value late. Niners have done it a couple times with Shanahan. Find value late, make it immediately productive and either sign them early to a good deal, get them signed because you got them for free for four years, or flip them early at the top. And Carolina, by the way, Carolina has a really sharp young gm, a former player, Dan Morgan. Carolina did this last year where they got a fourth round pick from the Cowboys for Jonathan Mingo, who's like a number three or four receiver in the league. They got a fourth round pick, he's hurt, he's on the ir and he had five catches for the Cowboys last year. So in every business, in every single business, the smart guys, the halves are working, the distracted and the delusional. The Saints are delusional during a rebuild. What are you doing? The Sharks eat the minnows, the hammers meet the nails. And that's a great example. You wonder in your how is, how has Sean Payton made this roster? How has he made this offensive line number two according to pff, in like two years? It was mediocre, bottom third of the league. It's this kind of stuff. Just knowing offensive personnel, look what he's done to that receiving core and that offensive line. The reason they can move off Devon Bailey, the reason they can move off him, talented kid, by the way. The reason they can move off him, because they've drafted and developed and hit on wide receiver talent. So it's just, it's just a little deal. But Sean knows the Saints aren't going to be good. The kid's going to be 27, 28 years old in season, in one year. I probably can't move him. His age will become a real topic. And they get two good picks. Hammer meeting the nail that that is. And Mark Sleroth was on our show, it was either yesterday or the day before, talking about how Sean Payton has just changed the Denver culture. The difference between last year and this year was last year we hoped we could win.

[A]

This year we know we can win.

[B]

And one of the big moves we made, even if it was a popular.

[A]

Player, we got rid of popular players.

[B]

That weren't the right guys, guys that want to be here, guys that want to contribute, guys that want to work hard, guys that want to sacrifice for one another, that's how we're building this roster. Yeah, I thought that was when people reach out to me in the league and they're like, whoa. It's like uninitiated. I didn't, you know, I responded, but I didn't send it out. And I was actually distracted and my phone lights up and it's like, yeah, I mean, that's, that's just Sean doing Sean stuff. And it, we've talked about this before. I don't have the stats in front of me, but the late, great Tony Gwyn is one of the best pure hitters I've ever seen in baseball. But, you know, he wasn't hitting Oral Hershey's or in Oral's prime. Nobody was. You got to get those hits off the number three and four starter. The average middle reliever, the average setup guy in almost every business I've ever been a part of is you got to take advantage of the people that are delusional and distracted and don't put in the prep or the work. You're not working the best people you're not taking advantage of. Great. You've got to find people that are not paying attention or have a higher belief in reality. And that New Orleans makes that move like that's the kind of move that can win games now and get us into the playoffs. That's not where New Orleans is. They're in a rebuild. It's not where they're at. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS and the iHeartRadio app. He's Mike Carmen. I'm Dan Byard. We have a fantasy football podcast called I Want yout Flexed. That's right, Dan.

