THE HERD - Hour 2 - Defending Caleb Williams, the worst idea in sports, the Vikings will have success, Tom Verducci

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd (Guest Host: Danny Parkins) – Hour 2 (August 22, 2025)

---

Episode Overview

In this hour of "The Herd," guest host Danny Parkins covers several hot-button topics across the sports landscape. The hour kicks off with a passionate and nuanced defense of Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, dissecting his rookie season and prospects with the Chicago Bears. Danny also dives into the "worst idea in sports" regarding the expanding college football playoffs and explains why this direction concerns him for regular-season value. Midway through the episode, renowned baseball analyst Tom Verducci joins to discuss MLB's best teams, playoff forecasts, and possible league realignment. The latter part of the hour brings lively NFL draft commentary, particularly on the unique potential of the recent quarterback class and why the Minnesota Vikings could succeed under JJ McCarthy.

---

Defending Caleb Williams: Separating Fact From Narrative

Danny Parkins on Media Overreaction to Caleb Williams

(02:36 – 18:02)

• Danny’s Perspective & Disclosure: Parkins opens by acknowledging his Bears fandom and bias, aiming for a balanced take. He pushes back on sweeping negative takes about Caleb Williams, reminding listeners that while Williams wasn’t "great," he still had a strong rookie year.

  "Caleb Williams was good last year. Anyone who watched every pass of every game, which I did, would tell you that he was not good enough. He was not as great as we thought he was going to be. But Caleb Williams was good. Best rookie quarterback, by the way, in Bears franchise history… Bust is off the table; he's good." (03:47)

• The Bad: Sacks, Trust, & Rookie Learning

  • 68 sacks led the league ("68 sacks is an absurd number. 68 sacks is way too many. He did not fully trust what NFL open was. He held onto the ball. He was afraid to throw interceptions..." — 04:36)
  • Rookie mistakes included over-reliance on natural talent and not fully understanding NFL preparation.
  • Coaching turmoil (firing both head coach and play caller) accelerated Williams' learning curve.

• The Good: Surviving Adversity

  • Despite adversity, Williams played all 17 games, posted a 3.5:1 TD-to-interception ratio (20 TD, 6 INT), threw for over 3,500 yards.
  • Offensive line comprised of backups; coach and play caller both fired midseason.
  • Williams flashed undeniable upside; moments of brilliance outweighed by operational chaos around him.

    "He survived. He was tough as hell… there were moments of undeniable upside." (06:16)

• Misleading Narratives and Misfortune

  • Parkins delves into freakish and unlucky Bears losses not attributable to Williams (e.g., Hail Mary loss to Washington, blocked field goal vs. Green Bay, OT loss to Vikings after 340-yard, 2-TD Williams performance, coaching errors).
  • "If they win two of those four games... you're like, okay, 7 and 10, ups and downs, missed the playoffs, took too many sacks, coach got fired. Instead, it's, I don't know, is Caleb Williams an NFL player?" (12:41)

• Rosters and Upgrades

  • Offensive line, coaching, and skill positions all improved this offseason (Loveland at TE, Burden at WR, upgrades at OL), setting up for a leap in Williams' second year.
  • "Last year should be the floor for Caleb Williams." (13:34)

• Coach-Player Dynamic

  • Updates from training camp: Parkins relays, “Everything I've heard about Caleb... intense relationship [with new coach Ben Johnson], really taking well to hard coaching. True professional, knows 100% of what it takes and he's working his ass off to be great.” (13:49)

• Final Assessment

  • Caleb Williams is "good, can still be great," and has MVP/Super Bowl ceiling with the right infrastructure.
  • "People frankly have really lost the plot with Caleb Williams." (14:26)

---

Tom Verducci on MLB: Brewers, Playoff Odds, and Realignment

The Milwaukee Brewers — Overachieving or Legit?

Interview starts at 19:54

• How Brewers Excel Despite Payroll & Stars:

  • "They do so many things well... They’re the best defensive team in baseball. They steal bases, they bunt... best team with runners in scoring position... [3rd] pitching staff. No weakness except maybe power." (19:55)
  • Power shortage could hurt them in postseason—a common thread among recent champs is home run strength.
  • “They will not beat themselves.” (20:47)

• Why the Oddsmakers Doubt:

  • Brewers are just 4th-best World Series odds despite league-best record.
  • “A lot of people don’t believe it or aren’t familiar enough... This is not the little engine that could.” (21:22)
  • Pitching in postseason: Brewers 3rd-best in baseball at limiting in-zone damage; Woodruff, Mizerowski, Peralta all have "high-end stuff." (22:01)

The Cubs: Still Dangerous?

• Cubs are dangerous "with an asterisk — Kyle Tucker's injury is the difference." (22:39)
• Like Milwaukee, play good defense and run bases, but “absolutely need Kyle Tucker to make a run.” (23:04)

Dodgers and Playoff Pressure

• Dodgers’ payroll and talent mean anything less than a World Series is a failure, despite 2024 championship.
• “It’s put up or shut up... big test this weekend in San Diego." (23:49)

The Best Rivalry in Baseball: Dodgers vs Padres?

• "There is dislike among the teams, not just the fans... must-see in terms of rivalries." (25:15)
• Padres have edge in bullpen, Dodgers in starting pitching; expect "fireworks" this weekend. (25:27)

Relying on Shohei Ohtani in October

• Ohtani can "win a game by himself on the mound... by the time we get to October the governors are off." (26:28)

AL Wild Card and Yankees-Red Sox

• Verducci: "I think you play for seeding here... Boston is a really good home team" (27:49)
• Touts Red Sox’s Roman Anthony: “21 years old...like he’s been in the big leagues 10 years. That was a welcome to the rivalry moment.” (28:53)

MLB Expansion and Realignment

• Expansion to 32 teams (e.g., four divisions of four teams) is likely; major question is whether AL-NL divide survives or is erased in favor of geographic rivalries (29:42).

  "It makes sense logistically... but as you know, one of the great things about baseball is its history." (30:04)

• Implementation is "sometime in the early 2000 and 30s.” (30:56)
• Payroll imbalances between divisions would create seeding and competitive headaches. (31:06)
• Rob Manfred wants to minimize time-zone disadvantages for major playoff matchups.

---

Rant: The Worst Idea in Sports — College Football Playoff Expansion

(37:51 – 53:46)

• 24+ Team Playoff is “the worst idea I’ve ever heard”
  • A Big Ten and SEC notion to expand the playoff to 24 or 28 teams.
  • "It's a truly awful, terrible idea. You ever hear an idea that's so bad that it scares you a little bit because you're like these people, they walk among us?" (37:59)
  • Warns it would allow mediocre teams (4-loss Alabama, LSU, Colorado, 8-5 Iowa) into the playoffs, devaluing the regular season.

