← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
THE HERD - Hour 2 - New Herd Hierarchy, World series last night, Jordan Love and the Packers, Nick Wright
00:41:55
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- [00:00]
Colin Cowherd
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:05]
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- [01:30]
Colin
Hi, it's Colin.
- [01:31]
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- [01:54]
Colin
Listen, baseball season's here.
- [01:56]
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- [02:09]
Colin
Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now let's get this party started.
- [02:30]
Producer/Announcer
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
- [02:35]
Colin
Here we go. It's hour two. How lucky are we, how we just happen to have another World Series game tonight at the home of the Greatest baseball team that's ever played. You think? Nuts on that? Just watching the Dodgers. Will Klein, four scoreless innings. What? Who's Will Klein? Well, we know who he is now. It's just remarkable. Everybody's a little bleary eyed on our staff. You think that game was hard to stay up for in Los Angeles? Try the Midwest.
- [03:12]
Colin Cowherd
Hey, Colin, I'm just curious, where are you on the whole intentional walk stuff? I get it, it's strategy, blah, blah, blah. But I'm not going to lie. You know, we watched, we kept the kids up for the whole game last night. They were into it. Ohtani's going off having a historical game and then you walk him every single time. That was just annoying. You know, I want to see the best player bad. I know, I get it. Baseball purists understand. But I'm curious where you chime in on the intentional walk.
- [03:38]
Colin
I. Barry Bonds had a stretch when he was on, you know, Cream or whatever. Like you couldn't get him out. And I think. I don't love it either. I don't think it's dynamic. But you know what, the Dodgers have so many bats around him. I would be more annoyed with it if he was with the Angels and you were doing it and nobody could drive him in. But I don't think it affects the outcome.
- [03:58]
Colin Cowherd
I don't know. After last night, do you think Ohtani is going to get any bulls to.
- [04:02]
Nick Wright
Hit today or they just going to.
- [04:04]
Colin Cowherd
Walk him every time? That's not great for the, for the product.
- [04:07]
Colin
I don't. Yeah, I mean, like, if you extrapolate it out to an entire season and nobody would pitch the Ohtani, that would not be great. So, you know, baseball's done a good job of tweaking things and I mean, maybe there's a new rule. You can't intentionally walk anybody more than one time.
- [04:22]
Colin Cowherd
More than once. I think that's a great idea. Can you propose that next time we have Manfred and Company on?
- [04:26]
Colin
No, I think it's, I think, listen, baseball more than any sport in the last two years has tweaked and all of it's worked. And I don't think, I mean, listen, you have exceptional players and you have, I mean, there was a time in basketball that they were thinking of outlawing the dunk because it was too easy for Wilt. I mean, you, you, you talk, you think, are there too many three pointers in the NBA? You talk about these things. You table it, you see if people like it, the Tush push, we're going Back and forth on the tush push. So I do think Ohtani may be the player that creates the. You can't. You could. And by the way, there are. There is strategy involved because you want the force. So sometimes you, you don't want an open base. You want to load it up. Ground ball gets two. So yeah, it's worth discussing at the, at the meetings. I love it. All right, here we go. The herd hierarchy on a Tuesday.
- [05:19]
Producer/Announcer
Herd hierarchy time is now.
- [05:21]
Nick Wright
Let's go.
- [05:22]
Producer/Announcer
The top 10 NFL teams according to college. Number 10.
- [05:26]
Colin
Well, the Buffalo Bills are 5. 0. When James Cook rushes for a foul 100 yards. He rushed for 100 yards. Josh Allen only had to throw the ball 19 times. I don't think they're very good against the run. Their past defense is fine, but they're a very good team. It's a long season. I like their O line, their run game. Josh Allen. They could probably use another receiving piece against the better defenses like Kansas City, but they're back in the top ten.
- [05:57]
Producer/Announcer
Number ten, number nine.
- [05:59]
Colin
New England beat them all put New England nine. Do you know New England is the only team since the 50s first eight games they haven't allowed a running back 50 plus yards. So Vrabel made him tougher, better against the run. And let's just be totally frank here. Drake may looks like a top six seven quarterback in the league. He may not be, but he's completing 75% of his throws. And his passer ratings 119. So the numbers say he is. Again, I think they need another weapon. I like the running back room. They're good enough. Hunter Henry at tight end, but this is about coaching and an exploding young star at quarterback. Don't think they're a Super bowl team, but I have them at nine.
- [06:39]
Producer/Announcer
Number eight.
- [06:40]
Colin
Broncos are a little inconsistent for me. I do think Sean Payton is coaching Bo Nicks. He wants him to throw the ball down the field more and sometimes it gets ugly. But here's the numbers you have to think of. This team is allowed the fewest sacks in the NFL and is also has 10 more sacks than anybody in the NFL that travels. Denver's not going anywhere. It's why I think they're one of the few teams that matches up with Kansas City. You can't get to Bo Nicks and they get to your quarterback.
- [07:10]
Producer/Announcer
Denver at eight, number seven.
