THE HERD - Hour 1 - Yankees need clutch hitting, Dodgers bullpen is a mess, Eagles offensive struggles

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd — Hour 1 Summary

Date: October 1, 2025
Topics Covered: Yankees postseason woes & clutch hitting, Dodgers’ bullpen problems, the Eagles’ offensive struggles, and notable NFL/college football updates.

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Overview:

Hour 1 of today’s episode delivers Colin’s signature high-energy analysis of headline sports stories, with a primary focus on baseball’s postseason drama surrounding the Yankees and Dodgers. Colin and guest/co-host Jason McIntyre ("J. Mac") also dive into NFL narratives—especially concerns about the Eagles and injuries affecting the 49ers and Ravens. The episode features trademark Herd banter, data-driven opinions, and memorable metaphors.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Yankees’ Postseason Struggles: Clutch Hitting & Manager Decisions

Main Theme:
The Yankees’ loss to the Red Sox in game one was a classic case of second-guessing the manager; Colin argues that anger at Aaron Boone is misdirected—baseball playoffs come down to high-leverage moments and roster flaws, notably clutch hitting and bullpen depth.

Breakdown & Insights:

• Aaron Boone Under Fire:
  Yankee fans are "pinata-ing" Boone for late-game pitching decisions and lineup choices.
  “He didn’t start Jazz Chisholm or Ben Rice... but that’s gonna get second-guessed if you lose.” (Colin Cowherd, 03:07)
• Boone’s Rationale:
  Pulled Max Fried at ~100 pitches due to command issues, after laboring through high-pitch innings.

  “Aaron Boone travels with a team, he knows his team. And his take was he didn’t have great command… I want to get out of here.” (Colin Cowherd, 05:28)

• Game-Changing Moments:
  • Bullpen collapse in the 7th (Luke Weaver faltering).
  • “Historically weird” bottom of the ninth: Yankees loaded the bases but didn’t score, Aroldis Chapman struck out Giancarlo Stanton in a $325M at-bat.
• Statistical Context:
  Yankees used to be elite in RISP (runners in scoring position) but now sit 12th, chasing home runs instead.

  “From ‘96 to 2001… great team hitting with RISP… now they’re 12th, obsessed with the home run.” (Colin Cowherd, 19:23)

• Spending Philosophy:
  Debate on whether Yankees’ patient, methodical approach (keeping Cashman/Boone) is working versus other NY franchises’ chaos (Knicks, Giants, Jets).

Notable Quotes & Timestamps:

• “Baseball playoffs… come down to moments. One of those moments is in the seventh inning. Max Fried was really rolling, and people go, ‘Wow, how do you pull him?’ But he had a 24-pitch inning, a 20-pitch inning. Boone knows more than you or I do.” (Colin, 04:50)
• “No team’s ever loaded the bases bottom of the ninth and not scored at least one. That’s playoff baseball.” (Colin, 04:14)
• “The Yankees are a three-point shooting NBA team that doesn’t really defend.” (Colin, 13:43)

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2. Dodgers’ Big Bats vs. Bullpen Problems

Main Theme:
The Dodgers rely on superstar hitting to overcome a consistently disastrous bullpen—an unsustainable formula as the playoffs progress.

Breakdown & Insights:

• Star Contributions:
  Massive first-inning home runs from Shohei Ohtani, Teoscar Hernandez; Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman hit consistently.

  “Your stars, your money players delivered, you got solid starting pitching and the bullpen was awful. And that’s the Dodgers.” (Colin, 09:33)

• Bullpen Issues:
  Blew an 8-0 lead, bullpen required 59 pitches for three outs in the 8th.
• Grim Outlook:
  Dodgers likely to win their series due to talent and payroll, but their inability to close games with the bullpen leaves them vulnerable.

  “Dodger fans don’t trust the bullpen. The Dodgers’ bullpen doesn’t trust the bullpen.” (Colin, 08:22)

• Comparing to the Yankees:
  Dodgers have offense, speed, and flexibility—their “deficiency” is the bullpen. Yankees, on the other hand, lack clutch hitting and make poor use of high payroll.

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3. Yankees’ Past vs. Present: Forgotten Small Ball

Main Theme:
Colin draws contrasts between the 1996–2001 championship Yankees—who excelled at situational hitting and baseball IQ—and the current roster, calling them “lopsided.”

Breakdown & Insights:

• “When they were dominating, Jeter wasn’t a big HR hitter. Bernie Williams, Paul O’Neill—good starting pitching, hit with RISP, took extra bases.” (Colin, 19:32)
• Now, Yankees are 13th in HRs but obsessed with power; neglecting contact hitting and sacrifices, bottom of the league in strikeouts.

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4. Philadelphia Eagles: Offensive Crisis Under the Surface

Main Theme:
The Eagles are 4-0 but have serious offensive issues—A.J. Brown's involvement plummeted, defense regressed, and point differential warns of trouble.

Breakdown & Insights:

• A.J. Brown’s Discontent:
  Averaging just three catches and 38 yards over the last nine games.

  “Winning cures everything. There are exceptions… Last nine games, including the playoffs, they can’t get the ball to AJ Brown.” (Colin, 21:57)

• Offensive Predictability:
  Opponents now stacking the box, neutralizing Saquon Barkley, forcing Hurts to throw.
• Team Structure:
  Team chemistry balanced last year by winning and spreading the ball around; now, with adversity, underlying rifts emerge.
• Potential Drama:
  “The only thing that blows up a great, dominant roster is drama. And what’s the most dramatic position in the NFL? Wide receiver.” (Colin, 24:18)
• Brian Baldinger’s Analysis:

  “The thing about AJ is, his mentality is like an offensive tackle. He wants to obliterate the guy in front of him. If he doesn’t get that chance, that frustrates him.” (Baldinger, 23:07)

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5. NFL Updates: 49ers Injuries, Ravens QB Woes, and Bears’ Shaky Progress

49ers Injury Watch – Thursday Night Football

• 49ers vs. Rams:
  Heavy injury concerns. Brock Purdy and key starters questionable; Rams now favored by 7.
• Rams’ Resurgence:
  “No question, for the next three years, this is going to be a Rams series.” (Colin, 26:15)
• 49ers Defensive Struggles:
  “If you’re not getting pressure… Matt Stafford will kill you.” (Jason McIntyre, 27:24)
• QB Play:
  "I'm not sure dinged-up Brock Purdy is better than Mac Jones right now." (Colin, 27:56)

Ravens QB Situation

• Lamar Jackson Out:
  Out 2–3 weeks. Drastic line move against Texans—Ravens go from favorites to underdogs.
• Shaduer Sanders’ Missed Opportunity:
  Baltimore wanted Shaduer in the draft; Jason says he’d be starting now over Cooper Rush if he’d joined.

