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What is the best and worst way to communicate with friends? Obviously, it's messaging. Messaging is great, but it can go off the rails when I speak in a group chat. I want it to be easy without any issues. WhatsApp can help. You can message privately with everyone and you can edit messages, create polls, do pin messages and send invites plus photos and videos to look better. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with Everyone. Wasabi is purpose built to free your business from skyrocketing storage costs and fees from the big guys. Wasabi is the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams around the world. Check out Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals. With Wasabi driving innovation in data storage for up to 80% less than the other guys. Try for free at wasabi.com, wasabi Hot Cloud Storage proud partner of the Volume Podcast Network balance your trading strategy by adding futures. CME Group helps you manage risk and capture opportunities in all market environments. Capitalize on around the clock access to highly liquid global futures and option markets across all major asset classes. Visit your online broker and get started. See what adding futures can do for you@cmegroup.com podcast Derivatives are not suitable for all investors and involve the risk of losing more than the amount originally deposited and any profit you might have made. This is not a recommendation or offer to buy, sell or retain any specific investment or service. If you're going to go to the moon and need a specialized airless wheel for the next gen lunar rover, who'd you turn to? Well, the powers that be turned to Michelin and for good reason. Not only are they the tire people, they're also the innovation people. You wouldn't believe everything they're into. Healthcare, energy. Yeah, aerospace. This rover wheel has to deal with temperature swings, radiation and rough terrain on the moon. So going to the tire innovation guys makes sense, you know. Learn more@michelinman.com y michelinnovation Michelin Motion for Life thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is a Monday. Not just Any Monday there'll be A game 7. 2 Monday Night Football games off a wild weekend. We're live, we're in Chicago, it's the Herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be watching or listening, whatever platform it is, thanks for making Monday and us part of your day. One hour from now. Where Colin was right. Where Colin was wrong again. A game seven tonight. J's and Mariners. Seattle trying to get to their first World Series, couple of Monday night football games. J, Mac really fun weekend. Really, really good Sunday. You know, we complained that we don't love two Monday night football games because it takes so many good games out of the weekend. But that late window yesterday was nuts. But let's start with the early window of folks, it's 2018 and 2019 again. Patrick Mahomes completed passes to nine different tight ends or wide receivers. Their speed is everywhere. Playmakers everywhere. 32 points a game in the last month. I hate to inform the rest of the NFL, but this is now once again the best offense, the best coach, the best quarterback, and the most flexible. Eight, nine different targets. Some are fast, some are possession, some are twitchy, some are big, some are tight ends. And the defense is remarkable. And here's the thing, really smart people make mistakes. Yeah. But they're able to quickly identify those mistakes. They're able to let their ego not get in the way and then they course correct very quickly. Kansas City, I believe, has rebuilt their offensive line three times in five years. I think they've rebuilt this receiving core four times in maybe seven years. And now all of a sudden it's the deepest receiving corps in the NFL. And the Chiefs. And you saw this yesterday with the Rams, adaptable. They're not one thing. Puka Nakua's out. No big deal. We'll give three or four tight ends a look. And you look at Kansas City yesterday. Hollywood Brown, Worthy Rice, Travis Kelce, I mean, Rasheed rice comes back 10 targets. 10 targets. Mahomes and Rasheed Rice haven't played in an actual game in like a year. And he's throwing no look passes to him. And so I don't feel bad for the Chargers or Baltimore or Joe Burrow and the Bengals, although he's hurt this year, you know, all these teams had a chance. Kansas City was 3 and 3. They didn't have Rice, they didn't have Worthy. This was your time to make up ground on them. But right now, Kansas City is not only back, I think they're better than ever. They have drafted so well. This is the deepest Twitchiest, most unique wide receiving core, the best play designer, the best distributor. I watched yesterday and I mean it was like Mahomes was in a baseball cap in the fourth quarter. It's like they pulled their starting pitcher after a great two hitter and he had a six run lead in the seventh inning and he sat in the bench, the dugout and watched. But I don't see a hole. I said this a month ago when they clobbered the Ravens. Everybody said, oh, the Ravens are beat up. That's not what I watched right now. They're just, they just keep adding elements. And I saw it with the Rams in Jacksonville. The smart teams in this league, they miss on draft picks, they make mistakes, they get players hurt, they have two and three game slumps, but they course correct, they identify mistakes quickly. Smart wins in this league. And I saw it in London with the Rams. I saw it with the Chiefs. A no look Pastor Rasheed Rice. They haven't played together in a year, only Andy Reid. And here's Mahomes after the no look one. I kind of wanted to, I wanted to throw it to receive the whole time, but Xavier was kind of holding that flat defender with his release and so the corner was kind of in between and so just, just holding him and putting it in the spot at the right time. But when it comes to like the way he moves and the way he runs routes, I have a good feel for when he wants the football and where I need to throw it to. And so he's been working well. The wildest game of the day is a team that is trying to supplant catch and beat in the AFC West. It involved the Denver Broncos, who for three quarters were unwatchable and were getting hammered 19 nothing by the new York Giants. They