- [07:13]
Colin
Bucks are all beat up. I put them at seven mostly because they have a veteran quarterback and Bo Nix is a kid. They're all beat up offensively, but they are still 20 plus yards down the field. Baker's the best quarterback in the league. They have been outgained in four straight games. So there's a little fool's gold when they get into these winning streaks. They're not pretty. They're all banged up. But I think we all acknowledge at number seven feels about right. Number six, the Rams. They went and got a corner from Tennessee. I may have them a little low. Highest overall grade and highest graded offense in the NFL according to pff. Now they have the one of the last pocket quarterbacks. So if you can get to Matt Stafford, that's the key. And their O line is good. I don't think it's great. They lead the NFL in big pass plays. Even when Puka was gone, they brought in a fourth tight end. Smart coach, great quarterback. They don't move the pocket a ton. So sometimes Stafford, if protection, pro pass protection, regresses that. He can feel a little bit like a sitting duck. But they're allowing an NFL low 10 touchdowns through the season. So it's just hard to get into the end zone. Against the Rams. I have him at six. Number five, the Lions. Again a pocket quarterback. Goff can be a sitting duck at times. I think the Rams and the Lions have very, very good rosters. I think the Lions have better offensive personnel. The Rams have better defensive personnel for their five wins have come by double digits. They are really special at home. They're okay on the road and by the way, their schedule is pretty weak going forward for the next month so they'll keep posting W's. Number four, Green Bay. Jordan Love. Folks, I don't want to hear that he's ascending. He's a star. Arm mobility, talent and their defense allowed the fewest big plays this season. They're just really well coached and really well run everywhere. They're still really young. They're still figuring some things out. They still have really clunky halves of offensive football. But we got to get over the Jordan Love is rising and Jordan Love is ascending. No, not he's top five six dude. Jordan Love's great. Period. End of sentence.
- [09:31]
Producer/Announcer
Number three.
- [09:32]
Colin
I don't know what the heck to do with the Colts only lost to the Rams and they outplayed him at SoFi and they've gotten better since then, maybe by a touchdown. I mean I think teams now are quitting against them. They are so physically dominant. It's the best offensive line along with Detroit I've seen. They're mashing people. They're just dominating people. Pittman And Pierce and Warren and Jonathan Taylor. You have to sign Daniel Jones to an extension. I don't know if they're the third best team, but all the numbers tell you they're squashing people. It's like physically they're just stepping on people. I'll put them at three for now.
- [10:14]
Producer/Announcer
Number two.
- [10:15]
Colin
Philadelphia's got more big game experience. A.J. brown didn't play. Shocker. Best performance of the year. I think Philadelphia gets a not over Indy because they've got more guys that have played in big games. And as we get closer to Thanksgiving, that stuff matters. So they're 6. 0. When Saquon Barkley gets 15 plus touches, I have a recommendation. Give Saquon Barkley 15 plus touches. Philly it too.
- [10:40]
Producer/Announcer
Number one.
- [10:41]
Colin
I don't even think Kansas City played that great last night. I thought it was a B minus, C plus performance and they still won by three touchdowns. I said this a few weeks ago. They haven't had this kind of offensive talent. Rasheed Rice. Clear. Number one, Worthy. Clever. Number two, juju. Perfect. Three. Travis Kelsey Gray. Excellent tight end production. O line. Still missing people. But again, one of the reasons I have KC1 in Philly two, big game experience. That stuff matters on fourth down. That stuff matters in the red zone. I have Seattle at 11, the Chargers at 12. Again, I don't know what in the world to do with the Colts. I don't see him in the Super Bowl. Let's bring in Nick Wright. What is. What does he make of them? That's our herd hierarchy. You know, it's like the data tells me they're as good as Kansas City. I know they're not as good as Kansas City.
- [11:35]
Nick Wright
Yeah. That's why we're not run by AI robots, Colin. That's why. While maybe artificial intelligence is going to take over every field, but not this one. Because the data can tell you whatever it wants to tell you. But your eyes of watching the NFL for 40 years is just going to be like, am I really going to say that Daniel Jones is going to stare down Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes in an AFC for title game, divisional round game and win? And the answer to that question is no, I'm not. And I'm. I'm not doing this. I'm not picking at you here at all. Yeah, it feels a lot like, a lot like to me, the Vikings last year.
- [12:23]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Yeah.
