
Loading summary
A
This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.
B
Did you know Tide has been upgraded.
A
To provide an even better clean in cold water. Tide is specifically designed to fight any stain you throw at it, even in cold butter.
B
Yep. Chocolate ice cream.
A
Sure thing. Barbecue sauce. Tide's got you covered. You don't need to use warm water.
B
Additionally, Tide pods let you confidently fight.
A
Tough stains with new coldzyme technology. Just remember, if it's gotta be clean.
C
It'S gotta be tied.
A
I'm Colin Coward from the Herd Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you'll definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Small Business Success Stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. In the latest season, hosts Austin Hanquitz and Jenise Torres are talking to self starters about the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and how QuickBooks helps you to get more done in less time. You don't want to miss it. Listen to Mind the Business Small business success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
B
Hey everybody, it's Tony Robbins. Look, the time is here. It's 2026 and everybody talks about having a new year and a new life. But what do most people do? They create a few resolutions and in the end they don't really do anything. If you want this to be the best year you've ever had in your life, it's going to take a new tool, a new strategy, a new momentum, and maybe a new community of people to hang out with. So come join me for the Time to Rise Summit. I do it only once a year. It's coming up January 29th through the 31st. There's absolutely no charge for it, but it'll be an experience I promise you you will not forget. It'll give you momentum, a plan and a strategy to make 2026 the best ever. If you're up for that, you're hungry for more, come join me. There's no cost for it whatsoever. Just go to Time to Rise Summit co time to riseummit.com I'll see you then.
A
Everyone deserves to be connected. That's why T Mobile and US Cellular are joining forces. Switch to T Mobile and save up to 20% versus Verizon by getting built in benefits they leave out. Check the math@t mobile.com switch and now T mobile is in US cellular stores. Savings versus Comparable Verizon plans plus the cost of optional benefits, plan features and taxes and fees vary. Savings with three plus lines include third line free via monthly bill credits. Credits stop if you cancel any lines. Qualifying credit required. 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. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is a Tuesday. Welcome in. We are live in Chicago. Apparently the Buffalo Bills have a new coach. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, thanks for making us part of your day. A story came down about eight minutes ago. Nine minutes ago. Joe Brady, who's been with the Bills for several years, started as Josh Allen's quarterback coach, is the new hire for the Buffalo Bills. And so that's okay. Was he the hot coach on the market? Because that usually works. No. And I read a story this morning and it said the Patriot Seahawks is the most unlikely super bowl matchup by preseason odds in the last 50 years. I don't think it's shocking and I'll tell you why. What did we learn this NFL season? Let's tie a bow on it as we go through all the coaching hires. Number one thing we learned hire the best or second best coach on the coaching market if you want to turn your fortunes around. That's what the Chargers did with Harbaugh, Patriots did with Vrabel, Bears did with Ben Johnson, Broncos did with Sean Payton, Vrabel, New England and oh, by the way, Mike McDonald was the hot young coach interviewed for six different teams. The Harbaughs raved about him, made the Ravens the number one defense when we thought their offense had better players than their defense. He made him number one. He was the McVeigh of that coaching cycle for a young coach who hadn't been a head coach yet. So the number one thing we learned is if you want to be great, look at the last five or six coaches. It's a Ben Johnson. It's a Sean McVeigh. It's a Mike McDonald, it's a Mike Vrabel, it's a Sean Payton. D'. Amico. Ryan's was a hot young guy from San Francisco, though everybody in the league was like, hire him and immediately turned around Houston. So that's the number one thing. Does Joe Brady of the Bills, who's going to get hired this morning, does he qualify as that? I do not believe so. The second thing that we learned this season either have a very Talented quarterback on a rookie deal or a very talented veteran on a very team friendly deal. Drake May, Bo Nick, Sam Darnold, Caleb Williams, Matt Stafford last year Jalen Hurts, talented guy. Only 5% of the eagle cap made the Super Bowl. Won the super bowl the year before. Yet last year Jaden Daniels, really talented kid, got to the conference championship, remember, it surprised everybody. So ask yourself, is Joe Brady, is he the Mike Frable of this cycle or the Ben Johnson or the Mike McDonald or the Sean Payton or a Harbaugh? No, he's not. And is Josh Allen next year going to be really, really affordable on a team friendly deal? No, he's not. His cap hit is $56 million. That's why I have said the most. I've done this four years in a row. Four years in a row. I've given you two teams that'll surprise the league. I've hit it four years in a row. I think this is four or five this year I picked Seattle, New England. It's not shocking, it's a blueprint. Shocking is when you settle like the Dallas Cowboys did at head coach for Brian Schottenheimer or the jets did at quarterback with Justin Fields. If the jets met the meet the Cowboys in the super bowl in two weeks. That is shocking. That is profound. That doesn't line up. Shocking is not a New England team that hired the best coach on the market, had a super talented young quarterback basically for free for the next four years and was the number one free agent spender. They never settled. They didn't settle in free agency, they didn't settle at coach and they knew they had an inexpensive great quarterback. Seattle upgraded at quarterback. Darnold from Genoa, super aggressive. They