THE HERD - Hour 2 - Right to Start Burrow, Shawn Merriman Stops By

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: THE HERD - Hour 2 - Right to Start Burrow, Shawn Merriman Stops By
Date: November 28, 2025
Host: Doug Gottlieb (in for Colin Cowherd) with Jason Stewart
Key Guest: Shawn Merriman (former NFL All-Pro linebacker)

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Overview of the Episode

In this episode, Doug Gottlieb (filling in for Colin) dives deep into pressing NFL narratives following Thanksgiving Day games, with an emphasis on quarterback leadership—most notably Joe Burrow’s decision to return for the Bengals despite a lost season. Gottlieb sets up a thoughtful discourse about what true leadership looks like in sports and relates it to broader cultural conversations about expectations of athletes. Later, former NFL linebacker Shawn Merriman joins to break down the Cowboys’ defensive surge, the Packers’ transformation, and struggles from teams like the Chiefs, Ravens, and Lions. Other segments touch on the “feast week” of college hoops and notable NFL injury and rivalry updates.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Joe Burrow’s Return and Defining Leadership

• Joe Burrow’s Post-Game Reflections ([04:38]):
  Burrow admits to "knocking some rust off" but emphasizes the emotional importance of being back, saying, “It was great to be back out there… just good to be back with the guy.”

• Gottlieb on True Leadership ([05:08–10:30]):
  Doug argues that Burrow exemplifies leadership not just by playing well, but by choosing to play when he could have sat out a lost season:

  “Anyone can play when you're in the playoffs ... but you make all that money as a quarterback to lead your team and to play hard when you don’t have to play hard.”
  He draws a parallel to radio, noting,
  “They don’t pay you to do the show. They pay you to get up.”
  Gottlieb also pushes back on the idea that Burrow’s choice is “heroic,” saying it’s simply what leaders do and society’s standards have shifted.

• Leadership vs. Self-interest (Cam Newton Reference) ([12:19–13:07]):
  Doug contrasts Burrow’s commitment to Cam Newton’s more self-interested quotes:

  “Team success don’t take care of my family … there’s more players that have rings … that are struggling…” – Cam Newton ([12:21–13:07])

• Broader Reflection:
  Gottlieb laments that playing through adversity is seen as special rather than standard, referencing generational hypocrisy about “load management” ([15:14]).

2. Generational Perspective on ‘Load Management’ and Work Attitudes

• Gen Z vs. Gen X on Work Ethic ([15:14–16:12]):
  Jason Stewart and Gottlieb discuss the generational blame game for “load management” culture:

  “Our generation constantly makes fun of Gen Z for only working when they want to work… but our generation came up with many of these ideas.”
  – Doug Gottlieb

  “We as parents, our generation as parents, made Gen Z into the most entitled generation of all time.”
  – Jason Stewart

• Contradiction in Sports Discourse ([16:12]):
  Both agree there’s irony in media personalities complaining about load management while also questioning why Burrow would risk playing.

3. NFL Deep-Dive: Shawn Merriman Interview ([25:38–34:13])

a. Cowboys’ Defensive Transformation

• Merriman credits personnel moves and coaching stability:

  “Brian Schottenheimer was on the staff… I thought that they made a great decision in keeping them in house… That was a Dak Prescott key for head coach. Right. I thought it was smart.”
  – Shawn Merriman ([25:38–26:00])

• Trading Micah Parsons

  “Micah is balling out of control right now, but long term… it may be most benefit to the Cowboys with the draft picks they got… you’re building the entire team.”
  – Merriman ([26:15–26:48])

b. Packers’ Shift in Play Calling

• Conservative to Aggressive

  “When things get on the line... coaches get more strict… more conservative in play calling. And that’s not how you’re going to win.”
  – Merriman ([27:17–27:58])

c. Impact of Joe Burrow Playing on Bengals Locker Room

• Signal of Not Surrendering

  “If Joe Burrow sits the rest of the season, you’re basically telling everybody else in the locker room you’re done… What they said in the locker room is we’re not tanking.”
  – Merriman ([28:10–28:55])

d. Chiefs’ Decline & Aging Roster

• Chiefs Not Yet Out, But Different

  “They still got Mahomes, still got Kelsey… but they’re just not as dominant as they once were... Travis Kelsey included, you know, getting up there in age."
  – Merriman ([29:12–30:12])

e. Ravens’ Struggles and Lamar Jackson

• Turnovers and Lost Rhythm

  “They had four or five turnovers… When you have that, I don't care who's at quarterback… Also, they had a lot of downtime when Lamar wasn't there.”
  – Merriman ([30:16–31:03])

f. Lions Losing Their Edge

• Coordinator Departures and Windows Closing

  “When you start talking about teams running NFL in general and windows closing... those coordinators are going to go... front office people are going to leave…”
  – Merriman ([31:18–31:51])

g. Chargers vs. Raiders Preview

• Injury-Plagued Resilience

  “I think more catastrophic things than happen to one team maybe in NFL history… They were decimated and they found a way to still put themselves in position…”
  – Merriman ([32:16–32:46])

