THE HERD - Hour 2 - Where Colin was right and wrong, college football playoff, Steve Sarkisian

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: THE HERD - Hour 2 - Where Colin was right and wrong, college football playoff, Steve Sarkisian
Date: December 1, 2025
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume
Host: Colin Cowherd

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Episode Overview

Hour 2 of The Herd delivers Colin Cowherd’s signature blend of sharp NFL and college football analysis, focusing on what he got right and wrong in recent predictions. The episode unpacks the chaos of the current NFL season, college football playoff debates (notably Miami vs. Notre Dame), and the surging narratives around teams like Dallas, Chicago, and Green Bay. Matt Hasselbeck joins as a featured guest to provide further insight, and the banter with co-host J. Mac covers football storylines, coaching impacts, and key player performances in a direct and engaging style.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Colin Right / Colin Wrong: NFL and CFB Hot Takes

Segment Start: [04:11]

Highlights:

• Right: The Micah Parsons trade benefited both Green Bay and Dallas (“Dallas now has a much more complete defense and is still number two in the NFL in quarterback pressures.” - Colin, [04:12])
• Wrong: Expected Lane Kiffin to avoid the LSU coaching job due to politics and potential messiness, but he misread Kiffin’s intentions ([04:52]).
• Right: Expressed doubts about Aaron Rodgers’ fit in Pittsburgh - sees a “beaten man” in an organization that struggles with offense ([05:36]).
• Wrong: Believed the Chiefs (6-6) would pull together, but they remain middling and possibly out of playoff contention ([06:12]).
• Right: Called Ohio State over Michigan, praising OSU’s defense as historically good ([06:43]).
• Right: Predicted Detroit Lions offense would stagnate after Ben Johnson’s departure, which has come true ([07:26]).
• Wrong: Overestimated the Colts—injuries and offensive struggles revealed they lack ceiling ([08:05]).
• Right: Praised Alabama’s hire of Kalyn DeBoer as about as good as possible post-Saban, but noted NIL’s impact on Bama recruiting ([08:33]).
• Right: Felt Texas A&M was overrated due to favorable scheduling ([09:20]).

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2. Matt Hasselbeck Joins: Real-Time NFL Evaluations

Segment Start: [10:04]

Dallas Cowboys Defense (post Micah Parsons trade)

• Colin apologizes to Jerry Jones, crediting roster building ([10:17]).
• Matt underscores how coordinator scheme fit is crucial; multiple changes (Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer) required careful personnel alignment ([10:43]):
  • “You owe Jerry Jones an apology because you probably trashed him for the Micah Parsons trade. And here we are. They're playing great football…” —Matt [11:17]

Bears Assessment & Quarterback Debate

• Matt praises the Bears’ run game and trenches, skeptical about the quarterback’s consistency:
  • “The Bears are awesome... December football, it comes down to elements... They rushed for 200 yards like all month. They're fine. They're good. [QB] has to be better with accuracy, better with ball placement. That's the next step.” —Matt [12:36]
• Colin is impressed after a statement win in Philly, but both debate whether the Bears are truly elite or benefiting from schedule.

Denver Broncos’ Scrappy Success

• Colin: Unsure about Denver’s real ceiling, but notes “winning the same way over and over isn't luck.” ([13:51])
• Matt credits Sean Payton’s leadership and how team buys into messaging:
  • “He controlled the narrative... Not up there apologizing. We won.” [14:25]

Young Quarterbacks & Denver's Bo Nix

• Matt defends Bo Nix against criticism, acknowledges Denver D is carrying him but believes in potential ([14:25]).

Coaching Types: Scheme vs. CEO

• Colin labels LaFleur, Shanahan, Payton as hybrid scheme/CEOs, while Sirianni and Dan Campbell are more CEO than schematic fixers.
• Matt: Philly’s offense struggles from too many three-and-outs and an over-focus on pleasing skill guys (AJ Brown), need to get back to physical identity ([16:24]).

Overcoming Adversity: San Francisco’s Culture

• Matt shares stories from his Seattle days, draws parallels to the resilience of the current 49ers despite injuries:
  • "So what. Now what? You didn't make an excuse, you're going to find a way. And I think that's an example of what San Fran has done." —Matt [18:08, 46:54]

Aaron Rodgers & Steelers

• Both discuss how Rodgers’ lack of offensive help, O-line weaknesses, and loss of weapons doomed him in Pittsburgh ([19:25]).
  • “He doesn't look like he's having any fun and I don't blame him... I’m not giving up on this team though, because this division is there for the taking.” —Matt [20:04]

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3. College Football Playoff Chaos: Miami vs. Notre Dame

Segment Start: [27:02], Deep Dive [31:06]

Colin’s Case for Miami over Notre Dame

• Miami has head-to-head win over ND, better stats vs. common opponents, and a superior defense and pass game ([31:39], [33:04]).
  • “At some point, we gotta be fair... Head to head now. It's gotta be something. Common opponents have to be something.” —Colin [38:27]
• J. Mac challenges, noting Miami’s “ugly losses” and that the win over Notre Dame was in August, in Miami, and in a rainstorm for ND's first-year QB.
• Colin concedes punitive losses matter but pushes back that the schedule “breaks your way” sometimes in CFB.

SEC & Playoff Scenarios

• Discussion of what happens if Alabama beats Georgia—who gets in, can Notre Dame/Miami both make it? ([35:42])

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4. NFL Standouts: Great Performances and Controversies

Jordan Love Blind Resume

Segment Start: [47:25]

• Colin uses blind stat comparisons to show Jordan Love’s numbers match or exceed Super Bowl-winning seasons from Tom Brady, Matt Stafford, and Patrick Mahomes.
  • “What is it with Jordan Love?... At this point he's good.” —Colin [48:24]
• J. Mac skeptical, pointing out schedule strength, but eventually admits Love’s production is impressive ([50:21], [50:53]).

Puka Nacua “Catch of the Year”

Segment Start: [28:22]

• Rams WR Puka Nacua’s highlight grab: praised by Colin and J. Mac as "clubhouse leader for catch of the year" ([28:22]).