- [12:23]
Nick Wright
Prolific offense. A better defense. In this Colts team, they won 14 games. But when Bush came to shove, you asked yourself, or I asked myself, am I going to trust Sam Darnold through three rounds of the playoffs. And that's in the NFC where there aren't superhero quarterbacks waiting for you at every turn. And I didn't trust them. And I think Darnold is better than Daniel Jones. Listen, Jonathan Taylor. If any running back has an MVP case, Jonathan Taylor has one. I actually think right now his MVP case is potentially stronger than Saquon's last season. He's been excellent. Shane Steichen has shown an ability. Hell, he has a winning record in games. Anthony Richardson starts. He's an excellent coach. They have underrated weapons. All that is true. They deserve to be respected. But I right now in the afc, I think the Chiefs are better than them. I believe the Bills are better than them. And I think in a playoff game I would pick the Patriots before I picked them because I believe superstar young quarterback in year two, year two is not too early. So I give them respect. But I'm not going to pander the way I feel. Some people feel obligated to be like, well, what more do the Colts need to do? And the answer is nothing. There is nothing the Colts can do this season to make me think they're winning the super bowl other than win the Super Bowl. Maybe I'll be proven wrong, but that philosophy has never led me astray. My life watching the NFL.
- [14:02]
Colin
I want to start with baseball. We'll come back to the NFL.
- [14:05]
Nick Wright
Sure.
- [14:06]
Colin
So you, you play poker and I made this argument earlier that when you surround yourself with the best poker players, you probably play a more astute, a more focused, a higher quality of decision making when the quality around you is good. This is what the Dodgers do. That's amazing. They take guys like Will Klein, who had a 7 ERA with a Tacoma Rainiers this year, who's been released three times. But when you put them around the Dodgers, they're coaching the moment, the offense. Four scoreless innings, one hit against the Blue Jays is that we all look at the Dodgers money. Mets have money. Yankees have money. People have money. It's not just that. What Will Klein does is what they do. They find these guys in every series and you're like, how is. He's like a double A. I mean, Tommy Edmonds hit.260 for the Cardinals, the Dodgers, he's NLCS MVP. My takeaway is, yes, Ohtani's unbelievable. And maybe not it's not as exciting, but it's beyond money to me. When I watch the Dodgers. Or do you just see the stars?
- [15:13]
Nick Wright
No, I think it's. I think it's both. Listen, it does help that you were able to give Ohtani three quarters of a bill and he reaches base 10 times. I mean, that's pretty good. I mean, I guess it was nine times. Pardon me. I mean, and it does help that when you wave the white flag and just say, we just have to walk Ohtani, it is future, first ballot, all time. Great. Mookie Bets coming to the plate. And a couple guys later, it's previous World Series MVP Freddie Freeman coming to the plate. That all does help. But what you're describing is a lot like what the Chiefs benefit from. Colin Tyquan Thornton's a bust. Is he Kansas City, he works. Juju gets cut by three teams. Kansas City, he works. McCall Hardman gets cut by the jets in Kansas City, he works. And so I do think that once you have an established culture and, and establish talent, what you are creating an incubator, if you will, for lesser talented guys to succeed because they are only asked to do one thing or the one thing they do best rather than do more. Now, Klein last night, that might have been a little, you know, kismet, luck aberration as well. But the overarching point, I think, is exactly correct.
- [16:39]
Colin
So I. I was saying this to the staff this morning because I think Jordan Love is elite. He didn't have the appeal to middle America, like jeans wearing, truck driving Brett Favre. Yeah. He didn't have the coastal allure that the hipster Aaron Rodgers had. I think he's a combination of both, and I think he's unbelievable. But he went to Utah State. We didn't watch him on Saturdays. He sat for three years like Aaron, but he's not political. He always says the right thing. He's not middle America. He's not Coast. I watch him and I'm like, oh, this is what Aaron looked like in his prime. Like. Like just when the ball comes out, his feet aren't on the ground. He's got an absolute whip of an arm. I think I said this morning, I think he's the most underrated player in the league. He's the only great. I mean, seriously, even like Justin Herbert, everybody acknowledges, I know he doesn't want a playoff game, but he's great. And Justin doesn't get the love. There's. You can't find anybody that says Jordan Love is great. I don't know what my eyes are telling me. That looks great.
- [17:46]
Nick Wright
All right, so can we come back to the Herbert thing in a moment? Because I have a Herbert question, but I won't stay on Jordan Love. First of all, I'll tell you one person who says Jordan Love is great. My first things first, co host Chris Broussard, who picked him to win league MVP before this year. So he saw something that I did not going into the season. And Love, when you look at his stats for the season, it's shocking how good they are and how little press to your point, he seems to be getting. I am, I am a 60% of the way believer on Jordan Love. And by that I mean, like, I certainly see the upside. He has not gotten to the place yet where I fully trust him. But I did think that Sunday night was the best regular season game of his career. And I said so this is what I said going into the season. And I see if you agree with me. I said, I think Jordan Love is the most interesting person in the NFL this year because if he is just a B plus or better quarterback this season, the packers can win the Super Bowl. And if he is an A quarterback, the packers should win the super bowl because the roster is great, the defense is excellent. With particularly with the addition of Micah, the head coach is very, very good. The D coordinator has been very, very good. Jordan Love is for many ways the fulcrum of, if not the nfc, the entire. The entire league. Because as long as he does not have one of those. Oh, no. What just happened? Jordan Love, playoff games that we've seen a couple times, we've all seen a great one. Then I think the packers should be the favorites in the nfc. I know they have the best record, but I'm saying I think when Jordan, when they get good quarterback play, they don't even need great. When they get good quarterback play, they should be the best team in that conference.