• Consistency Is Key

  “What they have to do is stay consistent... health was such a big factor with these guys…”
  – Merriman ([32:46–33:03])

h. Lights Out Extreme Fighting

• Merriman plugs his upcoming MMA event, highlighting its growth and the pathway to the UFC ([33:26–34:05]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Burrow Playing Despite Playoff Elimination:

  “It shows Joe Burrow wants Zach Taylor to be his head coach. If you don’t want that guy to be your head coach, you don’t play.”
  – Doug Gottlieb ([08:15])

• On Cam Newton and Leadership:

  “That’s how everyone knows you’re not really a leader—when you’re about yourself more than everybody else, and more than winning, everybody sees through that.”
  – Doug Gottlieb ([13:07])

• On Modern Athlete Mentality:

  "To be a leader as a quarterback… you have to play in THAT game to be a real leader."
  – Doug Gottlieb ([11:15])

• On Gen Z and Blame-shifting:

  "They’re our fault. And the current system in place right now for sports was created by coaches of our generation..."
  – Jason Stewart ([15:14–16:12])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |------------|---------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:12 | Doug Gottlieb opens; Joe Burrow's return as leadership topic | | 04:38 | Burrow on his emotions and performance after return | | 05:08 | Gottlieb on the higher standard for QBs and society’s shift | | 12:19 | Cam Newton’s individual vs. team success quote | | 15:14 | Gen Z and Gen X debate about work and ‘load management’ | | 25:38 | Shawn Merriman interview: Cowboys, Packers, NFL analysis | | 28:10 | Merriman on Burrow's message to Bengals' locker room | | 30:16 | Merriman on Ravens’ turnovers and Lamar Jackson | | 31:18 | Merriman on Lions’ ‘window closing’ and coordinator exodus | | 32:16 | Chargers’ injury struggles and need for consistency | | 33:26 | Lights Out Extreme Fighting, event plug |

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Additional Highlights

Egg Bowl Rivalry Update and College Hoops "Feast Week"

• Egg Bowl Antics:
  Lane Kiffin accuses Mississippi State of locker room shenanigans and missing team equipment, referencing the heated rivalry atmosphere.

  “At three o'clock in the morning, they break in again and take Trinidad's jersey. So I guess you expect nothing less from these people.”
  – Lane Kiffin relay by Jason Stewart ([35:10])

• College Basketball Feast Week:
  Gottlieb reflects on the challenges of early season tournaments, turnover in rosters, and how a strong or poor performance can divide or unite a team. Cites his own experiences coaching in the Virgin Islands and talks about the mental aspect of building player confidence.

  “All it takes is a win or two and they [players] start to go like, you know, this might actually work.”
  – Doug Gottlieb ([52:47–54:30])

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Episode Tone

Conversational, occasionally irreverent, but deeply invested in the core values of sport—leadership, accountability, and the evolution of athlete culture. Lots of “real talk” moments, with Doug pushing back against media and generational narratives, and guests openly dissecting key NFL teams with practical knowledge and lived experience.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode:

This hour of The Herd—helmed by Doug Gottlieb—uses Joe Burrow’s return as a springboard into a broader conversation about true leadership and commitment in modern sports. With analyst Jason Stewart and a long-form visit from Shawn Merriman, listeners get both philosophical context and expert breakdowns on the NFL’s most fascinating teams—highlighted by forthright, sometimes provocative, commentary and real locker room insights rarely heard on other sports talk platforms.

Transcript

[Doug Gottlieb]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Doug Gottlieb]

It's the Herd in for Colin. I'm Doug Gottlieb. Welcome, welcome, welcome in. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. Hope you just had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This is the first time I've had all three of my kids in Green Bay with me and it's, it's pretty cool, all right. Just so different. I've had each of them have been spend plenty of time here in the past, but having them all kind of with me and experiencing being a kid of a coach and having him by a practice and having with my team, fascinating. Hope you got a chance to catch up with family. Hope you got a chance to have a good meal and watch some football. We'll talk about sports for the next two hours. We do have Sean Merriman upcoming this hour. Lights out will join us. We'll get his thoughts on what the heck's wrong with Lamar Jackson. I'll give my own thoughts on what's wrong with Lamar Jackson upcoming. But let's talk about the other side of that. The Bengals took down the Ravens late last night and we, we praised Joe Burrow for his play but more than anything for just playing right. Here's Joe Burrow on his playing for the first time since week two.

[Sean Merriman]

Had to knock some rust off there.

[Doug Gottlieb]

In the first half.

[Sean Merriman]

So I expect myself to play better. But it was great to be back out there. I was, you know, a lot of emotions running through it at the end of the game. So just good to be back with the guy. You know, anytime you can get a.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Big win like this, it's, it's exciting.

[Sean Merriman]

And guys work really hard for this. You know, we are where we're at with our record, but guys work really hard to go out and put on good performances on Sunday. So when you're able to to do that, it feels good.