came back to win a wild, wild shootout. But what I really watched in this game and what I really saw, and I'm sure you saw two franchise quarterbacks. Jackson dart for the Giants was the better one early. Bo Nicks was pretty special late, but that's what I saw. They're both a little uneven, they make mistakes, they have bad quarters, but both are confident, use their legs. Their coaches like them to use their legs and I mean I. Running quarterbacks for the record are very effective. In fact, it's Patrick Mahomes breaking ball. It's what he uses in every big super bowl or AFC championship. So Jackson dart mobile doesn't take his eyes off down the field. Same with Bo Nix. I mean Bo Nix had four first downs running and two touchdowns. I don't know why Sean Payton doesn't run him more. They're both excellent at it. And when you're learning to decipher NFL defenses pick up first downs. Russell Wilson did it, Mahomes did it, Lamar did it. You're good enough in the pocket, but you're not going to be great in the pocket. Because both Bo and Jackson Dart, unlike Mahomes, had to play like in September of their first year, right? With imperfect rosters and neither one of them got, you know, Andy Reid. So everybody keeps doubting Bo Nix because like a lot of young quarterbacks, he's uneven. He just had the greatest quarter of any NFL football player ever, scoring 33 points. And it's like Clay Thompson, remember Klay Thompson once scored 37 points in a quarter, remember that with the Warriors, 37 points. That doesn't make him better than Steph Curry or better than kd, but it makes him a hall of Famer and it makes him a great player. But in the last, in the fourth quarter this year alone, Bo Nix has three game winning drives. That is a season's worth and he's still a kid. I would prefer a complete game. I would love a great first quarter and a great third quarter. Bo against really good teams. And the Giants defense is really good and was excellent for three quarters. That's not what he is yet. And by the way, the Jackson dark drive on what we thought at the time was a game winning drive, I thought it was so smart. I didn't love the PI call in that kind of consequential moment. I don't like that PI call but they called it. It is what it is. Paint these guys, Bo Nixon, Jackson Dart. They're not overwhelmed by the moment. They just, they're not rattled, they're not frenetic. They're actually, I think Bo Nick's focus is better and is more confident trailing late. I think Jackson Dart, I mean maybe it's great looking kid, I don't know what it is. But Jackson Dart never feels overwhelmed. And for the record, Bo Nixon has more weapons and a better offensive line. So what Jackson Dart's doing, he's doing it. I mean he's got scatter boo. But Denver's got better players, better offensive line, more weapons. Perceived as the better coach and play caller and play designer. So Jackson Dart shouldn't win this game. Jackson Dart shouldn't lead for three quarters and Denver's defense is better than the Giants. So in a losing cause I thought Jackson Dart was amazing to go into Denver and to give the Broncos defense all sorts of trouble and to lead 19. If you'd have told me the Giants don't score 19 points in the total game before it started, I would have said, yeah, I can see that. 13, 14, 17 points. So, I mean a losing cause if you're a Giants fan, you got your guy. You got your guy. He just needs a better old line. He needs more help. Denver's got the better players. Denver's probably got the better coach. Denver's probably got the better general manager. Denver's definitely got more weapons. Mims and Sutton and Harvey and Ingram. Denver has a Super bowl roster, the Giants don't. So I, I, I was blown away by both guys. I, I really was blown away by Jackson dart and I wasn't blown away with Bo Nixon until the fourth quarter. But that was, that was, that was Klay Thompson scoring 37 and a quarter. You can stop arguing. Klay Thompson's great. He's not Curry, he's not KD. But 37 and a quarter, not a lot of people on the planet ever can do that. And Bo Nicks just had the greatest quarter of any player in league history. I'm sorry, that's hard to do even with Sean Payton as your coach. Here's Bo after. Well, I was thinking about how I was going to answer questions if we got shut out.
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You know, not where you want to be. And you know, at some point I knew we've done it before in the fourth quarter we're going to, you know, at some point we're going to go down score. Now maybe too late, we may not.
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Score enough, but at some point we're going to do it.
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All of a sudden you go and I mean, I don't even know how he scored 33 points in a quarter. That's kind of insane. But it's just whatever we had to.
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Get done, we did it. Yeah, Bo's a, he's a streaky shooter. I mean he just gets into these moments. I do think, and I said this last week, use his legs. Brian Dable has quickly identified Jackson darts mobility and they are leaning into it. I would lean into Bo Nix's legs. When you're a young quarterback trying to figure out and decipher these NFL defenses, this is not college ball. The windows are tight, the DBs are better. The pass rush is bigger. Better athletes, things close quickly, use the legs, move the chains, extend drives. All right, J. Mac, the Bears have, have themselves a little winning streak in Chicago.
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Here we go, here we go. Your Chicago Bears is getting turnovers against bad teams. Let's celebrate. Colin Whoo.
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Well, I will say this, the Bears have reached a point that is the ultimate respect in the NFL, and I'll tell you where that place is. The Bears have finally reached the this place. We'll talk about that next. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and.
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The iHeartRadio app hey, it's me, Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside.
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Hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the eye test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside.
