THE HERD - Hour 3 - Drew Bledsoe stops by The Herd

Summary

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Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: Hour 3 - Drew Bledsoe Stops By The Herd
Date: December 16, 2025
Featured Guest: Drew Bledsoe (Former NFL Quarterback, Entrepreneur)
Host: Colin Cowherd

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode of The Herd’s third hour, Colin Cowherd welcomes former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe for a wide-ranging conversation. Topics span from quarterback career arcs, team culture, and the state of NFL franchises, to specific player performances, and even Bledsoe’s thriving post-football wine business. The discussion is candid, laced with nostalgia, football insight, and practical wisdom—perfect for sports enthusiasts and anyone interested in leadership, team dynamics, and the unique challenges faced by NFL quarterbacks.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Quarterback Longevity & Transition to Retirement

• Physical Toll vs. Arm Strength
  • Bledsoe reflects on how, even in retirement, quarterbacks maintain their arm strength, but it’s the physical wear—especially on the legs—that prompts retirement.
  • Quote: "You can always throw it. That doesn't really go away. It's being able to take the hits and do the rest of it." – Drew Bledsoe [04:42]

Young Quarterbacks & the Evolving NFL

• Year Two Jump for QBs

  • The second year is highlighted as pivotal for young quarterbacks, where the speed of the game slows down, and their growth accelerates.
  • Bledsoe discusses how foundational support (coaching, team building, good play callers) accelerates development (using Drake May as an example).
  • Quote: "Year two generally is a time when you can make a big jump because everything really starts to slow down." – Drew Bledsoe [05:45]

• Quarterback Arm Talent & Decision-Making

  • On completion percentage: Big-arm QBs (like Caleb Williams and Josh Allen) sometimes struggle initially to accept taking “easy throws” instead of always seeking the big play.
  • Mahomes and his strategic play progression serve as the modern example.
  • Quote: "There's a switch that has to happen. You're like, okay, let's take the easy ones...when we have to, we can make a big throw down field." – Drew Bledsoe [08:06]

Team Chemistry, Culture, and Leadership

• Culture’s Impact
  • Bledsoe emphasizes that prominent, unhappy players pose a threat to team culture, regardless of roster size, drawing from his own experience.
  • Leadership inside the locker room, not just from coaches, is vital to reintegrating or managing difficult personalities.
  • Quote: "If you're a prominent player and you're unhappy...you really can affect even, even a locker room of 60 guys." – Drew Bledsoe [15:03]
  • Example: Patriots’ ability to handle “difficult” personalities due to strong locker room leaders like Vrabel and Bruschi.

Size Matters—Literally—for QBs

• Survivability and Success
  • Cowherd posits, and Bledsoe agrees, that size is key for NFL quarterback longevity and touch on Tua Tagovailoa’s struggles as evidence.
  • “All things being equal, it's better to be bigger…you got a couple extra inches of viewpoint down the field.” – Drew Bledsoe [17:47]

Team and Player Performance Analysis

• Sam Darnold’s Journey and Aggressive QBs

  • Discussion on Darnold’s career arc: early struggles, resurgence with the Rams, and personal assessment of his interception risk.
  • Bledsoe defends QBs known for aggressive deep balls (e.g., Andrew Luck, Favre, Elway).
  • Quote: "Sam's a heck of a player...it's something that's an easy fix for him." – Drew Bledsoe [19:30]

• Matt Stafford Underappreciated

  • Bledsoe campaigns for Matthew Stafford to be recognized among the elite, citing consistency and arm talent.
  • Quote: "He should be the MVP...He needs to be in the conversation more, Colin." – Drew Bledsoe [21:29]

Post-NFL Careers & Wine Business

• Bledsoe shares enthusiasm for his vineyard, likening team-building in the wine industry to football team dynamics.
• Quote: "At the end of the day, we get to sit and drink wine and call it work. So life's good, man." – Drew Bledsoe [21:42]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Physical Toll of the NFL:
  "You can always throw it. That doesn't really go away. It's being able to take the hits and do the rest of it." – Drew Bledsoe [04:42]