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You'Re now entering the no bull zone sponsored by credible Great rates and none of the bull. So this is important. The College Football Playoff announced yesterday reveal revisions much needed revisions to the selection process. Well, what do you know. New metrics now for the committee will weigh to a larger degree strength of schedule and you'll get credit now for beating great teams. But it will minimize the damage done to losing the great teams meaning the Indiana Hoosiers scheduling Florida International, Western Illinois and Charlotte out of conference and the media loving the sob story of the little guy media softer than cookie dough. It's always let's include the little guy. Little guys don't win natties. And even in a 12 team playoff they don't necessarily. I mean Indiana never beat a ranked opponent. Got dragged by Notre Dame and Ohio State. I thought it was a cool story. But. But don't confuse cool story or good story with great team. And this is what I said last year when Ohio State lost Oregon. I predicted before the season you can look it up. I said Ohio State's going to lose close at Otson. They'll meet him later in the year and Ohio State will win it and vie for the title potentially. And it happened. Why should Ohio State be dinged for losing on the last play of the game at Austin against one of the best teams in the country? That's a net positive to me. If Texas goes to Ohio State, Ohio State has the two best players in the country. Caleb Downs, Jeremiah Smith. Two best players in my opinion in the country. If Texas goes into the shoe and it's 38, 34 and Texas is trailing and driving for the win, 12, 10, 9 ball batted down in the end zone. That's a net positive. That tells me one thing. It doesn't tell me Ohio State's great. You should win your home games in college football against 23 year olds. It tells me Texas is good enough to win the Natty. If you can go against Ohio State on the road and balls in the air with a chance to win, the one thing I know for sure is Texas is going to win its home games and has a chance to win the national championship. And then that's what I said about Ohio State last year. So and the media does this. And then political media, business media, sports media inclusion above everything. How about we start with competency? We can have Inclusion second or third. I'm not saying it's not important in life it is, but it can't lead everything. This is sports meritocracies and I love this. The metric now will reward teams defeating high quality opponents meaning schedule legitimate teams while it will minimize the penalty for losing to such a team. Exactly. And that's what I've argued for years. If you're going to punish teams for losing to rivals like Ohio State lost to a bad Michigan team yet won the Natty. It happens. It's a big rivalry game. Great Alabama team once lost to Auburn on a quirky kick return or a field goal that was short. They return it all the way. You're like what did I just see? Weird stuff happens with an oddly shaped ball over three and four hours. So no more rewarding teams for scheduling. Mercer, I mean I always said this, I love Nick Saban, but he worked the system after about three years. They'd never do a true road at a conference game. They always had a buy in front of their LSU game or an Auburn game. And too many Mercers in Panera Tech. Panera Bread Tech like get out of work in the system, go face big teams. And if you lose, if the Longhorns lose close competitive driving for the win, I think more of you, not less of you. John with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herd line news.

[A]

Okay, Colin, the Steelers obviously hits their wagon to a 41 year old future hall of Famer in Aaron Rodgers. And Ben Roethlisberger actually has been high on the addition and says that Rogers and DK have something special going. But he knows that Rogers success will come down to one thing.

[B]

Can Aaron have enough time to throw the ball? And that's not a knock on the line. That's just a question I'm going to ask because if he can have the time to throw the ball, you're going to see some crazy stuff happen. We've always talked about the question of the line but it always is. You're only going to be as good as your line is. If they can give Aaron time, watch out. Well it's not just that to me John, it's a run game because Aaron can have all day to throw if it's third and nine and people are bearing down on you. So to me, in a 17 game schedule, the way to make your defense better and your quarterback better, the one thing that ensures it ask Brock Purdy is have your number one back and be able to run the ball consistently. So line Protection deteriorates even for Jalen hurts if somebody brings the house. The key is Jalen hurts, rarely has to throw now because of the line in the run game on third and nine, it's third and one.

[A]

Yeah, I don't think anyone's been comparing the Steelers offensive line to the mid-90s Cowboys for the last, I don't know, decades. You know, one thing Ben could do is he could break tackles and get out of things. He was kind of like the early version of Cam Newton Rogers. And then what Ben became at the end, it was hard for him.

[B]

Right.

[A]

And same thing with Aaron last year. He did not want to get hit. I don't blame him. 40 years old, Tom at the end it's like, hey, 40 years old, made a lot of money. Like, what am I doing here? So it's a concern with Stafford, but you know, the reports, I, I like the guy in college, but the reports out of training camp is Caleb Johnson been a little slow and they tried to replace Le'Veon Bell with Najee Harris and it didn't quite work. So you know Le'Veon Bell, when their offense was really humming, what, eight, nine years ago, he was a big part of that. So I agree with Ben.

[B]

Yeah, I, I got him at about eight wins. Your thoughts? Eight, nine wins.