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Weighted vests are everywhere right now. And it's not just a fad. The science is clear. Carrying extra weight boosts calorie burn, ramps up natural human growth hormone and testosterone in the body and builds real world strength. Not all vests though are built the same. And low quality gear is getting guys hurt. That's why I'm all for Wolf tacticals. True fit weighted vest. Go to wolftactical USA.com take your training and physique to the next level. The code is herd15 for 15% off your order. That's H E R D15 at checkout. Only at wolftical USA.com well, the bears beat the Saints. They find themselves on a winning streak. And the greatest compliment you can pay any NFL team is criticizing them when they win. Because you see the talent and you see the potential and you see the sky's the limit. That's where we are with the Bears. I, I'll contend this top seven or eight roster. It's like when your dad used to say you're better than that, right? Like Chicago. And Ben Johnson has figured this out very quickly. This is a run game takeaway defense. That's the identity. It's not Caleb Williams. And he sees it and he knows it. He's asking less and less diplomatically. I'll be diplomatic. The passing game is a work in progress. I mean, Ben Johnson's resting face. Watching Caleb Williams is discouraged. So he sees the truth. This is not a team that can win by shootout, having to throw the ball. It's not a team that can fall behind and come flying back like a Denver. They can't. This is all about the run game. It's all about takeaways defensively. Remember this team, and we said it at the time, when they went out and got Drew Dahlman, the center from Atlanta. I would have people come up to me in Chicago. What do you think about him? I said, they're going to have one of the best guard, center guard combos in the league. Joe Tooney, Drew Dahlman, Jonah Jackson and an offensive line, veteran offensive lineman don't play in the preseason. So it was going to be a turbulent September. We're in October now, and that old line has meshed. That is big boy, guard, center, guard. There are huge holes the last three weeks, big giant holes between the tackles, outside the tackles. So Ben has figured it out. He's discouraged with the passing game. You can see his body language. This is going to be a run game, control the clock. And here's the other thing. I mean, it's not like Ben Johnson's Ben Franklin. They're not inventing electricity here. It's basic stuff. They can actually now take a lead and score in the first quarter. It's not revolutionary. It's what the Chiefs and the Rams and the good teams do. They score in the first quarter and they also have cut Caleb Williams sacks in half because they get the ball out of Caleb's hands. I mean, this team, they are now, in the last couple of weeks, they're top three in the league in yards after catch. Their skill's excellent. Roma, Dunze, Luther Burden, Colston Loveland, DeAndre Swift, DJ Morton, they got dudes. This is a lot closer to the Kansas City Chiefs than it is the Panthers. They've got dudes. They got to get that ball out of Caleb's hands and let those guys do the work. Because the passing game with Caleb, I've been on this for weeks. He may just never be a really super accurate guy. It may be a Cam Newton thing. And he's spectacular and he's an emotional player that gets into streaks. He can make all the throws, but I ain't, you know, he's not going to be a guy that gives you 13 straight completions. That's just not his game. And in Caleb's career, high school, college, and last year, he was the star of the show. He is a supporting actor now. For the record, you can win an Oscar for that, right? You can win an Oscar for a supporting actor, but he's a supporting actor. This is about the run game. The coaching is excellent. Again, Ben Johnson has identified. It doesn't take that long to figure out a quarterback. Strengths and weaknesses. Caleb's got a jet engine for an arm. He is a great runner. Does a little too much hero ball, struggles a little to play within structure. Not super accurate, but run game, defense, aggressiveness, takeaway, self identity. It's a good football team. And the greatest thing you can say about him is they're winning. And we're all criticizing it because you see how much talent there is. You can see the talent. They got dudes everywhere. Here's Ben on his offense after beating the Saints. Yeah, up and down. So that's. That's what we look like. We haven't hit our stride yet. Offensively, we're capable of a lot more. We have very talented individuals. I feel strongly in our coaching staff, but we're just. We're not complementing our defense on a regular basis. With the number of turnovers we've had over the last four games, we should be able to turn those into more points. Now, let me defend Caleb Williams on this. Spencer Rattler was trying to prove how special he was and kept throwing picks. Caleb Williams last year with a bad staff and a terrible O line, only through six picks. Caleb doesn't turn the ball over a ton. At least not throwing interceptions. He doesn't. He never has. He didn't do it at usc. He didn't do it last year. He's not doing it this year. He can have fumble issues that'll drive you nuts. But. But he. It's not. He's not stubborn, he's not rigid. You. You watch some of these young quarterbacks and they just refuse. Spencer Rattler's like, bro, you're trying way too hard to show off. You're. You're trying to better Caleb Williams. You're not. Caleb doesn't throw. He doesn't make the big mistakes. It's just operationally, the ball hits the carpet. It's a little bit of Trevor Lawrence. You can see the talent, But Trevor Lawrence is probably never just going to be as good as I thought he was. And I think, I look at Caleb Williams, I see the talent, I see the horsepower, but the ball hits the carpet. Too much miss on too many easy ones. Couple of layups, you got to hit, but they're winning and we're criticizing him. And their coach doesn't love it when you can go on four game winning streaks. And the coach is really not smiling in the post game press conference. That tells you how much talent they have. I'll argue all day long, this is a really good roster. I said this about Denver last year when Denver made the playoffs. I said, you guys aren't paying attention. I said this about Indianapolis two years ago. I said, the Colts need a quarterback. Denver's got to get rid of Russell Wilson. They need a quarterback. Chicago, Chicago's roster, seven to eight really special players. Just get them the ball quickly, cut down the sacks, let them make their moves. J Mac with the news. No, no, no. Turn on the news.
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This is the Herdline news. All right, Colin, from your Bears to a real contender, the Indianapolis Colts. Yes, we're actually allowed to talk about them on the show now. You've been pushing for it for a while. Here we go. The Colts dominate the Chargers. I had a terrible read here on this game. Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor, just unbelievable. Jonathan Taylor, over 100 total yards, three touchdowns. Colin, this guy is the best back in the league right now. And Shane Steichen said as much afterward.
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I think he's the best. He's the best back in the league right now. There's no doubt. And I think it starts with our guys up front. He's running hard, he's running physical, he's got great vision. Yeah, he's just, he's balling out right now. This is a really, really good roster. And it really. Here's what it proves. If you get an offensive coach and even a B level quarterback, I mean, we talk. I said this last year and I said it this year. It's not a roster issue. A year ago, everybody wanted Chris Ballard gone. And I'm like, he's hitting on his draft picks. Taylor, Warren, Pittman, Pierce. This old line. Maybe it's not Philadelphia or Detroit, but this whole line is controlling. You know, this is the number one offense in the league right now.