- [19:46]
Colin
For the record, I saw a headline this morning. Caleb Williams is fine. Relax. And my take is third easiest schedule, hired the hottest coach offensively on the market, excellent weapons, spent 100 million on the O line, fine's not good enough. Fine is good enough. If you take your family to dinner and it costs 48 bucks and you're like, yeah, those tacos were fine. If you're spending 400 on the anniversary dinner, fine's not good enough. Like, I look at the Bears and I'm like, I don't want to hear fine. I looked at the numbers last year and this year, through seven games, it's the same guy. Is it possible this is what he is. He's just fine. As a number one pick, he's fine.
- [20:32]
Nick Wright
Well, that would be a disaster if it is. Then that's a disaster. Caleb Williams being just fine is a disaster. And I, I would have eliminated that as going into last year. I would have said that the only chance Caleb Williams is not at the very least very good is catastrophic injury. Just, you know, the guy gets unlucky from a career changing injury. I know after 20 games or I guess closer now at this point to 25, I no longer can say that. I think that while you still see the obvious, oh my God, look at that play he just made in a positive way moments, he is a year and a half in, still shaky at what should be the easiest stuff. And that is concerning. Is it so concerning that I would abandon the Caleb Williams stock? No. Do I believe Ben Johnson took this job over others because of Caleb Williams?
- [21:39]
Colin
Yes.
- [21:39]
Nick Wright
Do I still think long term it's going to work? Yeah, I think it. But I am not dead set certain the way I once was. And I got to tell you, Colin, if we go from Trevor Lawrence not turning into a star to Caleb Williams not turning into a star, I might get out of the college quarterback handicapping business. Because I have never seen two guys who, the moment they first played college football that I was more certain that guy is going to be a superstar than those two players. And Trevor has been disappointing. He's honestly been kind of the weak link thus far this season. It breaks my heart to say that about, about the Jags and Caleb's been as you put it, fine, blah. And if you, it's unfair. But if you remove the Cowboys game, his season numbers are downright bad. That's all concerning. Not as concerning, however, as this.
- [22:39]
Colin
Colin.
- [22:41]
Nick Wright
If I, if I came on this show and I was like, hey, by the way, I just want to let you know, I think you mentioned poker. I think playing games of chance, playing cards is a sin and it makes you a bad person. You'd be like Nick. That is a departure from who you are at your core.
- [23:01]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
Yes.
- [23:02]
Nick Wright
You just flippantly giving your guy Herbert a pass for the backwards hat. I mean, Colin, I mean, who I mean, does a man have no principles? Does he have no standards anymore?
- [23:18]
Colin
First of all, shame on me for being a true romantic. I mean, I don't want to get, I don't want to get in the way of young love. I saw, okay. And it was, you know, it was an off day.
- [23:30]
Nick Wright
It was an off day. He's still representing the franchise. And let me ask you this as well. Speaking of Justin Herbert, your guy Justin Herbert being a romantic, his social calendar sure is filled up quite a bit as of late. So I'm in the World Series and at the Laker game now. I don't know where his cows cap was positioned at the World Series, but I do know he better listen. Chargers fighting for a playoff spot now. And listen, I'm happy for him as well. I just don't know is he going to be able to multitask as well as the greatest tight end of all time, Travis Kelce? I'm not saying he can't. I'm just saying that plus the backwards cap. A lot of pressure on him now. A lot of pressure on him.
- [24:10]
Colin
I did say it was a little sabbatical from my previous stance. A slight nudge off. But I mean, he's an American hero. The ball is going to hit Amanda, she's a model influencer and he bats it away. It's like there is not all heroes wear capes somewhere their hat on backwards.
- [24:29]
Nick Wright
So okay, if, just so you know, I'm not sure who the ball was going to hit. If it's his girlfriend you're talking about, her name is Madison. I don't, I don't want to get him in trouble. Amanda. Now all of a sudden you're going to cause controversy. Madison, my goodness gracious. Good luck with that, Colin. I'll let you deal with her fans on the Internet. I corrected it. You got it wrong. That's a Colin Cowherd problem.
- [24:49]
Colin
Okay, one more thing. It's not too early. We're three, three games into the season. I said to J. Mac, I said, okay, Austin Reeves is not a great defender. Deandre Ayton's awful. LeBron at this point is not elite and Luka barely tries. So you have duplication and a real weakness. You can't defend in the West. LeBron is better on ball. Luka needs the ball. Austin Reeves game is with the ball. These games for Austin Reaves are wonderful. There are teams like Boston, Houston, Miami that need an initiator of offense. That Austin Reaves now is just duplication. Mediocre defender has to have the ball. And you can see when he has the ball, when LeBron and Luke aren't playing, he's tremendous. He is a prime, prime player to move. Go get a Nazarene ish wing, tough, physical defender. Because the Lakers now are bad defensively and have too many guys that need the ball. Am I nuts?