were the number four spender in free agency and they hired the hot everybody wants him coach who had interviewed for six jobs. So when I see Brady, Joe Brady getting hired by Buffalo, it'll be fine. But when you when you end up with a fourth or fifth and he interviewed for a couple of jobs but the number one coach in this cycle was John Harbaugh. Next year of the two teams I'm going to predict will double their win total. The Giants, I've already made that choice. I'm not sure who the second team is yet because not everybody's hired their coach. The New York Giants, I'm going to make it five years in a row, are going to double their win total and make the playoffs next year. I did it with the Patriots and Seahawks this year and you called me crazy. So shocking is when you Settle and hire the seventh best coach or a coach that wasn't interviewing anywhere. Brian Schottenheimer, Cowboys in a Super bowl that shocking. Jets we can win with. Justin Fields that shocking. But I mean and I'll give you a great example. It doesn't even matter how talented your quarterback is. If they're making big money, you're in trouble. Patrick Mahomes, no run game week O line. They pay him a fortune. Josh Allen, no Pro Bowlers on defense, not enough playmakers on offense. Dak Prescott, atrocious defensive personnel. Joe Burrow, battle line, very thin talent on defense. I love Justin Herbert, but the Chargers are a receiver, a tight end, a running back, guard, center guard away from being a Super bowl team. Justin Herbert makes a lot of money. So next year, John Harbaugh, hottest coach on the market. Jackson Dart quarterback, Giants talented, not making anything. That to me is a playoff team and a playoff team that could potentially win games because they're going to be able to add free agent players to their roster. So as they hire as they hire Joe Brady he'd interviewed for a couple jobs, but he's not Stefanski two time coach of the year. He's not John Harbaugh. He's not even as hot as a Jesse Minter right now. As a guy people have been talking about for years. That was Mike McDonald. McDonald got Baltimore to the number one defense. Jim and John Harbaugh raved about him. He interviewed for six jobs. People said he's the defensive version of McVay and he has been so I mean you can hire Joe Brady but in recent history there is a blueprint in Seattle and New England followed it upgraded quarterback or get a very productive team friendly quarterback and hire the hot or second best coach on the cycle in the cycle. Joe Brady. That's not him. Could be fine. Think he could be fine. Buffalo's done with fine. Buffalo's been fine forever. Buffalo doesn't want fine. And then Josh Allen, his cap hits too big. So they can't spend any big money on free agency. Their left tackle is expensive. Josh Allen's expensive. You know they're going to have to start paying. These tight ends will be expensive. So I don't think it's a disaster hire. It's not Freddy Kitchens, the Cleveland but there is a blueprint to all of this stuff. And so from there I want to talk about the Pittsburgh Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy. Again, I don't think it's a disastrous job but yesterday the Steelers owner said Mike McCarthy hire is about wins, not optics well, Mike Tomlin won. The NFL is not about just winning. How has Sam Darnold changed his reputation? Winning in January, right? It's not just about winning. Pittsburgh wins all the time. It's about winning in January. And I've always said this. You know, you have an elite coach. You and I can argue about who, how good your coach is. But when the Steelers, with Mike McCarthy in the AFC, I won't even go to the NFC, just in the AFC. I won't put him up against Shanahan, McVeigh, Ben Johnson, just in the AFC. Do you think if the Steelers in a big game late in the season, go up against Vrabel, Andy Reid, Jim Harbaugh or Sean Payton, do you think you have the best coach? You do not. Kyle Shanahan beat the Eagles, remember, a few weeks back with about 70% of their roster. Did you notice who the Eagles lost to this year? It was a lot of good coaches. It was a lot of good. They lost to Sean Payton, they lost to Ben Johnson, Kyle Shanahan, Harbaugh. They lost to other coaches. But coaching matters in this league. And when you settle or get a coach, everybody is comfortable with, like Joe Brady in Buffalo, everybody's comfortable with him. Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh, everybody's comfortable with him. I'm not saying they're disastrous hires. I think Mike McCarthy will probably win games. And I think Joe Brady with Josh Allen going to win 10, 11 games, it's Josh Allen. But I mean, think about this. The Steelers have one playoff win in nine years. Excuse me? The Steelers haven't won a playoff game in nine years. Mike McCarthy has one playoff win in nine years. That was their big swing. They upgraded a playoff win. That's not what Seattle did in New England did. They're in the super bowl again. I don't think it's a bad hire. I don't think it's a disaster. But if you look at New England and you look at Denver, it's the top coaches. It's Mike McDonald, it's. I mean, when the Niners hired Kyle Shanahan, he was the top coordinator. He made Matt Ryan an mvp, got Matt Schaub to a Pro bowl, right? So this stuff so far, I think it's interesting that Mike McCarthy got the Steelers job. It makes them comfortable. Pittsburgh guy. And then Joe Brady, 10 minutes ago, gets the Buffalo job. It makes everybody comfortable. Okay? The good news for McCarthy, he doesn't have to pay his quarterback a fortune if Aaron stays. He's still on a team friendly deal. That helps. But Josh Allen isn't. Matt Hasselbeck briefly had Mike McCarthy as a position coach. He talked about the Steelers higher. This hire to me makes it feel.
C
Like the Pittsburgh Steelers want to win right away.
A
Like they want a sure thing that makes them super relevant right away. And they've been heavy on the defensive side and maybe a little bit light on the offensive side. Maybe that balances out just a little bit.
C
But Mike McCarthy is as Pittsburgh as.
A
A person could possibly be. So I'm happy for him and I.
C
Do think it's a good fit.