Quarterback Consistency: Bryce Young & Lamar Jackson

• Bryce Young shows both elite flashes and inconsistency; Colin compares to other volatile young QBs ([29:34]).
• Lamar Jackson’s struggles—passer rating “falling off a cliff,” with turnovers and lack of “escapability” ([37:12], [37:58]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Colin (on Cowboys defense): “I watched that game. Matt. That's a real defense. I mean, you can't run on him now.” [10:17]
• Matt Hasselbeck (on team adversity): “So what. Now what? You didn't make an excuse, you're going to find a way. And I think that's an example of what San Fran has done.” [18:08], [46:54]
• Colin (on Miami/ND debate): “At some point, we gotta be fair... Head to head now. It's gotta be something. Common opponents have to be something.” [38:27]
• Matt (on Sean Payton's Broncos): “He controlled the narrative... Not up there apologizing. We won.” [14:25]
• Colin (on Jordan Love): “What is it with Jordan Love?... At this point he's good.” [48:24]
• Matt (on Bears QB): “Their quarterback has to be better with accuracy, better with ball placement. Like that's the next step for him.” [12:36]
• J. Mac (on Bears’ Super Bowl odds): “Green Bay has a much better odds for super bowl than Chicago. Despite being number one in the NFC. The market is telling you this Bears team is fugazi.” [51:51]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Colin Right/Wrong: [04:11] – [10:04]
• Matt Hasselbeck Joins: [10:04] – [21:50]
• College Football Playoff Debate Begins: [27:02]
• Miami vs Notre Dame Deep Dive: [31:06] – [38:27]
• Blind Resume: Jordan Love vs. Super Bowl QBs: [47:25] – [50:53]
• Puka Nacua Catch & Bryce Young Discussion: [28:22] – [30:46]
• Lamar Jackson Concerns: [36:49] – [38:19]

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Tone & Style

The episode features Colin’s trademark mix of directness, humor, and willingness to challenge football orthodoxy. There’s banter and debate with Matt Hasselbeck and J. Mac, whose back-and-forth lends energy and depth to the hot takes. Listeners get both bold predictions and thoughtful breakdowns.

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Conclusion

Hour 2 of The Herd showcases Colin Cowherd’s top talking points—where he’s been right or wrong, the chaos and surprises of both the NFL and college football, and how coaching, leadership, and roster moves continue to drive unpredictable outcomes. The Miami/Notre Dame playoff debate, nuanced QB evaluations, and the relentless tallying of league surprises make for an episode full of topics, insights, and classic sports radio bravado.

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Transcript

[Sophie Cunningham]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Capital One Bank Guy]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Thanks for listening to the Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio at noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

The iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.

[Rob Parker]

Now let's get this party started.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

You're listening to FOX Sports Radio.

[Colin Cowherd]

Here we go. Hour two and a Monday. Lots and lots to digest wherever and however you're watching. Tuning in today. We appreciate it. Matt Hasselbeck, 18 years in the league. Five minutes out. Yeah, I don't know what to say about Denver, but they make a lot of big plays in the fourth quarter and I don't know what to say about the Chicago Bears, but they play really well in fourth quarter and both Denver and Chicago are led by a very young quarterback. That's a bit uneven, but there is a absolute truth in Caleb has not taken many sacks and Bonix isn't either. And you play in front of the sticks and you got a pretty good defense behind you, you'll win a lot of close games in the NFL. Here we go. Colin right, Colin wrong on a Monday.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Where Colin was right.

[Colin Cowherd]

The Micah Parsons trade, yes, it was good for Green Bay, but I kept preaching it's also great for Dallas. They were an atrocious run defense and by picking up Kenny Clark and Quinn and Williams, Dallas now has a much more complete defense and is still number two in the NFL in quarterback pressures. Sometimes do you have to trade really good players? You know, Lakers let go of AD and Lakers got Luka. I don't know, worked out pretty well. I like Micah. He was a better fit for a better complete roster in Green Bay than Dallas re signing him. And I think both points have been.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Proven where Colin was wrong.

[Colin Cowherd]

I thought Lane Kiffin would stay at Ole Miss through the playoffs or go pro because the LSU job is really political. The governor stepped in. You know, I don't think it's about the pressure. Lane Kiffin's fine with pressure, but. And yes, LSU is a better job, but I just thought it was so messy that Lane would probably say, you know what, I'm going to finish this out. And I wouldn't even have been surprised after Ole Miss. He would have taken himself off the board if they finished number two or three in the country, done TV for a year and waited for the perfect job. I mean, there's a great college football job or three available every year.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

So I was wrong where Colin was right.

[Colin Cowherd]

I didn't think Aaron Rodgers should have gone to the Steelers and I think he looks like a Beaten, man. This is a head coach and an organization devoted to defense. And you can blame Aaron all you want, but they cannot figure out how to run the football. What is this, the seventh or eighth straight year? So this is an organization that can't figure out offense. And I thought Aaron should have gone to the Vikings or retired or be a broadcaster. I think all three would have been better than Pittsburgh. But it looks like we said it.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Would look like where Colin was wrong.

[Colin Cowherd]

Kansas City Chiefs, 6 and 6. Probably not a playoff team. They feel disjointed. Dallas was the better team. The O line remains mid. The run game remains mid or less. I figured Andy Reid and Mahomes would figure it out. Houston next. And the Texans defense is a complete handful. Just not the year for Kansas City. I. I remained loyal.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

I was wrong where Colin was right.

[Colin Cowherd]

Ohio State did everything we said they would do last week. I said they're going to beat Michigan. They're going to dominate them. They doubled time of possession. They held Michigan to minus 8 yards rushing in the second half. I think Ohio State's got the better staff, the better personnel. And I, I thought they played conservatively. I said they'd win 30 to 13. I thought this game could have been worse. Michigan was held to 163 yards. Ohio State had three times that. They held Michigan to one of 10 on third and fourth down. I think this Ohio State defense is in a handful of the best college defenses I've ever seen.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Where Colin was right when the Lions.

[Colin Cowherd]

Lost Ben Johnson, I said, do not hire in house. The greater the coach you lose, the wider your search has to be to replace it. Michigan's finding this out. This is a team now, Detroit, that played it safe, played it comfortable. The offense now one in five when they're under 30 points. 19th today on third down. Can't get fourth down right. I got nothing against Johnny Morton, but they have 43 punts this season. They had 45 all last year. They are not. Personnel's the same. The results are not.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Where Collin was wrong.

[Colin Cowherd]

The Colts, I thought they were a serious contender. I thought they were a team that could win two or three playoff games. The Sauce Gardner trade, brilliant. I thought, now he's hurt. Daniel Jones. Listen, the low ceiling is clear. They've scored 20 or fewer points in their four losses. You know, the better the defenses they play, the more mistakes they make.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

And I was wrong where Colin was right.

[Colin Cowherd]

I said when Saban left, getting Calen deboer, that's as good as you can do in College football. Kalyn DeBoer has made the playoffs. Yes, Alabama is not as dominant as they were in the Saban era because Bama doesn't have Ohio State money or Notre Dame money. They don't have that kind of nil power and flex like Oregon. But this is about as good as you can do when you lose a legend to get Calen DeBoer. Notre Dame can't run the ball. They're not as dominant as they used to be. They don't have as many good players as Georgia or Ohio State. But to deny the truth, which is Kalyn DeBoer is an A head coach. But the reality of the Nil era is Bama doesn't look like Bama used to.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Where Colin was right.

