THE HERD - Hour 2 - New Blazin' 5 picks for the weekend, helping the growth of Caleb Williams, Joe Flacco recent success, Dave Wannstedt

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd — Hour 2 (October 17, 2025)

Overview

In this episode, Colin Cowherd delivers his new Blazin’ 5 NFL picks for the weekend and dives deep with longtime coach and analyst Dave Wannstedt. The conversation spans helping Caleb Williams develop with the Bears, Joe Flacco’s resurgence, coaching philosophies, the unique fit of Baker Mayfield in Tampa Bay, and the shifting landscapes in college football—especially the stakes of USC-Notre Dame. The episode retains Cowherd’s trademark opinionated and conversational style, blending NFL and CFB insights and a handful of sharp, memorable moments.

---

Segment Breakdown & Key Topics

[03:08] Cowherd’s Blazin’ 5 Picks for the Weekend

Dolphins at Browns

• Colin favors the Browns (-2.5), citing their home-field advantage and best-in-league defense, especially in expected sloppy, windy conditions.
• Dolphins criticized for culture issues: “The quarterback calling out the coach and they give up the second most yards per play in the league.” (03:55, Cowherd)
• Prediction: Browns win and cover, 24-17.

Giants at Broncos

• Broncos picked to win and cover—Colin lauds their defensive strength at home.
• On Giants QB switch: “Jackson Dart’s the better story, he’s got good energy, but against this defense in Denver, forget about it.” (04:21, Cowherd)
• Broncos defense praised: “Relentless pressure.”
• Prediction: Denver 28, Giants 20.

Commanders at Cowboys — Take the Over

• Colin expects a wild, high-scoring shootout; secondary injuries and big-play vulnerability on both defenses.
• “Commanders have scored 24 points plus in four straight games, but their run defense has gotten worse with injuries and their secondary is a mess.” (05:10, Cowherd)
• Prediction: Over 54.5 points (not a winner pick).

Packers at Cardinals

• Cardinals get credit for being “feisty” at home, regardless of QB.
• “They have led in the fourth quarter of five of their six games and they’re always feisty at home. And Green Bay is not taking the ball away this year.” (05:45, Cowherd)
• Prediction: Packers win ugly, Cards cover (+7): 28-24.

Buccaneers at Lions

• Cowherd strongly favors Detroit at home.
• On Tampa: “The Bucs have trailed in the fourth quarter in five of their six games. 24th in scoring defense. They’re missing a couple of corners.” (06:31, Cowherd)
• Notes the “separation” in quality, expects the Lions’ offense to snap back.
• Prediction: Lions win and cover, 28-21.

Notable Quote

• “Browns are my biggest bet of the weekend, but what could possibly go wrong? Rookie quarterback and 40 mile an hour winds.” (10:00, Cowherd)

---

[10:14] USC-Notre Dame: Contract & College Football Shifts

• Colin pushes for USC to renegotiate the traditional rivalry: “Let’s renegotiate. We’ll play Notre Dame every other year and it’s gotta be early [in the season].” (10:25, Cowherd)
• Predicts Notre Dame wins by 10, but main interest is the increasingly formidable Big Ten: "The Big Ten also added USC, rival Oregon, Washington and UCLA. They didn’t take Cal and Stanford. They took the big boys." (10:38, Cowherd)
• Argues the power dynamic is shifting, and college football’s landscape is rapidly evolving.

---

[15:36] Dave Wannstedt Joins — On Caleb Williams, the Bears, and Coaching Growth

Caleb Williams’s Development with Ben Johnson (Bears)

• Wannstedt sees improvement in pocket presence: “He’s sitting in the pocket and he’s waiting more patiently for receivers to come open in the middle of the field. That’s the one thing that’s jumping out at me.” (16:18, Wannstedt)
• Notes offensive adjustments: "Ben [Johnson] cut down on things... and they had some physical practices." (16:55, Wannstedt)
• What’s missing? “The big plays… I think it has to do with our running game.” (17:31, Wannstedt)
• Colin lauds the clarity of the offensive plan: “It looks right. Like, I feel like when I go into games, I see what they’re trying to do.” (17:57, Cowherd)

Adjustments in Coaching

• Wannstedt emphasizes in-game adjustments: “He [Ben Johnson] makes the adjustment... getting Andre Swift, which he does best, on the edge.” (18:16, Wannstedt)

---

[19:00] Steelers, Defense, and Coaching Philosophies

On Pittsburgh Steelers’ Defensive Lapses

• “Defense is simple—know what to do and give a fanatical effort.” (19:21, Wannstedt)
• Lack of effort cited: “When I see a team play like Pittsburgh did last night on defense, you don’t see the passion. It tells me they were not all in.” (19:53, Wannstedt)
• Zero sacks against Flacco: “Joe Flacco is not going to get out of your way... You gotta get to him. Pittsburgh comes up with no sacks? That’s a light goes off right there.” (21:21, Wannstedt)

---

[22:12] Coordinators and Head Coaches (The Eagles Example)

• On Philly’s offensive struggles after elevating a passing game coordinator to OC:
  • “There’s not a play that’s called... that doesn’t go through the head coach. You got the final say, so it’s on you.” (23:51, Wannstedt)
• Colin draws parallels to coaching tree hires: when it’s internal, you expect a seamless transition, but sometimes the play-calling variety and scheme lag.

---

[23:51] Baker Mayfield’s Success in Tampa Bay — Fit & Culture

• Colin: Tampa’s laid-back feel is advantageous to big-personality QBs like Baker.
• Wannstedt expands: “All of Florida is transplants. It’s not as parochial... so Baker fits right in.” (25:15, Wannstedt)
• Baker’s performance: “He has carried that football team with his desire to win at the end... I think he’s in a hunt for MVP.” (25:36, Wannstedt)
• Colin: “I would vote him today. He would be MVP and then Mahomes would be runner up.” (25:46, Cowherd)

---

[26:47] Penn State Coaching Changes & College Football Realities

• On James Franklin’s firing:
  • "You can lose games, but you don't lose that locker room ... I think the trap was this: James Franklin has always been a guy, 'the next game, the next game' — but you start talking about getting over the top in August, and then you lose a tough game ... the team went backwards." (27:56, Wannstedt)
• Colin: If you fire a coach, you better have a proper succession plan, not just a list of wishful names.
• Wannstedt: “It's a mess. It’s a darn shame. It really is.” (28:20, Wannstedt)

---

[28:33] USC-Notre Dame, Rivalry Logistics, & TV Value

• Both agree on renegotiating frequency and timing of the rivalry.
• Wannstedt: “The chips are in USC’s hands … Notre Dame can play Army, Navy, they can schedule who they want. USC is not getting away from Oregon or Michigan.” (30:16, Wannstedt)
• On the value of the matchup: “This game will give certain players like [USC QB] Jaden Myabbi a big push from a notoriety standpoint, but as far as wins and losses and rankings, I don’t see it.” (30:20, Wannstedt)