[Doug Gottlieb]

It should feel good. It should feel good. And you feel good about him being rewarded for playing when you know, plenty of people in society would give him an out for not playing. Ah, you're not going to make the playoffs. They can't ever protect you. You're always getting hurt. Why, why would you even play? And when your coaches, you know, what it says to me is, is two things. One, I mean, Joe Burrow is a guy that's true leadership, right? Anyone can play when you're in the playoffs or you're fighting to one game to be like, who doesn't want to play then? But you make all that money as a quarterback to lead your team and to play hard when you don't have to play hard, or to. To play when you don't have to play. I'll give you the sports radio analogy. J Stew, you know this to be true. You know, at Some people told me before, like, morning shows are pretty well compensated, right? In. In local radio, it's always been morning and afternoon drive. And they'll tell you like a morning show isn't. You're not getting paid necessarily for talking on the radio. You're getting paid to show up every day when people want to sleep in. I mean, on at 6, you got to be there, you know, no later than 5, 5, 15. And that means you got to lock in and get up at 4 and be alert and aware and awake and after it. They don't pay to do the show. They pay to get up. Well, the same is true at quarterback. You're not just getting paid to throw touchdown passes at the end of games. You're getting paid for everything. Every practice, every game, anytime you're available. That's what true leadership is. And it's weird. Like, we've gotten to this place to where Joe Burrow playing when he's healthy enough to play is somehow heroic when it should be what he's supposed to do. He even sounded like he felt that way, didn't he? This is more of an us problem than a him problem. It's like that Chris Rock line. Remember Chris Rock? This is like four or five comedy specials ago when he talked about, you know, guys bragging about taking care, that I take care of my kids. Well, that's what you're supposed to do. I play. I'm playing this weekend. Well, that's what you're supposed to do if you're Joe Burrow. The other part to it is that it shows you that he wants Zach Taylor to be his head coach. That's what shows me. Because if you don't want that guy to be your head coach, you don't play. And the likelihood of them losing and have a terrible record is greater. And the worse the record, the more likely they're going to replace the coach. It's not a Jimmy Chitwood, but it's close to. And for people who don't know the Jimmy Chitwood reference, it goes back to the movie Hoosiers. Gene Hackman's character is under pressure. He's a new coach. He's from outside the small town. The townspeople want to get rid of him. They've already voted to get rid of him. And that's when the star player, who had not yet been playing, comes in and says, it's time that I start playing ball. Everybody cheers. He says, hey, one more thing. Coach goes, I go, Coach days I play, that's the Jimmy Chitwood. And when you're the best player and the highest paid player, when he's playing, and he doesn't necessarily have to, he wants to. It shows. He wants. Zach Taylor's his head coach. One's like terror said coach. So, I mean, I think. I think both of those things are absolutely true, that he is one. I mean, that's a football player. Football players play football, right? It's kind of matter of fact to it. And he was. And I'll give you one more thing that it does. You know, there's. There's lots of talk about us, how we make the mvp, a quarterback award, we'll make the Heisman Trophy, a quarterback award. When reality of it is nothing says that quarterback is the most important position in the league. Like Joe Burrow, who didn't play great, but simply his presence, his demeanor, his abilities. Ja' Marr Chase has been great. Ja' Marr Chase is great. I think Ja' Marr Chase is the best wide receiver in the league. And I don't know if there's a close second, but Jamar Chase can be great, and they can still not win. Joe Burrow can be good upgrade over older Joe Pleco, and they can still win. Can't say that. Jamar Chase, quarterback, just a more impactful, more powerful. And I'm not telling you anything I didn't know, but we do, at some point get in that denial phase of, well, we're overvaluing quarterbacks. No, we're not. It literally is that important. And in order to be a leader as a quarterback, these are the things that some people don't get to be a leader. You have to play in that game to be a real leader. You know, that's the thing with. I'll. I'll give you one Cam Newton, right? Cam Newton, famously, in the super bowl, ball was on the. On the ground there. They're down six, and he doesn't dive on it. And after the game, he was. He was eviscerated by the press, rightfully so, because he said, I can't. I can't go get that ball. I got to worry about my legs, my knees. In other words, his legs. His knees are more important than his team and the Super Bowl. Same thing goes for. For Cam Newton. What he said recently, which is, you know, on espn. On espn, he said. Or maybe it was on a. Was on a podcast, Jason, where he said personal success is more important because you make more money based upon audience. Yeah. Personal success is more important than team success because that's how you get paid. That's how everyone knows you're not really a leader. When you're about yourself more than everybody else. And more than winning, everybody sees through that real leadership. The real stuff is what Joe Burrow's doing. This is what Joe Burrow's doing. You know, I've said this honestly about Mike, about Mike Trout, like, in many ways more impressed over the years for him going to work with the Angels when they had no hope of the playoffs. Then you would have Mookie Betts, who knows he's gonna be in playoffs every year. That's way easier. Here's Cam Newton, like a week and a half ago on espn.

[Podcast Advertiser/Announcer]

Would you rather being a spot where.