[Colin Cowherd]

I didn't buy Texas A and M all season. They got a scheduling quirk. They didn't have to play Bama, Georgia, Ole Miss or Oklahoma. So they beat up on teams. I mean, they even fell behind at home to South Carolina. Texas beat him, dominated the second half. Arch Manning was strong. They're not even going to play in the SEC championship. I thought they were good, but if you're ranked top three, you're supposed to be special. I didn't see that all year. Here's a bitter Mike Elko after the loss of the Horns. We didn't play the way we needed to. Could we close the door and run a professional press conference, please? My gosh.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Sorry.

[Colin Cowherd]

The door was closed to Texas A and M winning an Addie. Colin right? Colin wrong. Let's bring on Matt Hasselbeck. 18 years in the NFL.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

Love him on a.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, I've rolled my eyes at Jerry Jones a lot. I'm just writing an apology letter to him. I watched that game. Matt. That's a real defense. I mean, you can't run on him now. Demarvi and overshone. I mean, they knew it. They were watching practice. They knew what they had. He was a high pick. I don't know. I look at Dallas right now. What do you make of. I feel like a top 10 team in the league.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Top 10. Listen, they're trying to be top seven in the NFC so they can make the playoffs. No, I think. I think one of the things you've seen with Dallas in the last few years is scheme fit with coordinator fit. You know, like Dan Quinn was the D coordinator, then Mike Zimmer was the D coordinator. And when you have all these, like, different turnovers, three different coordinators in such a short amount of time, you have to make sure that the guys fit the scheme that you're trying to play, and you gotta be sure that they're cool with it. Like, Dan Quinn was all about turnovers, all about get the ball trained up by Pete Carroll. If you want to jump a route jumper out. Like, will they hit us for a couple big plays? Sure. But we might score on defense. Like, that was the mindset that they have. And every defensive coordinator has a different mindset. Some guys are stopped the run first, no matter what. Some guys are rushed the passer and stop the run on your way to rushing the passer. So getting the people right, I think is really important. And I do think you're right. You owe Jerry Jones an apology because you probably trashed him for the Mike Parsons trade. And here we are. They're playing great football, especially on offense. I would love to see some more turnovers from the defense, though.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the NFC playoffs were showing our television audience this. Bears, Rams, Eagles, Bucks, Seahawks, Green Bay, San Francisco, Those. I mean, San Francisco gets a timely buy. Green Bay has fixed their offense. Yeah. I mean, I don't have.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

I'm not good enough at math to figure out that. That tie scenario, but, like, it's funny, when the tie happened, everyone rolled their eyes like, oh, it's a tie now. It could come to really help a team like Dallas or Green Bay.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I got a text last week, and somebody said, oh, Hasselbeck's gonna have to say something nice about the Bears now. And I said, he likes them. He just. He's not building a statue. But it does. It does feel different going to Philly and winning like that. That's. That's one of those games you could control and lose. I was impressed. Were you not?

[Matt Hasselbeck]

I listen, I love the Bears. I'm not. I'm not 100% sold on the quarterback. That's where my hesitation is. And that doesn't mean that I'm saying no on him. Listen, the Bears are awesome. I've Ryan Poles, unbelievable job. You got Ben Johnson, even better. Probably coach of the year. What they've done up front in the trenches is impressive. I mean, running the ball looks like Walter Payton and Matt Sui out there, like, just slicing and dicing these guys up front. They've won it. And listen, December football, it comes down to elements. Bad weather, like, can you take your game on the road? The Bears are built to do that. Now, I also said they hadn't played anybody. Let's see how they do against Philly. How'd they do against Philly? They ran for like 200 and something yards. Guess what? That's not an anomaly for them. They rushed for 200 yards. Like, seems like all month. They're fine. They're good. My, here's my thing. Their quarterback has to be better with accuracy, better with ball placement. Like that's the next step for him. Last year I said you need to take less sacks. I need better body language. I need you to be a better leader and kind of protect the team. He's done all those things, like hats off to him and hats off to Ben Johnson. But again, the schedule will get tougher. Do I think they'll be the one see the end of this? No, I don't. Do. I think they're a really good team? Yeah, I do.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I keep hearing this about the Bears in Denver. Well, how good are they? Well, I watched Denver last night. First of all, players know when, when you're facing a great team. Washington's on a backup quarterback. They're not a great team. Denver's got much better personnel. I know I'm not supposed to be. Denver's defense didn't play particularly well, but he did to the Rams yesterday. I, I don't know how good Denver is, but winning these games the way they keep winning them, the same way, like Sean Payton said, we didn't escape with a win, we won. How do you view it?

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Well, I think head coaching matters and messaging matters and the fact that Sean Payton's been there and done it, you know, he's not up there apologizing. He controlled the narrative. Like we didn't eat this one out. Like Marcus Mariota didn't miss a wide open guy in the end zone. Our guy made a game winning play. Our D coordinator called an incredible play after we called a timeout, saw what they were going to do on their two point play, called the perfect defense. And then we executed. We knew that we were going to be unblocked. We didn't come in there like, oh my gosh, I'm unblocked. I came in there knowing I'm unblocked, knowing I got to get my hands up a game of inches. We won the game. That's how he's messaging it. And I think it's message loud and clear. And you talk about Bo Nix. I'm kind of tired of people hating on Bo Nix. Bo Nixon has done nothing but fly under the radar for not one, but now two years. Last year he had a great year. And because Jaden Daniels was so out of this world, we didn't really talk about it. O Nicks to me is playing really good football and this defense is carrying a young quarterback as he's developing, but I think he's got the it factor and I think the play caller and the quarterback are in lockstep. It'll get tougher for them too. But I believe in this team.

[Colin Cowherd]

So there are coaches. Ben Johnson's one, I think LaFleur, Shanahan, Peyton, they're scheme coaches and CEOs. I think Nick Ceriani, Dan Campbell are the CEO, not scheme coaches. The problem with that is if you hire the wrong coordinator, you may not be able to fix it. I said this earlier, Matt. Matt Lafleur's offense was broken three weeks ago. It's not broken anymore. He fixed a problem in season. I don't know if Sirianni, I don't know if that's his pedigree. I watch Philadelphia and I don't. I mean, they've solved things in the off season by hiring different OCs, but when they go sideways in a season, they haven't shown an ability in the last couple years to fix it. I mean, what is the primary issue you have with Philly's offense?