[A]

I think best case scenario, if they have an elite defense, which is a big question mark, they added a defensive lineman in the first round. T.J. watt, if he has a defensive player of the year type season, their DBs, you know, you add Jalen Ramsey, you add Darius Slay. They already have Joey Porter's son who's a good player. Maybe their defense can be really good and they could just be one of those rough and tumble 10, 11 win teams. But that's asking a lot. I mean, yeah, can Aaron stay healthy? That to me is a big question mark too. Speaking of the NFL, Micah Parsons and the Cowboys have yet to come to a long term deal as we get closer to their Week 1 matchup against the defending super bowl champion Eagles. Despite the lack of contract extension, head coach Brian Schottenheimer is still confident he'll have his star edge rusher available.

[B]

I think at the end of the.

[A]

Day, we feel like Mike is going.

[B]

To be out there when we can.

[A]

Line up against Philadelphia here in 15 days or whatever it is and you know, so no answers.

[B]

I feel good about that. Yeah. With the, Without a contract extended, I.

[A]

Feel good that Mike is going to be out there against the Philadelphia Eagles.

[B]

Well, I'm glad somebody does Other thing is he's not practicing. So even if they signed him in 10 days, you're not ready to play. He's not working with the team. He's not work. I mean, I, I don't, I don't. He's. I think when you get hurt, John, is when you sign late and you're. You didn't get that. Three weeks of hitting in practice, that's when you get banged up.

[A]

Well, what would be the point of giving him, you know, 130, $140 million guaranteed and then shoving him right out there in a couple of days against one of the best offensive lines? Do you remember a couple years ago, not apples to apples because the Chiefs hosted the game. The Cowboys will be on the road, but Chris Jones wanted a new contract. He didn't play in the game, but he went to the game. Like I, I do think, you know, this saga, Jerry Jones, the drama. I think everything's on the table. If you tell me this contract is not signed, he's not playing in the game. But would he show up and be in Philadelphia for that opening game? I mean, it could get really weird. I mean, it already is really weird. But this situation, I mean, almost feels a little untenable at this point, doesn't it?

[B]

Yeah, it does to me. I, I don't know. It's been a weird camp. Trayvon Diggs, Micah Parsons, defensive side. Remember, John, this was not a good defense last year with those guys. So it's like, it's, it's problematic now.

[A]

You have a coach a little over his head, too. Okay, last but not least, your door, Sanders. He obviously had the great debut with the Cleveland Browns in the preseason game, but then he got an oblique injury and during practice. It's been held out the last couple of weeks. Shador returned to practice yesterday, but Kevin Stefanski hasn't committed to playing him in their preseason finale Saturday against the Rams. Baker Mayfield had some advice for Shador, basically telling him, control what you can control. What's this season going to look like with Shador not being able to play in these last couple of preseason games and probably starting the year as the four string quarterback.

[B]

Yeah, if they released. Is it official, John, if they released the depth chart yet? I know it's flat that. Not really. Not really. I mean, there's a reason they're not doing it.

[A]

I think they're going to do the, you know, Flaco's the one and then pick it or Gabriel or Sanders. Here's the problem. These preseason games, honestly, when you're the backup. But definitely when you're the third and fourth string quarterbacks like Gabriel and Shador Sanders, if you're not able to play in those once the season starts, you, the backup quarterback typically runs the scout team. The third and fourth string quarterback don't do that much, especially the four string quarterback. How do you get reps? He's going to be in a difficult position now. These guys are all going to play. I think by the time we pass, I don't know, Halloween and it's really ugly. And Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco have both played. But remember, they drafted Gabriel before they drafted Shador Sanders. You and I have been talking about this since the draft. The head coach and the GM are going to play Gabriel if they're both healthy. I would imagine before, before Shador Sanders, we could be looking at mid to late November before Shador Sanders, regardless of how many quarterbacks they go through, ever gets on the field for the Cleveland Browns.

[B]

Yeah. John Middlekop of the News.

[A]

Well, that's the news and thanks for.