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Well, some of that is schedule related, Colin. I mean, they beat up on a lot of bad teams. I look on the schedule, they're 14 point favorites against Tennessee this week. I think they have the Savannah Bananas up after that. Like they're playing a bunch of jokers. Chargers are not jokers. They're just beat up. And listen, Colts scored on six of their first seven possessions yesterday.
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They are the most efficient offense. They're not uneven. They score early, they score late, they score. But before the half. This is a. And again, this goes and proves. Everybody wanted Ballard gone and might take his guys. You can't win with Anthony Richardson completing 47% of his throws. You don't need a great quarterback. Daniel Jones is a talented kid. Kind of an Alex Smith feel where there is a ceiling. But you can win a bunch of. Alex Smith made the playoffs several times. Alex Smith is smart, he's good, he's accurate, he can move. This is a really dangerous team.
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So, Colin, I'm sorry to bring up the jets this early in the show, but there is a parallel with the Colts and the Jets. Hear me out. So the Colts drafted Anthony Richardson high, right, and he looked like a bust, but they quickly pivoted off him.
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Your move.
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When it's not working, pivot to Daniel Jones.
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That's right.
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My jets drafted Zach Wilson. They tried to make it happen. It didn't. They pivoted to Aaron Rodgers. Colossal failure. Quickly, let's reboot again to Justin Fields. Terrible failure. And now they're 07, the Colts and your guy Ballard, I know you guys have a lengthy history. He did whiff on a high pick, but he fixed things quickly.
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Well, yeah, because the late Jim Ursay wanted Carson Wentz gone off a very good year because he lost to the Jags. And so from that point forward, basically, Ballard was bailing water. He goes and gets Philip Rivers, who was actually great in his last year. I get Matt Ryan because Philip wanted to retire. And then he. Anthony Richardson. This league is so brutal on GMs. I mean, let's be honest. If the Niners don't find Brock Purdy in the last spot in the league, John lynch could be in trouble because they whiffed on Trey Lance. But they found Brock Purdy. So the truth is, no GM or head coach looks. They all look clueless, regardless of how good they are when the quarterback plays bad. You watch Brian Dabel right now with the Giants. You can't fire him. He's tied to Jackson. Dart you have. You can't get rid of Brian Dabel. So every gm, I mean even the Giants gm, now I'm watching them, you know, yesterday against Denver and I'm like, you know, that fifth round draft pick's actually pretty good.
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Let's not go overboard. But on the. On the Colts, the big unlock to me has been Tyler Warren. Colin, he is such a chess piece. I know we love Brock Bowers last year. I know there's going to be a bit of a hot take. I think Tyler Warren's more valuable you can line him up in the backfield, split him wide in the slot on the line, and nobody can really guard this guy. So far.
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I watched him.
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Awesome.
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I watched him make 7:18 catches against USC at the Coliseum last year. I'm not sure I've ever seen a college player. It's like, I. I don't know how he transitions to the NFL, but that works on Sundays. He's just a he. He's a Pro Bowler today. He's a rookie Pro Bowler today.
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Real quick on your calendar. November 23rd, right. It's the week before Thanksgiving. Colts, Chiefs. And I'm not even joking. That's like a real game. Colts, Chiefs is going to be good because Shane Steichen right now is what he did to Jesse Minter, who's one of the better defensive minds in the league.
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This Colts offensive line. Guys, nobody's talking about it. It is controlling.
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Yeah.
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I mean, go. Did they play Denver earlier this year and Denver struggled. Didn't they play Denver earlier at home? Yeah. And Denver struggled to get to Daniel Jones. That was when I was like, oh, wow. Wow. This is a real thing.
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It's a real team. All right, let's move on to the New England Patriots. If you want to do a victory lap, go for a big guy. You know, your guy, Drake May actually was my guy dating back to the draft. 21 of 23 for Drake May. I mean, he was phenomenal. The Titans kind of imploded. Cam Ward had another disastrous fumble. But the story here is the Patriots. We talked about it last week. This team will have a shot at the number one seed. Okay. They are starting to round into form. And Colin, I don't know what to say about Drake May here. Jaden Daniels was the toast of the town last, last season, right? As a rookie. Well, we looks better than him right now.
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I was talking to my buddy John Middlekopf last night and he reminded me that there were stories that the Vikings tried to get Drake May. That's what they really wanted. Everybody I talked to like Drake May, but like Jaden Daniels, Like Jaden Daniels last year got much better, much faster than we thought. I don't think anybody thought Drake May would be this good this quickly. He is. And he had a really bad pick against the Steelers and that's going to happen. I'm telling you, man, his last 50 throws, he is just. He again, he is a Pro bowl level quarterback. It sounds ridiculous, but we watched Jaden Daniels last year and everybody kept waiting for the surge to end. Yeah, I'm Watching every snap and every throw at Drake. May. He doesn't have bad throws now. Now he doesn't slide like bro. Get. He went to the tent. He got to the tent like five times this year. Like learn to slide and get down.
A
I'll just add one more thing. I. I made fun of the Colts schedule. Listen, the Patriots have beat up a lot of bad defenses, okay? Carolina stinks. Pittsburgh can't stop a nosebleed. Buffalo's terrible defensively. Saints are not great defensively. They're okay at home. Tennessee was bad. Again, the schedule now the Cleveland Browns at home are lights out. I think this week the Patriots could put it on him at home. I'm just telling. Look at the schedule, okay? Falcons outdoors we saw last night. Falcons outdoors are not that great. This Patriots team is dangerous.