[Sean Merriman]

You can individually achieve, have success, have statistics and lose, or would you want to be someone that contributes to a team that can win a Super Bowl? And I'm glad you asked that when you're talking about individual play. This is how I take care of my family. Team success don't take care of my family. So if I'm thinking about it from a personal standpoint, of course we want the best of both worlds. But if you're asking me what gives you extensions, what gives you top tier money, what gives you certain things, there's more players that have rings, championships and things that are struggling rather than so quote, unquote, bus that has had money and they're doing right by their money.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Yeah, no, that's not true. That's actually the opposite of what the truth is. But it also shows that Cam Newton is about Cam Newton, which, again, you're allowed to be. It just doesn't make you a leader of my team or most teams or quarterback. And I'm not making Joe Burrow out to be a hero. I think that's the crazy thing about our society is we've gotten into this whole idea of, hey, you only have to play when the playoffs are on the line. Like, why? Huh? Doesn't work that way. Not the way it works in radio. We don't pay you to do the radio. Pay to show up on time every day. In being a quarterback, you can't just lead when it's convenient for you to lead. And if you're about yourself, that's not leadership. That's not leadership. Every guy hits that moment, you feel it. Less drive, less fire. I don't accept it. I fight back. With M drive built on real science. Use Collins exclusive Black Friday code herd 35 for 35% [e-mail] mdrive for men.com Jason I told you last week, earlier this week, again, I get my. I've been traveling so much and as you know, like I'm. I know it's Friday only because yesterday was Thanksgiving, which is on a Thursday, but you love to make fun of Gen Z. I kind of think this is a Gen X thing, right? Because our generation constantly makes fun of Gen Z for only working when they want to work. But our generation came up with many of these ideas, especially in sports, of load management of guys missing games because they weren't going to play for a championship or weren't going to play for the playoffs. And, you know, we're hypocrites for now, champion a guy for doing something that we called him stupid for doing in our own right.

[Jason Stewart]

And my take on Gen Z has everything to do with you and me. We as parents, our generation as parents has made Gen Z into the most entitled generation of all time. The generation that doesn't want to stay in one job, that seems to think that work needs to be fun and you need to make friends or else it's not a job. All these things are true. But you're right, they're our fault. And the current system in place right now for sports was created by coaches of our generation. So the whole load management thing, that's why this is an interesting, like, human experiment, especially on how sports are covered. Because you know this week that there were people who have been crying about load management for many years who also said, why are the Bengals playing Joe Burrow? Why? Why put them in that place? And there's a huge contradiction there.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Totally agree. Totally agree. And it's the weirdest thing. It's the. It's literally the same people. The same people. All right, I'm Doug Gotti filling in for Colin. This is the Hurt. What are the Dallas Cowboys doing right on defense right now? I'm gonna ask a former All Pro linebacker. He's gonna join us next. But first, if you listen to this show, you know that Colin absolutely loves Simply Safe Home Security system. Simply Safe is giving fans of his show early access to their Black Friday sale Simplisafe because you can actually stop a crime before it really starts. Here's what I mean. When you think of home security, probably think of an alarm in your house that reacts after an intruder has already broken in. That's too little too late. Simplisafe is different. It's the only home security system you can actually call real security. Because Simplisafe keeps watch outside your home and and takes action before criminals break in. Simplisafe does that for you. It's like having a private security stationed outside your home. You'll feel so much safer knowing simply safe has your back. Colin uses Simplisafe and you should too. Don't miss this sale. Go to simplisafecollin.com today. You'll get 60% off any new system. This is their best deal of the year and you won't ever see a better price. And with the 60 day money back guarantee and no long term contract, Simplisafe earns your business by keeping you safe and satisfied every single day. Get 60% off your new [e-mail] there's no safe like SimpliSafe.

[Podcast Advertiser/Announcer]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am.

[Jason Stewart]

Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast Straight fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod, pushing the same same tired narratives down your throat every day.

[Podcast Advertiser/Announcer]

Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on.

[Doug Gottlieb]

All the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the.

[Podcast Advertiser/Announcer]

Sportsbook and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen to.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Straight fire with Jason McIntyre on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Doug Gottlieb]

Thanks.

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[Doug Gottlieb]

Dale got le man for Colin. This is the Herd Fox Sports Radio. We'll get shot Merriman in a moment. Got an egg bowl update for you. Some Daniel Jones news. Andy Reid on Thanksgiving. You know a lot of college hoops over this past week and a half, right? Feast week is like a two week long thing and the players era tournament or whatever that's called. It's so interesting, right? Because as it was built it was, it was built at built to fans as every team got a million dollars. Oh, it's a million dollars for our nil. And then you look at the fine print, you're like, yeah, most of the teams actually lose money going there. They have to buy tickets. And the only ones making the real money are the ones that get to the semifinals and finals. But even those, it's not based just if you win or lose on point differential. It's anytime something's too good to be true, it probably is. It is. We'll talk more about that a little bit later on in the show. Let's get back to the NFL with a former NFL great, former Charger great, founder of Lights Out Extreme Fighting. Of course, his next fight card is December 6th, lights out 29 in Long Beach. You can get tickets at lights out xf.com catch it live on Lights Out Sports app. He's the one and only Sean Merriman. He joins us, joins me now in the herd on FOX Sports Radio. Sean, let me ask you about the Cowboys and their win yesterday when, when the Cowboys trade away Micah Parsons and coming off a disappointing year and looking at their defense and a new head coach and Brian Schottheimer that not a lot of people were fired up about before the season. What did you think of the Cowboys?