[B]

Stopping by the herd line news. I thought it was interesting. We had Mack Brown on the former national champion coach, broadcaster at Texas Carolina, two different stays there and he's now retired, living in beautiful Austin, Texas. And we had Mack Brown on yesterday and one of the, you know, obvious, obvious questions to ask him is how does he think Bill Belichick will do at a program Carolina that Mack Brown knows very, very well. Chancellor Lee Roberts has committed to football big time for the first time in North Carolina history. They are really wanting football to be good. So they're all in. Bill is arguably the best coach of any sport. I mean, you win that many Super Bowls at whatever level the man can coach, he can evaluate because he had to bring in all those kids at the Patriots. And now administrators don't like to say it, but we have pro football at some level in college. We no longer have amateurism. So I do think the fact that we are much more like the NFL than ever before will really help Bill with this transition. And I agree in premise to that. But here's what's really interesting to me, this is why it's so fascinating is if you look at Belichick, his last seven drafts in New England where he's evaluating college talent, he was awful. There are so many misses and so many complete whiffs and so many reaches even in the early rounds. I mean from 2017 to 2023, where Bill really controlled personnel, they only drafted two players that made a Pro Bowl One was a punter. The other was Mac Jones who made a Pro bowl because a bunch of quarterbacks opted out of the Pro Bowl. He was a poor evaluator of college talent. He didn't do it well now as a defensive coach. A plus plus plus Best ever as a culture creator. A plus plus. I'm not saying Bill's not smart and can't do things, but when he was controlling the drafts and having to evaluate college talent, he over evaluated average players all the time. And this Carolina program just brought in 40 transfers. That is, come on man, that's half your roster. And they're not landing like five star transfer guys. They got some good players. We don't know much about their quarterback. Geo Lopez, he played at South Alabama, so. And he also, he's using Freddy Kitchens as his offensive coordinator and Freddie was an interim head coach and ended up in the NFL being a tight ends coach before he went to college. Like he didn't have an NFL market. So is he going to work at college? We'll see. Nice enough guy, but like he lost options in the NFL. That, that head coach thing at Cleveland was a mess and they're not asking him to be a head coach, but is he the guy? Is Bill's personnel up to snuff? So it's what makes Deion Sanders at Colorado so interesting is and I remember the weekend that, you know, like Deion got the job on a Thursday or Friday or something. And I remember thinking about it that weekend and I'm like, this is not going to work work. He, you know, he's college. Colorado is kind of a quirky way left, you know, like not really an athletic outside of skiing, not really an athletic part of the country. Boulder, you know, we all know Boulder and it worked kind of. It got a, it sold out games. Belichick will do that. It was. Got good TV ratings. Belichick will do that. But mostly lost the good teams and you know, the hype was real and fun. And I still like watching Colorado with Dion. It still gets me to a TV set, but I have no idea how good the team's going to be. And I, and I look at the schedule and I'm like, oh, they've got to win 10 games. I've talked myself into actually them losing to TCU. I know it's at home, but I know what I get with tcu. I have no idea what I get with them. Yesterday somebody was talking to Bill Belichick and asked him the difference between college football and pro football. We've done a lot more live work here than we ever did in the NFL at any team I was ever on. So that part of it's been actually an interesting thing to see. You know, some of the coaches that are on our staff that have had a lot of college experience have talked about the necessity to do that again. Obviously, that preseason game, it's, you know, we do need to do it and we've done it. So remember, after two seasons at Colorado with a Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback and you know, I mean, my bad, Travis Hunter won the Heisman, but Shador was really good. So with a star quarterback and the best player in college football, Travis hunter, there were 13 and 12. Right. Right. So shoulder was a say what you want shooter was a really good college quarterback at the most important position. He was a really good college quarterback. And Travis Hunter's an insane Ohtani level athlete, potentially 13, 12. And they got doused a lot by the good teams. And I and I think it's fair you could say, well, Belichick's a better coach. No, Belichick's a better pro coach. But I mean, Deion Sanders, pre Colorado was racking up wins in college. How do we know that Deion's not the better college coach than Belichick? Dion won his first college job, won his conference, and Colorado was a mess before Deion got there. Deion made them viable first game against a good TCU team or at least TCU is a good program. I don't know if that team was that great. So it's a lot of unproven stuff and a lot of I don't knows. Greg Cosell is joining us. Top of the hour. Urban Meyer, who says, I just read a quote this morning that Jim Harbaugh should be suspended in the NFL. I'm going to push back on that. Coming up next. So Vegas rarely makes a mistake on betting lines. Almost never. And and futures, they they didn't make a mistake, in my opinion last year. Twice I pled with you last year. Bet the over on Sean Payton and the Broncos bet the over on Washington and we hit on both those. I thought those were obvious mistakes. I think they've made only one this year where I just think they made a mistake and it's an opportunity for you to jump in and make some lettuce on it. I think they made one clear mistake and I'll talk about that next. In the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am.