---

[35:01] NFL/College Weekend Storylines & Fan Q&A

Rams’ Red Zone Issues

• Red zone struggles attributed to loss of trust in RBs and limited use of tight ends.
• “I wonder if Sean McVay has lost confidence in Kyron Williams and Blake Corum in terms of ball security…” (37:01, Cowherd)
• London travel: Colin skeptical of Rams arriving only a day early, but “for young athletes… I think they’ll be fine.” (39:01, Cowherd)

Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, and Viral Moments

• Rodgers gets physically handled in a game: “I think you shouldn’t tackle your teammates who are 40 years old. I don’t think it’s that complicated.” (40:00, Cowherd)

Officiating Bias (Micah Parsons’ Comments)

• Parsons suggests refs favor the offense: “They want to load the points up so fans can be happy…” (40:33, Parsons)
• Colin agrees NFL has intentionally made it an offensive game while cautioning against going too far: “It is clearly undeniably an offensive game and officials are looking for defensive players doing things that could get people hurt.” (41:05, Cowherd)

---

[43:20] Cowherd & J Mac — Picks & Upset Watch

• Discuss the nuance of what constitutes a true upset (usually 7+ point underdogs).
• Seahawks-Texans, Titans-Patriots, and Falcons-49ers called out as intriguing matchups.

---

[47:00] Closing Thoughts — The Weight of Bears QB History

• Colin notes Chicago fans’ defensiveness regarding QBs after years of disappointment, but remains optimistic about the Caleb Williams/Ben Johnson pairing.

Notable Quote

• “Chicago’s been burned so many times at the quarterback position … When you listen to sports talk radio, nobody wants to hear anything negative.” (46:13, Cowherd)

---

Timestamp Highlights

• 03:08 — Blazin’ 5 picks begin
• 10:00 — “Browns are my biggest bet of the weekend…” (Cowherd)
• 16:18 — Wannstedt on Caleb Williams’s improved poise
• 19:21 — Defense and Pittsburgh’s emotional letdown (Wannstedt)
• 23:51 — Head coach responsibility for play-calling (Wannstedt)
• 25:36 — Baker Mayfield “in the hunt for MVP” (Wannstedt)
• 27:56 — The Penn State firing explained (Wannstedt)
• 28:33 — USC-Notre Dame scheduling logic
• 40:33 — Micah Parsons: "They want to load the points up so fans can be happy…"
• 46:13 — Chicago’s QB trauma and fan reaction (Cowherd)
• 47:00 — Cowherd optimistic on the Bears

---

Tone & Energy

Colin and his guests maintain a sharp, conversational, and opinion-driven tone throughout. Cowherd’s self-confidence and willingness to challenge conventional wisdom drive the show, while Wannstedt’s veteran coaching insights anchor the football discussions in practical reality.

---

Memorable Quotes

• “The Browns are my biggest bet of the weekend…but what could possibly go wrong? Rookie quarterback and 40 mile an hour winds.” — Cowherd (10:00)
• “He [Caleb] is sitting in the pocket and he’s waiting more patiently for receivers to come open in the middle of the field.” — Wannstedt (16:18)
• “Joe Flacco is not going to get out of your way…you gotta get to him. Pittsburgh comes up with no sacks? That’s a light goes off right there.” — Wannstedt (21:21)
• “He has carried that football team with his desire to win at the end…He’s in a hunt for MVP.” — Wannstedt on Baker Mayfield (25:36)
• “Chicago’s been burned so many times at the quarterback position … nobody wants to hear anything negative.” — Cowherd (46:13)
• “They want to load the points up so fans can be happy…” — Micah Parsons (40:33)

---

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

• The Bears’ offense and Caleb Williams are making tangible progress under Ben Johnson’s more intentional coaching, but explosive plays are still lacking.
• The NFL’s officiating, schedule quirks, and weather are heavy factors in Cowherd’s game picks.
• The college football landscape is shifting fast—with major implications for traditional rivalries like USC-Notre Dame.
• Baker Mayfield’s career is revitalized in the relaxed, welcoming atmosphere of Tampa Bay—a perfect fit for his personality.
• Coaching hires and changes remain a central thread, with the Eagles and Penn State used as examples of how, and how not, to manage transitions.

The episode is a lively, layered mix of smart football talk and the relentlessly opinionated flavor that defines "The Herd."

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Ben Maller]

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 supplementtoyotacertified.com or your Toyota dealer for details.

[Johnny Knoxville]

Hello, America's sweetheart. Johnny Knoxville here. I want to tell you about my new true crime podcast, Crimeless Hillbilly Heist from Smartless Media, Campside Media and big money players. It's a wild tale about a gang of high functioning nitwits who somehow pulled off America's third largest cash heist.

[Ed Helms]

Kind of like Robin Hood, except for.

[Ben Maller]

The part where he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. I'm not that generous.

[Johnny Knoxville]

It's a damn near inspiring true story for anyone out there who's ever shot for the moon, then just totally muffed up the landing.

[Ben Maller]

They stole $17 million and had not bought a ticket to help him escape. So we're sitting like, oh, God, what do we do?

[Dave Wannstedt]

What do we do? That was dumb.

[Ben Maller]

People, do not follow my example.

[Johnny Knoxville]

Listen to Crimeless Hillbilly Heist on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ed Helms]

Hey, it's Ed Helms, host of Snafu, my podcast about history's greatest screw ups. On our new season, we're bringing you a new Snafu Every single episode.

[Ben Maller]

32 lost nuclear weapons.

[Colin Cowherd]

You're like, wait, stop.

[Ben Maller]

What?

[Ed Helms]

Yeah, it's gonna be a whole lot of history, a whole lot of funny, and a whole lot of fabulous guests. Paul Scheer, Angela and Jenna, Nick Kroll, Jordan Klepper. Listen to season four of SNAFU with Ed Helms on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ben Maller]

The Internet is something we make, not.

[Ed Helms]

Just something that happens to us.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm Bridget Todd, host of the tech and culture podcast. There are no Girls on. In our new season, I'm talking to people like Anil Dash, an OG entrepreneur and writer who refuses to be cynical about the Internet.

[Ben Maller]

I love tech. You know, I've been a nerd my whole life.

[Ed Helms]

But it does have to be for something like it's not just for its own sake.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's an inspiring story that focuses on people as the core building blocks of the Internet. Listen to There are no girls on the Internet, on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ben Maller]

Thanks for listening to the Herd Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports radio at noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon PAC. Find your local station for the herd at foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.

[Snacks]

Now let's get this party started.

[Ben Maller]

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go, hour two on a Friday. Good week so far. Bingo shocked all of us. Old creaky Joe Flacco outplayed Aaron Rodgers and Aaron played well. Dodgers continue to roll. Their bullpen has apparently been solved so they take a 30 lead on the Milwaukee Brewers. JMac, you and I both had very good weeks last week on our picks. I was four and one. I think you were like three and two.

[Colin Cowherd]

But I hit Bengals last night. Remember five and a half.

[Ben Maller]

Told you guys we've had underdogs. You know last year it was a favorite year. This year it's more underdog off a four in one week. I am ready to go on our blazing five.