A
Yeah, I mean if you look at the last four or five or six coaches left, Sean Payton and Vrabel were the big names. Number one coach available. Giants just got that in John Harbaugh, Mike McDonald was the hot coach. D' Amico Ryan's was the hot coach. Ben Johnson for like three years was the hot coach. So that we have something that we know to be true. It's what we learned this year. Hire one of the best two coaches, don't worry about comfort. Hire one of the best two coaches and you have to negotiate the best team friendly deal you can at quarterback because Mahomes didn't make the playoffs and Josh Allen got bounced and Lamar didn't make the playoffs and Burrow didn't make the playoffs and Herbert got bounced. That's the react. I mean I like Trevor Lawrence but he's making a lot of money in Jacksonville. If he was still in that rookie deal, they'd have another elite corner, probably a first ballot hall of fame left tackle and they probably win that close game potentially with Buffalo. So that's where we are. All right, Joe Brady, Bills. J. Mack, what is your initial kind of gut feeling on the guy in house for the Bills?
B
Yeah.
C
Obviously you want somebody that's going to vibe with Josh Allen and that's clear that they've done that. But kind of uninspiring to me. Colin again. We saw him in Carolina. Not really. Thrive was awesome at LSU with Joe Burrow. I don't know what we're going to get. I don't know how he's going to fix that defense. Yeah, they don't have I think the super bowl window. I know people don't want to hear this. The reality super bowl windows closed. I called this on the Lions last year. I called this on the Chiefs. I'm just telling you, like you look at this Bill's roster. Colin I both their two best linebackers are free agents. They're an old roster. Yeah, they're like 28th in run defense. Like you can't fix that stuff overnight. Josh Allen's contract expensive wide receiver rooms terrible. I don't think they're an elite team in the afc.
A
Yeah, I think they'll be good. I think they'll be because Josh Allen guarantees that Dion Dawkins, James Cook, the good tight ends, they'll, they've got some talent on offense, they'll score some points. They have a weather friendly new facility now, right? Little less wind, little less snow, they're going to win games. But I think Buffalo's beyond that. I think Pittsburgh's beyond that. So Bills and Steelers went with comfort.
C
Yeah, that's what I do at night when I sit down. I'm disappointed that the Lakers barely won against the Bulls and I'll have some ice cream, some comfort food to make me happy, you know, at night. And that's doesn't always work good on the midsection.
A
You're right. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. Hey, it's Ben, host of the Fifth Hour with Ben Maller. Would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth Hour? I'll tell you, it's a spin off of the Ben Ma Show, a cold hit overnights on fsr. Why should you listen?
B
Picture, if you will, a world where.
A
We chat with captains of industry in media, sports and more every week. Explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Colin Coward from the Herd. Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you'll definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories for My Heart Media's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. Mind the business is part entertainment, part instruction manual, part inspiration. Each episode features practical tips and success stories that will resonate with entrepreneurs in any industry. In their latest season, hosts Austin Henkowitz and Janie Torres are covering topics on the forefront of running a small business. They're talking to self starters about everything from how AI helps them with work smarter to weathering market uncertainties and enjoying the benefits of being your own boss and using Inuit QuickBooks to help you get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it. Listen to Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
B
Hey, everybody, it's Tony Robbins. Look, the time is here. It's 2026, and everybody talks about having a new year and a new life. But what do most people do? They create a few resolutions, and in the end, they don't really do anything. If you want this to be the best year you've ever had in your life, it's going to take a new tool, a new strategy, a new momentum, and maybe a new community of people to hang out with. So come join me for the Time to Rise Summit. I do it only once a year. It's coming up January 29th through the 31st. There's absolutely no charge for it, but it'll be an experience I promise you. You will not forget. It'll give you momentum, a plan, and a strategy to make 2026 the best ever. If you're up for that and you're hungry for more, come join me. There's no cost for it whatsoever. Just go to time to riseummit.com time to riseummit.com I'll see you then.
A
New year, new goals. And in this economy, a better money plan is more necessary than ever. I am Matt. And I'm Joel. We are from the how to Money podcast. And every week we help you to spend smarter, sa and make sense of what's going on out there. If you want 2026 to be the year you finally feel in control of your money, we're here to give you the tools and advice to help you make it happen. Listen to how to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have? Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car? When you look at your car, you're.
B
Gonna become overwhelmed with such a good feelings.
A
Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused.
C
Can you get someone to join your cult?
A
NLP was used on me to access my subconscious.
C
Nlp, AKA Neuro Linguistic programming, is a.
A
Blend of hypnosis, linguistics, and psychology. Fans say it's like finally getting a.
C
User manual for your brain.
A
It's about engineering consciousness. Mind games is the story of nlp, its crazy cast of disciples, and the fake doctor who invented it at a.
C
New age commune and sold it to guys in suits.