Bears’ Winning Ugly

• Ben Johnson on Bears’ Run Game:

  “It was just a mess, man. I’m just not proud of what we put on tape.” (Ben Johnson, 31:59)

• Colin on Bears:
  “If you get four turnovers, three picks, you gotta win going away… That was a mess.” (Colin, 32:49)
• Upcoming Schedule:
  Despite preseason strength, the schedule is now “normal” rather than daunting with winnable games upcoming.

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6. Aaron Rodgers “Underrated” by Metrics

Main Theme:
Colin defends Aaron Rodgers against PFF’s claims that he’s the lowest-graded QB—arguing he’s playing the smart, risk-averse "Chris Paul" role for a new team with a solid defense.

Key Points:

• PFF ranks Rodgers last due to lack of ‘big-time throws’ and air yards.
• Colin’s Rebuttal:

  “I’m going to defend Aaron Rodgers. He’s asked to be Chris Paul, not Steph Curry. He’s smart, he reads the room. I don’t need him to be a hero.” (Colin, 41:54)

• Smart game management over hero ball is what’s winning games.

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7. Quarterback Maturity Matters

Main Theme:
Colin uses Shedeur Sanders’ NFL benching as a lesson in the importance of maturity, self-awareness, and fit for young QBs.

• “Sports is unusually cruel to young people. At quarterback, we need you to have the maturity of a 38 year old at 24.” (Colin, 48:54)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Every baseball fan, especially in New York, thinks they’re a combination of Earl Weaver, Billy Martin, Connie Mack, and Casey Stengel.” (Colin, 04:30)
• “The only teams that struck out more in baseball this year were the awful Rockies and the awful Angels.” (Colin, 13:19)
• “The Dodgers’ bullpen doesn’t trust the bullpen.” (Colin, 08:30)
• “AJ Brown’s mentality is like an offensive tackle.” (Brian Baldinger via Matt Jones, 23:07)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Yankees/Red Sox Postmortem: 02:34 – 06:34, 11:56 – 13:42, 19:21 – 21:57
• Dodgers Analysis: 06:34 – 11:56
• Eagles/A.J. Brown & Offense: 21:57 – 24:48
• Thursday Night Football & 49ers Injuries: 24:53 – 29:12
• Ravens & QB Depth (Including Shaduer Sanders): 29:14 – 31:13, 46:30 – 48:54
• Bears Game & Schedule: 31:58 – 36:14
• Aaron Rodgers & PFF Debate: 41:18 – 46:30
• Quarterback Maturity, Shedeur Sanders: 48:05 – 52:08

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Tone & Style:

Colin maintains an opinionated, relatable, and conversational tone, blending sharp sports analysis with real-world analogies (“event nation,” Chris Paul vs. Steph Curry, NBA three-point teams vs. Yankees). Jason “J. Mac” McIntyre brings rapid-fire stats and fan perspective, especially on football.

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In Summary

This episode exemplifies The Herd’s blend of rapid topical shifts and deep dives, focusing on how big-market MLB teams’ roster construction leads to repeated October heartbreak, why the patient Yankees may need a shake-up, and how NFL contenders are being quietly undone by mismatched priorities or injury luck. Colin and J. Mac pepper the show with both data and sharp wit, making Hour 1 a must-listen for sports fans needing both the headlines and the story behind them.

Transcript

[Mandy Money]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

The Toyota Certified Used Vehicle Sales Event is here. It is packed with great surprises. Choose from a wide selection of low mileage vehicles all backed by Toyota, with warranties that begin on the date of purchase. Because when it comes to quality, the best new cars make the best used cars. So don't miss your chance. Find your certified Toyota today, but hurry. These Great offers end November 3rd. Toyota Certified used Vehicle Sales Event where every surprise is a great one. Inventory may vary by dealer, participating dealers only. Comprehensive and powertrain are limited. Warranties CTCUV Warranty supplement Toyota certified.com or your Toyota dealer for details. Get almost anything you need delivered with UberEats. What do you mean by almost? Well, you can't get a well groomed lawn delivered, but you can get chicken parm delivered. A little escape? No. Delicious bowl of grapes? Yeah. An afternoon stroll? Sorry, no. A burrito bowl? Happily, yes. How about the clear skies? Can't deliver that, but French fries? Yeah. Get almost, almost anything delivered with Uber Eats. Order now. Alcohol in select markets. Product availability may vary by region. Seattle for details Thursday Night Football is on. This week NFC west rivals meet again as the San Francisco 49ers visit the Los Angeles Rams coverage begins at 7pm Eastern and it's only on Prime Video. Not a Prime member. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.

[Matt Jones]

Hey, this is Matt Jones and I'm Drew Franklin and this is NFL Cover Zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Oh my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining and twice a week that is exactly, exactly what you're going to get. Listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

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 [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or F. Now let's get this party started.

[Matt Jones]

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

[Colin Cowherd]

Here we go on a really lively Wednesday baseball playoffs. Joel Clatin and our college football Mark Sanchez last hour ton of NFL we are live. It is the Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thank you for making us part of your day. A lot of platforms out there and a lot of choices as well. The great thing J. Mac and you used to live out, and so did I. When the Yankees and the Red Sox meet, especially in the postseason, it is second guess the manager time. And I'll say this about the Yankees as an organization. They've been very patient. Cashman's been there forever. Aaron Boone in year eight. And everybody wants changes, but the Yankees, outside of one year a couple years ago, have been really perennially good. We're waiting for great. This team's not going to be great because there are certain elements that they're just not very good at, like their bullpen. And that was on display last night. So here we go. Let's talk Yankees, Red Sox, game one. It's second guess to manager time. And Aaron Boone is a pinata to the pinstriper fans. So he didn't start Jazz Chisholm or Ben Rice. Oh, well, it's a lefty, righty thing, but that's going to get second guessed if you lose. And he also pulled a pitcher. Max Freed was pretty good last night and in the seventh inning and everybody's going to freak out. You know, Ahmed Rosario starts over Chisholm. Why? Because he hits the Red Sox ace better. Garrett Crochet. That's why he started him. So they pull at about 100 pitches. They pull Max Freed. Everybody's kind of freaking out, but let's be honest, he was at his pitch limit. He'd labored in previous innings. He didn't have great command. And Aaron Boone knows more about that than you or I do. So they go to Luke Weaver. Well, Luke Weaver has been up and down all year out of the bullpen. That's the reality. And the Red Sox have played great baseball at Yankee Stadium this year. They've won six of eight. They won the season series. So Luke Weaver faltered. And this, this whole night came down to a couple high leverage situations. One of them was Luke Weaver. He didn't get the job done. And that's the reality. The other was just historically weird. No teams ever loaded the bases bottom of the ninth and not scored a run, at least one. But Araldes Chapman, yeah, he throws 100 miles an hour, strikes out. John Carlos Stanton, your $325 million hitter in a high leverage spot. The Red Sox were better in a clutch spot in the seventh, and they got a historically rare success with Chapman in the ninth. And that's the game. And that every baseball fan, especially in New York thinks they're a combination of Earl Weaver, Billy Martin, Connie Mack and Casey Stengel. Baseball playoffs, especially in this series, come down to moments. And one of those moments is in the seventh inning and you can say, wow, Max Freed was really rolling. He had a 24 pitch inning. He had a 20 pitch inning. And again, the Red Sox are a really good team. So my take is Aaron Boone travels with a team, he knows his team. And his take was he didn't have great command, a lot of pitches in these innings. I want to get out of here. But this whole game came down to a seventh bullpen miss and a bottom of the ninth. Chapman overpowered Yankee hitters and that's playoff baseball. Here's Aaron Boone on his decision to pull Max Freedom. I felt like his command was, you know, not as good those final few. He's just making so many big pitches.