• On Leadership and Locker Room Culture:
  "If you're a prominent player and you're unhappy...you really can affect even, even a locker room of 60 guys." – Drew Bledsoe [15:03]

• On Second-Year Quarterbacks:
  "Year two generally is a time when you can make a big jump because everything really starts to slow down." – Drew Bledsoe [05:45]

• On Stafford's Place Among Elite QBs:
  "He should be the MVP...He needs to be in the conversation more, Colin." – Drew Bledsoe [21:29]

• On Post-NFL Life:
  "We call that working. Colin, I'm gonna go to work. I have to. Have to go try to go try some wine." – Drew Bledsoe [21:29]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [04:42] – Bledsoe on arm strength and quarterback aging
• [05:45] – Year two leap for young QBs, Drake May and the coaching effect
• [08:06] – Completion percentage & big-arm QBs’ learning curve
• [15:03] – Team culture, leadership, and managing difficult personalities
• [17:47] – Size, quarterback durability, and Tua’s recent struggles
• [19:30] – Sam Darnold analysis: turnovers and aggressive quarterbacking
• [21:29] – Matthew Stafford MVP case and top-tier QB conversation
• [21:42] – Team-building in business and wine, Bledsoe's post-NFL passion

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Episode Flow & Additional Insights

• The conversation toggles fluidly between on-field performance, off-the-field leadership, and tangible examples from both Bledsoe’s playing and business days.
• Bledsoe consistently emphasizes the importance of organizational structures—be it play-calling in football or team cohesion for business success.
• There’s a recurring theme of respecting the game's evolution: awareness of how more reps and advanced coaching are shaping younger QBs differently today than in Bledsoe’s era.
• Matt Stafford's underappreciated brilliance and how generational narratives in the NFL sometimes bypass consistent performers.
• The episode closes with lighter conversation about Bledsoe’s winery, once again tying the positive aspects of “building great teams” in every arena.

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Summary for Newcomers

This episode is a goldmine for NFL enthusiasts interested in the “why” behind QB success/failure, the intricacies of building and preserving winning cultures, and how principles of leadership translate across sports and business. Drew Bledsoe provides honest, experience-rich insights—with humor and humility—that will resonate well beyond just football fans.

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Transcript

[Sophie Cunningham]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Coca-Cola Announcer]

What a matchup we got, y'.

[Rob Gronkowski]

All.

[Coca-Cola Announcer]

This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action. The band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chance, echo, drum beat, everybody showing that school pride. Game like this. Yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there.

[Prime Video NFL Announcer]

Mmm.

[Coca-Cola Announcer]

Yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere. And in ice cold Coca Cola, that's a winning combo. No matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[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 at don'tsleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly a medicine company.

[Colin Cowherd]

Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio at noon to 3 Eastern, 9am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the [e-mail] or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. So many interesting things happening to college football play. Playoff starts on Friday. Is the Big Ten now at the top at least just Superior to the SEC? There's an argument to be made. Four Pro Bowls, 14 years in the NFL. Drew Bledsoe is now joining us. Wine joining us live from Bend, Oregon. One of the absolute gems in North America. I've sent so many people in my life now they're not getting snow yet this year. If you want to go and recreate and drink wine, you go to Bend, Oregon. I'll circle back to that in a second. The Bledsoe family winery is amazing. You know, it's interesting. Philip Rivers, 44, chopped it up. Kirk Cousins on Thursday chopped it up. Tommy at 44. Stafford had a bad back all camp. There is something. You told me this years ago. You were actually in a wine store in Connecticut, maximum beverage. And you told me this. You said, colin, I can still go in the parking lot and throw a seam route. I just, my legs are done. I watched Philip Rivers. I was like, that's what Drew told me. You can always throw it, right?