[Dave Wannstedt]

That's a hot one.

[Ben Maller]

Let's blaze it up. Fire it up. It's Collins blazing fire. Dolphins and Browns. I like Cleveland at home -2 and a half. There's an argument when Cleveland's at home they have the best defense in the NFL. PFF has it as the highest graded defense. You cannot run on this team and the winds are going to be over 40 miles an hour. The gusts are and it's going to be rainy. Dylan Gabriel, he'll be fine. They're not going to ask much. The Dolphins only win this year came up by a went over the jets. Barely. They have been out gained in five or six games. They have culture issues. The quarterback calling out the coach and they give up the second most yards per play in the league. You're talking about an elite defense at home against a Dolphins defense that is atrocious and generally if your defense is bad it's worse on the road. I think it's mostly low scoring, sloppy. I trust Cleveland's defense to carry the day. Maybe get a turnover in points. 24:17 Browns win and cover Giants at Broncos I like Denver to win and win big. You know Jackson dart yards for play is behind Russell Wilson this year and Russell Wilson got benched. This defense is the best in the league. Best third down defense, best red zone defense, leads the NFL in sacks. Okay, they're 20 at home, both comfortably and Jackson dart. Let's not kid ourselves. Russell Wilson had fewer giveaways and average more yards per play. Jackson darts the better story. He's got good energy, but against this defense in Denver, forget about it. The Broncos defense at home this year is unbelievable. Relentless pressure. And again, I think the Giants are a really fun story, but they're.03 on the road this season. I'm going to take Denver to win 28 to 20. Cover the spread. Don't think it'll feel this close. Commanders at Cowboys take the over 54 and a half I don't care if Terry McLaurin plays opposing quarterbacks against the Cowboys and Commanders are completing 68% of their throws and a passer rating almost 110. Both quarterbacks are going to eat. The Commanders have scored 24 points plus in four straight games, but their run defense has gotten worse with injuries and their secondary is a mess. CD Lamb's back for the Cowboys, but the problem is they allow the most big plays in the NFL with or without Terry McLaren. I think you're going to get wild scoring the Cowboys defense this season is last in virtually everything and now Washington's has progressively gotten worse over the last three weeks. I don't need Terry McLaurin. That's not the issue. Remember when Washington scored points against Chicago and turned it over three times? They didn't play a clean game and they scored points. I'm taking the over. Commanders win. That's not my play. 30:27 take the over 54.5 points, Packer said. Cardinals I think Green Bay wins. I'm taking the seven. It's moved up to seven. Arizona. It doesn't matter if Jacoby Brissette or Kyle Murray play. Kyler Murray foot injury may play. Last week Kobe Brissette had nine big plays against the Colts. Okay, and Green Bay has yet to win a road game. They're very young. They're a little banged up on offense. Listen, Arizona, all six of their games this year, most in the NFL, have been one score game. They've led in the fourth quarter of five of their six games and they're always feisty at home. And Green Bay is not taking the ball away this year. The Arizona offense. Green Bay is going to have to prepare for Kyler Murray and Jacoby Brissette. I think that's a disadvantage. I'm going to take Green Bay to win close. Seven points is too many. 28:24 Feisty Arizona with either quarterback at home keeps it close. Buccaneers at Lions One of my favorite bets of the weekend. I like the Lions to win and cover. First of all, the lions are not only 92 at home the last couple of years they average 37 points a game at home. They're a different offense. Very good. Jared Goff leads the NFL in completion percentage that Chiefs game. Kansas City's the best team in the league probably by a touchdown. When this team gets home they are lethal and their defense is taking the ball away this year. Top five in the league and Baker Mayfield has a lot of, as J. Max told you the last couple of weeks, turnover worthy plays. So the Bucks have trailed in for their in the fourth quarter in five of their six games. 24th in scoring defense. They're missing a couple of corners. So a team that is really stacked on offense comes home after an ugly loss. They face a Tampa team that is winning, close but trailing in all their games. Finally their separation. I don't think it's a great Sunday for Baker and the Bucks. Lions win it. Lions cover 28 to 21 a game I strongly considered was the Colts beating take the points with the Colts over the Chargers. But reportedly Khalil Mack and Joel are going to play for the Chargers. So I'm not betting against Harbaugh if he's got his starting left tackle and his best pass rusher. So again I'll take the Browns in an ugly game with horrendous weather against a Miami team that's got cultural issues right now and more. I'm going to take the Broncos comfortably the over in the Cowboys Commanders wild shootout. Green Bay to win but look ugly. Cardinals cover and I think the Lions I think the Bucks have been a really fun team to watch but man coming off an ugly loss Detroit at home. I'm going to take the win and the COVID J. Mac thought I like.

[Colin Cowherd]

Three of those a lot. Browns are my biggest bet of the weekend but what could possibly go wrong? Colin rookie quarterback and 40 mile an hour winds. So we'll, we'll see what happens with the Browns. I don't, I don't get the Cardinals love but you know that's your guy Kyler Murray maybe you got inside info.

[Ben Maller]

I don't know. Okay there you go. Big college game this weekend is usc Notre Dame. I talked about this, I talked about this game yesterday and I and I and I said Very clearly going forward. It's not about this weekend. Notre Dame is going to win and probably win comfortably. It's not about this weekend. It's about the relationship between the two. It's gotten uneven. USC now plays in arguably the best conference in the country. And you know, the Big Ten also added usc, rival Oregon, Washington and ucla. They didn't take Cal and Stanford. They took the big boys in the Pac 12. So the conference now going forward is incredibly formidable for usc, which has struggled winning at Maryland and winning at Illinois. Forget Columbus and Ann Arbor. They didn't. They didn't win at Ann Arbor last year. So my take is going forward. Let's renegotiate. We'll play Notre Dame every other year and it's got to be early. That's not unreasonable. I'm not saying you have to cancel it, but we're going to renegotiate this deal early. We don't want another cold weather game. We're struggling as it is as a program. Now Notre Dame, Notre Dame fans are saying we don't need this game. Well, this year you actually do. But the other thing is, because you lost in Miami and Texas A and M. But the other thing is going forward, the ACC is not a good conference. And there's a lot of discussions that Clemson is going to go to the SEC or Florida State, so it'll become an even weaker conference. And that's your conference affiliation. So you'll play Clemson. You've got that on the schedule. What if Florida State leaves? What if Miami left the sec? So my take on this whole thing is going forward. I think USC and their athletic director need to sit down and renegotiate. Let's play a little less frequently. And we're going to play early. We're not going to play late. I'm sorry, but that's not unreasonable. Michigan, Notre Dame used to play and now they don't. And the sport has grown. It's all going to be okay. Again, I don't think this is a great matchup for the Trojans. Notre Dame has the ability to pick you apart, throwing or bludgeon you with their run game. And my take is Notre Dame is going to be able to run the football on USC and that's going to set up third and short, second and four, and USC's corners are the weakness of the team. And I think Carr will pick them apart. So I don't think this is a good matchup. I think Notre dame wins by 10. But you know, it'll be fun to Watch. But going forward, if I was usc, I would sit down and say, okay, let's do it every other year. Not. Not every great game has to be played every single year. Going forward with the playoff, just a different sport. One more herd. 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. Hi, this is Jay. I'm the producer of the Paulie and Tony Fusco show. Usually in these promos, they ask you to listen to the show. I'm here to ask you, please don't listen to the show. The hosts are two absolute morons who have the dumbest takes on sports imaginable. Don't listen to this show so it can get canceled.