[Matt Jones]

And his stuff was good.

[Colin Cowherd]

So look, I mean, he gave us, you know, what we needed and felt.

[Matt Jones]

Really good about the outing he put forth. But I felt pretty convicted, like, you.

[Colin Cowherd]

Know, especially we got the double play. It's like, let's go get one more.

[Matt Jones]

Hitter and be good.

[Colin Cowherd]

And the other thing is, so much of Major League Baseball managing these days is upstairs. A lot of it's just numbers. Freed was at a pitch count. And I like that number. I mean, if you pitch 100 pitches now, like that's as much as you're going to pitch. And so now the Dodgers are in a situation. We'll talk about them in a second. Their bullpen so bad, they're going to blow through that. But the Yankees bullpen is not that bad. It's not Dodger bad. Okay? So the other thing is, a lot of times it's like when football coaches on 4th and 1 or 4th and 2, go for it. If you make it, you have courage. I like him. This guy's tough, he's genius. And if it fails, guy's an idiot. How do you go for it on 4th and 2? So I don't like to do a lot of post game. Baseball is 162 games long. You got 25, two months in spring training. These managers tend to know their staffs better than I do, certainly better than the average fan does or media member. So my take is it's like, okay, did 100 pitches, 24 pitch inning previously. He doesn't have great command. I'm going to make the move. And Luke Weaver been spotty, faltered. That's the game. All right, let's go Dodgers. So the Dodgers are Favored over the Cincinnati Reds. I mean, the Dodgers payrolls three times that. It'd be more if you weren't pushing Ohtani's salary down the road. The reality is the Dodgers are going to win this series, but last night's a prime example of why they're not going to win the Winter World Series. They had an 8 nothing lead and won 10 to 5. So here's how it all started. First inning with Shohei Ohtani. The 21 pitch. Ohtani turns on a ball hit deep to right field. It is gone. Shohei Ohtani kicks off the postseason with a bang. So Tearska Hernandez also had a couple of home runs. They got an eight nothing lead. And they made Blake Snell a very good pitcher. He's had some shoulder issues through his career. They made him go to seven innings. And the reason is Dave Roberts doesn't trust the bullpen. Dodger fans don't trust the bullpen. The Dodger bullpen doesn't trust the bullpen. So they're going to push their starters as long as they can go. And they. Their bullpen last night was brutal. Three pitches, three pitchers. That's what it took. 59 pitches to get three outs against Cincinnati. And that's after they'd scored three runs. So it's a bad bullpen. But last night, what the Dodgers need is really good starting pitching. Okay. And they need their big bats to deliver well. Mookie Betts had a couple hits. Freddie Freeman went 2 for 4. Ohtani had a couple of bombs. Teoscar Hernandez had a couple of bombs. So it worked last night. But in the eighth inning, that bullpen to the Reds, 59 pitches, three pitchers, just to get three outs. So it was so Dodgers. I said this yesterday, I think they blew 26 saves. If they would have just blown half that, you would add one of the great Dodger seasons if they'd have blown just half that. So they scored 10 runs. They had 15 hits. It feels good. But this is how they're going to have to win. They're going to need Ohtani and Freeman and Max Munsty and Mookie Betts. They're going to have to hit. And again, baseball playoffs, it's the very best pitching. They're going to have to hit really high end pitching in high leverage situations because the bullpen is not going to work. It didn't work during the regular season. It's not working against the best teams. So, you know, it, it. I mean, I thought that felt like a Dodger game. Your stars, your money Players delivered, you got solid starting pitching and the bullpen was awful. And that's the Dodgers. So J. Mac also watched on the train home Cubs and the Padres. And the Padres have a very specific way they have to play and if they don't play that way they can't win. So I think they're in trouble with the Cubs. But you know we were both back there when the baseball Yankee, Red Sox at the time the Yankees spent the most money and the Red Sox spent the second most money and they would bid the hot stove league was different and then the Dodgers got, you know, new owners and then the Dodgers now are it, it's a bank and they, you know, they push their salaries down the road. The Dodgers have the best team easily. And the complaint in New York is well we don't because they do spend money. But it's like Brian Cashman, Aaron Boone, you don't make big moves. But it's funny about New York because the Knicks just fired a coach after their best season in 10 plus years. The Giants and the jets are constantly making changes and the Yankees are kind of strangely for New York, strangely patient and which is right, the frenetic pace of the Jets, Giants and Knicks or the Yankees patience. Now Yankee fans would say I'd rather be a little bit more like the other guys. But the Jets, Giants are a circus. Yeah. And the Knicks have mostly been a circus and the Yankees win every year but they're incredibly patient and, and my takeaway on the Yankees is would you rather they be the other New York teams who are making big swings and Nets, Knicks, Mets, jets, those teams are chaotic.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, well the problem is we were spoiled with the Jeter years winning so many World Series and now you say the Yankees are winning, but are they like I, I don't know. I would trade 95 wins and a second round loss for a World Series. Wouldn't you? I mean I, I get it. You know we don't want to become the Portland Trailblazers where you're in the playoffs every year but you're not winning a title. Yankees fans want to see a World Series, Colin, and they haven't in a while and that, you know, that disappointment. I'll tell you this, if they lose today, I think you'll see the Yankees spending in the offseason big time.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[Jason McIntyre]

You can't, you can't lose. By the way, bounced by the rest.

[Colin Cowherd]

Of the Aaron Judge making a fortune. Garrett Cole making a fortune. John Carr.