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This Patriots team beat Buffalo and Buffalo. It was not a fluke. They are a better football team right now than the Buffalo Bills. I don't think there's any question you and I watched that game. They were the better team.
A
They were. Yeah. Final story, Colin. Let's go to a negative story here. And that's the Miami Dolphins. The one game that we gave out, that was a stone cold lock, lock in the Browns. Holy hell, they just destroyed Tua and the dolphins 31 6. Now listen, I'm not going to sit out here ripping to it. He was bad. I expected this, right? No. Tyree Kill go outdoors against a feisty defense. I didn't expect three interceptions.
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He also threw about a half dozen hospital balls. I've never seen a quarterback less interested in taking snaps in my life. I mean, I thought two would. Just wanted to get out of there.
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Well, he was talking about leadership last week and guys not showing up and now it came back and Anyway, here's Mike McDaniel, the embattled head coach. I haven't checked social media. Has he been fired this hour? I don't know. Anyways, here's McDaniel on Tua.
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And starting guys need to be professionals. Guys need to step up to the plate and every person you know on our team. If you're saying it's not me, it's you, you're just not going to win games. And our team, you know, we, we say we want to, we will lose games. Nothing works there. Gm, head coach, quarterback. It's been fun. I never got the extension to tua. I thought it was ridiculous. So it's. It's, it's. I just thought yesterday was the tipping point. It looked like TUA did not want to Be on the field. He was throwing the ball and ducking away from the punishment.
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They traveled to Atlanta. Now that was where I believe the TUA story was born. Remember Jalen Hurts benched in the SEC title game. TUA comes on, maybe he reinvigorates his career. I'll go with I don't think so, but this could be it for Mike McDaniel. Here's my thing. Can Tua rehab his career the way Daniel Jones did, the way Baker did.
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The way I think they can get rid of him if they eat like. Like Miami's going to get a top five pick, they're going to get a quarterback and so they're going to try to move to a. Maybe get a six round pick if somebody will take a little bit of the contract. But it doesn't matter. As Sean Payton proved in Denver, you can win in this league. You can make the playoffs with a dead cap hit. I mean they're still playing for paying for Russell Wilson in Denver. Look at their roster. Does it look like they can't afford guys? But I think Denver's got a better GM and a better coach. So Miami doesn't have the right gm, they don't have the right coach, they don't have the right quarterback. But I would absolutely, if I was a warm weather team and I was in transition, I'd give you a six round pick for two and eat a little bit of his. I think he's a professional quarterback. He needs an O line and Miami has never built him a satisfactory O line, which is an indictment. If you have certain guys in this league like Bryce Young, you have to have a good O line. You don't with Josh Allen though they do with Lamar Jackson. You can. Justin Herbert can literally win games with a terrible O line. Ravage my injuries. If you have tua, your job as a GM is to protect it. Yeah, and they haven't ever.
A
So there is a team. We haven't talked about them yet. Who had Carson Wentz just get. I mean he was awful yesterday. And you don't believe in J.J. mcCarthy. I got a buddy floating me a name for the Vikings. And now you're talking to alliance like.
B
Kevin o' Connell can do anything in a northern division.
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Well, in a dome everybody's got a dome. Chicago's getting a dome soon, right? Packers are outdoors, but it's a tough one.
B
No thanks. J. Maclean News. Well, that's the news.
A
And thanks for stopping by the herd lie news.
B
Colin right? Colin wrong. Top of next hour. And you know yesterday's late window was crazy. I want to get into this. The exact the precise reason you get Micah Parsons was yesterday, and I'll talk about that next for Green Bay. Like that was the game. That was the reason you don't play particularly well. You don't lead until late and it's like we need our Mariano Rivera. We need our closer. That game exemplified and illustrated exactly why you get Micah Parsons. We'll talk about that. The Cowboys, the Eagles Colin Right? Colin Wrong. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific introducing your new Dell PC. Powered by the Intel Core Ultra processor, it helps you handle a lot. Even when your holiday to do list gets to be a lot. Because it's built with all day battery plus powerful AI features that help you do it all with ease. From editing images to drafting emails to summarizing large documents to multitasking. 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We were talking about this this morning. What if. What if Mariano Rivera, the great closer, had played for like a small market team for years and years? You wouldn't really know much about him. I mean, I'm sure a great team would have eventually found him. But it, you know, closers, a lot of them don't make the hall of Fame, right? And, but what made Mariano Rivera great was the opportunity to be great. His teams had leads and the games meant a lot. And that's why Green Bay, that has a Super bowl roster right now, needed to go get a closer. And Micah Parsons yesterday, four tackles for losses, three sacks, a couple in the fourth. He is their closer. He's their Mariano. It's much more valuable on a Super bowl roster closing games. When you have an excellent offensive coach and a top 1012 quarterback like Jordan Love, you're going to lead 90, 80% of your games in the fourth quarter. How do you finish them off? Right? Offensive lines are always banged up. Maybe your offensive, your run game sputtering, you finish it off sometimes not having the ball and you finish it off with the closer, the drive stopper. And that's why I said when Dallas traded Micah, Dallas isn't as good. Dallas needed flexibility and picks and more good players. I mean the Dallas can't stop anybody. So Micah, a Lot of your skill is wasted. Your team trails by 10 points in the fourth quarter. Green Bay is the opposite. So this was one of those trades that worked for both teams. Green Bay needs a stopper now, Dallas, over the next year, they need more elite players and not expensive ones. They're paying CD Lamb a fortune, they're paying Dak a fortune, and they're probably going to end up paying George Pickens a lot of money. And they're paying their corners. So Dallas has to hit on a couple of first round picks and second round