[Ed Helms]

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

[Ben Maller]

What the hell are you doing in our studio?

[Ed Helms]

Get him, Paulie.

[Ben Maller]

Ignore that fool. Listen to the Paulie and Tony Fusco show on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast.

[Snacks]

He's still moving.

[Ed Helms]

Hey, it's Ed Helms. And welcome back to Snafu, my podcast about history's greatest screw ups. On our new season, we're bringing you a new SNAFU Every single episode.

[Ben Maller]

32 lost nuclear weapons.

[Colin Cowherd]

You're like, wait, stop.

[Ben Maller]

What? Yeah. Ernie Shackleton sounds like a solid 70s.

[Ed Helms]

Basketball player who still wore knee pads.

[Ben Maller]

Yes.

[Ed Helms]

It's going to be a whole lot of history, a whole lot of funny, and a whole lot of guests. The great Paul Scheer made me feel good. I'm like, oh, wow, Angela and Jenna, I am so psyched you're here.

[Ben Maller]

What was that like for you to soft launch into the show?

[Ed Helms]

Sorry, Jenna. I'll be asking the questions today.

[Colin Cowherd]

I forgot whose podcast we were doing.

[Ed Helms]

Nick Kroll. I hope this story is good enough to get you to toss that sandwich. So let's. Let's.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Let's see how it goes.

[Ed Helms]

Listen to season four of SNAFU with Ed Helms on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Snacks]

What's up, everybody? This is snacks from the Trap Nerds podcast. And we're bringing you the horror every week, all October long.

[Ben Maller]

Kicking off this month, I'll be bringing you all my greatest fear inducing horror games from Resident Evil to Silent Hill.

[Snacks]

Me and Tony bringing back Fireteam on.

[Ben Maller]

Left 4 Dead 2. And we just gonna be going over some of the great stuff.

[Snacks]

Also in October, we'll be talking about our favorite horror and Halloween movies and figuring out why black people always gotta die first.

[Ben Maller]

The umbral reliquary invites any and all fool brave enough to peruse its many curiosities. But take heed. All sales are final. Weekly horror side quests written and narrated by yours truly with a full episode read and a commentary special.

[Snacks]

And we will cap it off with Horror Movie battle royale. Jason vs. Freddy Michael Myers Vers thing with the little tongue Monster. October, we're doing it Halloween style. Listen to the Traverse Podcast from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Ben Maller]

Boys. The last Bears head coach to win a road playoff game and the last Dolphins coach to win a playoff game, period. 39 years coaching. You see him on the Big Ten Network all the time. He's my friend, Dave Wanstadt. He is joining us. He lives in Chicago most of the year. And then he goes down to the, he goes down to the warm weather of Florida, the undisclosed location. So, you know, I, I, I said earlier, last hour, I said the one thing that's pretty clear to me is they got the right coach. If you look at the numbers, they're a touchdown better. I think they're more intentional. I feel like I'm watching a plan G. Caleb is playing within structure more often than last year. What do you see? Caleb Development. Year two.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Some of the biggest things that you see if you go back and watch the tape close is in the past pressure. Eyes would start looking at the pressure and he'd be on the move. He did that his whole career at usc. Always on the move, trying to find somebody deep. What's happening now is he's sitting in the pocket and he's waiting more patiently for receivers to come open in the middle of the field. That's, that's the one thing it's jumping out at me. And I'll tell you what, I think he's doing everything that he can do to try to, to master this offense. And there's, there's a lot to it. I know last week Ben, Ben cut down on things. I mean, he simplified things coming out of the buy, which everybody was surprised how he was going to handle the bye week. And he said he actually, he cut down and they had some physical practices. I mean, Ben's got a lot more old school in him than what you might think for a young coach. Yeah. And so, yeah, the thing that's missing is, is the big plays. You know, when Detroit, when Ben was there, they were, I don't know what they are this year, probably just the same, but they were second in the league a year ago in yards after the catch.

[Ben Maller]

Right.

[Dave Wannstedt]

That's the thing that the Bears are missing right now for some reason. And I think it has to do with our running game.

[Ben Maller]

By the way, Loveland's a rookie. Luther Burden. So Ben Johnson's a new coach where we have to be fair. Bo Nix now, he's had 20 starts with Sean Payton. This is all new.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yep.

[Ben Maller]

And again, you're last year, Bo Nixon, September, it was turbulent. So the one thing I, I look at it and I think to myself, they're averaging a touchdown more a game. That's production.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yep.

[Ben Maller]

But it looks right. Right. Like I feel like when I go into games, I see what they're trying to do. Like when they ran the ball against Washington.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yep.

[Ben Maller]

You're like, oh, that's a, that's what the Bengals did last night. That's a power offense. So I can see what they're trying to do last year. I kind of felt it. Felt making it up as they go.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yeah. And they, and Ben has. He had a nine and a half minute drive against Vegas and they were in that drive, I think there were 11 plays or 12 plays. All of them except one were runs. I love that. And he's getting Caleb under center. And you know, at the end of the game against Washington, they were, they couldn't run up inside. They were having a tough time. So Ben makes the adjustment. And the last three or four runs that they had, they were getting Andre Swift, which he does best on the edge, you know. So then in the game adjustment on what we got to do to be successful. I think that's something that's showing up with Ben also. I mean, so it's, it's all good that way.

[Ben Maller]

So you have great history. You're from Pittsburgh, you coach Pitt. Fourth year in a row it's the highest paid defense and the fourth year in a row it's not in the top 10. I think what would be discouraging for me if I was the Steelers, the run defense last night was brutal.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yeah.

[Ben Maller]

How do you clean it up? Is it a personnel thing or a scheme thing?

[Dave Wannstedt]

You know, everybody thinks that when you got the high school year in the NFL, there's no such thing as a trap game. Well, let me tell you something. I don't care what level of football you're on. If you to play great defense, defense is simple, know what to do and give a fanatical effort. You know, the offense, the offenses are going to be influenced by rain and wind and weather and crowd Right. Not the defense. And I, when I see a team play like Pittsburgh did last night on.

[Ben Maller]

Defense, you don't see the passion.

[Dave Wannstedt]

No. It tells me that emotionally they were not all in. When I say all in, I mean like in a frenzy. We say ready to play defense and get off of blocks and tackle and do all that stuff. No, I didn't see it. And you see it every week in college. You see it in high. I mean, you got to be all in. And you can't start getting ready for that fight the night before. It has to build during the week. I don't think they did that.