[Jason McIntyre]

There's no salary cap. Spend go buy everybody.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I Think it's spending smart. Why go spend that on John Carlos Stanton who had injuries and you already had a better version. Aaron Judge. So, I mean, my, my take is I think the Yankees are an uneven team. When I watch the Yankees play like this year, strikeouts, bottom of the league in sacrifices. They scored. Don't have a good bullpen. Remember last year in the World Series and in the playoffs, they dominate the American League Central, but they had a bunch of home runs last year. But they were a bad fielding team. I mean, the last couple of years, say what you want about the Dodgers, they have a bad bullpen. But generally the Dodgers speed, can steal, hit for average, hit for power, good starting pitching. Now this year the bullpen's awful, but the Yankees have felt with all the money they spend, are they spending it wisely? The bullpen's not very good. They're okay defensively, but like they, they led. The only teams that struck out more in baseball this year were the awful Rockies and the awful Angels. So it's like it's all or nothing with the Yankees. And when you face elite pitching, it's a lot of nothing.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, it's a lot of Boston Celtics 3 point shooters galore in the playoffs. If you miss them, you're losing, you're, you're bounced in. The Yankees want to go home run or nothing.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, they're a three point. They're an NBA team that shoots threes but doesn't defend very well. And by the way, when the warriors were winning, they shot great threes. They were also an elite defensive team. That's the Dodgers. You're not going to be perfect. The warriors didn't have size. The Dodgers don't have a great bullpen. But when I watch the Yankees, they're incredibly patient. They deserve a ton of credit for that. But they're uneven. It's home runs or nothing. It's hard to hit a lot of home runs against elite pitching unless you're Ohtani. He hits them against everybody. So we got a lot of stuff today. We got a lot of stuff today. Joel Klatt breaks down the crazy weekend of college football. And this drama in Philadelphia with the Eagles is not going to end. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Jason McIntyre]

Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast Straight fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod, pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sportsbook and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight fire with Jason McEntire on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

The Toyota Certified Used Vehicle Sales Event is here. It is packed with great surprises. Choose from a wide selection of low mileage vehicles all backed by Toyota with warranties that begin on date of purchase. Because when it comes to quality, the best new cars make the best used cars. Every certified Toyota undergoes a thorough quality assurance inspection before it even reaches the lot so you can drive away with confidence. With over 7 million sold, there's a certified Toyota for every lifestyle from efficient commuters to family friendly SUVs. Each vehicle comes with added benefits like roadside assistance and features you expect, including Bluetooth connectivity. But hurry. These Great offers end November 3rd. Toyota Certified used Vehicle Sales Event where every surprise is a great one, so don't miss your chance. Find your certified Toyota today. Inventory may vary by dealer, participating dealers only. Comprehensive and powertrain are limited. Warranties ctcuv warranty supplementtoyotacertified.com or your Toyota dealer. For details from date of Toyota Certified Used Vehicle Purchase Program available in continental US And Canada. See TCUV Warranty Supplement for details. A compatible Bluetooth enabled phone must be paired. Phone performances depend on software coverage and carrier. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks of Bluetooth. SIG Inc. Use of such marks by Toyota is Under license. See toyota.com for details.

[Matt Jones]

Hey, this is Matt Jones and I'm Drew Franklin and this is NFL Cover Zero. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining and twice a week that is exactly what you're going to get. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was looks like something that should not be sold. Oh my. So that was my other big Colts takeaway. They sold that. Yes. Might want to go back to the Colts stadium.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I might want to go back.

[Matt Jones]

To the drawing board on that. Yeah, I thought the shape we had with pretzels was working pretty well.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's worked for generations.

[Matt Jones]

We're just here trying to enjoy it. We hope you all will join us throughout the year. And let's go. I hope I'm as youthful as Pete Carroll is at his age. He's a young 73. He is a young 73. He is spry. I wouldn't fight him. I would listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Frank on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Mandy Money]

Hey sis, what if I could promise you you never had to listen to a condescending finance bro tell you how to manage your money again? Welcome to brand ambition. This is the hard part when you pay down those credit cards. If you haven't gotten to the bottom of why you were racking up credit or turning to credit cards, you may just recreate the same problem. A year from now when you do feel like you are blocking leading from these high interest rates, I would start shopping for a debt consolidation loan, starting with your local credit union. Shopping around online looking for some online lenders because they tend to have fewer fees and be more affordable. Listen, I am not here to judge. It is so expensive in these streets I 100% can see how in just a few months you can have this much credit card debt and it weighs on you. It's really easy to just like stick your head in the sand. It's like nice and dark in the sand. Even if it's scary, it's not going to go away just because you're avoiding it. And in fact it may get even worse. For more judgment free money advice, listen to Brown ambition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm Dan, he's Ty. Hello. And we're the Solid Verbal College Football Podcast. College football season is here and you know what that means. Your team is going to break your heart three times, probably before Halloween. Uh huh. But fear not, the Solid Verbal will be right there with you through every soul crushing loss and impossible comeback. Join us all season long, all year long, as we ride the rollercoaster of this ridiculous sport. Whether you're a diehard fan or a casual observer, we'll help you make sense of all the chaos and of course celebrate the madness. Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan. We don't just love college football, Ty, we live it.

[Matt Jones]

Listen to the solid verbal college football.

[Colin Cowherd]

Podcasts on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. You know we were talking about the Yankees being uneven. You know, from 96 to 2001 they were in five World Series. They won four of them. They were great team hitting with runners in scoring position, third in baseball during that span. Now they're 12th, they're obsessed with the home run. People forget this when they were dominating, Jeter wasn't a big home run hitter. Was Bernie Williams a big home run hitter? I mean, they had. They had really good starting pitching. They hit with runners in scoring position. They took the extra base. They were very smart. They were really good on the margins. They weren't a big home run hitting team. I looked it up this morning. 13th in home runs from 96 to 2001, when they were dominating baseball. Now, baseball has obviously changed, and, you know, home runs is what teams want. But you start looking around baseball right now. I mean, the Padres have a very good team. They're doing it with sacrifices and a great bullpen. There's a lot of different ways to win, but when they were winning championships, they hit for average when runners were in scoring position. Right now they don't. So they're kind of obsessed with a home run. And listen, Aaron Judge is amazing, but I mean, remember earlier this year, Aaron Judge got banged up. Yankees were not a good baseball team. So just when I watch them, I see an uneven franchise. They're really good at one thing, but there's holes in it. So I don't think they spend the money that wisely. And you're looking around at the. At the Brewers. I mean, they hit home runs, too. So do the Blue Jays, but they lead baseball in singles. And the Padres don't really hit for power at all outside of Machado and Tatis a little. But the truth is they have a great bullpen. So there's a lot of different ways to win, and it does. The Yankees feel a bit lopsided. So yesterday we talked about this at length. Last year in Philadelphia, there was a little A.J. brown drama, but it was different. They scored like 50 some points in the NFC championship, and they scored 40 or something in the Super Bowl. And everybody was on the Saquon Barkley train, like, oh, he's setting records. He was the new guy. Everybody loved it. So A.J. brown's like, okay, I'm not getting many balls thrown my way, whatever. Okay? Winning cures everything. Usually in the NFL, it's not going to cure everything. Here. Last nine games for A.J. brown in Philadelphia, he's averaging three catches a game and 38 yards. He's arguably the second or third best receiver in the game. So this different. Last year was different. Everybody was sharing in the joy of AJ Of Saquon Barkley. Everybody was in on it. Everybody loved it. Everybody took a back seat. And also last year, the defense was great. Number one total scoring defense this year. It's 22nd this year. They're not getting to the quarterback. So they need A.J. brown. They really need A.J. brown. Saquon's yards have been cut in half because everybody's stacking the box. The words out on Jalen hurts. Stack the box. Make him throw. So, you know, it's just interesting. Everybody says, oh, it's okay. They're winning. Winning cures everything. There are exceptions to every rule. This the last nine games, including the playoffs, they can't get the ball to A.J. brown. Now, the Rams are small at corner. In my opinion, during the trade deadline, the Rams should make a move. They're tiny at corner. Maybe they got some six, three guy in the scout team, but they're just too small. But last year was different. The defense was great. They were scoring a lot of points in big games. They were running the football. Everybody was sharing in that joy. That's not what they are now. They need A.J. brown, and they can't consistently get him the ball in their last nine games. And here's Brian Balding, or on his sort of mentality as a wide receiver. The thing about AJ Is this.