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Well, three and outs. I mean, I think they probably lead the league in three and outs. It hurts. You just kills your team. Three and outs kill your team. That's a problem. Third down, that's a problem. You know, the tush push was automatic before. That's no longer automatic. Saying all that, they're still fine. I think they need to like just lean into what their true identity is. And what makes me nervous a little bit is when you're trying to please wide receiver types. Like, I just don't think that's the best way to, to try to accomplish your goals. AJ Brown's, his numbers are great. Ever since he had the meeting with somebody who's probably higher in on the depth chart than the head coach. You know, they're targeting him, he's delivering, he's got great stats. But I just don't know if that's the best thing for this quarterback, for this offense. I think they need to get back to what they were last year, which was the best team on the field up front, offensive line and defensive line, superstar, running back, quarterback. And then you let the big plays come to you at the wide receiver position. You know, I still think they're an 11 win team. They just got to get. They just got to get back in their groove at the right time and that's in about a month. And we'll see how it looks at that point.

[Colin Cowherd]

I said, I know Mike Vrabel or Ben Johnson will win coach of the year. What Robert Saleh and Shanahan have done, I don't even know defensively how they're doing it. I honestly do not know how they're doing it. There's no Bosa, Mikhail Williams, there's no Fred Warner. Fred Warner is arguably the best linebacker in the sport. And Bosa was having a great start. Did you ever plan a team in your life that was ran out of players and you just willed your way to win?

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I remember in Seattle, we, everyone, everybody was hurt. I mean, our coaches were hurt. It was like the craziest thing. I mean, everyone, everyone's coming up with all these different scenarios of why we were signing guys off the street playing them. They were intercepting passes. It was one guy was selling insurance two weeks before. Now we're playing in a playoff game at Soldier. You just got to do it, you know. And, you know, a lot of times, like I remember Chuck Pagano was my head coach one year and we had, you know, a lot of different adversity that we were, we were kind of facing. And it felt like every single team meeting started out with, so what now what? Like, so what now what? You didn't make an excuse, you're going to find a way. And that's just the mindset that I think great culture has, great teachers have, great coaches have. They kind of set this. They give you confidence that you shouldn't even have. And also they give you hope. Like, hey, guess what, guys? Our quarterback's getting healthy, our all world tight ends getting healthy, our tailbacks getting healthy. Like, hey, if we can just hold down the fort just a little while, reinforcements are on the way. And I think that's an example of what San Fran has done. And this is another team I would not count out. I think people have counted this team out because the Rams and the Seahawks have been so good. But don't count out San Fran. They got, I think they, they're in control of a lot of things and they've proven that they can win without their star players.

[Colin Cowherd]

I watched Aaron Rodgers, never thought it was a good fit in Pittsburgh. I do think Tom Brady was really smart when. And Matt Stafford gets to go to LA with Andrew Whitworth, Cooper cup and Sean McVeigh. When you get older, you need a little more support. I mean, what did Tom Brady do? Gronk get down here. And the GM promised them they'd get a right tackle. So like Brady knew better weapons. I need protection. They had good guard, center guard in Tampa. So Aaron goes to a team that can't run the ball for years. And O line, they lost their left tackle. Is the Aaron Steelers story today kind of what you thought it would look like?

[Matt Hasselbeck]

No, because I thought they would keep George Pickens. Like I thought that was part of the formula and that was part of the reason that it was such an attractive job. I also thought that Aaron would maybe, maybe learn some lessons from his experience with the New York jets and just try to be the point guard, like literally. And all these check with me is. And all these run pass options like hand it off, hand it off more than you hold onto it, preserve it, you know. And now he's got the broken wrist. I played with that. It's hard to protect yourself. I mean, he looks like he's from the Wet Bandits now. Home alone with the, with the broken nose now with the hat, the cold weather on the sideline. He doesn't look like he's having any fun and I don't blame him. I'm not giving up on this team though, because this division is there for the taking. They got to regroup, pull together. I liked how he handled his press conference. He's not pointing fingers at the coaches. I wish he would maybe pull it together in the locker room a little bit better. But I do think that they will. I do think that they will. And I think they got a chance to win this division. And then once you get to the playoffs again, play your best football, then you got the people in the room, make it happen and we'll see. I mean, I know it's a long shot, but that's, that's what's great about the playoffs. You just got to play your best to win the playoffs start.

[Colin Cowherd]

I gotta tell you, as a former three time Pro Bowler, got the Seahawks to the Super Bowl, I'm sure there are moments that you miss football, but I don't think December, it looks so cold.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

I mean, it's fun, Colin. It's fun when you're healthy. It's fun like playing in the snow. It reminds me of a snow day. School's canceled, it's a blast. But when it's cold and you're banged up and you're old, it's not quite as fun.

[Colin Cowherd]

That sounds like me coming to work today. Cold, old and banged up. Great seeing you, buddy.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

You too. See ya.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right. The great Matt Hasselbeck, who was so good on our show. Yeah, it's, it's, it's just crazy. I mean, last year, I mean, if I'd have told you, yeah, Josh Allen Mahomes won't make the playoffs. Lamar Jackson may not make the playoffs. Burrow is back and won't make the playoffs. The Bills don't look great week to week, but the Bears and the Patriots will be number one seeds. You'd have said, oh, what are you doing? Well, what kind of opinion is that? That is the NFL crazy.

[Fox Sports Radio 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.

[Colin Cowherd]

Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio.

[Rob Parker]

And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10pm Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show.

[J. Mac]

That's right, you can now watch the.

[Colin Cowherd]

Odd couple live on YouTube every day.

[Rob Parker]

All you got to do search Odd Couple FSR on YouTube again.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

YouTube.

[Rob Parker]

Just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube and subscribe.

[Colin Cowherd]

Breaking News not everything's terrible. We repeat, not everything is terrible. The ripple effect is proof that the Internet hasn't ruined humanity entirely. Hosted by Jenna Kim Jones, it's funny and uplifting. Podcast spotlights the quiet, powerful ways people still choose good. Each episode features real stories of kindness, of barbers changing more than just their client's haircut, of the secret life, of leftover hotel soap, of vending machines that dispense just the help somebody needs. Like magic. If you're tired of outrage, if your thumbs are sore from doom scrolling, or if you just need a reason to smile again, this podcast is your new favorite Scroll Break. It's heartfelt, hopeful, a gentle reminder. Goodness is still out there. Surprisingly contagious too. So put down your phone, pick up your faith in humanity and join Jenna for the Ripple Effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. Listen to the ripple effect on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Make your game day legendary with MGM rewards. From unforgettable tailgate and viewing parties to world class din, thrilling nightlife and entertainment that keeps energy going long after the final whistle. This is where fans come to celebrate, show off your team spirit, cheer with friends and earn rewards on every experience you love. Because every play is bigger and every moment feels unforgettable in Las Vegas. So what are you waiting for? Make your game day Legendary with MGM Rewards. Visit mgmrewards.com for details.