[Ben Maller]

Why is Tomlin so great on Monday Night Football? 22 and 4 with an extra day and so bad on Thursday. He also struggles against Flacco, but a lot of people have, well, it, like Thursday night games. I, I made the argument yesterday that he doesn't love Thursday night games. He gets less practice, less time on task. And some of these veteran coaches kind of resent Thursday night games. They don't like them.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yeah, we, we played and I coached in a lot of Thursday night games. You know, obviously being at Dallas and then when I was at the Do. Bears, Dolphins. I mean, going back to Thanksgiving Day games, which is a Thursday. Yeah. And we, we always felt that a lot had to do with how you're going to play that Thursday on how you executed and played the week before. Because it carries over.

[Ben Maller]

That's right.

[Dave Wannstedt]

And you know, and the Steelers won. You know, the Steelers won. So you, you would have thought that that would have carried over.

[Ben Maller]

They played pretty well last night.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yeah. You know, not bad. Yeah. Not.

[Ben Maller]

Know.

[Dave Wannstedt]

And you're right. I mean, Aaron Rodgers, and maybe that's a little bit of problem. Maybe now they're to the point where Aaron's playing good. You know, he'll, he'll pull aside in the fourth quarter.

[Ben Maller]

Quarter.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[Dave Wannstedt]

And you can fall into that trap, too, as a team. I'm not saying they did, but I mean, when you get no sacks, when you get no sacks, struggle to get to Flacco. Coach, Coach. They got no sacks. And Joe Flacco is not going to get out of your way. You know, I mean, you got to get to him. Pittsburgh comes up with no sacks. To me, wow. That, that, that's a light goes off right there. That's just a matter of not getting it done, really.

[Ben Maller]

Okay. So I want to ask you about Philadelphia. So in your career and this happens, you hire a coordinator, if you hire a position coach that's not very good, you can hide Him. But if you hire a coordinator that doesn't work, and you may not know till about week seven or eight. So Philadelphia takes their passing game coordinator, makes him the offensive coordinator. He'd never been a play caller, and suddenly they can't run the ball. What do you do as a head coach if you're Nick Ceriani?

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yeah.

[Ben Maller]

And I'm not saying this guy is not it, but he's been a coach that's been very beholden to his coordinator. Like when he had Steichen. They were great. Brian Johnson didn't work because Nick's not a scheme guy. He's a. He's more of a CEO type. Were you ever on a team anywhere, college or pro, where you made a decision on a coordinator and in the middle of a year, you knew it's not. It's not as good as I thought?

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yes, yes. But that's the job of a head coach. I mean, I worked with Kevin Patola. He's a good coach. We were together at Buffalo, and Steichen, he brought in from the outside. This is what's so strange about that, that I don't buy into it, that it's Petola. I mean, he's calling the plays. But they brought in Steichen from the outside. They brought in Kellen Moore from the outside. But Kevin Bartola, they were together at Indianapolis. I believe it was where Steichen and him were. I mean, these guys have been together a long time. So Sirianni, I mean, you. God, if there was a place that shouldn't miss the beat. I was saying that in August. I mean, he's hiring a. He hired a guy elevated a guy that knew the system, knew the players, knew what buttons to push. I don't get it. I'm not putting this on the play caller. I'm definitely not. Maybe the variety of plays, he's gone. But it goes back to the head coach. There's not a play that's called. I. I don't like that. When all of a sudden it's the. It's the coordinators on either side of the ball or a guy runs a fake punt and they blame. That comes through the head coach. You got the final say, so it's on you.

[Ben Maller]

So I lived in Tampa briefly. You were there in Tampa? I said before Cleveland, because they've lost so much. The media is pretty bitter. The fans are harsh, the weather is harsh, and you're. You're in a division with the Ravens and the Steelers and Joe Burrow. So I think Baker in Cleveland was actually at times very good, but his personality didn't. It didn't mesh necessarily with Stefanski and the new system. Tampa's different and I've tried to explain it to people that have never been there. It's very laid back. The Glazers are mostly hands off. It's kind of a chill city. The media's. You were there. It's not a Northeast or a cold weather, tough, bitter, angry, loud media. I think sometimes for guys like Baker who have big personalities, fit matters.

[Dave Wannstedt]

You know what, though, Colin? I agree with you, but I would take it, I would enlarge your thought and say, all of Florida's that way. Coach, when I was at the Miami Dolphins, we win the division and they put playoff tickets on sale and they put a picture of the first person that bought a playoff ticket. It was a lady from Detroit. I mean, that's not happening in Pittsburgh or Chicago, you know, or Cleveland. And so I think that Baker is. It's. All of Florida is transplants. It's all transplants from all over the country. Baker's a transplant.

[Ben Maller]

Yeah. And it's not as parochial.

[Dave Wannstedt]

No, no. So Baker fits right in. I mean, he'll sit down and there'll be guys from five different states at the bar, you know, so, I mean, it's. I mean, they go and support the team.

[Ben Maller]

Did you ever think he'd be this good?

[Dave Wannstedt]

No, but I am so excited for him. I really. He's carrying that team. He is carrying.

[Ben Maller]

They're all beat up.

[Dave Wannstedt]

He has carried that football team with his desire to win at the end. I mean, I think the guy has been phenomenal. I think he's in a hunt for mvp.

[Ben Maller]

Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Don't you agree?

[Ben Maller]

I would vote him today. I would. I would hit. He would be MVP and then Mahomes would be runner up.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Oh, he had starting running back out. He had Evans out.

[Ben Maller]

He had Godwin's out, got hurt last week.

[Dave Wannstedt]

And they're winning.

[Ben Maller]

Yeah, and they're winning with style late in games. Okay, let's go. College. You do a lot for the Big Ten in your coverage. So my take on James Franklin firing is everybody said, oh, they're going to get Marcus Freeman, good luck. They're going to get Kurt Signetti just signed a new deal. Well, they're going to get the guy at Vandy. Well, that guy's got a worse record than James Franklin had advantage. They're going to get Matt Rule where he can't beat ranked teams either. So this idea that, oh, we're just Going to go get this. This, this, this. The truth is, if you fire a coach, the Knicks did this with Tom Thibodeau. You better have a guy on speed dial, right? Because these days you got venture capital firms can help you. I mean, what do you make? I wouldn't have fired him. 13 wins the year before he was losing close. I think the Oregon loss devastated the entire program. What did you make with the firing?

[Dave Wannstedt]

Well, keep in mind now he, at the end of last year, he's got the most. Penn State has the most returning first team, all Big Ten players and any team in the Big Ten. So he convinces all these guys, probably half of them have been. Would have been drafted half of them to come back for another year. Nlil, that means money, right? He convinces the AD we need the defensive coordinator from Ohio State. Ohio State a year ago had the number one defense. He brings in Jim Nollie, 3 million bucks a year, highest paid coordinator. They're doing a big thing at the stadium, enlarging it and redoing the sections of the state. So they're making all these commitments and tell you what, and I'm friends with James Franklin, but you know, you can lose games, but you don't lose that locker room. And I'm watching that Northwestern game and Northwestern's blocking them and Northwestern's playing more physical. And I think the trap was this. And James Franklin has always been a guy the next game. We're only talking about this in August and I was with. I played, I coached on two national.