[Matt Jones]

It's different than other wide receivers in that his mentality is like an offensive tackle. He wants to absolutely obliterate the opponent in front of him. He wants to take every corner, the way Lane Johnson takes every defensive end or Jordan Mylotta takes every defensive end and wants to drill him into the. Into the dirt and have me brass.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's what AJ Wants to do.

[Matt Jones]

But if he doesn't ever get that chance, then that's what frustrates him.

[Colin Cowherd]

You got to see the problems ahead of when they'll eventually face the roadblock. The Eagles are four. No, they have a worse point differential than Minnesota that just got housed in Dublin, and they can't figure out their quarterback position. They have a worse point differential than the Jaguars. So this thing, eventually, you gotta be able to see things before they're real problems, because you have a trade deadline opportunity here. And that's. That's like the Rams need a corner. Unless they got somebody on the scout team that I'm not fully aware of. And the Eagles have a. I mean, the only thing that blows up a great dominant roster is drama. What's the most dramatic position in the NFL in our lives? Wide receiver. So again, I think A.J. brown last year was like, hey, it's Saquon's year. We're winning. Okay, now he's got a trophy. Now Saquon's yards are cut in half. Now the defense isn't great and they need him and they still can't get him the ball. You could talk yourself into being a good teammate last year. Hey, it's Saquon's year. Saquon's not having the same year. Words out, boxes stacked. Here's J. Mac with the news.

[Matt Jones]

No, no, no, turn on the news. This is the Herd line news.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right, Kyle, we got a phenomenal Thursday night football matchup, on paper at least, and that's Niners, Rams. Okay? It's going to be at Sofi. The problem is we have no idea who's playing for the San Francisco 49ers. The injury report is brutal. Brock Purdy. We don't know if he's gonna go. He talked about his status for week.

[Colin Cowherd]

Five, Thursday night game and everything.

[Matt Jones]

It's, you know, it's just, it's tougher.

[Colin Cowherd]

They don't have as many days to, you know, get right and heal up and feel better.

[Matt Jones]

So just where we're at, if I.

[Colin Cowherd]

Can play this game, I'm gonna play. And obviously, you know, I want to get right and get healthy and everything.

[Matt Jones]

So that.

[Colin Cowherd]

But we need to win this game against the Rams. So that's how I'm looking at it.

[Jason McIntyre]

So let's just remove criticism from Purdy, the focus here. Colin, the 49ers, what's going on? Is this gamesmanship from Kyle Shanahan? Because this morning in Vegas, that line's on the run. The rams are now 7 point favorites according to Vegas here recently.

[Colin Cowherd]

I said this yesterday at five and a half. I said this would be my favorite blazing five pick if I could pick it.

[Jason McIntyre]

But. But let me ask you hear Purdy in that I don't know if this is gamesmanship or he really may not play. Also, banged up Juwan Jennings, Ricky Pierce, all they're not practicing. Like, who are we going to battle with here? Mac Jones, who's digged up Christian McCaffrey, going to get 30 touches. Something feels off. I don't know if Kyle Shanahan's playing a game with his buddy McVay.

[Colin Cowherd]

Here's what happened. This is a big rivalry. There's a lot of ego involved and it's awesome. The Niners used to own this series and they owned it because they had a better overall roster. But then the Rams started drafting really, really, really, really well, and the Rams pivoted to Matt Stafford. And since that time, it feels like it's the Rams. Rams are younger. They're cheaper. They have more flexibility, they've hit on more draft picks. They have the better defense. And so this, this series has swung from. Remember what happened? It was back and forth, back and forth. Niners started controlling it with Jimmy garoppolo and then McVeigh got really tired. Remember that game against the Niners? He got frustrated on the sidelines. McVeigh showed. I pinpointed this game a couple years ago with Jared Goff where you could tell McVay was done with it and he didn't feel golf could take him to another level. So they went and got Stafford and they started hitting on defensive draft picks like all of them right now. There is no question now for the next three years this is going to be a Rams. Yeah. Series. And I think tomorrow night you'll get a great look at it.

[Jason McIntyre]

Listen, I want to make a case for the Niners here, but I don't know that you can Remember Niners Colin 0 quarterback hits, 0 sacks on Trevor Lawrence. If you're not, if you're giving Matt Stafford time in the pocket, he's going to kill you. And if you have to manufacture pressure with blitzes Devonte and Puka, I I this kind of smells like a blowout now. I will say the 49ers are still 3 and 1 if memory serves. So they're not. There's a. You never want to say a coach would punt a game, but there's a world where hey man, let's, let's rest our guys.

[Colin Cowherd]

We're not going to force them back division rivalry. So the truth is it'll be a low scoring, intense first half. I think the Rams will eventually pull away. But for if I'm the NERS, all I care about is I got to keep KD, Trent Williams and McAffrey upright because I'm not sure at this point with banged up Purdy that Mac Jones isn't as good. I think if Brock was healthy, he's better. But so to me, we're not going to be a great defensive team. We don't have the personnel outside of Fred Warner. Bose is gone for the year, so the Niners don't have great defensive personnel. Warner is a first bout hall of Fame. After him, it's a lot of young guys you cross your fingers on and a great defensive coordinator, Robert Sala. The Niners have to win by scoring. So if you told me Trent Kittle play 16, 15 games and McCaffrey's healthy, they can win a bunch of games. Yeah, but, but right now I'm not sure. Dinged up. Brock Purdy is better than Mac. I know he is healthy, but I don't think. I don't think he is right now. He makes. He's trying to push himself. You watch that Jags game. He made bad throws a lot.

[Jason McIntyre]

Here's some pretty stats for the season. Again, limited sample size. Let's pump the brakes. He's still a great quarterback. He's not top 10 this year. Not top 10 this year, but he'll get there.