[C]

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[D]

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[A]

Some of the biggest names in golf are teeing it up for the LIV Golf Team Championship in Michigan. Catch coverage of the quarterfinals tomorrow at 2pm Eastern, the semifinals Saturday at noon and the finals Sunday at 4:30, all on Fox.

[B]

By the way, Indianapolis showed up in a big, big way. Huge crowds in Indy. It was wild to watch. Michigan may break those records. Michigan's a great golf state, by the way. Underrated golf state. So there's a difference between something crazy happening and a mistake. A lot of people struggle during COVID A lot of businesses struggle during COVID Nobody can predict a pandemic, right? Like, like it's some stuff. Just businesses could not survive. A lot of great restaurants just could not survive. Doesn't mean they're bad restaurants. So Vegas does not make a lot of mistakes. Last year when Minnesota reeled off like 14 wins, that wasn't a mistake by Vegas. That was an outlier. Nobody thought Sam Darnold would be the best quarterback in the league for 14 weeks. Nobody saw that coming, including Kevin O'. Connell. That's not a mistake by Vegas. They made just two mistakes last year on future bets. They had Washington at six and a half. And I went on the air, I said, folks, Jaden Daniels is going to look a lot like Lamar Jackson. He's got a lot of college starts. He's electric. And they flushed out all those toxic people in the organization, specifically Dan Snyder. And they bring in really, really smart, smart people. They're going to do better. They're going to do. I didn't think they'd go 12 and 5, but I'm like, this is. They're going to get the 7, 8, 9 wins on Dan Quinn, Cliff Kingsbury, Jaden Daniels, Terry McClure. They're going to win. That was a mistake by Vegas. Then they had the Broncos at five and a Half wins. And I said, you got to be kidding me. Sean Payton alone's getting you to six. Bo Nicks has 61 college starts. They've got a top 10, 12 roster. I don't know how many games are going to win. I don't know. I'm not sure if they're a playoff team, but they're going to be a 7, 8, 9, 10 win. They're not a five win team. So those were mistakes. Vegas doesn't make a lot of it. Minnesota is not a mistake. It's just good. Hell, was Sam Darnold on fire for the first 14 weeks? Nobody knew that. I went through all the future bets today. The afc, I think they're right on the money with everybody. I don't think they made a mistake in the AFC There. There's a couple of teams in the nfc and by the way, it's not the Bears. The Bears are at eight and a half. That's exactly where they should be. I think optimistically, they win nine. A little less optimistically, eight wins feels about right. They struggle in division. Chicago is, you know, 12 years. I think once or twice they've had like a above.500 or 500 record against their division. They don't beat Green Bay and they're not as good right now as Detroit. And if J.J. mcCarthy can play, they could. They could get swept by Minnesota. So that's a good number for Chicago's 8, 9 win team. That's what they are. But here's one that I think is a glaring mistake. Seattle at eight and a half. So Seattle went 10 and seven last year with a rookie head coach. Figuring out how to be a head coach and creating a culture on the fly. Geno Smith was the quarterback and the offensive line was putrid. 31st according to PFF. Well, they've certainly helped solve the offensive line. Drafting Gray Zabel, who is grabbing and picking up players like Chris Jones in the preseason, he's been unbelievable. And Sam Darnold to me is an upgrade. The other thing to think about was Seattle, they got the AFC and the NFC south, the two weakest divisions. So they play New Orleans and Tampa and the Colts at home. Jacksonville, they play Houston at home. I mean Tennessee at Tennessee, they got a much better roster than Tennessee. So is it. Would you be shocked if they got six out of eight games against the AFC and NFC South? Would you be shocked if they won six? Hosting New Orleans, hosting Tampa, hosting Houston, hosting the Colts and at Carolina and at Jacksonville are not big home field advantages. So I think they can win six games just against the AFC and NFC South. Also, San Francisco is