    "If you water down the meaning of the result of the regular season, I think you're running into a situation where at some point bigger is not going to be better." (44:01)

  • Argues that the charm of college football lies in every regular season game’s importance.
  • "For me, four [teams for the playoff] was enough." (41:04)
  • Expresses concern that the expansion is inevitable: "No one thinks we're stopping with 12." (42:31)

---

NFL Quarterback Talk: Vikings, JJ McCarthy, and the ‘Historic’ 2024 QB Class

(53:46 – End of Hour)

• Resting Preseason Starters, Vikings’ Approach

  • Praises Vikings' cautious approach with JJ McCarthy (resting him, letting him start fresh).
  • "J.J. McCarthy... is not going to play... I would much rather my team do the Sean McVay route than the Andy Reid route." (47:05)

• Vikings Believe They Can Win Now

  • Organization sees itself as a legitimate contender—"they absolutely believe they could win the Super Bowl."
  • Parkins himself doesn’t quite buy it, but believes in JJ McCarthy as their long-term answer.

• 2024 Draft Class: A Record for Success?

  • Predicts all six 2024 first-round QBs will get second contracts with their teams, something that's never happened in NFL history.
  • "I think the NFL... they're going to go 6 for 6 with no busts." (52:54)
  • Gives credit to Kevin O’Connell (Vikings head coach) as a quarterback developer: "Kevin O'Connell should be right there. Also, if Kevin O'Connell can get Kirk Cousins to throw for nearly 5,000 yards [and move on from Sam Darnold], and then they traded up to draft JJ McCarthy..." (50:32)
  • Even allows for reordering of QBs (Jaden Daniels now clear first pick, Bo Nix ahead of Michael Penix.)

• Comparative Context:

  • The only draft class to approach this kind of success at the QB position is 2020 (Burrow, Herbert, Tua, Love, Hurts)—five QBs signing second deals.
  • Noting the importance of second contracts but also that they don't guarantee perennial greatness.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Caleb Williams’ rookie adversity:

  "He played all 17 games despite being sacked 68 times... he dealt with everyone talks about the bad coaching—and it was bad." — Danny Parkins (05:58)

• On college football playoff expansion:

  “A 2018 College Football Playoff... is a truly awful, terrible, no good, very bad idea.” — Danny Parkins (38:08)

• Tom Verducci on Brewers’ playoff odds discrepancy:

  "A lot of people don't believe it or they're not familiar enough with this team. This is not the little engine that could." (21:22)

• On the Dodgers’ playoff litmus test in San Diego:

  “If you’re playing for the Dodgers, we know it’s about what you do in October... big test this weekend in San Diego.” — Tom Verducci (23:49)

• On the best rivalry in MLB:

  “There is dislike among the teams, not just the fans... must-see in terms of rivalries.” — Tom Verducci (25:15)

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Caleb Williams deep dive and defense: 02:36 – 18:02
• Tom Verducci MLB segment: 19:54 – 32:58
  • Brewers analysis: 19:54
  • Cubs status: 22:39
  • Dodgers & playoff contention: 23:45
  • Dodgers-Padres rivalry: 25:15
  • Shohei Ohtani impact: 26:28
  • AL Wild Card/Yankees–Red Sox: 27:49
  • MLB Realignment: 29:42
• College football playoff expansion rant: 37:51 – 47:05
• Vikings, JJ McCarthy, and 2024 NFL QB class: 47:05 – end of content hour

---

Summary

This episode of "The Herd" (Hour 2) saw guest host Danny Parkins delivering detailed, frank, and sometimes passionate takes on top sports topics: a level-headed defense of Caleb Williams against hot-take culture, a thorough MLB playoff preview with Tom Verducci, and a warning against the unintended consequences of ever-expanding college football playoffs. Parkins also projects historic success from the current NFL rookie quarterback class, highlighting the potential changing landscape for NFL teams who invest early and develop well. Overall, the hour provided in-depth analysis rooted in statistics, firsthand familiarity, and controversy-poking opinions while keeping the conversational and opinionated style the show is known for.

Transcript

[Angela Rye]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[GoDaddy Advertiser]

Running a business online. Look legit and own your own brand with professional tools from GoDaddy. Instantly build trust with your customers and boost your credibility with an email that matches your domain so people know you mean business. There's never been a better time. Just go to GoDaddy.com GDnow and choose from a wide variety of popular domains. To find one that's right for you, pair that with a professional email that works for all your business needs from daily communications to email marketing and everything in between. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. For a limited time, get a domain and matching professional email for just 99 cents a month for one year. Go to GoDaddy.comGdNow and look legit with GoDaddy. That's GoDaddy.comGdNow again. GoDaddy.comGdNow there's never been a better time to choose the domain and email that's right for you. New customer purchases only products Auto renew separately. See terms on site GoDaddy.com GD now.

[Manny]

Why are TSA rules so confusing?

[Danny Parkins]

You got a hoodie? You want to take it all?

[Manny]

I'm Manny. I'm Noah.

[Devin]

This is Devin.

[Manny]

And we're best friends and journalists with a new podcast called no Such Thing where we get to the bottom of questions like that. Why are you screaming at me? I can't expect what to do now if the rule was the same, go off on me. I deserve it, you know, Lock him up. Listen to no Such thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. No Such thing.

[Tom Verducci]

Who cares about truth when the lies more entertaining.

[Angela Rye]

Welcome home. I'm Angela Ride, co host of the Native Lampod with Andrew Gillum and Tiffany Cross, and we want y' all to survive and thrive in this political moment.

[Devin]

We're having the same debates that American households are having all over the country.

[Angela Rye]

I am terrified that in our rest we're going to miss the moment.

[Andrew Gillum]

You want me to stop resting? What specifically are you asking me to do?

[Danny Parkins]

Stop.

[Andrew Gillum]

Stay informed and take action.

[Devin]

Listen to Native land Pod on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jake Hofer]

I'm Jake Hofer and this is back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network. Each episode I'll be asking eight whitetail hunting pros a focused, thought provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access should you.

[Danny Parkins]

That's what the real question is. Stand without good access is not a good stand.