picks. Green Bay's already got that. They're loaded at receiver and tight end. They've got their star running back, they've got their quarterback. They had the roster. I mean, they were good despite giving up Kenny Clark to Dallas. So that this worked for both teams. But yesterday was exactly why you get Micah, you go on the road. It's a tough matchup. I told you Friday, I said Arizona, Green Bay is going to win it, take the points. It's going to be close. Arizona loses close more often. It seems like the last three years than anybody in the league. And Jacoby Brissette was comfortable early in the game. At one point he completed what, 14 straight throws. But when you needed, you led two to one entering the ninth, here came Micah. And that's why you got him. That's why the trade was smart by Green Bay. But I understood it from Dallas's standpoint. I get it. They need more good players like Green Bay. Green Bay's got that. They needed one game record. And here was Jordan Love after the win. Man, it's amazing. You know, I think I can't state enough how fun it is just to have him on this team and how much of a playmaker he is, you know, in big situations like that, you know, having three sacks on the day is big time. So for years and years, everybody used to tell me how great Dak Prescott was. And as they're hammering the commanders yesterday, I'm thinking, you know, and I was always like, he's got the best O line. He's got Zeke. I'm like, I mean, he's a very, very good B, B plus quarterback. I saw this morning he's ninth in MVP voting or ninth in MVP odds. That's insane. He's got to be near the top. I always thought he was the classic sort of high floor, low ceiling quarterback, right? Like Kirk Cousins with a star in his helmet. He's going to get you to 10 wins. But the fact that he's ninth in his last four games he's thrown for over a thousand yards. He can only win one way and everybody knows it. He's got 14 touchdowns and no picks. He's just, he is on a heat. And George Pickens was a talented highlight guy. Now he's a drama free talented production guy. Do not understate how Dak Prescott has soothed and lowered the temperature on George Pickens. George Pickens was like eh, most of the league had no interest. He's now maybe the number two receiver. Best number two receiver in the league. So the Cowboys did what real Cowboys do, find a prize winner that had been put out to pasture and they did it and it's delivered. And give Brian Schottenheimer credit because the run game Javante Williams looks like the Denver Javante Williams. The offensive line is still in a rebuild. This is not a great offensive line. But I'm watching Dak yesterday. He's had. He's taken so many snaps from high school to Mississippi State to Dallas. He is so composed in the pocket. He doesn't get frenetic yesterday that pocket because the O line for Dallas right now is mid. It's okay. It's not Detroit, it's not Denver, it's not the Colts. It may be it's better than the Chargers and their injuries. It's not a great O line right now. So he faces real pressure all the time. And I mean I thought Jaden Daniels yesterday looked small compared to Dak. I really did. I thought. I thought Jaden looked small. The Cowboys pass blocking folks is rated 30th, so this is closer to a Charger O line than it is a Denver O line and Dak was big and in control. Here's Jerry Jones. After is Dak Prescott the MVP of the league right now? Well, he's mine and he should be Cowboy fans and he gives us a tremendous opportunity. And this team is really follow me and this team is can play against the league competition just like you saw today, can play that way and it can get better. For the record, he is ninth in MVP odds and I constructed my own Mount Passmore of the four guys who should be leading in terms of odds and it should be Baker and Mahomes and Dak and Stafford. That's my Mount Passmore. You can have Mount Rushmore. These guys have separated and there's a lot of good quarterbacks in this league. I think what Herbert's doing, considering the beating he's taken, is incredibly admirable. Again, I think what Bo Nicks did in the Fourth quarter, I think Josh Allen once again feels like he's got to carry that offense. Dax having a year, I mean, when you watch that game yesterday, did you not think the best quarterback on the field was Dak and Jaden Daniels last year had the best rookie year for a quarterback in the game's history. So. And I, you know, for a long time I was, I was always like Dak as Kirk Cousins with better mobility and more famous. I think Dax playing out of his mind, out of his mind. And you know, it's, this is what's great about this league. The New York Giants before Jackson Dart took over. I mean, it literally felt like a hapless organization. Get rid of day ball. Joe Shane, owner doesn't know what he's doing. The personnel is horrible and leading 19 nothing in Denver you're like, this is a real team. It is amazing. For years and years we've talked about this. I think quarterback is the highest paid position in the sport. It's underpaid. Look at what just Jackson Dart with almost no pro experience has done to the Giants. You this morning feel different about the New York Giants than you did a month ago. Same roster, schedule has been tough. I mean, Denver, Russell Wilson, dead cap. Hell, felt like you were a decade from being. I mean, Denver hits on the quarterback, suddenly the dead cap money doesn't affect you. I mean it is outside of Green Bay who always gets the quarterback, right? Everybody else struggles and misses. San Francisco, Trey, Lance, Ms. Brock, Purdy find a gem now they got Mac Jones. I'm not sure Mac Jones. I mean, I watch Mac and Brock together. It's Mac runs a little bit more than you think he does. Little sneaky sometimes in big crucial situations. Mac Jones runs. But I'm watching Dak yesterday and I'm like, I mean there's been so many great players that have left him. The Zachs and the Tyron Smith and the Zeke and the Des and the O line and Micah and they're blown out. Washington yesterday, really, really impressive. Colin right? Colin wrong. Next hour, your Niners played last night. J Mac and I will say Penix is a classic young quarterback. Depends on the series, depends on the half. You know, I mean, like, I think with a lot of these quarterbacks, we just forget. Patrick Mahomes admitted the light went on Year three. He ran around for years. He had great coaching. So I just, I watch Penix or Bo Nix or Jackson Dart and my takeaway is this is what it looks like almost my first semester in college when I went on Academic probation. I didn't know how to study. I had good tests and bad tests. I just. I didn't really know how to study because I didn't have to in high school. I feel like that with all these young quarterbacks they have. C.J. stroud has had really bad stretches and then incredible games he plays tonight in Seattle. I think. I think Houston's going to give Seattle trouble. So there you go. Yeah.