[Ben Maller]

You're talking about Oregon in August.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Thank you. And talking about getting over the top. And this is the year when we won a national championship at Miami and the super bowl at Dallas. We didn't mention Jimmy Jones. Nobody mentioned super bowl or national championship until the week of the game. And you start talking that in August and then you lose a tough game.

[Ben Maller]

And the team went just.

[Dave Wannstedt]

And that team went backwards. And now in today's world, how many of these guys you think are talking that are agents every night, the NFL drafts coming up into. I mean, it's a mess. It's a. It's a darn shame. It really is.

[Ben Maller]

Okay, let's wrap it up with this. There's some Marcus Freeman, Penn State rumors. I think Notre Dame's a very good job and I think they're committed to the nil. I don't think you're going to get him. The.

[Colin Cowherd]

The.

[Ben Maller]

Here's what's interesting. So Notre Dame's in the acc, which may lose another one of their great Programs to the sec and the ACC is not a very good conference. That's why Notre Dame signed a deal with Clemson to guarantee that game for five years. Notre Dame needs usc.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yep.

[Ben Maller]

Not just this year because they lost the Miami. Na, absolutely. They need going forward. And my take is, well, usc. Now there will be years where they face Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Penn State. Now Indiana's good. And if I'm usc, my take is. Okay, let's sit down and renegotiate. I don't think it's unrealistic to say we'll play you every other year, but it's gotta be early. We're not gonna do another cold weather game in November. And I got Penn State and Michigan and Notre Dame fans are freaking out. And usc, you can still play them. It's not Auburn, Alabama, where you can throw a rock to the other school or historically in the same conference. It's not Ohio State, Michigan. One's an independent halfway and one's out west. I don't think that's unrealistic for usc. We'll play every other year and we'll play early.

[Dave Wannstedt]

I coached at you, as you know. I coached at USC for three years and we played Notre Dame. Notre Dame back then was a big rivalry, but it was. It was Notre Dame and ucla and that was it. I totally agree with you. I mean, the chips are in USC's hands. I mean, the USC is. I mean, Notre Dame can play Army, Navy, they can schedule who they want. USC is not getting away from Oregon or Michigan, you know what I mean?

[Ben Maller]

Or Ohio State or UCLA or ucla, Penn State. You can say what you want.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Now, Indiana's good, you know, you know what this game exactly, right. It should have said Indiana first. You know where this game will help him? Jaden. Jaden Myabbi, their quarterback at USC. He's having a phenomenal year, okay? Phenomenal year. 13 passes, two interceptions. If he plays big in this game on against Notre Dame on national tv, he'll be in the Heisman race. This game will give certain players like that a big push from notoriety standpoint and recognition standpoint. But as far as wins and losses and rankings, I don't. I don't see it. You can get all you want in the Big Ten, all you want.

[Ben Maller]

Yeah. By the way, the SEC teams like Bama. So during Bama's run with Saban, go look at Saban's out of conference schedule. It was the weakest he had to buy before Auburn. He. Because Nick knew Nick wouldn't even go on the road for out of conference games, he'd go to Dallas and do neutral field. Nick Saban's like, we're not facing another elite team on the road. We're in the SEC. Well, now, the Big Ten is arguably better than the SEC because they added the best of the Pac 12.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Right?

[Ben Maller]

So now you've got Nick Saban. Told you what he thinks about out of conference. We're not doing it.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yeah. Oh, no.

[Ben Maller]

Going Citadel, Troy, Youngstown State, and then we're going into the sec. This idea, oh, it means a lot. I gotta go to Austin, Seattle, Columbus.

[Dave Wannstedt]

But that's that way with all rivalries. It's almost more meaningful to the alumni. You know what I mean? I mean, the USC band tonight, they're taking over Gibson's, which is a big restaurant here. Mark Carrier. I was talking to Mark. Two days, the band will go down Michigan Avenue, okay, Playing music. I mean, it's a. They'll have a caravan from downtown Chicago to South Bend following the buses. Tomorrow, they may be 50 cars.

[Ben Maller]

Are any of those tuba players playing defensive end?

[Dave Wannstedt]

No, no.

[Ben Maller]

I'm just saying Nick Saban told you what he thinks about out of conference and rivalries.

[Dave Wannstedt]

It's big for the alumni and the.

[Ben Maller]

Fans in football today, in college football, get to the playoff.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Exactly.

[Ben Maller]

That keeps the staff intact. It keeps the alumni happy. The tuba player will get over it.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yep. The bowl game, that's. That's the thing of the past. Now it's playoffs.

[Ben Maller]

Good seeing you, coach.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yeah, good seeing you.

[Ben Maller]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the iHeartRadio app.

[Ed Helms]

Hey, it's Ed Helms. And welcome back to SNAFU, my podcast about history's greatest screw ups. On our new season, we're bringing you a new SNAFU Every single episode.

[Ben Maller]

32 lost nuclear weapons.

[Colin Cowherd]

You're like, wait, stop.

[Ben Maller]

What? Ernie Shackleton sounds like a solid 70s.

[Ed Helms]

Basketball player who still wore knee pads.

[Ben Maller]

Yes.

[Ed Helms]

It's gonna be a whole lot of history, a whole lot of funny, and a whole lot of guests. The great Paul Scheer made me feel good.

[Ben Maller]

I'm like, oh, wow.

[Ed Helms]

Angela and Jenna, I am so psyched you're here.

[Ben Maller]

What was that like for you to soft launch into the show?

[Ed Helms]

Sorry, Jenna. I'll be asking the questions today.

[Colin Cowherd]

I forgot whose podcast we were doing.

[Ed Helms]

Nick Kroll. I hope this story is good enough to get you to toss that sandwich. So let's, let's.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Let's see how it goes.

[Ed Helms]

Listen, to season four of SNAFU with Ed Helms on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Snacks]

What's up everybody? This is snacks from the Trap Nerds podcast and we're bringing you the horror every week all October long.

[Ben Maller]

Kicking off this month I'll be bringing you all my greatest fear inducing horror games from Resident Evil to Silent Hill.

[Snacks]

Me and Tony bringing back Fireteam on.

[Ben Maller]

Left 4 Dead 2 and we just gonna be going over some of the greats.

[Snacks]

Also in October we'll be talking about our favorite horror and Halloween movies movie and figure out why black people always gotta die first.

[Ben Maller]

The umbral reliquary invites any and all foolish brave enough to peruse its many curiosities. But take heed. All sales are final. Weekly horror side quests written and narrated by yours truly with a full episode read and a commentary special.

[Snacks]

And we will cap it off with Horror Movie Battle Royale. Jason versus Freddy. Michael Myers versus the Alien Thing with the Little Tongue Monster. October. We're doing it Halloween sty. Listen to the Traverse podcast from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

Play the Fox super six NFL Challenge, download the Fox Sports app and enter for a free shot to win your share of $10,000. One of the questions is which QB will have the most passing yards this week? Colin Dak Mahomes, Jordan Love or Caleb Williams?