[Jake Hofer]

Listen to Back 40 on iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Danny Parkins]

Thanks for listening to the Heard 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 FSR. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio hour number two, the Herd. I'm Danny Parkins in for Colin Cowherd. Tom Verducci will join us later on this hour to discuss Brewer's hottest team or best team in baseball. I gotta say, whenever I sit in this chair for Colin, it's just a pinch me thing. It's a complete honor. It's a privilege. It's a little surreal, but I don't know if I've ever looked forward more to a segment than this one because while I've been waiting for First Things first to come back and me to join, which will be Monday, I'll be on from five to six. I've used to kind of sit on the sidelines and watch a lot of this show and a lot of things be said about Caleb Williams that I cannot believe that I'm hearing and seeing. So we're going to take some time here and I'm going to try to level set the conversation. And yes, listen, everyone has biases. The people who admit their biases are the ones you can trust. I am a Bears guy from Chicago. Consider it disclosed. Caleb Williams was good last year. Anyone who watched every pass of every game, which I did, would tell you that he was not good enough. He was not as great as we thought he was going to be. But Caleb Williams was good. Best rookie quarterback, by the way, in Bears franchise history. Which I agree the bar is on the floor. That's an easy one to clear, but it is still true. And the situation that hand up I got wrong, I said it was the best situation a number one overall pick had ever walked into. I was dead wrong about that because how much of a disaster the Matt Eberflu, Shane Waldron coaching situation was and we'll get to more of that in a second. But Caleb Williams was good. He wasn't great, but people talk about Caleb Williams like it's still possible that he could be a bust. Bust is off the table he's good. Let's start. There's the good, the bad and the narrative. And I'll be fair. We'll start with the bad. The obvious bad. The worst of it, and there were a few was 68 sacks. 68 sacks is an absurd number. 68 sacks is way too many. He did not fully trust what NFL open was. He held onto the ball. He was afraid to throw interceptions and so he would eat a sack as opposed to trusting his arm talent, trusting the route, trusting the play, did not play on schedule enough. 68 sacks is unacceptable. He will always be a higher than average sacked quarterback because of how much of a big game hunter he is, because of how mobile he is because he has that wizardry to do the second option off angle throws, the improvisation stuff. But 68 is obviously not sustainable. And then I think there was a legit concern based on what I knew and people that I talked to around the team that Caleb was trying to get by a little bit too much on just his raw natural talent and didn't have a complete understanding of what it took Monday through Saturday to be ready for Sunday. And he was young, he was a rookie, wasn't a bad guy, wasn't unprofessional. Just there's an adjustment of what you need to do to get ready for a college game and what there is what you need to do to get ready for a pro game. And that learning curve was there for Caleb. It was also certainly impacted by the coaching turnover. So I think there was professionalism. But really the sacks, 68 sacks, you can't win. The good was he survived. He was tough as hell. He played all 17 games despite being sacked 68 times. He had a three and a half to one touchdown interception ratio, 20 touchdowns against only six picks. He threw for over 3,500 yards and he dealt with. Everyone talks about the bad coaching and it was bad. They fired Shane Waldron, his play caller, nine games into the season. And the Bears are a founding charter franchise in the NFL who had never fired a head coach in season in their history. And let me tell you, Mark Tressman deserved it. Guy kicked a field goal on second down. They finally fired a coach in season because they feared a mutiny from the team because it got so bad in season last year. But that wasn't it. The offensive line situation that Caleb was dealing with. Matt Pryor, Tevin Jenkins and Coleman Shelton all started 14 plus games. And if you're out there watching or listening, being like, who are those guys? It's a totally reasonable thing for you to think Coleman Shelton is going to start at center this year for the Rams on maybe the worst part of their team. They're very concerned that they're not going to be able to keep Matt Stafford healthy. And Tevin Jenkins and Matt Pryor are, are now backups in Cleveland and Philly respectively. And they all started 14 or more games for the Bears last year. So they were starting backups on the offensive line. They fired the coach, they fired the play caller. And again, if you watched, there were moments of undeniable upside. Like right now in FS1, we're showing highlights from the Bills game and I heard reactions to the Bills game being like, woo, Caleb, look at the arm talent, look at the mobility, look at the zip on the ball, look at the accuracy. It's like, yeah, we saw it last year, we didn't see it enough, we didn't see it consistently enough. But he was a rookie. And that's where I think the narrative piece is getting forgotten about last season. Because last season went off the rails for the Bears. More so though for the Bears than Caleb Williams. They lost 10 games in a row and how they lost those games started to become so comical that understandably the Bears became a punchline. The Bears lost a game to Washington on a Hail Mary and the receiver who caught the ball, his man Tyreek Stevenson was literally talking to the crowd when the ball was snapped. Wasn't even paying attention. That's not on Caleb. Washington ended up in the NFC Championship game. The Bears lost a game to green bay by one point on a blocked field goal. A 46 yard attempt where they sent to the league office that the pass rush by the packers was illegal because they hit the long snapper over the ball. Wasn't called. Whatever it happens, missed call. But like that's a thing that happened. Lost that game by one. They hit that 46 yard field goal. As time expires, they would have swept the season series against Green Bay because they beat him at Lambeau to end the year. Green bay was an 11 win team. Was it on Caleb Williams when they lost to Minnesota? The 14 win Minnesota Vikings when Caleb threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns and scored 27 points against Brian Flores. Defense like that game on Caleb Williams because it feels like, well, it was just another loss in the midst of a 10 game losing streak. Okay, he took a sack in the possession of overtime. That was not good. No doubt about it. But again, Brian Flores defense, 14 win team, pretty good. 340 passing yards, two touchdowns no interceptions, scored 27 points, lost in overtime to the Vikings. And then everyone remembers the Thanksgiving game against the Lions where Matt Eberflus forgot that he's the head coach and that you're allowed to call timeouts. They're four yards away from field goal range, would have sent them to overtime. They've got one timeout, there's a sack that puts them out of field goal range. So you got to gain the 5 yards, call the timeout, kick the field goal. There was confusion. You would like Caleb to be more situationally aware in that spot. Again, a rookie. You would like your coach to help out the player. There were 32 seconds left when he got sacked. They only ran one play the rest of the game. It was like he was playing out there with no coaches. So I think if they win two of those four games and all of a sudden they are 7 and 10 instead of 5 and 12 with wins over the Vikings and the Commanders in addition to their win at the end over the packers, you're like, okay, 7 and 10, ups and downs, missed the playoffs, took too many sacks, coach got fired instead. It's, I don't know, is Caleb Williams an NFL player? They upgraded it. Right guard, center, left guard, coach, play caller. They used a top 10 pick on Colston Loveland, a tight end, and they used the top 40 pick on Luther Burden, a receiver, both of whom looked good in the preseason opener where the starters played against the Bills. So last year should be the floor for Caleb Williams. And by the way, everything that I've heard about Caleb from this year at camp, him and Ben Johnson, intense relationship, really taking well to hard coaching. True professional, knows 100% of what it takes and he's working his ass off to be great. So if the floor is 3,500 passing yards and a three and a half to one touchdown interception ratio and he upgraded 60% of his offensive line, his head coach, his play caller, his tight end position and his wide receiver group. Why are we surprised that he led a touchdown drive against the Bills in the preseason? The discourse has just gone completely insane with the oh, they're sitting him out. They're hiding him. They're afraid. They prefer Tyson Beijing. Caleb Williams is good, can still be great and I think his ceiling is still MVP of the league and a Super bowl champion at some point in his career. He's and I think people frankly have really lost the plot with Caleb Williams and I look forward to seeing him build on year one in year two with Ben Johnson should be a very exciting season and a very exciting next decade for Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears. Coming up next, Tom Verducci, one of the top voices in baseball. The brewers, the best team, but not the best shot to win a World Series. We unpack how it's all happening coming up. The Herd want more Heard the herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. He's Mike Carmen. I'm Dan Byard. We have a fantasy football podcast called I Want yout Flex. That's right, Dan. Every week we're gonna scour the waiver wire to find the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup. Sits starts fantasy football players rankings to get you ready to dominate the competition. Listen to I Want yout Flex with Mike Harmon and me, Dan Beyer on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts.