[Sean Merriman]

Yeah, well, we always thought the same and you know, just kind of for more information, I mean, Brian Schottenheimer was on the staff there with the Chargers when I played there. And I said from the beginning I thought that they made a great decision and keeping them in house and not having Dak to start over with a new offensive coordinator, new system, I mean, that was a, that was a Dak Prescott key for head coach. Right. I thought it was smart.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Yes, yes, yes. Keep your quarterback happy. Doesn't have to learn new system, doesn't have to learn a new language. But I, I would be honest with you. I didn't think they would be anywhere near 500, let alone above 500. Did you?

[Sean Merriman]

Yeah, I did. And you know, the biggest thing is, especially when they got, when they traded away Micah, I mean, Micah is balling out of control right now. But you know, long term, I think it may be the most benefit to the Cowboys with the draft picks they got and Quentin and all these new guys that are going to have in the future. And by the way, you can trade away, you know, some of those draft picks and get more guys. So you're building the entire team. So, you know, right now it's for the instant. Yeah, it's a loss for the Cowboys that Michael left. But long term, I think the Cowboys going to win that trade.

[Doug Gottlieb]

I think I tend to agree with you. I mean, again, obviously, we'll see, but. We'll see, right, because you trade for Clark and he goes down and you can only hope that it's because of the money that they could probably win that trade. What about the Packers? Why. Why have they changed so dramatically? It feels like I watched the Eagles game and very conservative. I watched yesterday and not conserved has been conservative. What's changed with the floor?

[Sean Merriman]

They, you know, sometimes and a lot of your former players will can agree with this, these coaches. But get tight, man. When things get on the, on the line, I mean, they do uncharacteristic things. They start getting more stricter around the building. They start getting more conservative and the play calling. And that's not how you're going to win if you're the Green Bay Packers. And it showed exactly, you know, the last game they had, you know, against Detroit that you, you have to open up that playbook. You have to do things to go out and put your team in a position to win because you're not going to get ahead being conservative. And I think that they just got really, not only conservative on the field, but conservative in the building. A lot of coaches tend to do that when things on the line.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Okay, let me ask you about Joe Burrow. What's it mean to a team in the locker room when your quarterback returns, even though it feels like the playoffs are lost for the year, they, they.

[Sean Merriman]

Sent a great message because you know, what happens is if Joe Burrow, Joe Burrow sits the rest of the season, you're basically telling everybody else in the locker room that you're done. And so now you got to go out and play for all this stuff that don't matter. Pride and ego and you know, just things that don't really matter because now guys going to be looking at doing everything to stay healthy, right? You're not going to see them diving for the ball or make risky tackles or go go the extra mile. And what they said in the locker room is we're not tanking. We're. We're in this thing to finish up the season as strong as possible. And exactly what Joe Burrow said, he loves to play the game of football. There's no way. And by the way, they went to him. They went to him, asked him if he wanted to sit. He's the one that said no, that he wanted to play. And that's what you want out of your quarterback in the locker room.

[Doug Gottlieb]

No question about it. Let's talk about the losing team. SEAN Merriman, FORMER Rookie of the year, former Pro Bowler, all Pro in the National Football League, joins us here on Fox Sports Radio. I'm Doug Gottlieb filling for Colin. The Chiefs, what's gone so wrong for them?

[Sean Merriman]

Well, let's. First and foremost, I mean, everybody jumped off the bandwagon with the Chiefs the first couple games of the year, especially when my former Chargers had beat them out in Brazil the first game of the year. But the Chiefs are always going to put themselves in contention whether they're the dominant or not. They still got Pastor Mahomes there, they still got Travis Kelsey. They still got, you know, young wide receivers that can go out there and make plays, but they're just not as dominant as they once were. And because we're so used to seeing them beat so many people decisively that they're going to. Everybody's jumping off the bandwagon, but they're just not the same team as they once were. And a lot of those guys, Travis Kelsey included, you know, getting up there in age, you know, whether he comes back for another year or so, is on the table, but they're just not as good as they once were. I would say dominate because, you know, when you say good and people assume that they're not a good team, which they are, but you have to give credit to the Dallas Cowboys and not really kick the Chiefs, but more credit to Dallas.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Okay, what's. Why isn't Lamar Jackson playing better?

[Sean Merriman]

Well, I mean, well, first of all, you can't win.

[Jason Stewart]

I think it was.

[Sean Merriman]

They had four or five turnovers. And when you have that, I don't care who's at quarterback, it's. It's very difficult to go out and sustain those kind of mistakes. Also, you know, they had a lot of downtime when Lamar wasn't there. And we've seen exactly what Lamar Jackson means, that team. And I was, I was one of the ones like, man, no quarterback deserves 40, 50, 60 plus million a year. And I was absolutely wrong. That is not the same team without him on the field. He's such, you know, he's so dangerous, both with his legs and throwing the football, that we've seen that they cannot operate without Lamar Jackson. When you miss that much time, you get back on the field, you're trying to get back in the groove of things, but it's just, it's really too late at this point in the season for that to happen.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Okay. We've gone through two of the teams that are disappointing Lions. You know, you lose your coordinators, they're still good, but it feels like the magic isn't there. What's missing with the Lions?