[Drew Bledsoe]

Yeah, man, that doesn't really go away. I actually had a good day. A non blood nephew that's a practice squad tight end for the Dolphins. And so I got out and loosened up and was like, hey, let me, let me show you how we used to do it, man. Let me, you know. So yeah, you can always throw it. That doesn't really go away. It's being able to take the hits and do the rest of it. But yeah, that was kind of cool for us old guys to see Philip Rivers come off the, come off the couch and, and some success.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it Was fun. So, you know, it's interesting when I. I look at the Patriots, you. You were with Mike Vrabel one year, and I still contend they're in a rebuild. And I want you to go back to your second year as a quarterback. So you're like a sponge. You're trying to take all this stuff in. Vrabel's a tough coach. The roster's good. It's not as good as Seattle. It's not as good as the Rams. It's not as good as the Lions or Eagles. Go back to year two. Are you kind of amazed by Drake May or a Bo Nix or a Caleb? Or do you think, hey, the world's changed. These guys get more snaps in high school now.

[Drew Bledsoe]

Year two is a big year. Colin, you know, because that first year, man, everything is so fast. You know, I think Phil Sims famously described it as sticking your head in a popcorn machine. You know, it's just like, everything is so fast. Year two, it slows down really dramatically. And then if you have. You know what. You know what Drake May has, you have a great play caller. You've got a roster that's being built around you, and you have great support, you know, then you have a chance to really go and have some. Some success pretty quickly. But year two generally is a time when you can make a big jump because everything really starts to slow down. And. And, you know, Drake did some great things his rookie year. There were flashes of what he could potentially be, but they didn't have much support around him. And, you know, there was a problem last year. Now he's got, you know, he's got the. We like to call him the other Josh McDaniels, because our Josh McDaniels is our winemaker. But the. But the other Josh McDaniels, the other play caller, he's. He's great for. For quarterbacks. And Vrabel is just awesome. And he, you know, he was a guy. When we were playing, he had just so much energy. Colin, you know, he would. He and Brusky actually was the same way. During practice, they would go run scout team kickoff just to burn off extra energy. You know, he's like almost like a Labrador, right? Like, she just has so much. And that really translates to the players. And he is a tough coach, but he's tough in a good way, man. They're having fun. You know, they. I was out there. We were out there when they played the Browns, and he comes into the locker room, and it looks like he just came off the field. He's so fired up and he's really got the guys buying into what he's preaching. And, man, they're just, they're playing good football. Because I was with you, man, I thought they were rebuilding, but that rebuild seems to have been, you know, fast forwarded by probably two years in my estimation with what they're putting on the field this year.

[Colin Cowherd]

Caleb Williams is completing 58% of his throws. I don't know, I think I would be bothered more if he didn't have all the horsepower and torque behind him. Josh Allen now has increased his completion percentage, but he doesn't throw the ball downfield anymore. He just throws the tight ends because they haven't drafted receiver. Well, I'm not losing a ton of sleep over it, but it's. To some, it's alarmingly low. Where do you stand on completion percentage when you have. You had it, by the way, you had the best arm in the league. When you've got more torque than 98%.

[Drew Bledsoe]

Of the planet, there's a, there's a problem sometimes. And I, and you know, you said it, I fell into this. When you've got a big arm, you always feel like you can make the big throw downfield. And, you know, I think over time what I learned and what you've seen with Josh and when Caleb will get here is like, okay, you know, it's great to. It's great to have that and have that ability when you really need to call on it. But it's okay to take the five yarder, it's okay to throw the check down a little more often. You know, you just relieve a lot of stress on yourself if you're in, you know, second six or third and three, then, then you are, if you're in third and 10 a lot. So, you know, it's something. I think you'll see a progression with Caleb because he's got huge arm talent, but there's a switch that has to happen. You're like, okay, let's take the easy ones. You know, let's go ahead and take these easy ones. And then, you know, when we have to, we can make big throwdown field. It's one of the things that's, you know, allowed Pat Mahomes to. To be, you know, so amazingly effective, especially in the last few years. And I know the Chiefs are the Chiefs this year, but in the last few years, you know, you see him, he takes the easy ones in the first three quarters, and then when you need them to put on his cape at the end of the game. Then Mahomes would put on his cape at the end of the game and go make these amazing plays. But when you watch, you know, Pat over the last three, four, five years, you know, he would take the easy ones a lot and then, and then when he needed to call on that amazing ability, he would do that. So I think that's where Caleb, that doesn't concern me. But there, you know, if you watch, if he's, if he's getting the right support, you will see a progression over his career where he's going to be okay taking the easy ones, you know, a little more often, that completion percentage will go up and then when he needs to be Superman, he can do that.