A
He stood trial for murder and got acquitted. The biggest mind game of all, NLP Might actually work. This is wild. Listen to mind Games on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome back. If I ever want to win an argument with somebody, the best thing to do isn't talk. The best thing to do is listen and use their words against them. And here's a prime example. There's an article today. Why did the Vikings move off Sam Darnold? According to the report, even though he won 14 games last year and led the Vikings to the playoffs, which shocked everybody, he struggled in, quote, several big games. Their words, Minnesota's words. Several big game. Okay, let me ask you. When the Vikings play the packers, is that a big game? It's usually the biggest game of the weekend. Regardless of whose quarterbacks Darnold went 2 and oh against the Packers, 75% completion percentage in two games. 326 yards a game ate them alive. It was 2 and oh, in those games are the Bears Vikings big games. Of course. It's a division game. 2 and oh against the Bears average 286 yards a game. By the way, one of those was on Monday Night Football in a Vikings Bears game. Standalone game on Monday Night Football qualifies. Is a pretty big game. 4. No, Green Bay, Chicago. Darnold did in Minnesota. Their words, not mine. Several big games. All right, well, let's go to division overall. Okay. It was 4 and 2 with a 96 passer rating. And the NFC north in 2024 had the highest winning percentage of any division in NFL history. So he swept the Packers. He sweeps the bears. He goes 4 and 2 with a 96 pass already just in division games. Well, Colin, Colin, Colin. What about the other ones? Okay, I went and looked at those against playoff teams in 2024. Those feel like big games. Darnold had a 106 passer rating. That's higher than Josh Allen, who was the mvp, higher than Mahomes and Stafford. Mahomes got to a Super Bowl. So he. He was great against playoff teams. He was perfect against the Bears and the Packers. But in several big games, he let him down. No, let's be honest. He stunk. In the last regular season game, which was the biggest game in Detroit arguably of my life, it was the biggest home game for Detroit with a chance to get the number one seed in my adult life, and they beat the hell out of him. And Sam didn't play well. What about the Rams game the next week? Well, the Rams sacked him nine times. Minnesota could not protect Sam Darnold. He fell behind and was trying to make something happen. So if you want to say he struggled in two games back to back at the end of the season, that's one thing. But he did not struggle in several big games. Hit a better passer rating than the MVP against playoff teams, swept the packers, swept the Bears. And for the record, Detroit gave him problems. Detroit's got a better roster than two years ago Minnesota did. So I just. I'll just say this. You want to win an argument, listen to the words the arguer uses. Well, it's several big games. Sam Darnold in the last four teams he's played with Carolina, San Francisco, Minnesota, Seattle has the highest winning percentage of any quarterback in the NFL. Different team, different roster, different coach, didn't coordinator, different receivers, different this, different that, different that. He wins. So, and let's be honest about this, it wasn't about Sam stinking. Sam was in the MVP race in week 14. It was about. You went and got J.J. mcCarthy. J.J. mcCarthy can't stay healthy, got a little better this past year, which is encouraging, play it better. But you were interested in Sam Darnold. You didn't like the price. And the gm, John Snyder's like, yeah, I'll take the price. And they won. Sam moves back west where he's from. So this. But it's just interesting when you read the story of why did the Vikings let him go. Well, he struggled in a lot of big games. First of all, it's the NFL. I just watched Josh Allen lose to Denver and have what, four turnovers? This stuff is hard. When you get to the final games, the weather's bad, you're facing great teams. It's hard. It's a hard league, even for the great quarterbacks. So, yes, I've always been a Darnold fan, but there is this, there is this sort of just reflective or it's, it's. The minute you say Darnold, it's, wow, he's reckless, man. He's bad in big games. It's just not true. It is just not true. He just played flawlessly against the Rams, their great defensive coordinator and a stacked defensive front. Here's Drew Brees yesterday on the the Darnold journey so far in his career. Sam Darnold wouldn't be the player or person he is right now if it wasn't for going through the adversity that he went through in New York and Carolina. Same with Baker Mayfield. I'm sure he would say the same things. I've heard those guys talk about those things. I know it was that way for me with the San Diego Chargers. You know, I got people forget. I got benched three times with Marty Schottheimer in 2003. That was not a good experience.
B
Right.
A
That was like a shot to the confidence. And yet it's also what helped the fire burn, you know, even, even hotter as my career went on. Always feeling like as something to prove, chip on the shoulder. And you just feel that with Sam Donald. But he's handled it with a lot of class. He certainly has. So as I Minnesota rolled the dice. Minnesota said yeah, we drafted this guy. We gave up a couple of picks for jj we're going to stay with him. I get it, I get it. But let's not lay it on Sam that oh boy in big games. You couldn't trust him in Minnesota until that last regular season game against Detroit. Had he been great in that game. He'd gotten multiple MVP votes. Every quarterback during the course of the. I mean Patrick Mahomes hasn't played well for two years. Go look at his numbers. J. Mac's been on this for two years. Mahomes has not been great for two years. I could certainly argue he's been bad in a lot of big games, including the Super Bowl. That's not it. That is, that is just this immediate. You say Darnold, you think reckless big games just not true. Rams had his number. Then this past weekend, suddenly even they didn't. J. Mac with the news.
B
No, no, no. Turn on the news.
C
This is the third line news. Let's go to that Joe Brady news in Buffalo. He is only 36 years old. That's wild. I did not realize he was that young. He's been on the Buffalo staff since 2022. After flopping in Carolina, he was promoted to full time OC in 2024. Yeah, as he. He was a finalist for the assistant coach of the year award. Colin, you know I love a good ranking. So there are three job openings left.
A
Okay.
C
Would you put the of the people who have locked into their teams, would you put Joe Brady among the best three hires so far of this cycle?
A
Well, I think I just based on resume you'd have to say John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski two time coach of the year.
C
Agreed.
A
Are the top two hires. I would say Jesse Minter qualifies as sort of the Mike McDonald McVeigh of this cycle. D' Amico Ryan's where people have been talking about Jesse Minner for four years. They were talking about Ben Johnson for four years. So let's say Harbaugh and Stefanski's resumes. I mean you win in Cleveland, you win playoff games in Cleveland, you get Shadour Sedaners should her Sanders do a Pro bowl in Cleveland. Say what you want. Stefanski's number two to Harbaugh who's got a trophy. I think three is the Jesse Minter hire again talked about for several years as a guy that's going to be a. And then at. At four you can. I think Robert Sala is better than people give it credit for. I think the Robert Sale a hire is a very strong hire in my opinion. Tons of cap space. Sala is great defensively, can build a culture, has a really talented quarterback on a rookie deal. If I had to pick somebody beyond the Giants next year as my surprise team, I'm not going to pick them yet. But Tennessee is in the running of four or five teams.