falling apart and Seattle gets to open at home against San Francisco. Their wide receiving core is falling apart. And by the way, they play the rams in week 11 and week 16. Will Matt Stafford be standing upright? We know Matt's going to be ready for the opener. Is he going to be available? So I to me, take the over at eight and a half. It just year two of a head coach. They got the culture built. I think Sam Darnold an upgrade maybe slight over Geno offensive line can't be as bad as it was last year. And their schedule, afc, NFC south, heavy favorites in some of those games, like New Orleans at home. And they're healthier at running back than last year. So, you know, people say, oh, they lost DK Metcalf. There's a reason they moved DK Metcalf, he was viewed as a little bit of a distraction. Now there's one other team. Now, I wouldn't make a big bet, but I do think Green Bay at nine and a half is undervaluing the packers again. They won double digits last year. And I'll argue that Jordan Love was not healthy the entire year. He wasn't healthy early and he didn't look like he was healthy late. And if again, if you look at that schedule, oh, once again you got some, you got some Carolina at home and as Cleveland and there's, there's some very, very favorable matchups. New York Giants, Carolina, they're just better than those teams. So I think nine and a half, although the schedule is tough, you know, they open with Detroit and Washington, but they're both at home. So those are, those are tough openers, both at home and their buys a little early, but they do get a buy before, before they host Joe Burrow. So if Joe Burrow is the best quarterback you will face, and I believe he is, because they don't play Kansas City and they don't play Buffalo. If Joe Burrow is the best quarterback, you get two weeks to prepare for him at home. So again, that's a little bit of a scheduling break. It's always easier. You come in rested, you come in healthy, you're off the buy. I mean, we know what Brady did when he got the buy in Tampa. Seven and five became, don't lose another game. So last year they went 11 and 6 without a healthy quarterback. And by the way, they were really young at wide receiver. They still are. But all those guys, except their first round pick are a year older. And remember, the division has been a little loud. Chicago's been noisy, Minnesota been a little noisy. Detroit lost their coordinator. So Detroit will not be as good as last year. That is a fact. They're not going to be as good. Chicago should be better, but we don't know. And Minnesota is a mystery. I mean, I'm just going to say this. I'm going to make a bold prediction. Minnesota's not winning 14 games. I'm going to go with that. I feel strongly about that. So I think Seattle at eight and a half, I see them as a ten win team, maybe eleven and Green Bay nine and a half. I just think the packers are winning 10 games. The Jordan Love injury is non throwing hand. I don't worry about that. I don't worry about that. Yes, the Green Bay roster is young, but it's a year older than last year when it was the youngest roster. So the good thing about young rosters, when players get hurt, they recover more quickly. That is the upside. NFL is getting younger across the board, but young rosters heal quickly. Old rosters do not. So John, Greg Cosell, top of the hour. I, I, let's just stay with Seattle. And I know I'm from the Northwest, but I don't think I'm a Northwest homer. I've banged on the Seahawks. I also think let's play a bite first. Here's Matt Hasselbeck. He's high on Seattle too. Let's play the Hasselbeck bite and then we can react to it.

[A]

People are pinching themselves like this is the best the Seahawks have looked in the preseason in a long, long while. So it is preseason, but I think you see like getting rid of Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, you're scratching your head and then you're saying to yourself like, what's the plan? Well, the plan is to be a physical, be the hammer, not the nail, kind of a run game and call more runs than passes and then play great defense. Last year the Seahawks didn't make the playoffs, but they were a top 10 defense in the NFL. And I think they're, they're, you know, I think they're looking to and expecting to take a jump again this year.