- [25:52]
Nick Wright
No, you're not nuts. And it's, this is, this is the real question is, are the Lakers trying to win this season or not? If they are trying to win this and I'm not, there's a no judgment zone on my end because until we see how long LeBron actually is out for and what LeBron looks like in year 23, soon to be age 41, I think it'd be totally fair for the Lakers to be conservative about their chances this season. But if you want to win this season, Austin Reaves is duplicative because of Luke and LeBron and is your number one asset to be able to go get a defender. Which the moment LeBron comes back, the Lakers are going to need the oldest player in the league to be one of their two best wing defenders because other than Vanderbilt, they got none on the roster. God love Marcus Smart, but he's a, you know, 12 minute a guy at this point in his career. However, if your feeling is, and I think this was LeBron's concern over the summer, if your feeling is, ah, we got Luka resigned, this is a transition year, well, then you probably keep Austin because you don't want Luca to be in a position a year from now where he's your only initiator, your only ball handler. So that's the question. The question is how much do you value this season versus flexibility moving forward? I don't know the answer to that. I, I would think as long as I have Luka Doncic and a guy who finished sixth in MVP voting last year in LeBron, I'd try to go for it. And in that context, Austin, and credit to Austin for becoming this level of player is redundant for a team that needs a bunch of other things.
- [27:45]
Colin
Yes, a rim protector, athleticism, off perimeter defender.
- [27:51]
Nick Wright
I mean, the Lakers are built weird for 20, 25. They're a team that can't really defend and doesn't have great shooting. That as great as Luka is, as good as LeBron could be, that's not a recipe for a deep playoff run.
- [28:03]
Colin
All right, Nick Wright, excellent work. First things first, it's great seeing you, buddy. See you, pal. Yeah, listen, sometimes, you know, I'm not going to apologize for being a romantic. I see Justin Herbert with his friend and it touched me. And so, you know, whatever.
- [28:26]
Colin Cowherd
Can you watch your language when you say it touched me? By the way, have you looked her up on Instagram? Madison Beer.
- [28:32]
Colin
She's a beautiful person.
- [28:33]
Colin Cowherd
She doesn't follow me, but she has 40 million followers. She is a huge deal. I'd never heard of her before, like six months ago.
- [28:40]
Colin
Well, you know, a lot of these influencers are, you know, it's not back channels. It's just channels that we don't we're not on, right?
- [28:48]
Colin Cowherd
Justin Fields used to hang out with Cameron Dicker in the South Bay. Now he's leveled up to a celebrity in a front row at Dodgers and Lakers. Hope it doesn't go to his head. That's your boy.
- [28:59]
Colin
Herbert certainly is. And now I'm a big fan of hers as well.
- [29:04]
Producer/Announcer
One more herd the herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.
- [29:13]
Colin
Hey, it's Cavino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio. Now, in addition to hearing us live weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, we're excited to announce a brand new YouTube channel for the show. Yup, that's right. You can now watch Covino and rich live on YouTube every day. All you got to do Search COVINO and RICH FSR on YouTube again. Go to YouTube search COVINOENRICH FSR. Check us out on YouTube. Subscribe hit that thumbs up icon and comment away.
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- [31:06]
Colin
Every athlete knows that true performance isn't just about the work you put in, it's about the results. You track everything from speed to endurance to get ahead. But what about your own internal health stats? With questhealth.com you can buy your own lab tests online and get a clearer picture of your health. Quest offers a huge range of tests for everything from fitness and nutrition to heart health, hormones and more. Maybe you want to know your cholesterol or get a detailed hormone panel. Let's see where you stand. Whatever it is, you choose the test, buy online and go to a nearby Quest location for sample collection. No doctor visit required. No insurance required. No membership required. You'll get fast results online and even have the ability to speak to a health care provider about your results. So get the insights you need to help kickstart your health journey. Just go to quest health.com quest health.com to get started. Limited time. You can save on select lab tests if you use the code HERD10 at checkout@questhealth.com terms apply. Weighted vests are everywhere right now. And it's not just a fad. The science is clear. Carrying extra weight boosts calorie burn, ramps up natural human growth hormone and testosterone in the body and builds real world strength. Not all vests though are built the same and low quality gear is getting guys hurt. That's why I'm all for Wolf tacticals True Fit weighted vest. Go to wolftical USA.com the athlete's choice for real world strength that lasts. The code is herd15 for 15% off your order. That's H E R D15 at checkout only at wolftical USA.com sorry I just took a little siesta after that Dodger game last night. We're all, we're all a little sleepy. I got one producer got two and a half hours sleep, one got four and feels great about was just wild. It's just crazy. You know, we, I say this all the time. We are so lucky. Obviously I'm lucky to do what I do and very, very grateful. Very, very humbled. But we're so lucky right now. You look at all these Dodger players, they're all like Otani and Bets and Freeman and Yoshi and just, just the quality of the human being you get in American sports. And I've said this about the NFL. Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Jordan, love. They're such nice kids. And I know I'm saying kids but I have gray hair but I'm watching that thing last night and I mean the pressure on these athletes, that is just crazy. I mean we all grow, grew up wanting to be like rock stars or athletes at least I did. Some, some guys want to be firemen. Yeah, I get that too. But it was like, you know, it was superheroes, rock stars or athletes. And you're, you're watching what Ohtani is doing and Freeman, and I'm, I am just amazed at how good Sports is in 2025. I'm amazed with it. I, I can't even wrap my brain around how good Ohtani is. I mean, Michael Jordan is 6 for 6. Ohtani got on base nine times. That would be a good series for an all star in a six game series. An all star level player said Vlad Guerrero, he got on base like nine times in five, six game series. You'd be like, whoa. Was he MVP of the series? Yeah. That's unbelievable. I mean, yeah, summer walks. I said seven years ago, he's Babe Ruth plus. My bad. He's Babe Ruth plus. Plus plus. J. Mac with the news.