[Sean Merriman]

Yeah, that. That was a big hit. And when you start talking about teams running, NFL in general and windows closing when you got an opportunity, because those coordinators are going to go, y', all, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator. Somebody's going to go. Somebody in the front office. Your. Your assistant GM is going to be a GM somewhere else. And I'm not saying they're not good, but you. There's no way to just turn that thing around with that many pieces missing. And also Dan Campbell taking over the offensive play calling. I think he should have done that before the season started. I don't. I think they waited too late to make that change.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Okay, Chargers, Raiders this weekend, obviously different than when you played for the Chargers, but still you have a ton of insight, especially into the Bolts. They've been ravaged by injuries, but, you know, then they get a big win at home, followed up with a. With a dud on the road, beat the Steelers, lose the Jags, but then they have a bye week to get themselves right. Best guess on what it looks like with the Chargers at home against the Silver and Black this weekend.

[Sean Merriman]

Yeah, that this bye week couldn't come at a better time for them. Not just health wise, but just a reset button. And, you know, I think more catastrophic things than happen to one team maybe in NFL history, where you have Rashawn Slater go down for the year before the season start, arguably probably the best tackle in football. You got Joe Alt, who got moved to the left side. He goes down for the year, Marion goes down, Najee Harris, Khalil Mack down for weeks. I mean, they were decimated and they found a way to still put themselves in position, which is very hard to do.

[Jason Stewart]

Now.

[Sean Merriman]

What they have to do is stay consistent, Right. You can't have a game like Jacksonville and then, you know, come back and now you're all just this total different team. You have to stay consistent the rest of the season. But health was. And I'm not making excuses, but health was such a big factor with these guys and what a position they are now.

[Doug Gottlieb]

No question about it. I mean, just. There's no way around it. They haven't been healthy and it did catch up to them. Doug Gottlieb in for Colin is the. Hershey Merriman is our guest. Okay, your next fight card is. What is it? It's a week from tomorrow night. Is it? No, it's on the. Yeah. So it's a week from Saturday night in Long beach, lights out 29. What's the card look like?

[Sean Merriman]

Yeah, we got, we got 16 fights lined up. Also, we got a big, big broadcasting deal we're going to announce here for Latin America sometime next week. You know, just the growth we've had in this, in this year. And then next week is one of our biggest calls. We've had, I think, what, four or five guys in the last two months go to the UFC or Dana White Contender series. So we're constantly sending guys up there to USC. But this call we got Long Beach, December 6th. Anybody in SoCal, you want to make sure you get there, get your [e-mail] also make sure you download lights out sports tv available on every smart tv, iOS and Android. But look, we got the next up and coming talent in the sport as we continue to grow here.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Sean, you're the best, man. Happy Thanksgiving to you. Look forward to lights out 29 and in Long Beach. Thanks so much for joining us.

[Sean Merriman]

Thanks. Happy Thanksgiving, guys.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Thanks. All right, let me get you to Jason Stewart with her line News.

[Jason Stewart]

No, no, no, no.

[Sean Merriman]

Turn on the news.

[Jason Stewart]

This is the Herd line News. Hey, Doug.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Yeah.

[Jason Stewart]

The egg ball is on right now. Mississippi State, Ole Miss. The last we checked in an hour ago, it was 14 to 7. 21 points were scored in the first five or six minutes of this game. It's still 14 to 7. There's been a little bit of violence on the field. They had to stop play after a fumble and a scrum and some violence. Typical rivalry week. But maybe the, maybe the, the fight had something to do with Lane Kiffin and his exchange with ESPN's Marty Smith. Before the game, Smith asked Kiffin just to kind of sum up this rivalry. And Wayne went here.

[Podcast Advertiser/Announcer]

Well, you can hear these fans already out here.

[Doug Gottlieb]

And so this would be a great game today.

[Podcast Advertiser/Announcer]

It's a very passionate rivalry.

[Doug Gottlieb]

I mean, shoot, at 10 o' clock last night, luckily, our great Ken Crane, our equipment manager, put cameras, secret cameras in the locker room so we could watch Mississippi State break into our locker room and start stealing things. We reported to Mississippi State, they said, we'll put security. And how about this? At three o' clock in the morning, they break in again and take Trinidad's jersey. So I guess you expect nothing less from these people.

[Jason Stewart]

Now, what goes into this, Doug? Have you ever had your equipment guy put a camera in the visiting locker room to see if any.

[Doug Gottlieb]

But this is the rivalry game. Where was the last coach of Mississippi State, or was it Ole Miss where they, where the kid in the end zone did the dog peeing on something and that was a bad look. This is not the most class filled rivalry. I mean, listen, credit to the camera putting cameras in the locker room, but that, that footage, it's like body cam footage. We got to see it, got to get, got to expose them on social media.

[Jason Stewart]

I'm trying to think of what was the, what was the old show about breaking into the rivals campus and stealing an animal or something?

[Doug Gottlieb]

Well, there's lots of them, but I mean, I think the most famous one in my childhood was Fast Times Ridgemont High. Right. When they, they pretended to. It was Roosevelt was the guy's name, right?