[Sophie Cunningham]

This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snored loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more @don'tsleep on osa.com. this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company.

[Colin Cowherd]

Hi, it's Colin.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

I've been around long enough to know quality when I see it, or in this case, when I taste it. Tito's Handmade Vodka. Good stuff. No flash, no gimmicks. Smooth, clean tasting, made the right way. Okay. I like things that are built to last. A great team, a well run organization. Same goes for my vodka Tito's. Made in Austin, Texas. Real care, attention to detail, distinct crisp taste. I was just telling my wife the other day, Tito's is the one vodka it has a completely distinct taste. Been my go to for years so I like to keep it simple. Tito's Soda one lime, lot of ice, refreshing, easy. Summer, winter, spring. Totally versatile. Always works.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen, baseball season's here.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

Your team's going to play 162 games. A perfect time to kick back with some Tito's.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's what I pour.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

You should too.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Distilled and bottled by 5th Generation Inc.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

Austin, Texas 40% alcohol by volume. Savor responsibly. Innovation is what gets your business to the big leagues and Wasabi is designed to give every business a shot at competition. Break free from skyrocketing storage costs, unpredictable egress fees from old and top heavy legacy providers. You know the big guys. Wasabi is the world's hottest cloud storage company and the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams and leagues around the world. And here's why. Innovation. From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service with triple protection against cybercriminals, data deletion and ransomware. Wasabi has taken the lead in big league data storage. Remember, Wasabi is up to 80% less than the other guys and doesn't charge a cent for businesses to access their own data. Wasabi is another championship story. Check them out [e-mail], wasabi Hot Cloud Storage, Proud partner of the Voluum podcast network.

[Colin Cowherd]

Urban Meyer and Steve Sarkeesian. Last hour. You know, nobody. When they expanded the playoff to 12 teams, everybody's like, whoa, that's a little much. Now I'm one of those people saying, and I didn't say that I. Playoffs are fine, but. But a lot of people did. Well, now I'm like, I think Texas should be in. I think Miami should be in. Oh, that would be 14 teams. I'd be totally comfortable with it. So we've always said this. You know, you expand the playoffs, it just creates different arguments. You know, I watch Miami hammer pit and Miami beat Notre Dame head to head and has the better scoring defense, better total defense, better passing game. Now I'm like that. Head to head seems to matter more. So, you know, that's the way the world works. Like, you know, you thought anytime you expand a playoff, it's like saying, well, we've got a private club, a country club. We used to only let in 100 members. Now we're letting in 150. And then the 151st guy is, hey, the 140th guy's a schmuck. How am I, how am I not in the country club? Like you had this small club, four. Now it's 12. And now I want Miami and Texas in J. Mac with the news.

[J. Mac]

No, no, no, no.

[Rob Parker]

Heard on the news.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

This is the herd line news.

[J. Mac]

I can tell you're very exc. College football discussion. We'll do that in a second. But we got to start with what some are calling the NFL catch of the year. And that's your boy, Puka Nakua. Go up and get it. Look at this one handed grab against the Panthers. I mean, Colin, that is phenomenal. This guy's doing some crazy stuff. Now if you watch it closely, Puka goes up with the right hand and just snares it. Yeah, I mean, unbelievable. Now there were a couple other incredible catches in the NFL yesterday. This seems to be the clubhouse leader for catch of the year. Puka did of course watch as Stafford threw a pick six. The Rams did lose. It was a weird loss for the Rams because their offense was incredible. Colin.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, but it's hard, you know, like Denver's defense last night and the Rams defense yesterday. It's hard to get guys to answer the bell. 17 weeks. Offense is different if you have a great quarterback and you separate with your receivers. Puka and Devonte. It's hard to stop smart offensive coaches and quarterbacks in this league. But defense is about effort and explosion and brute force. It's hard to get a great performance every week.

[J. Mac]

Bryce Young cooked him on. He had two incredible fourth down touchdown passes.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes.

[J. Mac]

The funniest thing I heard was Bryce Young is selectively elite. Okay. Go up against the Saints at home, he's garbage. Go up against the Rams or Packers, it's like, oh, man, Bryce Young can make some passes. Colin. I know it's a deeper discussion. I, I keep going back and forth. What do you do with him in the off season?

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen, this is why you get paid the big bucks. He's inconsistent, but there's no disputing this. Carolina is a real team now. They've got a very good coach. And Bryce, about every other game looks like this. Now, you could argue young quarterbacks like Bonix or Caleb are less consistent. I mean, it's just, I mean he's just, it's hard to unsee that Niner game where he just shrunk.

[J. Mac]

But it, I mean, the Saints game, he was terrible. I mean like against the Saints, who are maybe the second worst team in the league. It ain't the Jets. I'll just say this about Bryce. We saw what like Sam Darnell got like a. In the NBA, they call it the fun max, which is like a lot of money, but not Max deal. And then Baker Mayfield got it. And, and you know, I think one of those probably gets to Bryce Young.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[J. Mac]

Hey, we're going to keep him around for two more years. Canales, very good coach. I mean, they won seven games this year, Colin. They won seven the last two years combined.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[J. Mac]

Okay, Ted McMillan, your guy from Arizona, showing.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I like the Panthers.

[J. Mac]

They're fun.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah.

[J. Mac]

All right, let's move on. College football, here we go. Lot of debate. Miami Hurricanes, they whooped up on Pitt, so obviously, I mean, Colin said so. Hey, that's a great win over Pitt with those beautiful throwback unis. Head coach Mario Cristobal lobbying hard for his team to get in the playoffs.

[Mario Cristobal]

Everybody wanted to see how Miami would do in the cold weather on the road against the top 25 team. And I think we answered those questions very clearly. So at the end of the day, it's not only do we pass the eye test, we pass the field test. Right. Especially as it relates to playing this brand of football down the stretch and in head to head competition versus others that are being judged in the same little pool that we are as well. Plus, we're getting healthy.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. So I watched this game and I thought it was going to be close and after this game, you do a little homework. So think of this. Miami won. Head to head.

[J. Mac]

Okay, timeout, timeout. That needs context.

[Colin Cowherd]

Let me finish.

[J. Mac]

Okay, okay.