- [35:08]
Patrick Mahomes
No, no, no, no.
- [35:09]
Colin
Turn on the news.
- [35:10]
Producer/Announcer
This is the Herd line news.
- [35:13]
Colin Cowherd
All right, Colin, let's start with the Chiefs win on Monday Night Football. It was a snoozer. They beat a Washington team playing their backup quarterback. Kansas City feasting on another bottom feeder. Congratulations, guys. Travis Kelce did have a good game. Six catches for 99 yards.
- [35:27]
Colin
Good.
- [35:28]
Colin Cowherd
Did have a drop early that led to an interception. Went right off his hands. Mahomes kind of muttered an F bomb under his breath. You could see through the face mask. Kelce tied Priest homes with his 83rd regular season touchdown. Good for most in franchise history. Here's Patrick Mahomes on Taylor Swift's fiance.
- [35:48]
Patrick Mahomes
He's just like the true chief's chief. I mean, he is the guy that's been here through the whole thing, been here with Coach Reed the entire time. And he helped set the culture. You know, he helped set the culture of what it, what it means to play for Coach Reed and to play in Kansas City. And I was able to come in and have that guy to rely on. And so he's breaking all the records now. And I mean, he's all about the team, so I want to make sure he gets that and hopefully we can get another football for him later in the season when he actually breaks the record.
- [36:13]
Colin
Say what you want, but Rasheed Rice worthy, Kelsey juju, Hollywood Brown, that is a stable of guys that can make plays.
- [36:22]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, well, just do it against a good team and then I'll be impressed. I mean, we didn't get excited when the Bills smashed the Panthers and Andy Dalton, did we? We didn't go all apoplectic when Daniel Jones carved up the Titans. Like we don't do that, so I don't know how. Well, we should get all excited for the Chiefs. Curb stomping a terrible Washington team with a backup quarterback. Mike, Washington's not a playoff team.
- [36:45]
Colin
No, they're not. They're not.
- [36:46]
Colin Cowherd
So this Bills game is everything. Hey, beat the Bills. I'll give you your props. Do you have an early read on Chiefs Bills?
- [36:53]
Colin
By the way, Kansas City by 10.
- [36:55]
Colin Cowherd
Oh, that's a hot take.
- [36:58]
Colin
Wow.
- [36:59]
Nick Wright
I got a few by 10 on the.
- [37:01]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah, this game is in Buffalo and yeah, I saw.
- [37:04]
Colin
I saw New England go in and win at Buffalo. Kansas City can't.
- [37:08]
Colin Cowherd
What is this?
- [37:09]
Colin
The.
- [37:09]
Colin Cowherd
The transitive property Because A plus B equal. What's going on here? Cowherd. Simmer down now. We may have to go opposite on that one this week. No, I don't have a pick for that game yet. Next up. Oh, yeah, it's the Cowboys. And this is kind of an ugly story developing with Trayvon Diggs. Remember last year he had that knee injury? Well, now he weirdly suffered some kind of concussion at home. It's unclear what went down, but now he's being placed on the ir. Remember, Trayvon Diggs a few years ago was like an awesome. I was like, oh, this guy's a stud. It hasn't gone great, but Micah Parsons has now chimed in. Of course, Micah Parsons. Bit of a vendetta against Dallas for how it ended. Micah Parsons saying Diggs is coming off a catastrophic knee injury and they just didn't do him Right. The type of injury he had, they forced him out there. He had no reps. The organization let him down.
- [38:05]
Colin
Well, I don't know the specifics in terms of, you know, forcing him to practice and play, but I think there's a possibility he won't be around. With those two first round picks, I think they're going to get an edge in a corner, so.
- [38:19]
Colin Cowherd
Well, that's assuming your boy Jerry doesn't trade those picks to try to get a player make a move. I know you scoffed at that earlier, but would you put anything past this guy? I mean, he made a terrible deal for Trey Lance.