[Jason Stewart]

Yeah. I thought they just flew him in on the weekends.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Yeah, yeah. But they crashed his car and they spray painted on it and said it was the arch rivals that did it and then he destroyed their football team.

[Jason Stewart]

My brother is going to do this and he's going to kill us. Which one is he going to do? Is he going to do that? Is he going to kill us? He's got an amazing set of tools. Um, so. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones was initially on the injury report this week for a calf injury. But CBS's Tracy Wolfson is reporting that Jones is in fact dealing with a fibula injury, a fracture in his fibula. He's not expected to miss any time. Now this combines a couple things that you really like. You really like the anatomy and you up until recently really enjoyed watching people break bones. So what do you think of Daniel Jones playing with a fracture and his fibula?

[Doug Gottlieb]

Okay, well, there's a lot to it. Okay. You're talking about. I've, I don't enjoy people breaking bones, but I am the type person that if there's a graphic injury, I'm not a look away guy. I'm a, I gotta see that again guy. Now we had one of those really, really graphic injuries and I definitely feel differently about it. Having seen one up close and personal. You're like, ooh. Because it can't be unseen when you see it in person. It just can't. And, or in photos even. But I think it's interesting, right? Like the misdiagnosis and when you hear fibula fracture, like, wait, he's got a broken leg and he's playing, it's like, yeah, yeah. I'd have to have it explained to me, but I'm guessing it's some part of non wearing, non weight bearing part of the bone. But Daniel Jones has gone from like the most maligned starting quarterback in the NFL last year with the Giants to this like heroic like canonized figure. Now he's playing on a broken leg leading the Colts to the playoffs. And oh yeah, by the way, Colts fans want to give him new contract because he's a dude. What an amazing turnaround for Daniel Jones.

[Jason Stewart]

No, it's been one of the stories of the year. And yeah, you must admit the past like month or so he's kind of regressed a little bit. The turnovers are coming more as we've seen him in his career. Yeah. And he's, he's literally playing for his next contract. The Colts seem to be the team that might be willing to give him that contract. So playing through an energy I think speaks a lot here. And also when you're talking about like Daniel Jones and the Colts being one of the best stories of the year, you have to talk about Jonathan Taylor's impact on this team and what a dynamic running back can do to someone's career who has seemingly kind of turned things around.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Sure, sure. No, I mean saves his career saving year for, not just for him, for general manager and for coach, all of them. Like Shane Syken's been a great play caller going back to his days with the Chargers when he took over there. But he's being recognized as such because no one can believe that Daniel Jones was this good.

[Jason Stewart]

They kind of ironically referred to Danny as Danny Dimes and then this year when he seemed legit, it was changed to Danny Doll. I prefer Indiana Jones, but with a little bit of regression. I'm going to change the nickname this week to Danny 50 Cent Piece. That's going to be his nickname for this week and see how he does with that. Now a game that's on the schedule today and it does sound foreign, but at the same time it seems like we've had a Black Friday NFL game our entire lives. But no, this is the third installment of a Black Friday NFL game. It actually starts at what, 3pm Eastern here. It's getting on the way in the 90 minutes Caleb Williams and the Bears visit the Eagles. I think it's law now. They the legislation passed the law. You have to talk about the Bears and Caleb Williams in this time space on this show. One thing you probably didn't know, or maybe our listeners didn't know is that Caleb Williams has not had a 300 plus yard game this season. Eagles have been giving up a lot of yards in the air of recent in recent games. So they're thinking maybe Caleb will put his best performance up there. They are getting seven points in Philly. How do you see this?

[Doug Gottlieb]

I have no idea. Again, I have no idea because the level of competition the Bears have played has not been that of the Eagles. On the other hand, that I think sometimes we view the Eagles as better than they actually are. If I'm a betting man, especially if I can get, if I get a half point, I mean the Eagles feels like every game is close. I mean think about it. Here's their wins this year. 2420-2017-3326-3125, 28, 22. The Giants are the only team they blew out 38 20. That's after losing the Giants on the road. Beat the packers by 310 to 7, beat the Lions 16 9. So if I'm a betting man, I have no idea how good the Bears actually are. But I have no confidence in in the Eagles ability to put more than a touchdown between them and anyone competitively in the NFL. I'm going to take the I'm going to take the points and take the Bears.

[Jason Stewart]

Of the many things that Cowherd has said about the Bears this year, one of them is this team comes from behind. So the Eagles tend to punch you in the mouth early and they'll let you come back. And then the Bears finish off games. They're winning all the close games in the last couple of minutes. So if it's close, late advantage Bears. I will say and that's the hurdle I knew well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by the herd line news.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Every guy hits that moment, you feel it. Less tribe, less fire. I don't accept it. I fight back with M drive built on real science. Use Collins exclusive Black Friday code heard 35 for 35% off at mDrive for Men mj4men.com okay, I'm Doug Gottlieb filling in for Colin. Coming up next, what's it actually like to play in one of these feast week tournaments? I know a guy who coached a team who played in one of these feast week tournaments. He'll join us or host this next.

[Podcast Advertiser/Announcer]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd.

[Jason Stewart]

Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific PCs.