C
I like it.
A
I think Joe Brady is fine. But there's two hires here that feel like comfort hires. McCarthy and Brady doesn't make them bad. They could both win. In fact I would argue they will both win. One because of Josh Allen, the other because he's a capable coach. But if I said to you name the coaching hire so far that feel comfortable to the team. Buffalo. Pittsburgh.
C
Yeah. Offense was never the issue this season with Buffalo column. I mean look at their final game. Would they hang on Denver 30 something points.
A
Yeah.
C
500 yards of offense. Like offense wasn't the problem. We'll see if the new voice changes anything. I'm. I'm a little dubious. All right, let's move to Cleveland. Oh boy, the land. One of the many nicknames for the factory of sadness. Colin. The latest report about their head coaching vacancy is Jim Schwartz. The D.C. in Cleveland is gaining momentum to be the new head coach. Schwartz, you may have remembered was the coach of the Detroit lions. He went 29 and 51. I'm fairly certain those were some lean Stafford years. But they did get to the playoffs once and I'm almost certain they lost that game to Dallas. There was some questionable officiating. If my bankroll remembers it correctly, Schwartz has been with the Browns since 2023. I'll let you go first.
A
Yeah, I don't think he was. I mean was. Was he one of the top two candidates? No. Was he the hot young candidate? No. That's what's winning. So he's not. He doesn't qualify for either of those. He's not the top coach or second top coach on the market and he's not the young guy like Jesse Minter. People are very excited about Jesse Minter. The Ravens had him. He left the building. They got him back the minute they could. So I don't think he qualifies as one of those two groups. But you know, Joe Brady and Mike McCarthy don't. And I do think Joe Brady will win double digit games in Buffalo. I do. They just don't have any cap space because of, you know, because of Josh Allen's $56 million salary.
C
Yeah, I got, I got a couple of buddies in Ohio. They are lamenting this news. Colin, this is, like you said, uninspiring. Everybody wants shiny new things. There's a passing game coordinator that the Rams have who's hot. A lot of Cleveland fans were begging for Clint Kubiak of the Seahawks. That's clearly not going to happen now as they're in the Super Bowl. Well, it just feels like this is kind of uninspiring.
A
Well, the, the Cleveland coaching search was odd. So you let go of a two time coach of the year and according to reports, the Cleveland Browns wanted you as one of the least interesting jobs and least desirable jobs. They were demanding you write an essay on why you think that's the story. I'm not making this up. That was the story. They wanted you to write an essay on what qualified you for the job. Which is a strange ask when you're not that desirable a position. When the Ravens is open, the Bills is open, the Giants is open. Atlanta with very good ownership, makes the playoffs, is, is, was open. And Cleveland, I mean, and even the Raiders get Fernando Mendoza. So that's very attractive. Right? That's, that's kind of attractive. You get a very talented number one pick quarterback, four years, you're not paying him anything. I just, I have pity in life for burn victims and orphans and people who have gone through horrible things in life. I struggle to feel bad for people who kept stepping in it, keeps stepping in it. And I feel like Cleveland just keeps stepping in it, drafting Johnny Manziel and Freddy Kitchens and then letting Stefanski go. It's like it's hard for me to have sympathy for Cleveland when they do this.
C
Yeah, it's weird the way you frame that about like the Browns are asking people to write an essay. I remember one of my first college job interviews. Right after college I had to fly to a town called Bay City, Michigan. Have you heard of it?
A
No.
C
It's super tiny, but I'm like a young guy and I'm looking around the newsroom. It's all these old people. I'm like, what is there to do in this town? You basically, I'm asking them, can you sell me on coming here? They're like, we want you.
A
Here's an offer.
C
And I'm like, what am I doing? I'm not going here. I'm a young guy.
B
I don't.
C
It just feels like Cleveland and Haslam, they continuously have bungled things.
A
Very tough job.
C
Yeah.
A
Door Sanders isn't great, but he's popular. It's very Thiebaud esque, although he's been other Tebow. So it's. It's one of those situations where the quarterback's not really trait wise great, but he's really popular. And so you've got to play that game and you've got impulsive ownership and the roster is not very good. It's a hard job and you're in a division where, you know, Joe Burrow plays and Lamar Jackson plays and the Steelers usually have pretty good personnel. So I, I just don't. It's uninspired. Maybe he'll win a bunch of games. It feels uninspired.
C
Does it feel like they didn't have a game plan when they fired Stefanski? A little, yeah. Final story Colin Mike Vrabel and the Patriots somehow made the super bowl easy schedule. Face Jared Situm in the AFC title game. Unbelievable. Anyways, he had a pretty cool approach in training camp. He wanted each of his players to start with four Hs. He wanted to know their hopes, history, heroes and heartbreak. That's kind of nerdy, but also somewhat cool. Several players say that starting this, instead of diving right into the playbooks, it helped kind of develop team chemistry. Wide receiver Kayshawn Booty. When you know what a guy beside you went through in order to be here today, it makes you want to play for them even more. It all started with Vrabel, so I like that idea and attitude from Vrabel. Do you want to tell us your. Your heroes?
A
Not really.
C
Stefan Diggs, tell me about your Buffalo heartbreak. Losing to the the Chiefs every year in the playoffs. Not. Not a bad strategy.
A
Well, team building, baby. I think Drew Brees talked about that yesterday on the show. You're hiring a CEO now, not a play caller. If you can get a CEO that can do a little play calling, that's great. But you know, I was thinking about that Buffalo situation. If I'm asking you today, who is the better coach today, Joe Brady or Sean McDermott? Oh, come on. That's savvy. Well, for Me.
C
Sorry. For me, I would take McDermott.
A
Sorry. Okay, who's better, Kevin Stefanski or Jim Schwartz?
C
Stefanski.
A
Isn't it interesting now, when New England hired a coach, who was better, Gerard Mayer or Mike Vrabel? Okay, so the point being is when you hired Vrabel, whether or not he was going to be the best coach in the league, it was a massive upgrade. That's why you get rid of a coach. There was nobody on the market that was going to be a massive upgrade from Kevin Stefanski. Now Baltimore can argue we think Jesse Minter is a cultural Upgrade from Harbaugh. 18 years. You know, a lot of the stories get old. That's what Seattle felt. Pete had been there. Players had heard the stories. You want to upgrade. When it comes to a coaching cert, do you believe the coach you are hiring is a notable and inarguable and not debatable upgrade over the last coach? Do we know that with Joe Brady? Do we know that with Joe Brady and Sean McDermott? We do not. Did we know what Gerard Mayo and Vrabel? Yes. Did we know Matt Eber Flu Spencer? Absolutely. Nat Hackett and Peyton? Absolutely. Just ask yourself, who was the last guy here? Who's the guy I hired? Is it an inarguable upgrade? When the answer is yes, usually good things happen.
C
And that's a great point. Because everybody wanted the jets to fire Aaron Glenn. I don't think anybody would have been clamoring for this job. And so I don't know if it's an upgrade. I'm fine with keeping Glenn, but like Salah, huge upgrade over Callahan. Was it Callahan?
A
Whoever the young coach was, I think Robert Saleh qualifies. Is a big upgrade. That that's the one coaching hire that's getting no discussion. Which I actually think if I. Today I told you, I think the New York Giants are one of my two picks to double their win total and more this morning. I don't have a second. Tennessee would probably be the leader in the clubhouse with Salah. I think Cam Ward's really talented and they got a lot of cap space. A lot.
C
I agree.
A
J. Mac, with the news.
C
Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by. The Herd lie news.
A
Sometimes in sports or politics, we frame our debates based on how much we like the coach, the quarterback or the politician involved. Is Sean McVeigh of the Rams getting a little pass because we like him. That's next. The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. I'm Colin Coward from the Herd Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you'll definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories for My Heart Media's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. Mind the business is part entertainment, part instruction manual, part inspiration. Each episode features practical tips and success stories that will resonate with entrepreneurs in any industry. In their latest season, hosts Austin Henkwitz and Janie Torres are covering topics on the forefront of running a small business. They're talking to self starters about everything from how AI helps them work smarter to weathering market uncertainties and enjoying the benefits of being your own boss. And using Inuit QuickBooks to help you get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it. Listen to Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
B
Everybody, It's Tony Robbins. Look, the time is here. It's 2026 and everybody talks about having a new year and a new life. But what do most people do? They create a few resolutions and in the end they don't really do anything. If you want this to be the best year you've ever had in your life, it's going to take a new tool, a new strategy, a new momentum, and maybe a new community of people to hang out with. So come join me for the Time to Rise Summit. I do it only once a year. It's coming up January 29th through the 31st. There's absolutely no charge for it, but it'll be an experience I promise you you will not forget. It'll give you a momentum, a plan, and a strategy to make 2026 the best ever. If you're up for that, you're hungry for more, come join me. There's no cost for it whatsoever. Just go to time to riseummit.com time to riseummit.com I'll see you there.
A
New Year, New Goals and In this economy, a better money plan is more necessary than ever. I am Matt and I'm Joel. We are from the how to Money podcast and every week we help you to spend smarter, save more, and make sense of what's going on out there. If you want 2026 to be the year you finally feel in control of your money, we're here to give you the tools and advice to help you make it happen. Listen to how to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. New Year, New vibe. You want the warmth of a drink that smooth little kick. But you also want to wake up tomorrow feeling amazing. That's where RK comes in. RK is the world's first zero proof spirits brand and they invented the war molecule, giving you the burn of whiskey or tequila without a Dr. Alcohol. Start the year strong with 28 bold zero proof spirits, zero calories, zero sugar, zero regrets, so you can celebrate big and still keep your resolutions on track. Start the year right. Join the Zero Proof Resolution at rkbeverages.com Saturday on Fox.
C
They come from all over for the 150th Westminster Kennel Club show. The nose to nose battle for top dog begins with the Masters agility championship Saturday, 4:30 Eastern on Fox.