[Colin Cowherd]

It still matters. Even in the NFL, the number one tiebreaker is head to head. Now, September football doesn't mean as much in college or the NFL than it did five years ago. September doesn't mean what it used to in college football. It's never meant anything in the NFL. But head to head matters. Miami won. They had four common opponents. In three of four, Miami beat the team worse than Notre Dame did. Okay, so in three or four, Miami has the better total defense and scoring defense. Miami has the better passing offense, yards per game, total touchdowns. And I thought it was a legitimate. I thought they would go here, cold weather, win and be ugly. They were great. So they blew out North Carolina State 34, Pitt by 31, Stanford by 35, Syracuse by 28. I gotta tell you, when this game was over, my take was okay. We gotta be fair on this head to head. You gotta contextualize it because it was in Miami. But you know what? Sometimes that's the reality of the schedule. You don't get every game. Big game at home. If they did, USC would be elite, right? Sometimes. I mean, this year, Texas A and M doesn't play Bama, Georgia, Oklahoma or Ole Miss. Schedules matter. Miami got a break. They got Notre Dame at home.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

I.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right now, this morning. I think Miami would have a right to be pissed. Like, hey, we scheduled you, so wait, you. And we beat you.

[J. Mac]

Okay, timeout. Again, context. You said September football. It matters. What about August football? This game was August 31st. Scotland. It was a first ever start for my. For Notre Dame's quarterback and a rainstorm.

[Colin Cowherd]

On the road, but it was August for both teams.

[J. Mac]

Yes.

[Colin Cowherd]

And I won. Right?

[J. Mac]

Okay. At home.

[Colin Cowherd]

Great. I mean, again, that's. I mean, that's. Listen, Texas got Texas A and M in Austin sometimes. That's the way it works. Yeah, I mean, it's very rare. Like Ohio State lost at Austin last year. Luckily they got to play him again. But if they hadn't, people would have said, well, Oregon's better, but play the stuff. Yeah, they play. The second time Ohio State beat him, I like 40.

[J. Mac]

But doesn't that show that the first meeting means nothing? That first loss by Ohio State meant nothing? It was like.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, no, it didn't. Because it validated how good Oregon was. And Miami's win, when you couple it with three win, they have common opponents. So. So not only does Miami have head to Head. Okay, let's go to common opponents. No, Miami wins that too.

[J. Mac]

Well, wait a minute. By scoring margin. So, hey, you beat South Florida by more than Notre Dame or whatever the team is. What about the losses you've conveniently ignored losing to Louisville and SMU and not even making the ACC title game.

[Colin Cowherd]

I said, I said last week, punitive losses are what kept Bama out last year when they lost a Vandy. Because losing to Oklahoma didn't kill Bama. So I'm not denying it. The reason this is a go either way argument are the ugly losses. Yes, but you start stacking the arguments. So, I mean, here's a prime example. If I say, okay, what is the best Miami win? They can say, well, we did beat Notre Dame. Go to Notre Dame. And what is your best win?

[J. Mac]

Will we beat usc?

[Sophie Cunningham]

I guess.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, okay. Usc, half of you want Lincoln Riley fired.

[J. Mac]

Okay. Okay.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I think it is a good win. But Illinois beat Notre Dame and Oregon hammered you. Or Illinois beat USC and. And Notre Dame hammered USC and Oregon hammered us. And I'm not saying. I'm just saying, so I beat him head to head. I have the quality win common opponents. I mean, at some point we got to be fair about. We can't do. Like last week, my take was I think Notre Dame would win. Well, that's not the way it works in the NFL. You go tiebreaker, common opponents head to head. It's not fair for me to just go, well, I think Notre Dame would win. I do, actually. Fair.

[J. Mac]

No, I totally agree. Now here's where it gets real crazy. What if Alabama beats Georgia? You can't keep Alabama out of the playoff. Right now I don't know if they're in, but if Alabama beats Georgia in the SEC title game is in and Kayla, we think they're in. Who are they in ahead of? Are they definitely ahead of Notre Dame and Miami?

[Colin Cowherd]

I am not anti Notre Dame. I love Marcus Freeman. But Notre Dame loves all the upside of independence. They love being independent. Well, Miami has. They're in a conference and sometimes in a conference the schedule goes your way and sometimes it doesn't. I mean, Ohio State would have rather played in Columbus than Ann Arbor. They were the better team. I have to take out. I can't do confirmation bias at some point. Head to head, common opponents, better defense, better pass game. And when I watch them beat Pittsburgh, it's like they beat the holy hell out of them. Like they watched them.

[J. Mac]

Any Miami fan that says conference, you just say strength of schedule. Who had a tougher One, and it's Notre Dame by a mile. So I. It's a fun discussion. We'll see what happens. Final story. Colin. Lamar Jackson.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Boy.

[J. Mac]

Hey, listen, we tried to warn you guys. Lamar's not the same guy he has been. And I don't know, he looked so lost against the Bengals. The turnovers were anemic. He just doesn't have the escapability now. He's been back from injury for a while. Colin. I don't know. Here he is talking about his struggles against the Bengals, who have one of the worst defenses in the league.

[Rob Parker]

Tipped over. You know, it's not even frustrated. I'm just mad. Cause like I said, we can't have that. And turnovers is a big part of winning, losing games and turning the ball over, giving them an extra possession. This is the outcome.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I. I mean, what do you.

[J. Mac]

Do with the Ravens? What do you do with them? Are they good?

[Colin Cowherd]

They're good.

[J. Mac]

They're better than the Steelers, but I. We'll find out this week. That's another game, which is like, you know, in a game with. In a week with seven incredible games, Raven Steelers is like, maybe fifth because these teams are not really watchable.

[Colin Cowherd]

Dude. Starting Thursday, Lions, Cowboys.

[J. Mac]

This is maybe the best football weekend of 2025 because there's Thursday, then you get to play the college football game Saturday, and the Sunday slate's off the hook.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, Lamar Jackson. We're showing our television audience this. Lamar Jackson's passer rating in his last three games is 63. That's falling off a cliff. And we know the coach is good. I mean, it's just. It's wild.

[J. Mac]

We can't say, like, hey, he doesn't have receivers. I mean, Josh Allen is throwing to nobody's.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, that's fair.