[Colin Cowherd]

That limited of a sample. All right.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right, let's move on to another big injury. Colin, that's a Baltimore Ravens. This is not good man. Lamar Jackson. The report from the Baltimore sun is he could miss the next two to three weeks. Now, we talked about it yesterday. Texans this week, unbelievable turn of events. The Ravens on the look ahead were nine and a half. The Texans are now minus one and a half. Colin, this is enormous. Sounds like Lamar Jackson will not go, but they have Texans rams by. Let's rest Lamar. Maybe he can make us make a move in the second half. But Colin, I talked about this a little bit. Shador Sanders had the chance to be drafted by Baltimore. Would he be starting? Remember, Baltimore wanted Shador. Would Shadour Sanders be starting over Cooper Rush this week if he had said Baltimore, yeah, I'll come in. He took the route and maybe it was his dad, Dion. I don't want to go to Baltimore. I'll never play. Lamar's down for three weeks. Baltimore wanted Chadour Colin Cooper Rush. We've seen him. I think Shador made a really bad decision.

[Colin Cowherd]

My belief has always been, always been, if you in any field are offered a position and you're young, I'm not talking. You're 48 years old, you went to UVA Law School. You've been a law partner in your office. I'm talking if you're in your 20s and you are offered a job by a company with a history of personnel excellence, take it. Take less money, take less of a position, get in the door. And I believe that for everything now, 30s, you've got kids, your career's moving, then you can get picky. But if the Ravens or the Eagles both interested calls, pick up the phone and say, I'd like to go there. That that's my take always. And I've said that before, don't chase money, don't chase titles, chase great management when you're in your 20s, because there's a finite amount of great executive front offices in this league. The number's about 10 and maybe.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, this really has to get Shadour upset to watch Dylan Gabriel getting to start this week for the Browns. And Shador is like buried on the practice squad again. I know some people out there. Jay, come on. Cooper Rush is a seasoned veteran. Okay? He would start over Shedeur. I don't necessarily agree with that. Shador is much more mobile. This offensive line has not been great. And oh, by the way, the Houston Texans pass rush Colin Will Anderson, a company one of the best in the league. Man, I wish Shador was on the Ravens. I think he'd be starting this week. Final story is your Bears narrowly escaping Vegas with a big win on that late field goal block. Chicago's run game only had 2.7 yards per carry. Meanwhile, the Raiders rushed for 240. Here's Ben Johnson talking about being upset with the offensive run game.

[Colin Cowherd]

When you look at it as a.

[Matt Jones]

Whole, it was, it was just a, it was a mess, man. I am very. I'm just not proud of what we put on tape. I think it's a reflection of myself. I always take it personally. I, I just, I saw us getting better the first three weeks and in.

[Colin Cowherd]

In a lot of ways on offense.

[Matt Jones]

And then this, this was just a little bit of a step back for us.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

Bears on a buy. So you're tempering expectations.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, no, no, no. It's. It's interesting now. So I had a conversation two days ago on, what is it, Wednesday? It was Monday with a Bears fan. And I said, oh. He goes, you got to be fired up. And I'm like, well, it was a mess. That was what I said. It was a mess. I said, you had three interceptions from Geno Smith. The Raiders are not a good team.

[Jason McIntyre]

Maybe it was three.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, it was four turnovers, three picks, two to the safety. And I'm like, and you needed to block a field goal. Why? Why, why shouldn't I be happy with a win? I said, you could be whatever you want. I said, but dude, if you, if you get four turnovers, three picks, you got to win going away. You should beat the Chiefs or the Bills if you get that this is the Raiders who can't block. So it's like Ben Johnson watched what we all watched and is totally honest with it. If you're the Bears, you're, oh, we won. And I get it. Bears don't win road games. But it was a. There are losses. When you come out of it totally concerned by week four, the offense cannot have false starts on fourth and one. You just Cannot do that by week four. I said first couple weeks I'll give you a pass. I mean week one the Lions were a mess with new coordinators. But you get to week four and five, no false starts on fourth and one, can't have them. Sorry.

[Jason McIntyre]

Real quick, Colin, can we get the Bears schedule on the screen because we touched on this. So by week usually you use to get healthy, right? The secondary maybe get healthy. Okay. We think they'll face Jaden Daniels coming out of the buy. But Washington has not looked great recently. Their defense got shredded by Michael Penix. Then you get the Saints. We'll give that a win. We don't know if Lamar will be back for week eight. We just don't. There's a chance they're facing Cooper Rush.

[Colin Cowherd]

Jason, I said this before the season. This was one of the high hardest ranked schedules. And I said at the time with you, I said tell me the show me the three game stretch of great teams. This schedule is. You gotta buy. Next up, Jaden Daniels we think plays the bad Saints. Lamar who knows the Joe Burrow Spangles. The Giants at home that can't score. Minnesota's quarterback situation not good. Pittsburgh at home certainly winnable. And Philadelphia which has had the two worst offensive halves in the league with their new offensive coordinator. This schedule was overvalued. It's a normal NFL schedule. It's not a great schedule. It's a normal one.

[Jason McIntyre]

But if you go by win totals, right. Washington had a high one. They were in the conference championship. Baltimore super bowl contender. Cincinnati Super Bowl. Vikings went to the playoffs like before the season. This looked tough, but so many things are breaking their way. I mean who's starting for the Browns in week 15? Maybe it's Shador.

[Colin Cowherd]

Here's the other thing, here's the other thing I, that I said. I said Lions don't have a great defense. Cowboys without Micah won't have it. Raiders don't, Washington didn't, Saints don't. Bengals even with Burrow don't. I mean the best defense they play is the Giants. They get them at home and the Giants can't score. So this, this I think we over like the Niner schedule was really easy. But my take, it's not that easy because nobody can stay healthy. So that schedule was. Everybody said oh it and like hey guys, you guys. They're not playing with a full deck. It's an old brittle roster. And the Bear schedule would look daunting but if you looked at it, it's like well they don't play a great defense. Yeah, until New York in week 10. So that means Ben and Caleb can get rolling here. So I. Yeah, I mean, I think it's, I still think they're an eight win team. You still won.

[Jason McIntyre]

You still won in Vegas. Right? And everything's changed now. By the way, I could be starting at receiver for the niners in week 17. My agent's putting in a call today. You know, I've been working on the ladder drills. Like, I mean, I don't know what's going on. San Francisco may have nobody left at that point.

[Colin Cowherd]

J. Mac with the news.

[Jason McIntyre]

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

[Colin Cowherd]

The Herd lie news it is. I'm going to defend Aaron Rodgers a little bit coming up next. Also. Well, I'll, I'll defend Aaron Rodgers because he is getting hammered and I don't mean like subtle jabs. He's getting crushed by people who grade quarterbacks and I'll talk about that next. Be sure to catch live editions of.