A
So what I'm about to say I think is pretty true. If you don't like like our current president, you just don't like his personality, then you don't want to hear about his policies. And that's always if you didn't like the previous guy, Biden, you don't want to hear about his policies. You don't like him for whatever reason. It's the same with athletes. A lot of you just don't like LeBron. He's arguably the best basketball player ever. I was in last night. I went to the game, Bulls, Lakers, second best player on both rosters, LeBron James. And for the first quarter he was the best player. He's great. So people love Sean McVay. I love Sean McVeigh. People don't like Sean Payton as much. Little cocky, little snarky. I like, I like Sean Payton, too. But it is interesting. So one coach is getting hammered for a fourth down call. The other gets a pass. So let's talk about Denver first. I would have kicked a field goal. But this needs to be said. Denver was playing at home. Denver has the first or second highest rated offensive line. Sean Payton's an elite play caller and it was early in the game and all they had to get was 1 yard with an excellent offensive line. They're at home now. I didn't like the call at all, putting it in the hands of Jarrett Stidham, Bo Nix, I would go for it and I'd have no problem. If you're going to do Jarrett Stidham, do a run, get behind your offensive line. Don't roll out Jarrett Stidham. But what's interesting, analytically, it was kind of a coin flip. The analytics didn't overwhelmingly tell you field goal, although they preferred it slightly. Now let's go to the Rams going for it. It wasn't fourth and one. It was fourth and four. You weren't the home team, you were the road team. In fact, it's so loud in Seattle, Matt Stafford at midfield has to kneel down because he can't hear. What do you think it sounds like in the end zone? It's the loudest place in the league. It's not 4 and 1. It's 4 and 4. The Seahawks D line is higher rated than the Rams O line. So you don't have the Broncos O line advantage. It's not fourth and one. It's fourth and four. It's not at home. It's on the road. And yet McVeigh total pass. Now, analytics do tell you to go for it here, but it's not 90 10. It's like 46, 38. It's like an 8 to 10% swing. You should go for it. I defended both coaches yesterday going for it. I just didn't like Sean Payton's call at all. Don't put it in the hands of Stidham. Bo Nick's rolling rights different than Jared Stidham rolling.
B
Right?
A
Right. Bo Nix is really athletic. Jared Stidham's a guy. Right. So. But it is interesting, the analytics. I look at Sean McVeigh. Remember the Rams had stopped Seattle on the previous drive. So there's certainly an argument that let's just kick a field goal, get within one. We stopped him on the previous drive. I like how my defense is playing. You can certainly make that argument. And even the analytics weren't overwhelmingly, you gotta go for it. You're on the road. Not only on the road, you're in the end zone. It's the Seahawks defense. Oh, by the way, your quarterback, Matt Stafford is one of the least mobile quarterbacks in the league. So if the play design, the play call doesn't work, you're screwed. You don't get a second and third play like Caleb Williams, Josh Lamar Mahal. You don't get that. You are very much in a Jared Goff situation. The play a call has to work or you're screwed. On the road against Seattle. Not 4th and 1, 4th and 4. So I defended both coaches because I don't like beating coaches up for play calling. I think these coaches, you got to get a lot of buy in from your players. And if you're always punting for the record, it should be noted that compared to 15 years ago, coaches go for it twice as often on fourth down as they used to. So it's just a trend in sports. Dan Campbell's entire brand is going for it. But I think Dan Campbell going for it. He loves to hand that ball off to running backs or have a clever play. He didn't have Goff rolling out, Jared Stidham rolling out. Is Jared Goff rolling out? Basically that's never going to be my call. I like. But it is interesting. Denver's at home. Denver's got a great O line. It's only fourth and one. It's early in the game. It probably isn't going to decide anything. Right. And that's considered horrible. And McVeigh is like, yeah, of course you go for it. When I was sitting there, my take was I didn't have a bother a problem going for it. But I thought 4th and 4 in the end zone in Seattle against a great secondary. I'm like, man, that's a. I didn't have a lot of confidence in it. I'll say that. Here's Mike Vrabel on Wei in Boston talking about Sean Payton's decision. I don't mind being aggressive. You just. I think the biggest thing is trying to predict the flow of the game and what that's going to look like.
B
And how many points do you think.
A
That you're going to need to eventually win the football game. We've gone forward and gotten it. We've gone forward and not gotten it. Obviously when you get it, it looks like a great decision, but the other side of the court is that you don't get it. And you know now the reaction and the response of what happens after that. Yeah, I'm generally, I think going for it is. Especially if I think the quarterback is good. I just didn't like Sean Payton putting it in the hands of a very marginally athletic Jarrett Stidham rolling out. I didn't like that play at all. They would have handed it off on fourth and one and a half and the line got stymied and hammered. The Denver's O lines like one of the best in the league. The Rams is good, but it's not as good as Denver's. So there you go, fourth down. To say the other thing about analytics, because it's. I said this, like analytics is very interesting. I went and watched the Bulls and the Lakers last night. No defense in the first half, a little bit of Laker defense in the second, none in the first half. So analytics don't measure everything. And here's what they didn't measure last night in that game. Nobody cared. Nobody cares in January about playing defense in the first half of games. I mean the Lakers were shooting like 60 some percent in the first half. I mean they were just getting wide open shots. Analytics don't measure everything. We know once you get to the NBA playoffs, the mid range game becomes much more important. And once you get to the postseason in football, analytics don't talk a lot about weather. One of the reasons I would have gone for it in Denver's case is they had to have some weather reports. Teams always do, knowing the weather was going to get worse and it was already cold and a little windy. There's another reason that it just kicked Sean Payton. I just kicked the field goal. Take a 10 nothing league. We could get ourselves into a windy, sloppy, cold, snowy second half where that field goal matters a lot. But I do think it's often interesting whether it's presidents or it's coaches or players. Do you like the guy? You're much more willing to defend the guy. And McVeigh's got a very good reputation and everybody likes him. So there you go. Nick Wright showing up next hour. RG3 showing up last hour.
C
Can I, can I ask you a quick question about that Lakers Bulls game? So I was watching it out here in LA and you know Luka Doncic went for I believe 46 on like 24 shots or something. Efficient. How is he not the MVP of the league at this point? He has eight 40 point games this season. He's unbelievable.
A
Oh yeah.
C
And how is he not the mvp?