[Ben Maller]

Who?

[Colin Cowherd]

You got cowherd?

[Ben Maller]

This one's easy, D. Yeah, Washington is struggling to get consistent pressure and they're giving up big plays.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, you see the total is 54 and a half.

[Ben Maller]

You know there's going to be points.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yeah, yeah.

[Ben Maller]

No, it's. It's a very interesting weekend in the NFL. You kind of got a. You kind of get a sense. The AFC north now is back to being wide open. So Lamar is going to be coming back soon. Oh yeah, the Chargers have been struggling. That went over Miami for the Chargers without Joe Alt and without Hampton and without Quentin Johnson. A road win. That play by Herbert is much bigger than you think to stay ahead of the Chargers. So now they go back home and Alt's going to play. Khalil Mack is back and Quinton Johnson may play. So they had a three game stretch, man, they were just. You just. Sometimes in this league you're just trying to survive.

[Colin Cowherd]

Tread waters.

[Ben Maller]

Yeah, tread water. So that win over Miami last week, that play by Herbert, we said it didn't feel just like game saving. It was like season like, oh, here come. Here comes Denver. Denver won in London. Here come the Chiefs. J. Mac with the news.

[Snacks]

No, no, no, turn on the news.

[Ben Maller]

This is the Herd line news.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, Colin, let's start with that other LA team, the LA Rams. Now this is strange, but for whatever reason, the red zone has been a major issue for the Rams. They currently are 24th in the league in red zone TD percentage. That's with Puka Nakua and Devonte Adams. And now Puka will not play in London. And all of a sudden, Colin, I think the Jags are kind of appetizing here. Can Devontae carry them? Here he is on their offensive issues.

[Snacks]

I played with Aaron for, you know, majority of my career. Played nine years together basically. And it didn't definitely start off first couple years, let alone first couple games the way that we got going. So not that we have another 10 years to go, but it takes time. It's not easy. You know, Puke and Matthew been playing together for years now and you know, they have a little better understanding for where one another is going to be, what, what to expect and, and just making, you know, making it work. It's been a few where it's really no excuse for, you know, me or him or whatever.

[Ben Maller]

So we just got to put it together. Yeah. First of all, they're not using their tight ends much. Terrence Ferguson was our first, you know, he was like a second round pick. They haven't really played him much. They've also had ball security issues with the running backs. My question is, I Wonder if Sean McVeigh has lost confidence in Kyron Williams and Blake Corum in terms of ball security. That could be part of it where they're getting more predictable because they just don't trust handing the ball after their running backs and they're not using tight ends a ton. So I, I think it's one of those things where, you know, Sean McVay got rid of Cam Acres. He could not hold the ball. He likes those smaller, shiftier running backs. But Blake Corum is not, he's been totally disappointing as a third round pick.

[Colin Cowherd]

We loved him coming out of Michigan.

[Ben Maller]

Oh, he was just tremendous.

[Colin Cowherd]

He got dinged up against the Ravens, by the way, had a great catch. But you're right, he's not getting the usage because it's a trust issue.

[Ben Maller]

I think it's a trust issue.

[Colin Cowherd]

Here's the other thing. I saw a report that the Rams are going to arrive Saturday morning for their game on Sunday morning in London. Now, they stayed on The east coast after the Baltimore game. But this is insanity. McVeigh must know something we don't because, you know, all the smart teams arrive way early. The Jaguars, for instance, got their Monday. Okay. You travel a lot. You're Mr. International. Okay. You know, it's going to be tough to travel and then the next day wake up and play a football game. So just out of principle, I took the Jags in the points when I saw that the Rams are arriving Saturday morning. That I think that's insane. And no, Puka, I don't is this. And remember that division's tough, man.

[Ben Maller]

I think for young athletes, they're not out booze and they're out prepping, going to bed early. I think they'll be fine. I think for. I think as you age, international travel is more of a jet lag thing. But I, I don't, you know, flying from wherever they're. They were at Camden Yards this week.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yeah.

[Ben Maller]

If you're flying from Baltimore on the team plane to London, what is that, a six hour flight?

[Dave Wannstedt]

Yeah.

[Ben Maller]

It's not a big deal.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay. All right, we'll see on Monday. Colin. Next up, Aaron Rodgers. I know you saw this last night. If yelling at his running back wasn't enough, how about this? Broderick Jones, the young man out of Georgia. Holy cow. He flattened Aaron Rodgers, jumped on his back. Rodgers came up with some F bombs and shoved him. Listen, Rogers was in a feisty mood last night.

[Ben Maller]

That's not the smartest thing to do with an offensive lineman.

[Colin Cowherd]

What is Jones doing? He was a highly acclaimed kid out of Georgia. I mean, he's like £350. Look at this.

[Dave Wannstedt]

What?

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, what if Roger separated his shoulder or something? That was insane. I don't know. Any thoughts on that or.

[Ben Maller]

I think you shouldn't tackle your teammates who are 40 years old. I don't think it's that complicated. Let me defend Aaron here.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Next time you're in la, I'll make sure to celebrate a segment by jumping on your back and landing on you.

[Ben Maller]

All right, final story.

[Colin Cowherd]

Colin. Let's go to Micah Parsons. He's been quiet. Green Bay. Hey, listen, Green Bay's not on our radar this week until you picked the Arizona Cardinals against them. Micah is getting in the news, Colin, because he's got some comments about officiating, saying he feels the refs call more defensive penalties than offensive penalties. Take a listen.

[Snacks]

That's the part of being one of the best, you know, that comes with some territory where parts that you hate and the parts that the league lets go. Like they know. Like, I mean you could tell how they call the games. They don't call sides for offense, but they'll call on defense. They'll. They won't call offensive pass interference, but they'll call defensive pass interference immediately. Like we know what you're trying to do. They want to load the points up so fans can be happy and you know, I mean they'll call defensive holding, but they won't call offensive holding. Like, let's just wake up.

[Ben Maller]

Well, I don't think that means the league is rigged. I think the league figured out after that CTE paycheck they wrote for a billion dollars practices lighten up. Hitting favor the offense. And you know, I don't think there's any question the sport is better when there's points don't hit anybody except running backs about the only position now you can get hit from any angle. So he's not wrong. They've tried to make the game more offensive and there, by the way, it's a fine line. You don't want Canadian football. The NBA figured this out. Is that in the playoffs when they let them play and it was more physical, the ratings went up. People like physical play. But WNBA found out when it's too physical, the players get hurt and it hurts the quality of the game. So I think there's a balance. But it is clearly undeniably an offensive game and officials are looking for defensive players doing things that could get people hurt. I think that's fair.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, I'll agree.