[Matt Jones]

The Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Matt Jones]

Hey, this is Matt Jones and I'm Drew Franklin and this is NFL Cover Zero. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining and twice a week that is exactly what you're going to get. We're Just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Looks like something that should not be sold. Oh my. So that was my other big Colts takeaway. Sold that. Yes. Might want to go back at the Colts stadium. Yeah, I might want to go back to the drawing board on that. Yeah. I thought the shape we have with pretzels was working pretty well for generations. We're just here trying to enjoy it. We hope you all will join us throughout the year. And let's go. I hope I'm as youthful as Pete Carroll is at his age. He's a young 73. He is a young 73. He is spry. I would fight him. I would listen NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Mandy Money]

Hey sis, what if I could promise you you never had to listen to a condescending finance bro tell you how to manage your money again? Welcome to Brown Ambition. This is the you pay down those credit cards. If you haven't gotten to the bottom of why you were racking up credit or turning to credit cards, you may just recreate the same problem. A year from now when you do feel like you are bleeding from these high interest rates, I would start shopping for a debt consolidation loan, starting with your local credit union. Shopping around online looking for some online lenders because they tend to have fewer fees and be more affordable. Listen, I am not here to just judge. It is so expensive in these streets. I 100% can see how in just a few months you can have this much credit card debt. When it weighs on you, it's really easy to just like stick your head in the sand. It's nice and dark in the sand. Even if it's scary, it's not going to go away just because you're avoiding it. And in fact, it may get even worse. For more judgment free money advice, listen to Brown ambition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm Dan. He's Ty. Hello. And we're the Solid Verbal College Football podcast. College football season is here and you know what that means. Your team is going to break your heart three times probably before Halloween. Uh huh. But fear not, the solid verbal will be right there with you through every soul crushing loss and impossible comeback. Join us all season long, all year long as we ride the roller coaster of this ridiculous sport. Whether you're a die hard fan or a casual observer, we'll help you make sense of all the chaos and of course, celebrate the madness. Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan. We don't just love college football, Ty, we live it.

[Matt Jones]

Listen to the solid verbal college football.

[Colin Cowherd]

Podcast on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jason McIntyre]

Saturday, the fight for the AL pennant begins with two game ones as the league's best square off in the American League divisional series. It all starts Saturday on Fox and FS1.

[Colin Cowherd]

I thought yesterday was an amazing day. I watched the Cubs Padres as I took the train home and I feel like baseball has become a little like college basketball. The regular season lacks urgency, but for about three weeks, college basketball is unbelievable. And for about six weeks, the baseball playoffs are stellar. Yesterday was a great, great American sports day. It had a March Madness feel to it. And you say, colin, you don't like baseball? No, I like baseball for six weeks and I love college basketball for about three to four weeks, you got to give me urgency. When you do a syndicated radio or TV show, it's just a different ball game. But I thought yesterday was unbelievable. You had the Yankee Red Sox drama. The Dodgers bullpen imploded again. I'll get to the Padres and the Cubs at the top of the hour. Joel Cloud will be joining us as well. But yesterday was just great. Sports and baseball, it's not everything. Like, you know, not everything is great all the time and the phone is distracting. Football does a good job of making every Saturday or Sunday feel big. It's got like a World cup or Olympic feel where it's like, oh, this, this matters a lot. Not every sport can do that. That's why the regular ratings, regular season ratings for a hockey or a baseball or NBA can be a struggle. You don't have urgency. We've become an event nation. That's what we've become. We've become an event nation. Everybody's so distracted, so caffeinated. There's so many platforms. You gotta make stuff feel big. Barbie, Oppenheimer, it feels big. A Steven Spielberg movie. Then we all come rushing in. So I just thought yesterday was great. So Aaron Rodgers, this is so. It's. I'll explain it. But Aaron Rodgers now, according to PFF, is the lowest graded quarterback in the NFL, lower than J.J. mcCarthy, lower than Russell Wilson and Flacco, who have been benched lower than Owen. 4 Cam Ward and lower than Geno Smith who just threw an interception. Last segment. He's lower than all of them. He was 2024 last weekend. He's completing 69% of his throws as a 103 passer rating. Not to be obnoxious to PFF, but I'm going to go with no. He's not the worst. And he may win the division because currently in the AFC north, the starters are Jake Browning, Dylan Gabriel and Cooper Rush. He may win the division. Here's where I'm going to defend Aaron Rodgers. He's asked on this team, I said this two months ago. He's Chris Paul. He's not Steph Curry on this team. Aaron is. He is. He is Chris Paul occasionally go hit DK Metcalf or a back shoulder throw. I don't need you. I don't need Steph Curry. I don't need James Harden. That's not what I need you to do. So he is the lowest rated quarterback because in the PFF grading, he has the fewest air yards per attempt. He's not taking big swings down the field. He only has three total big time throws all season. That's what they call down the field into a tight window. But my take is he's new here. They've got a good enough defense to win. If you look at the quarterbacks he's gone against, it's Carson Wentz with three offensive line injuries. My take is Aaron in Dublin started looking at that offensive line with the Vikings, he started looking at Kevin o' Connell's inability to adapt or change. He couldn't because of personnel. He looked at the pressure on Carson Wentz and Aaron's a smart guy. He's watching in real time what's happening. And he's like, I don't need to take any risks. I don't need to throw the ball down the field. So I think you have to be careful about PFF grade. I've watched Geno Smith every snap this year. Aaron's been the better quarterback. And I also believe Aaron's a very smart guy and he gets into in game situations and sometimes you let the game breathe. Sometimes the team needs energy, sometimes they need a big throw down the field. But in that game, from the very beginning, first drive, first eight minutes, you're like, oh, Minnesota can't block them. Minnesota's having a problem here. Then the guy rolls over and he's hurt. Aaron read the room. So. And if you look at the schedule for the next couple of weeks, Cleveland and Cincinnati, they're Going to win two more games now. It gets really tough after that. It's a lot of packers and Colts and Chargers and Buffalo and Baltimore and at Detroit. But I will defend Aaron here. I do think. And this happens all the time. You ever gone in for a big meeting, a sales meeting, and it kind of goes sideways fast and you're like, I gotta read the room here. I just, I just gotta save the meeting. I'm. I'm not. We've all gone on a date. You go to a meeting, Aaron's at a big football game, and you read the room during the game. I'm gonna scale back. No big swings here. So I, when I watched that game with Aaron, the way they were running the football, I mean, they, they actually ran the football like they look like a 20, 25 offense. I think Aaron looked at it and thought, guys, I'm just not. Aaron said, I'm not going to make any mistakes. We're going to win this football game. I don't need to throw the ball down the field. So I think. And that's nothing against pff. But I have watched every snap of Geno this year and I've seen Cam Ward and I watched Joe Flacco and Russell Wilson. Aaron knows what he has here. He's playing, he's playing backup quarterbacks with a turnover, creating defense and an offense that suddenly now is creating lanes offensively. Why throw the ball down the field and take big risks? I think he's smart. And this is, by the way, the third straight nice thing I've said about Aaron on this show. I don't know what's happening. All right, so this story has gone from compelling to a cautionary tale. Dylan Gabriel will now start for the Browns. They're benching Joe Flacco. But it's worse than that, is that if Dylan Gabriel fails, they'll go back to Flacco. Shedeur is now third. Here's Kevin Stefanski, excited for Dylan.