[Podcast Advertiser/Announcer]

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[Doug Gottlieb]

Maybe making us part of your day. Thanks so much. Khan will be back on Monday. Egg bowl taking place right now. And of course we Got NFL football 2 1/2 hours away. So this is feast week. And for people who listen to my show, the Doug Gottlieb show, which follows the show, you're like, hey, weren't you off earlier this week? Weren't you in the U.S. for Jones, the answer is yes, yes, yes you are. And you know, I think what people don't understand is how tricky scheduling is. I've always been a bit of a scheduling kind of fanatic, if you will, in that, I mean, you take the Bears like it's yes, the Bears are 8 and 3 and they're taking on the Eagles. The Eagles have played a far more difficult schedule, so it's, it's really hard to tell how good the Bears are, how good the Eagles are. College sports, even more so, right? In addition to not knowing who you have and most everybody, at least in basketball, having a, having a new team, we have 10 new players. 10 new players in addition to having a new team. You know, you don't know who's healthy, you haven't figured out kind of your rotations and you're playing, you know, I'll just give you an example. In our league, in the Horizon League, Oakland's record is like 2 and 6 or 2 and 7. But they've literally played like four of the best teams in the country. We went down to the Virgin Islands with only one win, but our losses were to Kansas on the road. Buffalo, who's undefeated on the Road, Minnesota. St. Thomas is going to win the Summit League. Like, well, we played four really good teams. We didn't play well against St. Thomas, played well against Minnesota and play well against Kansas. But it's hard to tell. But these things can be really good or can go really bad, right? Really good in if you win a couple of games and you're in warmer weather and you know your boosters around, it can be one that really unites you. It can go really bad with you're around the boosters and when you lose, especially, you know, at least one, one team in these eight team events goes Owen three and you go 03. It's not just that you go in three. And it hurts your confidence and hurts your ability to relate to guys and say like, hey, because they're, they'll, they'll lack confidence in what you're doing. They'll be like, well, we're not winning. So you don't know you're doing. Even if they're not the ones doing what you want to do. But then you have your donors, your president, your ad, they're all around as well. And when things go bad, nobody's happy. And instead of a uniting trip, it can be a dividing trip. Like, it's like a fascinating kind of subset subculture of the culture that is college basketball. So, yeah, we went to St Thomas. It is a long trip. J Stew. But it was, and it helped that we won a couple games and we played much better. It was a long trip. Long.

[Jason Stewart]

Imagine doing that trip and not playing as well as you.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Oh, oh, my gosh, I can't imagine. I can't imagine what a difference a.

[Jason Stewart]

Year Makes by the way, and you know, everything I'm about to say, Doug can't say it, so I'm going to say it. A year ago, Doug was getting kicked in the teeth on a daily basis on social media. Neither Doug nor I had any idea the number of people out there just waiting for him to fail in some regard. It was interesting theater and I felt bad. And they've been death deftly silent. Each of you that stood in line to kick Doug in the teeth a year ago, you owe it to yourselves and your own dignity to put something on social media right now that says maybe I was wrong. I'm not saying Doug's gonna win 20 games. I'm just saying that he has turned things around and it's a great college basketball story right now.

[Doug Gottlieb]

Well, I'm not willing to go there yet. I mean again, I know we're doing the right things, I know we're going to be better and then eventually we'll get this thing where it's supposed to be. But I, and I appreciate it. But it's just you, you are right. It's just, I mean, you know, it, it, it also, I also understand how so many of these other coaches, you know, when you first years for anybody is hard. We played Iona their coaches in their first year and they've had some success and but it's still, it's your first year that everything is new, especially when you come to the college game and even for guys have been doing this for 4, 30, 40 years, this is a new way of doing something they've been doing for a long time. And so you know, every part of your metal is going to be going to be tested. But yeah, what a difference a year makes, what a difference a week and a half makes or two weeks makes. And, and then you can just see it in your players eyes. Like you can't concern yourself with fans because they don't know but you can see it in the player's eyes and like all it takes is a win or two and they start to go like, you know, this might actually work. Not that they didn't believe previously, but I mean I. Here's one thing Jason that I thought and, or I knew to be true, but it's been completely confirmed in the last week and a half is confidence is kind of everything for athletes. And I had a player, his name's Justin Allen, He's a Division 3 transfer from Carnegie Mellon. So he turned down a Carnegie Mellon degree to come play basketball for me. He's a wonderful kid. But through exhibition games he was so nervous and against Kansas felt like he was nervous and he just wasn't at either end doing things that we, we wanted him to do. So when we lost to Buffalo, I mean we could have used him. He's tremendous player. I didn't play him a minute, but now he's got, he's back, he's got his confidence back and he scored 27 and 28 in our last two games against really good opponents. And I think I attest most of it to his confidence, his own personal self confidence. It's crazy how much that can affect you. Every guy hits that moment, you feel it. Let's drive less fire WI Fi back with M Drive Use the exclusive code 35% off mdrive for men.com the Cowboys get another win. Should we eat our words? I think we should.

[Podcast Advertiser/Announcer]

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[Doug Gottlieb]

This is an iheart podcast. Guaranteed human.