A
It's interesting. On my podcast, I compared basically Atlanta to, like, a Miami Dolphins. Specific settings, warm weather for Miami. They're great. They look like a track team. Guess what? In a dome, Colin. Atlanta looks awesome.
B
Yeah.
A
Remember that game against Minnesota? The edge rushers are flying around Bijan Robin, like, they're great indoors. You take them off that fast track. Bijan Robinson, Monday Night Football looked like the best back in the league. He had like 40 yards last night against the Niners defense. Missing everybody. So I just. I can't totally take Atlanta seriously because if they're outdoors, they're not going to do much.
B
No, it's. So we have two Monday night games tonight. Houston's at Seattle. My prediction, very low scoring and very close possible upset. This is a. This is a matchup where Houston matches up with Seattle. I think it's really, really low scoring. 2017. And then we have Detroit off an ugly win, in a bad mood. They're a great home team against Baker and the Bucks. I do like Detroit there. That could be one of the games of the weekend.
A
I need Detroit to avoid a one in four. How did the herd hierarchy do?
B
Bait. The blazing five went three and one. And we have Detroit and the COVID tonight.
A
So we both need Detroit. Yes. Oh, Blazing Five. Starting to cook with a little gas, huh?
B
We were four and one last week. We're three and one. We had the Cowboy commander over easy. We had Arizona in the points. We had the Cleveland Browns. And that's the last time I'm betting them for the season. The next time you fly, upgrade your comfort to Emirates premium economy. Sink into soft leather seats with raised leg rests and adjustable headrests. Elevate your dinner plans with delicious regional dining, all served with complimentary premium drinks. Enjoy endless entertainment with up to 6,500 channels, including live sports. There's no other premium economy like it. Fly. Emirates fly better. A wingman flies close with unwavering dedication. At Folds of Honor, a wingman stands with families of Americans fallen or disabled heroes. The burial flag given to their grieving family is folded 13 times. As a wingman, your $13 monthly donation provides scholarships to their spouses and children. 13 folds, $13. Become a wingman. Join today@foldsofonor.org you know that feeling when you come home late from work and the puppy dog eyes just pierce right through your soul? Yeah. We've all been there, right? Pet parent guilt is real. And you know what? It's completely normal. That's exactly why Hill's Pet Nutrition exists. They understand that being a pet parent means being human. Hill science led nutrition helps you give more love than humanly possible. Whether it's those long work days or trying to balance attention between, you know, multiple pets. Hill's Pet Nutrition gets it because, hey, you're only human. There's Hills Science does more. If you're ready to let go of the guilt, find the right food@hillspet.com iheart hillspet.com iheart Weighted vests are everywhere right now. And it's not just a fad. The science is clear. Carrying extra weight boosts calorie burn, ramps up natural human growth hormone and testosterone in the body, and builds real world strength. Not all vests though, are built the same. And low quality gear is getting guys hurt. Shifting weights, bad strap, zero support. Just read the reviews. It's a recipe for disaster. That's why I'm all for Wolf tacticals. True fit weighted vest. Built like real field gear, the vest is heavy duty, breathable, totally adjustable, no bounce. It moves with you whether you're grinding out pushups, knocking out yard work. It is not a gimmick. It's gear that turns whatever you're doing into training. It's excellent. Go to wolftactical USA.com take your training and physique to the next level. The code is heard. 15 for 15 off your order. That's H E R D 15 at checkout, only at wolftacticalusa.com this is an iHeart podcast.
Main Theme:
Colin dives into the statement win by the Kansas City Chiefs, wild finishes around the NFL (particularly Giants-Broncos), the Bears' emerging identity, and major storylines across the league from a busy Sunday of football.
(00:45–06:50)
KC’s Dominance Returns:
Colin opens with excitement about the “wild weekend” and quickly pivots to the Chiefs, stating:
“It’s 2018 and 2019 again. Patrick Mahomes completed passes to nine different tight ends or wide receivers. Their speed is everywhere. Playmakers everywhere. 32 points a game in the last month.” [02:40]
Chiefs' Adaptability:
Chiefs have rebuilt their offensive line and receiving core multiple times, now emerging with "the deepest receiving corps in the NFL."
“This is now once again the best offense, the best coach, the best quarterback, and the most flexible.” [03:04]
Mahomes & Andy Reid’s Edge:
Colin praises Mahomes’ chemistry with Rashee Rice (after a year off), highlighting a “no look pass” and the ease with which Mahomes distributed the ball:
“It was like Mahomes was in a baseball cap in the fourth quarter. ...They pulled their starter after a two-hitter, six-run lead. I don’t see a hole.” [04:49]
Resilient Team Building:
Chiefs compared to other smart franchises (Rams, Jaguars): smart teams course-correct quickly and keep adding weapons and wrinkles.
Mahomes on the No-Look Pass to Rice:
“I kind of wanted to throw it to Rashee the whole time... When it comes to the way he moves and runs routes, I have a good feel for when he wants the football and where I need to throw it to.” [07:20, Mahomes soundbite]
(06:55–12:52)
Recap of the Game:
Broncos come back from down 19–0 to stun the Giants, with both teams’ young QBs (Jackson Dart for NYG, Bo Nix for DEN) featured prominently.
On Dart & Nix:
“What I really saw... two franchise quarterbacks. Jackson Dart was better early, Bo Nix was special late. Both are a little uneven, they make mistakes, but they’re confident and use their legs.” [07:40]
Running QBs & NFL Success:
Colin draws a parallel to Mahomes, Lamar, Russell Wilson—the best use mobility for big moments and to learn the league faster.
Bo Nix’s Historic Quarter:
Nix pulls off arguably the greatest fourth quarter in NFL history:
“He just had the greatest quarter of any NFL football player ever, scoring 33 points.” [08:54]
Comparison to Klay Thompson’s 37-point NBA quarter—spectacular, if not always sustainable.
Jackson Dart’s Poise:
Dart credited for fighting despite roster limitations:
“Jackson Dart’s drive... was so smart… They just are not rattled. I think Bo Nix’s focus is better, more confident trailing late. Jackson Dart never feels overwhelmed.” [10:38]
Outlook for Both Franchises:
Denver has the better supporting cast, but the Giants have found “their guy,” needing only roster help.
Bo Nix Postgame Quote:
“You know, not where you want to be. … At some point, I knew we’d done it before in the fourth quarter. …I mean, I don't even know how we scored 33 points in a quarter. That's kind of insane. But it’s just whatever we had to get done, we did it.” [11:50, Bo Nix]
(12:52–24:11)
Celebrating the Bears' Success:
Playful banter recognizes Bears' streak:
“Your Chicago Bears is getting turnovers against bad teams. Let’s celebrate!” [13:00, J. Mac]
Biggest Compliment:
Colin notes,
“The greatest compliment you can pay any NFL team is criticizing them when they win. ...That’s where we are with the Bears.” [13:00]
Team Identity:
Ben Johnson has leaned into a run-game/takeaway defense strategy.
“This is a run game take-away defense. That’s the identity. It’s not Caleb Williams.”* [14:03]
O-Line Transformation:
The addition of Drew Dalman creates an elite interior line, and offensive line continuity is fueling huge running lanes.
Passing Game Struggles:
Johnson and Colin express frustration: “The passing game is a work in progress. …Ben Johnson’s resting face watching Caleb Williams is discouraged.” [14:29]
Caleb Williams' Role & Development:
Colin:
“He is a supporting actor now. …He may just never be a really super accurate guy. It may be a Cam Newton thing. ...But this team is a lot closer to the Kansas City Chiefs than it is the Panthers.” [17:37, 18:10]
“Get the ball out of Caleb’s hands and let those guys do the work.” [17:50]
Coach Ben Johnson on Offense:
“Up and down. ... We haven’t hit our stride yet. Offensively, we’re capable of a lot more. …We’re not complementing our defense on a regular basis.” [19:51, Johnson]
Caleb Williams’ Turnover Narrative:
Colin comes to Williams’ defense for ball security; comparisons to Trevor Lawrence:
“He doesn’t make the big mistakes. ...You see the talent, but the ball hits the carpet. ...Just get them the ball quickly, cut down the sacks, let them make their moves.” [22:56]
(24:11–34:35)
(24:11–29:01)
Colts Dominate Chargers:
Daniel Jones and Jonathan Taylor power Indy.
“Jonathan Taylor over 100 total yards, three touchdowns... Shane Steichen said as much: ‘I think he’s the best back in the league right now. There’s no doubt’.” [24:40, Steichen quote]
Roster and Coaching Credit:
Colin insists:
"If you get an offensive coach and even a B level quarterback... It's not a roster issue. ...This is a really dangerous team.” [25:15]
On the Colts' GM & Anthony Richardson:
The Colts' front office gets praise for quickly pivoting away after missing on Richardson.
“Your move. When it's not working, pivot to Daniel Jones.” [26:28, J. Mac]
Tyler Warren Hyped as Rookie of the Year:
“He’s a Pro Bowler today. He’s a rookie Pro Bowler today.” [28:26]
Upcoming Game Highlight:
“Colts-Chiefs... that's a real game.” [28:35]
(29:01–30:58)
Drake May’s Rapid Ascension:
Patriots blow out Titans as rookie Drake May continues to dazzle.
“21 of 23 for Drake May… He looks better [than Jaden Daniels] right now.” [29:38, J. Mac]
“I don’t think anybody thought Drake May would be this good this quickly. …He is a Pro bowl level quarterback.” [30:00, Colin]
Schedule Strength Caution:
Patriots have feasted on weak defenses, but “the Patriots beat Buffalo in Buffalo; it was not a fluke.” [30:58]
(30:58–34:06)
“Guys need to step up to the plate... if you’re saying it’s not me, it’s you, you’re just not going to win games.” [31:58, McDaniel]
Dallas Cowboys & Micah Parsons (teaser for Hour 2):
Colin previews a segment on why Parsons is the “closer” Dallas needed, likening him to Mariano Rivera, and calls Dak Prescott an MVP candidate.
Quarterback Value Rant:
Colin reinforces that a franchise QB—even a young one—can rapidly change the outlook on the entire organization (see Giants w/ Dart, Denver w/ Nix).
This episode of The Herd offered a deep dive into the resurgence of the Chiefs, an electric finish in Denver, a critical but optimistic look at the Bears’ path, stock-ups for the Colts and Patriots, and concern in Miami. With strong opinions, energetic analogies, and memorable quotes, Colin made it clear: smart organizations—led by adaptable GMs, coaches, and QBs—thrive in today’s NFL.