- [38:32]
Colin
He made a great deal for George Pickens. That was a steal. That's one of the steals of the offseason.
- [38:36]
Colin Cowherd
That was a great move getting Pickens, by the way, the Steelers should be ripped for giving him up for nothing.
- [38:41]
Colin
Well, he. I mean, I think he's a better fit with Dak than kind of a the quarterback situation they had. I think Dak has a way of making players who can be a bit temperamental more mature. Give Dak credit. Like, when you play with Dak, everybody kind of gets in line with Dakota. Remember, Zeke was a little wild, and then over the course of his career, he settled down. Dak has a way of, you know, he's like Dax, like the dad you don't want to disappoint. He's, like, mature in his speeches and his ability to kind of lower the temperature in the room. Dallas has a lot to deal with. Ownership down, there's a lot of noise. Dak has got that unique ability where he just brings the temperature down. Jalen hurts has this, too. There's just a maturity and ability. Take a deep breath, everybody. Let's bring the noise down. And I think that's a credit to Dak and Jalen Hurst.
- [39:33]
Colin Cowherd
Yeah. Can't wait for Micah Parsons to do a victory lap after the super bowl and just shove it in Jerry's face. Hey, you made a terrible deal. I know you disagree. Anyways, final story. Colin, let's go to the Rams. Touched on earlier. Tyler Schuck will be starting for the Saints. That's not great news. The Rams have big news. Puka Nakua is back. Colin McVay announced yesterday Puka is expected to return to practice, and they expect him to play on Sunday against the Saints. Remember, Puka missed that game. He suffered the ankle injury. Pretty sure it was the ankle in London. And so the Rams should be fully formed, rested, off a buy. I'm sure you guys can't wait for the McVeigh numbers. Off a buy.
- [40:13]
Colin
McVeigh off a buy at home against the New Orleans team. Tyler Schuck, to me, is not an NFL quarterback.
- [40:19]
Colin Cowherd
Oh, really? Saints disagree. They drafted. They drafted him early.
- [40:26]
Colin
I mean, if this game ended 33 to 3, would you be shocked? No, no.
- [40:30]
Colin Cowherd
My bank account would be thrilled. If you have survivor, you gotta hammer the Rams here, right? This is a lot. I mean, nothing's a lock.
- [40:37]
Colin
I mean, who do they play? I mean, off of 29ers. So that's the only thing I don't love, is that you could see them taking a 24 nothing lead at half and shutting it. Shutting the playbook down and just running it out, winning, you know, 27 to 17, running it. That's what worries me. It's fair. I mean, because not that the Niners don't know what they do, but I could see McVeigh shutting it down in half and saying, listen, you get one or two of these a year when you don't have to play your defensive guys 60 snaps and you know Jared verse like 28 snaps, you're done.
- [41:10]
Colin Cowherd
Well, I don't know about 28 but well, final note is I watched that Buck Saints game closely. I told Remember last week I mentioned the Saints Center, McCoy. He's one of the best in the league. He's out for the season and I was like oh, Vita Vea and company, they're going to wreck. New Orleans couldn't run the football, they were inept. Spencer Rattler was so now shook with a backup center and we know the Rams defensive line is fairly nasty. I just don't see a path to success for the Saints here. I I love the Rams in the spot.
- [41:36]
Colin
J. Mack with the news well, that's the news and thanks for stopping the Herd line News Derek Jeter stops by the Herd last hour after another iconic Dodger game at the Great Dodger Stadium. Plus, is the NFC playoff picture already set? Thoughts Next the Herd.
- [41:58]
Producer/Announcer
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio Apple I'm going to assume.
- [42:08]
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- [43:30]
Colin
Every athlete knows that true performance isn't just about the work you put in.
- [43:34]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
It's about the results.
- [43:36]
Colin
You track everything from speed to endurance to get ahead. But what about your own internal health stats? With questhealth.com you can buy your own lab tests online and get a clearer picture of your health. Quest offers a huge range of tests for everything from fitness, nutrition to heart health, hormones and more. Maybe you want to know your cholesterol or get a detailed hormone panel. Let's see where you stand. Whatever it is, you choose the test, buy online and go to a nearby Quest location for sample collection. No doctor visit required. No insurance required. No membership required. You'll get fast results online and even have the ability to speak to a healthcare provider about your results. So get the insights you need to help kickstart your health journey. Just go to quest health.com quest health.com to get started. Limited time. You can save on select lab tests if you use the code HERD10 at checkout@questhealth.com terms apply. Weighted vests are everywhere right now and it's not just a fad. The science is clear. Carrying extra weight boost calorie burn, ramps up natural human growth hormone and testosterone in the body and builds real world strength. Not all vests though are built the same and low quality gear is getting guys hurt. Shifting weights, bad straps, zero support. Just read the reviews. It's a recipe for disaster. That's why I'm all for Wolf Tacticals True fit weighted vest. Built like real field gear, the vest is heavy duty, breathable, totally adjustable, no bounce. It moves with you whether you're grinding out pushups, knocking out yard work. It is not a gimmick. It's gear that turns whatever you're doing into training. It's excellent. Go to wolftactical USA.com the athlete's choice for real world strength that lasts. The code is heard 15 for 15 off your order. That's H E R D 15 at checkout only at wolftacticalusa.com start Saturday strong.