[GoDaddy Advertiser]

Running a business online, look legit and own your own brand with professional tools from GoDaddy. Instantly build trust with your customers and boost your credibility with an email that matches your domain so people know you mean business. There's never been a better time. Just go to GoDaddy.com GDnow and choose from a wide variety of popular domains. To find one that's right for you. Pair that with a professional email that works for all your business needs from daily communications to email marketing and everything in between. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. For a limited time, get a domain and matching professional email for just 99 cents a month for one year. Go to GoDaddy.com GD now and look legit with GoDaddy. That's GoDaddy.com GDnow again. GoDaddy.com GDnow there's never been a better time to choose the domain and email that's right for you. New customer purchases only products Auto renew separately. See terms on site godaddy.com gdnow Imagine.

[Manny]

That you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this.

[Andrew Gillum]

Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency and we need some, someone, anyone to land this plane.

[Manny]

Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this. Until this, pull that. Turn this.

[Danny Parkins]

It's.

[Manny]

It's just I can do my eyes closed. I'm Manny.

[Danny Parkins]

I'm Noah, this is Devin.

[Manny]

And on our new show, no Such thing We get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence.

[Danny Parkins]

Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise.

[Manny]

And then as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the Runway. I'm looking at this thing.

[Danny Parkins]

See?

[Manny]

Listen to no such thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Tom Verducci]

Who cares about truth when the lies. More entertaining.

[Angela Rye]

Hey, everybody, I'm Angela Rye, co host of Native Lamp Hot with Tiffany Cross and Andrew Gillum through the Lens of Politics. And we talk with you every week to make sense of this madness.

[Andrew Gillum]

I've been telling Angela I don't even know how to fight back right now. So what I'm focused on is just looking out for ourselves.

[Danny Parkins]

That's the truth.

[Devin]

We're having the same debates that American households are having all over the country.

[Angela Rye]

Rest is certainly a form of self care, but if you are watching your full neighbors starve, not be able to pay bills, your rest is selfish.

[Andrew Gillum]

But the thing is, Angela, this is not the mess we created. So I do understand black folks feeling like, you know what, y' all got it.

[Devin]

We're like family, but we disagree all the time. And we love when our listeners chime in.

[Andrew Gillum]

What would happen if we built our own little Wakandan communities in the rural South?

[John Lithgow]

Tiffany, do not run to no rural South.

[Danny Parkins]

I don't know what you're on.

[Andrew Gillum]

What our audience is asking is. Okay, fine. You want me to stop resting? What specifically are you asking me to do? Stay informed and take action.

[Devin]

Listen to Native land Pod on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danny Parkins]

Welcome home, y'. All.

[John Lithgow]

Hello, I'm John Lithgow.

[Tom Verducci]

We choose to go to the moon.

[John Lithgow]

I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast.

[Danny Parkins]

It's One Small Step for Man.

[John Lithgow]

It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space.

[Danny Parkins]

You're a great pilot, Buzz. As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen.

[John Lithgow]

That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't predisposition.

[GoDaddy Advertiser]

To depression, alcohol abuse, and suicide.

[John Lithgow]

We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons.

[Tom Verducci]

What do you say, Buzz? Another beer.

[John Lithgow]

And triumph over addiction.

[GoDaddy Advertiser]

Here's to you, Buzz Aldrin.

[John Lithgow]

Good luck to you and become a true hero.

[Tom Verducci]

Buzz and I will proceed into the.

[John Lithgow]

Lunar module not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself.

[Danny Parkins]

Buzz, we intercepted a Soviet radio Transmission.

[John Lithgow]

Starring me, John Lithgow.

[Danny Parkins]

Can you put it through on the.

[John Lithgow]

Iheartradio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts?

[Danny Parkins]

Columbia back in on the herd. I'm Danny Parkins in for Colin in just a little bit. Discuss something as it relates to college football that I'm pretty sure no one in the pre show meeting, not a single person agreed with me on. But you know, such is life. It's the cross eyed bear. But joining us now, terrific baseball reporter, longtime analyst for Fox, Tom Verducci with us. You can see him on Fox Sports and the MLB Network. Tom, thank you so much for the time. And yes, the author of the terrific book the Cubs Way after the greatest season in baseball history. I am biased on that, but that's okay. The 2016 Cubs, Tom, we'll stay in that division. The brewers, they had a lot of brain drain. They lose their gm, they lose their manager, they lose some of their best players. They have a small payroll, yet they are by the record the best team in the sport. How do they do it?

[Tom Verducci]

Yeah, and people have to get used to that, Danny. They are the best team in baseball even if you don't know the names. You can't rattle off their starting infield or their secondary relief pitchers. But it's because they do so many things well, the finer points of the game. They're the best defensive team in baseball. They steal bases, they bunt. Yeah, that's still allowed in the game today, by the way. They're the best team with runners in scoring position. Their pitching staff is third in Major League Baseball. So they have no weakness unless you want to count power. Now they don't hit a lot of home runs. 18th in the major League Baseball in home runs. And that's the only thing when I look at Milwaukee, I say what could hold them back in the postseason? Because you need to hit home runs in the postseason. In the last decade, there's only been the last team to finish in the bottom half of home runs was the 2015 Kansas City Royals. It's been a long time. Last five world champions all been between first and fourth in home runs. That being said, they will not beat themselves. You know what happened to the Yankees in the World Series last year that ain't happening to the brewers in an October series.

[Danny Parkins]

So I don't know how much you follow the gambling and the odds. I love it. The, the odds makers have them as the fourth best team, fourth best chance to win the World Series, which seems to just spit in the face of what I've watched over the last two. Do you make of the fact that they're still fourth according to the odds makers?

[Tom Verducci]

Yeah. Again, a lot of people don't believe it or they're not familiar enough with this team. This is not the little engine that could. One of the things I look at, Danny, when it comes to pitching in the postseason, can you out stuff teams? So I look at how do hitters do against your stuff in the zone because you can't pitch around guys in the postseason. It's about pure stuff. And the brewers are the third best team in baseball as far as limiting damage in the strike zone. So the way Woodruff has come back, Brandon Woodruff, the kid Jacob Mizorowski can dominate a game. Freddie Peralta, 15 game winner, may get 20. And that bullpen at the back end is just lights out with stuff. I'm talking about 100 mile an hour stuff. I don't think people are plugged into enough that the brewers have some high end talent on the mound. And it's not just about playing small ball.

[Danny Parkins]

So the brewers have passed the Cubs in the division and built themselves a comfortable lead, even though the Cubs have the second best run differential in baseball and are a very talented team. But they've been slumping for a while. Kyle Tucker has been brutal. Now they're saying that there's been an injury pca. His power has really dwindled for the last month and a half or so. Do you think the Cubs are faltering or do you consider them to be still dangerous?

[Tom Verducci]

I still think they're dangerous with an asterisk, and that is Kyle Tucker. You mentioned that with the finger. It's been now a couple of months now where he has not hit. There seems to be, if not a direct cause, a lingering issue with that hairline fracture in the finger. Now, if he gets better and he's back to being the MVP candidate we saw in the first half of the season, yes, they're dangerous, but he is such an important part of their offense. Overall, I love this team because like Milwaukee, they're very athletic. They play really, really good defense. They steal bases and hit home runs. But to me, I think they absolutely need Kyle Tucker to make a run through the postseason. So I'm not down on the Cubs. All credit to the brewers for the run they've had to pull away and the Cubs are not catching the Brewers. But I think in a postseason environment, give me a healthy Kyle Tucker and I'll take my chances with the Cubs.

[Danny Parkins]

Let's Stay in the National League. The Dodgers have gotten back into first place in the very competitive nl. Do you view them, because of their payroll as anything short of a World Series, as a failure?

[Tom Verducci]

I think you do look at that way because the expectations are so high. Yes. Now there's less, I would say, pressure on the Dodgers themselves because they did win the championship last year. But because of the payroll and this pure talent on this roster. Yes. You know, they're the odds on favorite, put it that way, in a field where it's pretty wide open. Right. I'm looking at this weekend, Danny, as a real pivotal point for the Dodgers. Not that they have to prove anything, but they're going into San Diego and they've got Blake Snell, Tyler Glass now and Yamamoto pitching now. To those guys, Snell and Glass, now, they extended. They kind of. Kind of massage their way through this season with some injuries to get to this very point, to have those guys available to dominate a big game. So if you're playing for the Dodgers, we know it's about what he'd be done in October. Right. Not in July and June. They're at that point now where it's put up or shut up. These guys should be now healthy, take the ball three times through a lineup and dominate a game. Big test this weekend in San Diego.

[Danny Parkins]

Yeah, you mentioned it. And the game tomorrow is right here on FS1TV. Executives in history will always say, Yankees, Red Sox, best rivalry. I will be partial to Cubs, Cardinals, just from where I'm from. But I gotta be objective here. Dodgers, Padres has become the best rivalry in baseball. Do you expect more fireworks between the teams this weekend?

[Tom Verducci]

Yeah, I do. First of all, the atmosphere in that ballpark is on any night. I mean, for a week night this week against the Giants, it was crazy for the weekend against the Dodgers, look out. It's one of the best venues in baseball in terms of pure vibe. And there have been enough fireworks between these two teams that. That there is dislike among the teams, not just the fans. That's when you're talking about great rivalries. And I think they generally play very competitive games. Now, if the game is close, I'm not going against San Diego's bullpen above anybody in baseball. But the Dodgers, to me, have a little bit the edge in the starting pitching. They're very evenly matched. I mean, I know the Dodgers swept them last week in Los Angeles, and I expect this weekend could be a completely different story. I love some of the deadline moves the Padres made. They're a deeper lineup than they had the deadline with o' Hearn and Loriano in there. But yes, I think this is must see in terms of rivalries in baseball. It's become a really, really one of the best, hottest rivalries in baseball.

[Danny Parkins]

How much do you think the Dodgers are going to have to rely on Shohei Ohtani, the pitcher in October?

[Tom Verducci]

That's a great question. Because he's got the chance or the skill to actually go out there and win a game by himself on the mound. I mean, he's not there yet in terms being stretched out enough, but I think by the time we get to October he should be. We've seen him now take the ball into the fourth and maybe the fifth inning. Ohtani is a guy with ace stuff, so he can dominate a game. The issue here is you have to be very careful with his usage. Almost a little bit like Yamamoto, where the Dodgers will not use Yamamoto on four days of rest. It has to be at least five and generally six. Shohei will be in that sense, same position. So to dominate a series might be very tough, but to go out there for one game, pick your spots, make sure he's on the sixth or seventh day. I think by the time we get to October, I think the governors are off. I think Shohei can go out there and pitch a game. 7 innings, no runs, 1 run, 10 punch outs. He definitely has that inning. And that's a guy who can really turn a series in one.

[Danny Parkins]

Start a few more minutes with Tom Verducci. The AL wild card race is very tight. We have Yankees, Red Sox this weekend. I've talked enough managers to know like there's no such thing as a big game. It's all one of 162 and day at a time. But I feel like we're at the point in the calendar where they can't even get away with those cliches. How big of a series do you consider this weekend to be?

[Tom Verducci]

Yeah, I think it's big, Danny, because I personally think that seating matters a lot. Right. I know a lot of people say just get in, but to me that if I'm a manager, that first round wild card where I have to play entirely on the road, it's a scary proposition. And for me, Boston is such a really good home team. There's a different vibe there. They just seem to play better. I mean, it seems like every other game at Fenway is a walk off win for the Red Sox. There's something they've built there about playing at home that I think they would Love to have in October. So I don't really buy the argument that. Just get us in, you know, if you're the third wild card and you're on the edge of maybe getting that last spot, sure, that's true. But I think you play for seating here. I really do. And there's not a lot of separation between these two teams. I don't think there will be the game last night, let's face it, the Yankees did not play a clean game. If you keep the Yankees in the ballpark as far as defending the home run, you got a really good chance of beating them. And that's what the Red Sox did last night. And by the way, I mean, if you haven't seen Roman Anthony play, you gotta watch this kid play for The Red Sox, man, 21 years old, and he's playing like he's been in the big leagues for 10 years. Walks in the Yankee Stadium, the bleach creatures are just killing them out there in right field, right? And like nothing, he goes out there, base hit the other way, home run in ninth inning to pull side, a little bit of a bat flip. I mean, that was just a cool moment. That was a welcome to the rivalry moment if I've ever seen one.

[Danny Parkins]

So there's some big picture stuff, too. Rob Manfred, talking about both expansion and geographical realignment, what do you think in terms of, like, the macroeconomics, like, the tectonic shifting of baseball? What do you think is fiction versus reality here?

[Tom Verducci]

Well, this has been in the works for a while, Danny. Generally on the whiteboard is more opposed to, like, really hard and fast ideas about how to realign, but they definitely want to get the 32 teams that make scheduling easier. You're probably looking at four divisions of four teams. The question for me is, does this mean that the kind of traditional setup of American and National League either goes away or is extremely diminished? In other words, if you do want to realign geographically, would you put, say, the Yankees, the Mets, the Phillies and the Red Sox in one division and just kind of throw away American and National League history? That's a big, bold step to make. Now, it makes sense to logistically. But as you know, one of the great things about baseball is its history. And I understand we're moving farther and farther away from those kinds of things in the game, and younger fans especially get used to it. But I'm curious as to whether that's the road Major League Baseball wants to go down or they still want to keep a bit of the history and realign geographically. But keep sort of the integrity of the leagues intact. That's a bold step. Let's face it though, Danny, we're not talking about anything on the immediate horizon. This would be sometime in the early 2000 and 30s, probably by the time two cities are picked and things get realigned. But it's definitely in the discussion phase.

[Danny Parkins]

How would it work though, to use that example, Yankees, Mets, Phillies, Red Sox, big market teams, big spending teams. And then another division proposal that I saw was like Tampa, the Marlins, an expanded Nashville team and The Braves, like one division would probably have what, 4 or 5x the payroll of another division in that scenario?

[Tom Verducci]

Yeah, that's where the devil the details are in, like what's your postseason format? What are the qualifications if you win your division? Are you automatically seeded at all or even high? I don't know. But it would seem to me that you'd have to see it as straight like, you know, one through six kind of seeding. Regardless of where you finish in your division, you could have a fourth place team be in the fourth seed. If that is possible. I'd love to know what the idea is there. I get the what Rob Manford has talked about for years is that his classic example, the Red Sox play the Angels in the postseason. Right. You're going to have one fan base that's disadvantaged. Either Red Sox fans are watching the game at 10 o' clock at night or you're still at work on the west coast watching a 7 o' clock game from Fenway Park. So he wants to work against that and schedule more, even playoff games around geographical lines. So again, devil in the details. I'd love to see what the postseason format is because that could be a real game changer. The game like we think it's a little complicated now in terms of getting in. I'd love to know what the format would be in the postseason. Not just, hey, we're going to realign on geographical boundaries.

[Danny Parkins]

Bestselling author, terrific reporter and a baseball analyst here for us at Fox, Tom Verducci. Thank you so much, Tom.

[Tom Verducci]

My pleasure. Thanks for having me, Danny.

[Danny Parkins]

Thank you. That's Tom Verducci with us talking baseball. We'll get back into the Micah Parsons situation as we move Danny Parkins in for Colin. But coming up next, truly one of the worst ideas I've ever heard was proposed. I think I have a better one, though. It would involve going back in time. That's coming up. The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartradio.

[GoDaddy Advertiser]

Running a business online. Look legit and own your own brand with professional tools from GoDaddy. Instantly build trust with your customers and boost your credibility with an email that matches your domain so people know you mean business. There's never been a better time. Just go to GoDaddy.com GDnow and choose from a wide variety of popular domains. To find one that's right for you, pair that with a professional email that works for all your business, business needs from daily communications to email marketing and everything in between. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. For a limited time, get a domain and matching professional email for just 99 cents a month for one year. Go to GoDaddy.comGdNow and look legit with GoDaddy. That's GoDaddy.comGdNow again. GoDaddy.comGdNow there's never been a better time to choose the domain and email that's right for you. New customer purchases only products. Auto renew separately. See terms on site godaddy.com gdnow Imagine.

[Manny]

That you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this.

[Andrew Gillum]

Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone, to land this plane.

[Manny]

Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control. And they're saying like, okay, pull this. Until this, pull that, turn this. It's just I can do my eyes closed. I'm Manny.

[Danny Parkins]

I'm Noah. This is Devin.

[Manny]

And on our new show, no such thing, we get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence.

[Danny Parkins]

Those who lack expertise lack the expertise they need to recognize that they lack expertise.

[Manny]

And then as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the Runway. I'm looking at this thing. See? Listen to no such thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Tom Verducci]

Who cares about truth when the lies more entertaining.

[Angela Rye]

Hey, everybody, I'm Angela Rye, co host of Native Lampa with Tiffany Cross and Andrew Gillum. Through the lens of politics and culture, we talk with you every week to make sense of this madness.

[Andrew Gillum]

I've been telling Angela I don't even know how to fight back right now. So what I'm focused on is just looking out for ourselves.

[Danny Parkins]

That's the truth.

[Devin]

We're having the same debates that American households are having all over the country.

[Angela Rye]

Rest is certainly a form of self care, but if you are watching your full neighbors starve, not be able to pay bills, your rest is selfish.

[Andrew Gillum]

But the thing is, Angela, this is not the mess we created. So I do understand black folks feeling like, you know what, y' all got it.

[Devin]

We're like family, but we disagree all the time. And we love when our listeners chime.

[Andrew Gillum]

In what would happen if we built our own little Wakandan communities in the rural South.

[John Lithgow]

Tiffany, do not run to no rural South.

[Danny Parkins]

I don't know what you're on.

[Andrew Gillum]

What our audience is asking is. Okay, fine. You want me to stop resting? What specifically are you asking me to do? Stay informed and take action.

[Devin]

Listen to Native Land Pod on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danny Parkins]

Welcome home. Welcome home, y'. All.

[John Lithgow]

Hello, I'm John Lithgow.

[Tom Verducci]

We choose to go to the moon.

[John Lithgow]

I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast.

[Danny Parkins]

That's One Small Step for Man.

[John Lithgow]

It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers of space.

[Danny Parkins]

You're a great pilot, Buzz. As far as I'm concerned. The best best I've seen.

[John Lithgow]

That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't predisposition.

[GoDaddy Advertiser]

To depression, alcohol abuse and suicide.

[John Lithgow]

We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons.

[Tom Verducci]

What do you say, Buzz? Another beer.

[John Lithgow]

And triumph over addiction.

[GoDaddy Advertiser]

Here's to you, Buzz Aldrin.

[John Lithgow]

Good luck to you and become a true hero.

[Tom Verducci]

Buzz and I will proceed into the.

[John Lithgow]

Lunar module not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself.

[Danny Parkins]

Buzz, we intercepted a Soviet radio transmission.

[John Lithgow]

Starring me, John Lithgow.

[Danny Parkins]

Can you put it through Translate on.

[John Lithgow]

The iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danny Parkins]

Columbia Things first starts on Monday, when I'll be on FS1 every day from 5 to 6 and we'll talk more. Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones and the stalemate that apparently won't end, although there is a game coming up on September 7th and sneaking suspicion that it'll be over by then. But we'll see. I. I saw an idea that was floated not by a message board, not by a blog, not by a random person in my mentions on YouTube or Instagram or Twitter, but apparently by a Big Ten official was the sourcing behind it. And it was apparently the same type of idea that had been reportedly suggested at SEC coaches meetings, which was that, you know, we got to think of big ideas, college football Season week zero. It's this week that the college football playoffs should maybe be expanded to 24 or 28 teams. And I thought to myself about that scene in Office Space, about the jump to conclusions. Matt, it is the worst idea I've ever heard. Yes, it's a truly awful, terrible idea. You ever hear an idea that's so bad that it scares you a little bit because you're like these people, they walk among us. A 2018 College Football Playoff with the Big Ten and the SEC both getting six, seven automatic bids is a truly awful, terrible, no good, very bad idea. Let's just hypothetically, for a moment, think about what that would potentially mean last year. That means Colorado with four losses is him. Oh, well, that would have been interesting for television networks, right? Shador Sanders, Travis Hunter. Okay, maybe you're fine with that. That would have meant that Alabama with four losses would have been in. Okay, Alabama, roll. Damn, died. LSU with four losses, would have been in. And maybe you're just sitting there nodding like, yeah, it would have been great. Put them in. You guys wanted Iowa. You wanted 8 and 5 Iowa to make the College Football Playoff last year because they would have been in under this hypothetical scenario. And listen, I fully admit that I am addicted to football. And I will watch football. And I cannot wait for Texas and Ohio State. And I think that Clemson's defense is going to be like those title defenses under Dabo, and I think that they are going to be at least making the semifinal, if not the national championship. And I cannot wait to, you know, see Nussmeier and Aller and Arch Manning and see who emerges as the top quarterback. And I'm addicted to it. More of a pro guy than college. But I love college, too. It's all great. If football's on, I will be watching. And I know that's why. More, more, more, bigger, bigger, bigger. More games, more games, more games. We're going to watch it. Feed us our addiction. I get it. I just want the regular season to matter. That was what, to me, was so special about college football. The regular season really mattering. Last year, Ohio State as the eight seed, wins the national championship. All right, Lose to Michigan, lose to Oregon, still make the playoff as the eighth seed, run the table, win the title. In my world, Ohio State should have not. Would have not gotten that chance. And I know we cannot put this toothpaste back in the tube, but for me, four was enough. There was not a team that had presented an argument outside of the top four that had ever said we deserved a shot at the belt. We deserved a shot at the national championship back in the BCS era when it was just two. While I thought the debate was compelling and it made college football like this, like, weird combination of the NFL and the Olympics where it was like they gotta play the games, but then there's also judging and it's arbitrary and there's an eye test and it was messy and weird. It wasn't perfect, but it was kind of charming in a way, you know. 04 Auburn had a legit gripe in the BCS era. I thought. 01 Oregon had a legit gripe in the bcs era, but for the most part I thought we got the teams that ultimately deserved it, but expanded out to four. That Auburn situation would have been taken care of. The Oregon situation would have been taken care of. I never saw a terribly compelling case for a team 5, 6, 7, 8. And now people are going to keep pointing to Ohio State last year winning the title. And that's fine. But I just worry that if the inevitability of this is bigger, bigger, bigger, more, more, more, because no one thinks we're stopping with 12, it'll go to 16. And then when it goes to 16, is it going to go to 20? Is it going to go to 24? Is it going to go to 28? We're going to reach a point where the regular season, it will always matter to the fans of the teams because they're your biggest thing, right? Like Michigan is the biggest thing in Ann Arbor. So it's always going to matter to Michigan fans. But if every year I watch the Iron Bowl, I know that both Auburn and Alabama are going to make the college football playoffs. For a non Auburn or Alabama fan, that would inherently take away some of the value of watching Auburn and Alabama. Now it would not for an Auburn fan or an Alabama fan, but for the casual fan. If you water down the meaning of the result of the regular season, I think you're running into a situation where at some point bigger is not going to be better. And Michigan, Ohio State last year is an unbelievable game and Michigan wins and then Ohio State gets to go on and win the national championship when it was their second loss. There's something too like, oh man, back in the day, not that long ago, sorry, Ohio State, you're out now. That clearly is not going to be the case. And Ohio State fans should be thrilled that it wasn't the case for them last year, obviously. And they were a deserving champion for how they ran through the playoff. And I Understand, these are the rules that are out there. But there is something to the greed is good mantra. And the bigger and bigger this thing gets. I worry that at some point you're going to hit a tipping point. Not that people are going to stop watching. That's clearly not going to happen. We're going to watch however you give it to us. But that you're going to take what made college football real special in the interest of trying to recreate March Madness. If you have a 2018 playoff, how many regular season games do we even have? If each conference, the big ones have six, seven, eight automatic bids, and then the ACC and the Big 12 have three or four automatic bids, why do those games matter now? Conference championships don't matter. You just run the risk of watering down a product. In my America, I'm the czar of everything, which maybe I'll run for it. Who knows? Sorry, Notre Dame. I know you ended up in the national championship game last year. You lost in Northern Illinois. Sorry. Playing a big bowl game. But clearly I'm in the minority. Clearly, no one who works with these conferences agrees with me. And I understand more games on football. We'll watch. But I just. When I see that the idea is the end result could be a 2018 playoff and no conference championship games and damn near over a third of your conference will get automatic bids into the playoffs. Then what does a Week 4 game even mean? If that's where we're going, we're not there yet, but 24 or 28 teams. I do think there should be big flashing red lights of like caution. Caution. Like you do not get too greedy for the playoff. And then you're ultimately going to devalue your product in the regular season. But I'll be there. K State, Iowa State, Week zero. Let's go. Texas, Ohio State in a week. Let's go. I'll be there. NFL starts up a couple weeks from now. And I was thinking about it because, you know, I've been monitoring how these teams have been handling their preseason. And J.J. mcCarthy, you know, national champion in college. Right. He is not going to play. Doesn't sound like. In the final preseason game for the Minnesota Vikings. And I have no problem with it. I would much rather my team do the Sean McVay route than the Andy Reid route. Andy Reid plays his guys. He risks the injury. They start fresh. Sean McVay doesn't play his guys. He rests. I'd sit everybody, because football is just a game of injury. You saw Derek Harmon get injured for the Steelers. Their first round pick, massive loss to the Steelers run defense. But J.J. mcCarthy is going to basically have thrown seven passes and then we're going to see him start for a team that won 14 games last year with a team that absolutely rightfully believes, despite what prognosticators, talking heads and odds makers suggest, they believe that they can win the Super Bowl. With Kevin o' Connell as the head coach and Brian Flores and the defensive coordinator and their offensive line and their skill position group, they absolutely believe that they could win the Super Bowl. And while I do not believe that they can win the super bowl this year, I do believe that JJ McCarthy is the answer for them at quarterback, which sets up a very interesting potential like call, like a secondary storyline for this NFL year which is the 2024 draft class I believe is going to be looked at as a historically successful one. It might not be the best draft class ever. Like it might not be the Elway, Marino, Cali, the 83 draft class and we'll see how it ends up stacking up to the 2020 draft class. But where I think it will make history is that they are going to go. They being the NFL, it feels like they are going to go 6 for 6 on first round picks signing second contracts with their teams. I believe that every team that drafted a quarterback in the first round last year is happy with their selection. Now they might redo the order right. Like Jaden Daniels would probably go first based on how he went last year. I understand that Bo Nix would maybe go in front of Michael Pennix based on how he went last year. But the Bears are happy with Caleb, obviously the Commanders are thrilled with Jaden. The Patriots are happy with Drake May who passes the eye test in a number of ways. Bo Nix looked like he couldn't play football the first four games of last year. By the end of it, he has the second most passing touchdowns for a rookie in NFL history and is in the postseason. Michael Penix plays three games for the Falcons and unlocks the offense in a way that while his numbers were not spectacular, only three passing touchdowns like Bijon Robinson, Drake, London, downfield passing yards per play like it looked a lot more potentially explosive. They used those first round picks on Pitts and Bajan and London and then they finally get quarterback who's willing to throw the ball down the field. And then there's JJ McCarthy who I know that there is some doubt and some skepticism over because he suffered the injury. He didn't throw a ton in college and we haven't seen him do it in the NFL. But there is, there's a group of coaches that get the benefit of the doubt. Andy Reid gets the benefit of the doubt. Mike McVeigh gets the benefit of the doubt. Mike Tomlin, from a lot of people gets the benefit of the doubt. Sean McVay, obviously, I think Matt LaFleur, with how Jordan Love has looked, has entered into that conversation. But Kevin O' Connell should be right there. Also, if Kevin O' Connell can get Kirk Cousins to throw for nearly 5,000 yards and then they can move on from him and then he can get Sam Darnold to throw for 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns and win 14 games and, and have Sam Darnold in a position to get a $100 million contract and then they can move on from him. And they traded up. I know they just traded up one spot, but still they traded up to draft JJ McCarthy. Kevin O', Connell, through his actions is telling you that I believe that JJ McCarthy is better than both Sam Darnold and Kirk Cousins. And even though I have not seen him play in the NFL other than the seven preseason passes, I'm inclined to believe him. And so there has been no draft class in NFL history that has ever had six guys sign a second contract with the team that drafted him. The class of Burrow and Herbert and Tua and Love and Hurts is the record. The 2020 class that had five guys sign second contracts with the team that drafted him. Who's the one that you would doubt the most to get a second contract out of that class? Jaden A lock. Bonix playoffs Year one a lock. We're going to talk to Robert Mays next hour. Smart of an NFL guy as there is Chicago based Bears fan. I know he's got some doubts on Caleb and I know second contract, but I think he would still even say that Caleb is a lock to get it. Because listen, second contract doesn't mean that you're great. Daniel Jones got a second contract with the Giants. Trevor Lawrence got a second contract with the Jaguars. But we talk so much about it, so hard to scout the position and there's such a high bust rate. I think the NFL, these teams, Falcons, Patriots, Bears, Broncos, Commanders and Patriots, I think they're going to go 6 for 6 with no busts, 6 for 6 with quarterbacks who get second contracts and it's a thing we've never seen before. And I know the doubt is on McCarthy, but Kevin O' Connell deserves more benefit of the doubt than any of the guys leading any of those other Quarterbacks. Coming up, our number three of the Herd, the aforementioned Robert Mays. The Bear, Chris Felica will be here. We'll try to make some money together, but there's a ton of nonsense coming out of Dallas. I try to translate. What does it mean? Next, the Herd.

[Manny]

Why are TSA rules so confusing?

[Danny Parkins]

You got a hoodie? You want to take it all?

[Manny]

I'm Manny. I'm Noah.

[Devin]

This is Devin.

[Manny]

And we're best friends and journalists with a new podcast called no such Thing, where we get to the bottom of questions like that. Why are you screaming? Well, I can't expect what to do now if the rule was the same, go off on me. I deserve it, you know? Lock him up. Listen to no Such thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. No such thing.

[Tom Verducci]

Who cares about truth when the lies. More entertaining.

[Angela Rye]

Welcome home. I'm Angela Ride, co host of the Native Lampod with Andrew Gillum and Tiffany Cross, and we want y' all to survive and thrive in this political moment.

[Devin]

We're having the same debates that American households are having all over the country.

[Angela Rye]

I am terrified that in our rest we're going to miss the moment.

[Andrew Gillum]

You want me to stop resting? What specifically are you asking, asking me to do? Stay informed and take action.

[Devin]

Listen to Native land pod on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Jake Hofer]

I'm Jake Hofer and this is back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network. Each episode I'll be asking eight whitetail hunting pros a focused, thought provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access?

[Danny Parkins]

Should you? That's what the real question is. Stand without good access is not a good stand.

[Jake Hofer]

Listen to Back 40 on iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[John Lithgow]

Hello, I'm John Lithgow.

[Tom Verducci]

We choose to go to the moon.

[John Lithgow]

I want to tell you about my new fiction podcast about Buzz Aldrin, one of the true pioneers, years of space.

[Danny Parkins]

You're a great pilot, Buzz.

[John Lithgow]

That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't. Buzz. Starring me, John Lithgow, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Angela Rye]

This is an I heart podcast.