[B]

So I think, John, between good drafts, some stuff happening in division, getting the Niners in week one when they're falling apart physically at wide receiver. I do think there's these little breaks you get facing the AFC NFC South. Zabel, the draft pick has been a monster on the offensive line. Do you feel as strongly as I.

[A]

Do About Seattle, I thought Seattle, of all the teams that have division winning potential, have the craziest, longest odds. Like you typically can't get a team that had the same record. It's not like they won 10 games last year and the team that won their division won 14 or 15. The Rams had the same record. Seattle wins that division last year. If Sam Darnold doesn't make the play of his career, you know, and they. When he threw that touchdown in the left corner of the end zone.

[B]

That's right, Seattle.

[A]

And then that cost, you know, Mike McDonald. Here's the other thing. Typically when you get a new coach, he's taking over Jacksonville, Oakland, Vegas. Right. These teams are terrible. Pete Carroll was fired, quit. However, that thing shook out. They had won nine games and the previous two years with Pete Carroll, they had won nine games. Now, that had fallen from where they had been back in their heyday. But they were not some joke operation two years ago or Pete, second to last year. They made the playoffs as a wild card team. So there are players on this and they have one of the best GMs in the league. So they get a new quarterback, they get a new offensive coordinator. Well, the quarterback and offensive coordinator Kubiak know each other because Kubiak was on the staff with Shanahan in San Francisco. Now their wide receivers are a question mark. I think that is fair. But Mike McDonald I think would tell you we're going to, our defense is going to be so much better and we're going to run the ball. They Charbonnet, the Michigan guy that he transferred to ucla, pretty high on him. I've always liked Kenneth Walker. He's got to stay on the field, but running the ball, they got Jalen Milroy can bring him in for some trick plays.

[B]

Yep.

[A]

But to me, I'm with you. I think Seattle, their roster is really, really good. And getting that Niner game week one.

[B]

Oh, huge break now it's at home.

[A]

But, but. So you might have won it even if they're healthy. But still, I mean, the Niners are kind of in shambles right now, health wise. You know, there's no way around that. So I, I don't hate it at all. I think Seattle could easily win 11, 12 games.

[B]

Yeah. So Greg Cosell, Urban Meyer. Greg is coming up right around the corner. There's a lot to talk about. We've seen starters playing, we've seen this year's preseason better than last year's. More high end guys on the field. On Fox one now you can stream your favorite live sport so you can be there live for the biggest moments. That means NFL Sundays and college football games, nascar, Major League Baseball, postseason and more. With Fox one, you get it all. Live, edgier seat plays, high octane moments, and that feeling like you're right there in the action. Fox 1 We live for live streaming now. Well, we all have juggles and struggles and faults and flaws because to be a pet parent is to be human. And we can only do so much. Hills Pet Nutrition is a leader in science led nutrition for dogs and cats. And I got a lot of dogs. Hill's helps burn fat and benefits include lean muscle, strong bones, a shiny coat for your dog. They use high quality protein sources. Hills Science led nutrition helps you give 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. Every once in a while you get the chance to make a real difference and this is one of those moments. Folds of Honor provides educational scholarships to the spouses and children of fallen or disabled military members and first responders. It's a powerful mission, honoring their sacrifice through the gift of education. But last year, about 7,000 qualified students didn't receive funding, and that number is expected to grow to nearly 10,000. Don't let financial needs stand in the way of their future. Visit foldsofhonor.org to donate. Any amount helps. Together, we can close that gap one scholarship at a time. Balancing work, family and education isn't easy, but American Public University makes it possible with online courses, monthly start dates and flexible schedules. APU is designed for busy professionals who need education that fits their lives. And Affordability matters too. APU offers the opportunity grant, giving students 10% off undergraduate and master's level tuition, helping you reach your goals without breaking the bank. Plus, they provide career services and 247 mental health support at no extra cost. Visit Apu Apus Edu to learn more. That's Apu Apus Edu.

[A]

This is an iHeart podcast.