- [45:38]
Colin Cowherd
With the undefeated top ranked Ohio State Buckeyes as they face off against rival Penn State at the shoe. It all starts at 10am Eastern with big noon kickoff live from Columbus. Then it's Penn State, Ohio State, Big noon Saturday only on Fox.
- [45:58]
Colin
Man, there's a lot of good jobs open. Florida, LSU, Penn State. Those are three top 10 jobs. I'm not sure there's three great candidates. Lane. Lane Kiffin potentially. But he may want to stay. You know everybody thinks Americans are more mobile. I saw reading something about six months ago that most Americans don't want to move. They find a job, they find a community, they want to be social, their kids get into school. So I'm not sure if, I mean, if you can make blankety blank million dollars a year at Ole Miss and you kind of created, you know, a great program, what's the extra two and a half million going to mean at lsu? I don't know. It's still the sec. I don't know. Like, like Kurt Signetti, why go to Penn State right now? Indiana would hammer Penn State. Like it's. It'd be one thing if like Indiana knew going forward our biggest boosters are not going to give money anymore. Or it was a regressing business. But if you're in a business and the business is ascending like Indiana football, why leave Ole Miss football, why leave now? If it's lifestyle and nothing against Oxford, Mississippi, but you know, a school in LA called and you're, you know, you love la, that's different. Or if you're like Brian Kelly went Midwest to the south. If Brian Kelly got offered the Penn State job, that may be a good fit for him socially and football wise. But I want to say this, that and we've said this a lot. It doesn't take long for great to surface or even very good. If you look at the playoff picture today, we'll start with the nfc. I think this is what it's going to look like. I think we've already determined. Now, I'm not saying the seeding is perfect. Green Bay a one seed, Philly A two, Tampa Bay A three, Seattle of four, Detroit OF five, LA A six, San Francisco A seven. I think these are the playoff teams. I think those are the teams I pick for the playoffs. I'm not sure if I had San Francisco and I think I had him close. That feels like, I mean the team that's right below that is 4 and 3 Chicago and I think Chicago will make it interesting. But I think as long as San Francisco can get somewhat healthy over the next six weeks, I think the NFC playoff picture, that's what it's going to look like in the afc. I don't buy Pittsburgh. I think they will lose narrowly to Baltimore. I think Baltimore is going to go on a heater with Lamar Jackson and win five out of the next six, six of the next seven. But I. Indies 1. New England 2 Denver 3 Pittsburgh 4 Buffalo 5. Chargers 6. Kansas City 7. This is mostly the teams we picked. I think Baltimore and Houston I'd keep my eyes on. I just don't buy Pittsburgh. I'm not blaming Aaron. I think they I think Sunday night when Green Bay faced the Steelers, it felt like one franchise gets the current league in the future and the other is really outdated. And the reason I buy the Colts is because if you have a great offensive line that will endure in December and January, if you have great wide receivers, Miami a few years ago doesn't mean anything. As the weather gets colder, I look at line play.
- [49:19]
Sponsor/Ad Voice
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- [49:19]
Colin
I do think the Colts could use another pass rusher, but I think they're O lines first or second in the league and I think that endures. Nick Wright does not believe in the Colts.
- [49:29]
Nick Wright
Am I really going to say that Daniel Jones is going to stare down Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes in an AFC David for it title game, divisional round game and win? And the answer to that question is no, I'm not. They deserve to be respected. But I right now in the afc, I think the Chiefs are better than them. I believe the Bills are better than them. And I think in a playoff game I would pick the Patriots before I picked them.
- [50:04]
Colin
I would not. I would pick the Chiefs to beat the Colts and right now, nobody else. I think Jonathan Taylor would run for 150 yards on the Buffalo Bills. I think Bo Nix would sit on the sidelines and watch Jonathan Taylor and that offense dominate time of possession. So I think Kansas City is built to beat him. If you have a great O line hard, it's a way to keep great quarterbacks on the sidelines. Colts can do that. Our three Derek Jeter on the corner.
- [50:41]
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- [51:06]
Colin
Hi, it's Colin.
- [51:07]
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- [51:31]
Colin
Listen, baseball season's here.
- [51:32]
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- [52:16]
Colin
People talk a lot about athletes performance, but what about your own? QuestHealth.com can help you understand where your health stands. With Quest you can buy your own lab tests online, no doctor visit required. Quest has a huge selection of lab tests for everything from fitness to heart health and more. Just buy a test online and visit a nearby Quest location for sample collection. You'll get fast results online and for a limited time you can save on select lab tests@questhealth.com use the code herd10 at checkout. Terms apply.
- [52:52]
Colin Cowherd
This is an iHeart podcast.