[Matt Jones]

He's done everything, he's handled everything really well since he's been on campus here. So we're just going to have to support the young man. Coaches, players, offense, defense, special teams. We need to coach better, we need to block better, catch better, run better, all the above. We need to be better. And I know the quarterback position gets quite a bit of scrutiny. I understand that. But this is, this is about our entire team playing better.

[Colin Cowherd]

They have two first round picks. They need a franchise quarterback. It's all okay. It's going according to plan. I think they've actually played Better than you would have accepted expected. They beat Green Bay. I didn't think that wasn't on my bingo card. So I thought the Shador Sanders story was fascinating. He dropped like a rock in the draft and then he went to like OTAs and chopped it up and was really good. And I checked because I thought to myself, do I care about this more than the audience? So in cable TV I can go the next day and look at my ratings minute to minute to minute. And I looked at the Shador Sanders topics for about a month and the audience, you were as interested as I was. This story to me is now what's the moral of the story? Can we learn anything from this situation? And we can. If you're a great talent, you can get away with more. If you're marginal, you probably shouldn't call yourself legendary bomb. Pre draft interviews. Get two speeding tickets. Have your dad tell teams don't draft him now. Shedeur lacked some self awareness. But young guys in their 20s, I mean Ryder Cup. Did you watch the crowd this weekend? People in their 20s can lack self awareness. But here's what I know about the NFL. They don't care if you're a popular influencer. Thank God they don't care. I mean, and they don't care what you did in college. Will Howard and Stetson Bennett won. Natties can't get on the field. Patrick Mahomes had a losing college record. I'm not going to just crush Shador because he lacked some self awareness. Most 23 year olds do, especially if they grew up with wealth. But he, right now he's a marginally talented celebrity and the NFL just does not care. And I don't think the story is that interesting. I didn't even know if I was going to talk about it today when they brought it to me. But I do think there's a lesson in here and that is know what you are and know what you're not. I've said this before. Sports is kind of unusually cruel to young people. And the quarterback position, you know, most of us were goofballs at 23. I was most of us. You know, you make really guys brains develop more slowly than girls. For the record, in college athletics, girls are often offered scholarships. Eight, ninth grade, tenth grade. Why? Because they mature more fast, more quickly. You know what you're going to get with a young woman emotionally and physically. Guys, they change. You're going to have, you can have a guy that is, I mean go look at the story of Josh Allen and, and I mean could not get a junior college offer. Boys explode. Like many of you, I grew 7 inches junior to senior year in high school. Like just guys mature physically and emotionally different and so. But in the NFL, quarterback, it's cruel. We need you to have the maturity of a 38 year old guy at 24. Not at wide receiver, not at mike linebacker, not at corner. But at quarterback we do same in the NBA. Point guard Chris Paul was not only gifted, Chris Paul was determined, obsessed and mature. At 24 years old he played. I remember talking to an NBA exec on this. He's like, he's a, he's like a 35 year old, 10 year veteran in the NBA. Breaks in ready to go. So it's very rare and it's unfair. But at quarterback you got to be a grown up. That Johnny Mandel stuff is fine for a lot of positions and fine for a lot of industries. But you can't be a goofball at quarterback or surgeon or pilot. Like I need a grown up. Can't wear a tie, dye shirt and be waking bake in the morning and jump on my Delta flight. Not gonna work. I'm going for surgery. You, you got to be prepared. You can't have a hangover. I'm sorry. And I think, I think there is a moral to the story on this is at that position, everything counts. Everything. Every single thing counts. All right, J. Mac, Joel Klatt's coming up wild weekend of college football. And we've changed our position on some of these quarterbacks.

[Jason McIntyre]

Certainly. Let me, let me ask you about a quarterback who was in college last year, Dylan Gabriel. Okay, so we know what Minnesota does. They love to pressure and blitz you. Well, it didn't work against Aaron Rodgers. I was just looking up some Dylan Gabriel numbers against pressure in college. I don't know how much that translates to the league. Do you think Gabriel's going to have a good game here against a Viking? I'm kind of fascinated to watch Gabriel because they liked him a lot coming out in the draft.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I, I think it's another example of we talk ourselves into size. Doesn't matter for the position. Yes, it does. He's a very small quarterback. He has the second best roster in the field. It's an elite defensive coordinator. I don't think it's going to be a great game. Nothing against him. I don't think it'll be great. All right, one down, more baseball to go. The Toyota certified used vehicle sales event is here. It is packed with great surprises. Choose from a wide selection of low mileage vehicles, all backed by Toyota, with warranties that begin on the date of purchase. Because when it comes to quality, the best new cars make the best used cars. So don't miss your chance. Find your certified Toyota today, but hurry. These Great offers end November 3rd. Toyota Certified used Vehicle Sales event where every surprise is a great one. Inventory may vary by dealer. Participating dealers only. Comprehensive and powertrain are limited warranties. See TCUV warranty supplement ToyotaCertified.com or your Toyota dealer for details.

[Matt Jones]

Hey, this is Matt Jones and I'm Drew Franklin, and this is NFL Cover Zero. We're just here to try to give you an NFL perspective a little bit different. Did you see the Colts pretzel? That was my other big takeaway from that game. What was that? Oh, my. We think NFL coverage should be informative and entertaining. And twice a week, that is exactly what you're gonna get. Listen to NFL Cover Zero with Matt Jones and Drew Franklin on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

Podcast. I'm Dan. He's Ty. Hello. And we're the Solid Verbal College Football Podcast. Tune in for previews, recaps, bits you won't hear anywhere else, and all the emotional support you need as a college football fan. Join us all season long as we ride the roller coaster of this ridiculous sport.

[Matt Jones]

Listen to the Solid Verbal College Football.

[Colin Cowherd]

Podcast on the iHeartRadio app. App, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. We don't just love college football, Ty. We live it.

[Mandy Money]

Do we really need another podcast with a condescending finance bro trying to tell us how to spend our own money? No thank you. Instead, check out Brown Ambition. Each week I your host, Mandy Money gives you real talk, real advice with a heavy dose of I feel useless. Like on Fridays when I take your questions for the baqa. Whether you're trying to invest for your future, navigate a toxic work workplace, I got you. Listen to Brown ambition on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast.