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.