[J. Mac]

This is. This is not a great look for Lamar.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, you're right. J. Mac with a new.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Well, that's the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

And thanks for stopping by.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

The herd lie news.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I think the Miami Notre Dame thing is. I mean, I'm watching the pit game and I'm like, man, that's impressive. Then you start looking at all the numbers and you're like, okay, I gotta be fair on this. You gotta be fair. Head to head now. It's gotta be something. Common opponents have to be something. Well, our schedule. Well, schedules are weird. I mean, half the time you, like, Texas has beaten three teams that were ranked in the top 10 when they played them. So that's why I. I would have no problem with Texas being in starks on Next hour, it's the Herd.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

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

[Colin Cowherd]

Breaking news not everything's terrible. We repeat, not everything is terrible. The ripple Effect is proof that the Internet hasn't ruined humanity entirely. Hosted by Jenna Kim Jones, it's funny and uplifting Podcast spotlights the quiet, powerful ways people still choose good. Each episode features real stories of kindness, of barbers changing more than just their client's haircut, of the secret life, of leftover hotel soap, of vending machines that dispense just the help somebody needs. Like magic. If you're tired of outrage, if your thumbs are sore from doom scrolling, or if you just need a reason to smile again, this podcast is your new favorite scroll break. It's heartfelt, hopeful, a gentle reminder. Goodness is still out there. Surprisingly contagious too. So put down your phone, pick up your faith in humanity and join Jenna for the Ripple Effect. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. Listen to the ripple effect on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Make your game day legendary with MGM Rewards. From unforgettable tailgate and viewing parties to world class din, thrilling nightlife and entertainment that keeps energy going long after the final whistle, this is where fans come to celebrate, show off your team spirit, cheer with friends and earn rewards on every experience you love. Because every play is bigger and every moment feels unforgettable in Las Vegas. So what are you waiting for? Make your game day legendary with MGM Rewards. Visit mgmrewards.com for details.

[Sophie Cunningham]

This is Sophie Cunningham from Show Me Something. Do you know the symptoms of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA in adults with obesity? They may be happening to you without you knowing. If anyone has ever said you snore loudly, or if you spend your days fighting off excessive tiredness, irritability and concentration issues, it may be due to osa. OSA is a serious condition where your airway partially or completely collapses during sleep, which may cause breathing interruptions and oxygen deprivation. Learn more at don't sleep on osa.com. this information is provided by Lily, a medicine company.

[Colin Cowherd]

Hi, it's Colin.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

I've been around long enough to know quality when I see it, or in this case, when I taste it. Tito's Handmade Vodka. Good stuff. No flash, no gimmicks. Smooth, clean tasting made the right way. Okay. I like things that are built to last A great team, a well run organization. Same goes for my vodka, Tito's. Made in Austin, Texas. Real care, attention to detail, distinct crisp taste. I was just telling my wife the other day, Tito's is the one vodka. It has a completely distinct taste. Been my go to for years so I like to keep it simple. Tito's soda, one lime, lot of ice, refreshing, easy Summer, winter, spring. Totally versatile. Always works.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen, baseball season's here.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

Your team's gonna play 162 games. A perfect time to kick back with some Tito's.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's what I pour.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

You should too. Distilled and bottled by 5th Generation Inc. Austin, Texas. 40% alcohol by volume. Savor responsibly. Innovation is what gets your business to the big leagues. And Wasabi is designed to give every business a shot at competition. Break free from skyrocketing storage costs, unpredictable egress fees from old and top heavy legacy providers. You know, the big guys. Wasabi is the world's hottest cloud storage company and the go to provider for professional and collegiate sports teams and around the world. And here's why. Innovation. From Wasabi's AI enabled intelligent media storage, Wasabi Air to the industry's only cloud storage service. With triple protection against cybercriminals, data deletion and ransomware, Wasabi has taken the lead in big league data storage. Remember, Wasabi is up to 80% less than the other guys and doesn't charge a cent for businesses to access their own data. Wasabi is another championship story. Check them out [e-mail], wasabi Hot Cloud Storage, proud partner of the Voluum Podcast Network.

[J. Mac]

Saturday on Fox, two iconic programs go head to head in a huge top 15 showdown as freshman phenom Cameron Boozer leads number four Duke against Tom Izzo's 11th ranked Michigan State squad. It all tips off at 11:30am Eastern only on Fox.

[Colin Cowherd]

By the way, Michigan State quietly hired Pat Fitzgerald, the former Northwestern coach who won his lawsuit against the school. So Fitzgerald was a very good football coach. Jonathan Smith was released of his duties and Pat Fitzgerald comes in very quietly. That's a, that's a really good hire. So, you know, another argument for the Miami Hurricanes over Notre Dame is Notre Dame's an independent so they have more flexibility with their schedule. Miami tried to schedule tough. They scheduled Florida and SEC team. It wasn't their fault they beat him. That Florida was a tire fire. They beat Florida State in conference when they were 3 and 1. Florida State now looks horrible. They weren't when Miami played them, they Also scheduled South Florida. And that's South Florida Super Bowl. They beat them too. So Miami's in a conference. They're limited on what they can do with schedule. They scheduled Florida. That's an SEC team. You can't blame them. Florida went sideways and Notre Dame's an independent, so they have more flexibility with their schedule. So I gotta, I gotta. The other thing is. Listen, who's gonna win coach of the year? I'm not a big awards guy. I don't really care. But you know, Mike Vrabel and Ben Johnson deserve consideration. Jim Harbaugh has the Chargers at 8 and 4, the lowest ranked offensive line due to injuries. And they still run the football. How, I don't know. And what Shanahan's done and Robert Sala to this team. They have a buy now at 9 and 4. It's pretty remarkable. No Bosa, no Warner. Remember they lost Greenlaw and Hufanga in the off season. Denver bottom. So they went in under the gun. Mikhail Williams, the Georgia defensive end. No, he got hurt to the first round guy. So they're doing it with duct tape. And great. Coaching in the NFL is a little like gold mining. You know, it's a very few gems and you gotta dig through a lot of rubble and soil and dirt and rock to find the gold gems. But Shanahan's done an unbelievable job with this team. And we always give coach of the year to, you know, and they're deserving to Vrabel and Ben Johnson. It's really been the year of coaching. But I think what Harbaugh's done, how they run the football, Hampton's coming back. Watch out. And what Shanahan has done, I don't remember a team on one side of the ball that has lost more from the end of last season to now. And they've been unbelievably good. I mean, Shador Sanders wasn't bad. It's Defansky knows what he's doing. And they've got talent. Nope, they made all the big plays. Here's Kyle after I thought the diva.

[Kyle]

Setting the tone all day, really. I mean they got that one score with the double move. I think they ran it felt like nine plays in the in a row, set it up and got that score and every drive after that. Man, I thought. I thought our D was real good. Made some adjustments at halftime. Did better in the run game, I thought in the second half. But fourth down was the big. As good as turnovers. When you stop them on fourth down.