A
You know, you know my takeaway watching that game, the New England Patriots went from unwatchable to the super bowl because you can do that in the NFL because you can trade anybody you want. The Chicago Bulls have been bad for a decade plus and they're a mile and a half from being great. They need four more high players. The NBA limits the trades you can make. There's only so much you can do. And in the NFL where the Patriots draft 23 year old men, five of their rookies, six of their rookies for the Patriots have been highly productive. In the NBA you draft a 19 year old kid who even if he's wimby, is going to be on a game restriction, a minute restriction, a value restriction. And so I'm watching that game last night and my takeaway is, you know, Luca scored 46. I mean it was, it was the easiest 46 you've ever seen in your life. Easy as relative to, you know, other games. They've just like they didn't. Chicago doesn't defend much, especially this time January NBA season. But my other Takeaway is if you want to know why the NFL is king. It's the league of hope, is that you can be awful. You can literally be the Bears and the Patriots six months later, free agent. You hire the right coach, you get the quarterback elevated. Through coaching, you can play for a Super bowl or get damn close to it. The Bulls have been bad forever. There's no way out. There's nothing they can do to get out of that. They're not close. Most of the fans last night were cheering for LeBron.
C
And of course, yeah, I mean, listen, essentially, you don't want to say everybody that's mediocre should tank, but that's what you're looking at in the NBA. This draft is so loaded. Last night, I'm sure you watched Co opit at Arizona. You got the kid Debancer from B White. There's so many. There's like a six potential stars and all it takes is one. Chicago just hasn't had that luck in the draft lately.
A
They have. Nick Wright is stopping by. Tom of next hour. It is a Tuesday. Super bowl is set.
B
Hey, everybody, it's Tony Robbins. Look, the time is here. It's 2026, and everybody talks about having a new year and a new life. But what do most people do? They create a few resolutions and in the end, they don't really do anything. If you want this to be the best year you've ever had in your life, it's going to take a new tool, a new strategy, a new momentum, and maybe a new community of people to hang out with. So come join me for the Time to Rise Summit. I do it only once a year. It's coming up January 29th through the 31st. There's absolutely no charge for it, but it'll be an experience I promise you, you will not forget. It'll give you a momentum, a plan and a strategy to make 2026 the best ever. If you're up for that, you're hungry for more, come join me. There's no cost for it whatsoever. Just go to Time to Rise Summit co time to riseummit.com I'll see you then.
A
Hey, it's Joel and Matt from how to Money. If your New Year's resolution is to finally get your finances in shape, we've got your back prices, they're still high, and the economy is all over the place. But 2026 is the year for you to get intentional and make real progress. That's right. Yeah. Each week we break down what's happening with your money. The most important issues to focus on and the small moves that make a big kick off the year with confidence. Listen to how to Money on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. What if mind control is real? If you could control the behavior of anybody around you, what kind of life would you have?
C
Can you hypnotically persuade someone to buy a car?
A
When you look at your car, you're.
B
Gonna become overwhelmed with such good feelings.
A
Can you hypnotize someone into sleeping with you? I gave her some suggestions to be sexually aroused. Can you get someone to join your cult? NLP was used on me to access my subconscious mind games. A new podcast exploring nlp, AKA Neuro Linguistic Programming. Is it a self help miracle, a shady hypnosis scam, or both?
C
Listen to mind Games on the iHeartRadio.
A
App, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Premier Protein it's for getting after life, not just Fitness. With 30 grams of protein, 160 calories.
B
And no sugar added, helping people fuel their joyful lives with Premier Protein, you.
A
Can say yes to more. Whether it's crushing a big presentation at.
B
Work, building an epic fort with the kids, or hitting the hiking trail with friends, Premier Protein offers delicious flavors like cafe latte, chocolate, caramel, vanilla, strawberry and.
C
Cake batter, to name a few. Find your favorite flavor@premierprotein.com this is an iHeart podcast.
A
Guaranteed human.
Main Topics:
This episode centers on the NFL’s recent head coaching moves, focusing on the Buffalo Bills’ hire of Joe Brady and the Steelers’ hire of Mike McCarthy. Colin compares these "comfort hires" to teams taking big swings on “hot market” coaches, lays out what winning organizations do differently, and critiques the logic behind these moves. The segment also revisits Sam Darnold’s journey and how public narratives can often shape — or misrepresent — a quarterback’s legacy. The hour closes with a discussion about decision-making, analytics, and the perhaps too-easy treatment of favored coaches like Sean McVay.
[02:32–16:02 | 27:11–29:48]
“Buffalo doesn’t want fine.” (Colin, 10:25)
“Bills and Steelers went with comfort.” (Colin, 16:02)
[12:55–16:02]
[03:40–14:56 | 27:19–35:56]
“Hire one of the best two coaches, don’t worry about comfort.” (Colin, 13:47)
“When it comes to a coaching search, do you believe the coach you are hiring is a notable and not debatable upgrade over the last coach?... When the answer is yes, usually good things happen.” (Colin, 35:17)
[19:59–26:39]
[27:19–29:48 | 30:55–35:56]
[29:48–33:17]
[40:16–47:47]
“I defended both coaches because I don’t like beating coaches up for play calling... But it is interesting, the analytics. ... Do you like the guy? You're much more willing to defend the guy.” (Colin, 47:12)
For fans seeking a sharp, opinionated, detail-rich rundown on the NFL coaching carousel, Sam Darnold’s misunderstood career arc, and why some teams keep spinning their wheels, this episode delivers.