[Ben Maller]

Yeah. No big, no big disagreement. J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news. We have our schedule. J. Mac will have his picks next hour. I, you know, I. We will undoubtedly have an upset, but it is interesting. What is an upset? Now, you know, I'm. Are the Raiders going to beat Kansas City? I probably take the Raiders to cover the spread. Probably. I don't think. I mean if, if New Orleans beat the Bears, that's down to four and a half. I upset to me is like eight points. It would be. If the New York Giants beat Denver. That would feel like an upset.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Huge.

[Ben Maller]

I will say this. I didn't make this a blazing five pick. Houston at Seattle. Seattle's played in multiple big emotional games and Seattle's actually been a better road team than a home team. Strangely, Houston's an interesting team getting three points. I don't think it. I think Monday we or Tuesday morning, we view that as an upset even though it's a three point spread. I think Houston at Seattle. I thought about that game. I thought about taking Houston. Oh, I don't know if that, I mean, do you see anything on the board now you like Tennessee hosting New England?

[Colin Cowherd]

So let's go back real quick. So this Houston game last week, Seattle hit Trevor Lawrence 17 times more than any quarterback. Was it, I believe in any game this season, I think they had seven sacks. We know the Texans offensive line stinks. So night game in Seattle and I know the home field advantage is not what it was. How is C.J. stroud going to be kept upright? And Seattle's getting the defensive backs returning from injury. So I don't, I was going Seattle here. I bet the Seahawks in this favor by three. What do you see in Houston? Is it just coming off the buy?

[Ben Maller]

Yeah, I think you're coming off the buy. Seattle's been in many spirited, close games and I think, and I think, you know, off a buy, Houston's about as healthy as they've been. I think when you play big game after big game after big game, look at Seattle's injury report and I, you know, I mean, listen, I thought Washington was going to take care of Chicago and the home field didn't matter. So I do think Detroit at home against Tampa, that feels like a really good spot because Detroit just got whacked by Kansas City. They're in a really bad mood. And I mean, let's be honest about Tampa. You can't keep winning like this over and over and over. Generally it catches up with you. I don't see a bunch of, I don't see it as a big upset weekend. I mean, one of the more interesting games to me is Atlanta at San Francisco. I think the wise guys actually like Atlanta, but Atlanta is one of those dome teams that I kind of feel like when they go on the road, I don't get the same team. And San Francisco, if, if you look at the practice reports, if San Francisco can bring it back, a couple of weapons. I like San Francisco.

[Colin Cowherd]

I totally agree. We're seeing some of these splits. Like if Atlanta's playing in a dome, you can bet them they're not a lock to cover. But outdoors is a totally different animal. Cleveland, for instance, at home, I think you can bet him. I do need to ask you that. Drake May line is at seven, seven and a half. Colin. So now we have Drake May laying a touchdown in Tennessee. I know that there's like a dead cat bounce sometimes for teams that fire their coach.

[Ben Maller]

Right.

[Colin Cowherd]

Is Tennessee going to get that. Hey, we got Callahan out of here.

[Dave Wannstedt]

Everybody.

[Colin Cowherd]

Let's rally the troops.

[Ben Maller]

I mean we saw UCLA at the college level. 100% gets rid of their coach and nobody in the world. I sat and watched that game for three hours. I didn't even know what I was watching. They were hammering Penn State. I would so I mean like it just who you play next and who you played last matters in college and pro. Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

By the way, third straight road game for the New England Patriots. They've been road weary road warriors. Yeah.

[Ben Maller]

That's very interesting that, that, that that's probably why a lot of the wise guys like the Titans as the side.

[Colin Cowherd]

We have that in headlines. One other fun stack because I know you like these Indianapolis Colts are going to the Chargers. You know this is their second visit to SoFi in a month, right?

[Ben Maller]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

They were just out here against the Rams.

[Ben Maller]

You know I will say this. The Bears, the Bears have had so many disappointments at quarterback. Right. They could have had Mahomes, the Justin Fields that thought was going to be great. People are very defensive in Chicago. When you talk about Caleb Williams, they, they, they. Everybody is like, you know, they, they. When you've been burned so many times, you could be an employee, you could be a boyfriend. When you get burned so many times, Chicago's been burned so many times at the quarterback position. They are. When you listen to sports talk radio, it's nobody wants to hear anything negative. Dave Wanstadt's a former Bear coach. I think Ben was the right choice. I think eventually Caleb is going to get, he's going to speed up his delivery. Here was Wanstead on what he's seeing with those two.

[Dave Wannstedt]

What's happening now is he's sitting in the pocket and he's waiting more patiently for receivers to come open in the middle of the field. I'll tell you what, I think he's doing everything that he can do to try to master this offense. Offense and there's, there's a lot to it. I know last week Ben, Ben cut down on things. I mean he simplified things coming out of the buy which everybody was surprised how he was going to handle the buy week and he said he actually he cut down and they had some physical practices.

[Ben Maller]

Yeah. So I do like the Bears to win again. Dome team weather's getting cold in Chicago. I think the Bears win. I think it's fairly close. It's you know, 28, 24. But I like Chicago to go to 4 and 2 on spot the season. Today's episode brought to you by a scent that's made a legendary comeback. Degree Original Cool Rush the OG is back and better than ever. Cool Rush isn't just a scent. It's a movement kind of fragrance guys remember, ask for by name and rave about online. It's bold. It's fresh all day. Sweat protection, cool, crisp vibe that made it legendary. So whether you're heading to the gym, the office, or just trying to stay fresh all day long, Cool Rush has your back. So if you haven't tried it yet, head to your local Walmart. Grab degree Cool Rush, the fan favorite scent from the world's number one antiperspirant brand, 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 supplementtoyotacertified.com or your Toyota dealer for details.

[Johnny Knoxville]

Hello, America's sweetheart. Johnny Knoxville here. I want to tell you about my new true crime podcast, Crimeless Hillbilly Heist from Smartless Media, Campside Media and big money players. It's a wild tale about a gang of high functioning nitwits who somehow pulled off America's third largest cash heist.

[Ed Helms]

Kind of like Robin Hood, except for.

[Ben Maller]

The part where he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. I'm not that generous.

[Johnny Knoxville]

It's a damn near inspiring true story from for anyone out there who's ever shot for the moon, then just totally muffed up the landing.

[Ben Maller]

They stole $17 million and had not bought a ticket to help him escape. So we're sitting like, oh God, what do we do?

[Dave Wannstedt]

What do we do? That was dumb.

[Ben Maller]

People, do not follow my example.

[Johnny Knoxville]

Listen to Crimeless Hillbilly Heist on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ed Helms]

Hey, it's Ed Helms, host of snafu, my podcast about history's greatest screw ups. On our new season, we're bringing you a new snafu every single episode.

[Ben Maller]

32 lost nuclear weapons.

[Colin Cowherd]

You're like, wait, stop.

[Ben Maller]

What?

[Ed Helms]

Yeah, it's going to be a whole lot of history, a whole lot of funny, and a whole lot of fabulous guests Paul Scheer, Angela and Jenna, Nick Kroll, Jordan Klepper. Listen to listen to season four of SNAFU with Ed Helms on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

This is an iHeart podcast.