[Colin Cowherd]

They are eighth in The NFL in defense. And again, they play in a division where they've got to face Darnold and Stafford and Devonte Adams. I mean, they, you know, even going on the road, crappy weather. Shador Sanders. I thought Cleveland was one of my favorite picks of the weekend. Here's Matt Hasselbeck earlier on the adversity the Niners have battled through.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

I remember Chuck Pagano was my head coach one year and we had, you know, a lot of different adversity that we were, we were kind of facing. And it felt like every single team meeting started out with, so what now what? Like, so what now what? You didn't make an excuse. You're going to find a way. And I think that's an example of what San Fran has done. And this is another team I would not count out. I think people have counted this team out because the Rams and the Seahawks have been so good. But don't count out San Fran. They got, I think they, they're in control of a lot of things and they've proven that they can win without their star players.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, one of the great mysteries in the NFL is why doesn't everybody love Jordan Love? So we're going to play blind resume. J. Mack. Here are the numbers for Jordan Love of the Green Bay packers with the youngest offense in the league, right. Doesn't always play in the best weather. Jordan Love, 8, 3 and 1. 19 touchdowns, 3 picks, 104. Passer rating, 67% completion percentage. So let's play a little blind resume. He was great against Detroit and nobody loves him. So for our radio audience, we're throwing up a quarterback who is virtually identical to Jordan Love's numbers so far this year. Who is that quarterback? Tom Brady In 2020, Brady's last Super bowl winning season. Same numbers. And we're like, brady's the goat. Unbelievable season. Let's play it again. Jordan loves numbers so far. Okay, this quarterback, I mean, doesn't even have the passer rating. Yards per attempt, slightly better. Who's this quarterback? Matt Stafford in his super bowl winning year. J. Mac is wincing at the data that is being presented. So let's, let's do another Jordan Love blind resume. So we got Brady and Stafford and super bowl winning years. Okay, this quarterback is clearly, clearly not quite as good as Jordan Love. The numbers are all off a little bit from Jordan's numbers this year. Who is this quarterback? Oh, Patrick Mahomes, last Super bowl win. He's got a significantly higher passer rating and yards per attempt. Let's do one more. I don't know, maybe you've heard of Mahomes. Stafford and Brady was just ya tittle, ya tittle. They didn't play in shoes, so you have to had played in shoes. All right, so let's finally, I'm watching Jordan against Detroit and I'm like tall, athletic, big arm, aggressive, doesn't throw picks. What is it with Jordan Love? I now I didn't know what he was going to be, but I mean, at this point he's good. So this next quarterback, our final round. Again, Jordan Love, slightly better across the board, especially in passer rating. Who is this quarterback? Josh Allen, MVP season. Oh boy.

[J. Mac]

Oh, you love this stuff. I mean, I don't, I'm not like.

[Colin Cowherd]

A magician out of a hat, but I, I have a copper field field to me. I'll be honest with you.

[J. Mac]

So, so are you. What do you, what are we saying here? Jordan Love is.

[Colin Cowherd]

We love Stafford, Brady, Josh, Alma, Holmes. It's hard to find anybody out of Green Bay that'll just go, this kid's great. I mean everybody. Brock Purdy defenders. Jalen hurts defenders. Justin Herbert defenders. And I like those guys too. Jordan Love is fantastic.

[J. Mac]

I mean, it was the Lions like, I, I like the Packers a lot. It was only the Lions, you know, secondary, not very good. Pass rush wasn't there.

[Colin Cowherd]

I gave you season number.

[J. Mac]

I, I, yeah, I'm, I'm aware.

[Colin Cowherd]

I, I don't know.

[J. Mac]

I mean, I like Jordan Love a lot. Remember we talked about him as a potential MVP candidate. He loses Tucker Craft. The offensive line's been kind of beat up. Golden's not always been there.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes.

[J. Mac]

Jaden Reed's been out for like 10 weeks or something. Yeah, this team is dangerous right now. Where are you in with the Packers? Oh, and the NFC hire?

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, I, I, the, the, the Detroit game also. They have not run the ball consistently, so he doesn't have a formidable run game. The online banks they overpaid for. Green Bay doesn't do that very much. They may have overpaid for that guard from the Niners. Their run game's not very good. Major injuries lost Tucker Kraft and they go to Detroit. And Detroit hasn't lost two in a row in forever. And they, you know, they beat him soundly. They, they were the better team.

[J. Mac]

So, so this is a 425 marquee game this weekend, packers hosting the Bears. Bears number one seed in the nfc.

[Colin Cowherd]

Let me watch the line.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Okay.

[J. Mac]

Okay.

[Colin Cowherd]

Green Bay. Oh boy. Green Bay minus one and a half. Oh, God, I'LL give you a mullet.

[J. Mac]

You try again. You're not even close.

[Colin Cowherd]

Green Bay minus three and a half.

[J. Mac]

Green Bay minus six and a half oh God.

[Colin Cowherd]

@ this moment on draft that's ridiculous. A rivalry division game six and a.

[J. Mac]

Half. I I'm just telling you Green Green Bay has a much better odds for super bowl than Chicago. Chicago was it's like right around 910 Super bowl odds. Despite being number one in the NFC. The market is telling you this Bears team is fugazi now. I'm not saying they are. I know Ben Johnson's gonna pull clips and give it to his team. I'm not trashing them. Packers big this.

[Colin Cowherd]

Weekend. Colin just admit that Jordan love blind resume. Oh you love that your head is spinning. You don't know what to do. PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite processors are made to go the distance with blazing fast performance, next level efficiency and multi day battery life. Snapdragon processors are built to tackle it all, from highlight reel editing to intense player research so you can be at the top of your game wherever the day takes you. Learn [e-mail] laptops snapdragon the heart of your PC battery life varies significantly based on device settings, usage and other factors. 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 [e-mail] use the code herd10 at checkout. Terms Apply. Hi, it's.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

Colin. I've been around long enough to know quality when I see it, or in this case, when I taste it. Tito's Handmade Vodka Good stuff. No flash, no gimmick. Smooth, clean tasting. Made the right way. Tito's made in Austin, Texas. Real attention to detail. I like to keep it simple. Tito's Soda one lime, lot of.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Ice. Refreshing.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

Easy. Summer, winter, spring. Totally versatile. Always.

[Colin Cowherd]

Works. Listen, baseball season's.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

Here. The perfect time to kick back with some.

[Colin Cowherd]

Tito's. It's what I.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

Pour. You should.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Too. Distilled and bottled by 5th Generation.

[Tito's Handmade Vodka Spokesperson]

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[Capital One Bank Guy]

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[Sophie Cunningham]

Details. This is an iHeart.

[Colin Cowherd]

Podcast. Guaranteed Human.