[Colin Cowherd]

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. Hey, it's Cavino and Rich from Fox Sports Radio. Now, in addition to hearing us live weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, we're excited to announce a brand new YouTube channel for the show. Yup, that's right. You can now watch Covino enrich live on YouTube every day. All you gotta do, search Covino Enrich FSR on YouTube again.

[Prime Video NFL Announcer]

Go to YouTube search Covinoenrich FSR.

[Colin Cowherd]

Check us out on YouTube. Subscribe. Hit that thumbs up icon and comment away.

[Coca-Cola Announcer]

What a matchup we got y'.

[Rob Gronkowski]

All.

[Coca-Cola Announcer]

This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action. The band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chance echo drum beatin everybody showing that school pride. A game like this. Yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there. Mmm, yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere. And in ice cold Coca Cola. That's a winning combo. No matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

[IBM Announcer]

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[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'tsleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly A Medicine company.

[Rob Gronkowski]

This is Rob Gronkowski from dudes on dudes with Gronk and Jules for the second season in a row, I partnered with T Mobile's Friday night 5G lights, powering up hometown football across America. This year, T mobile invested over $4 million in prizes to help schools take their Friday nights to the next level. The votes are in. And now it's time to crown our $1 million grand prize winner. Congratulations to Derrick's High school and Derrick's Arkansas, home of the Outlaws and your 2025 T mobile Friday night 5G lights champion. The Outlaws and their community rallied to help them score a game changing home field upgrade, a Gronk Fitness weight room makeover, an epic 2026 tailgate party, and a VIP trip to the SEC championship game. To every school that competed, posted and rallied your communities. Thank you and to T Mobile for making it all possible. This season may be over, but the story isn't. Stay tuned for season three in 2026. Congratulations again to Derek's high school Outlaws.

[Prime Video NFL Announcer]

Thursday Night football is on and it's only on Prime Video. This week, the NFC west grabs a spotlight as the Rams visit. The Seahawks coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with TNF tonight, presented by Verizon, it's Ram Seahawks Thursday at 7pm Eastern. And don't miss Broncos Chiefs on Christmas night. Only on Prime Video. Not a Prime member. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I've always kind of felt that in the NBA because the locker room is so small, like nine guys play, sometimes eight, that one bad attitude can ruin a locker room. In baseball, you know, if you're a relief pitcher and you're cranky, you're not even in the dugout. In football, you know, at practice you split off offense and defense. But I look at George Pickens and he's clearly pouting. You know, somebody probably got to his agent. You're we're going to franchise tag you and he's not happy. In football, the roster is big enough where not everybody's happy all the time. But I do think for a prominent player to be kind of cranky, moody, pouting, it does matter. Not a gunner on special teams. Would you resign? George Pickens, knowing much like Georgia, Pittsburgh and now Dallas, you don't know exactly what you're getting week to week, mood wise with him.

[Drew Bledsoe]

You know, it's something that I talk about some corporate speaking and I, and I talk about it with our company as well, with it, with our wine company, with our team. You know, culture in an organization, it's not equitable. And when I say that, it's, it's exactly what you're talking about. If you're a prominent player and you're unhappy, you're not putting team first, you're not doing some of those things. You really can affect even, even a locker room of 60 guys. It can affect, you know, the entire culture. And so I don't know that situation in and out. You know, receivers are historically divas. I hope Eric Molds listens to this because he was a pain in the ass when I was in Buffalo, but he was a great and I love him to death and we were able to bring him around. You know, so what it really takes, you know, it takes strong leadership within that locker room to bring him around. You know, and that was one of the reasons that, you know, the Patriots, with their dynasty, you know, they could bring in guys that had had problems elsewhere because that leadership came in the locker room. You know, I mean, it was, we just talked about Vrabel, it was Vrabel, it was Willie McGinnis, it was Rodney Harrison, it was Laura Malloy. It was. There were a lot of these guys on the defensive side of the ball that just grab somebody and they would bring them into the fold. And so, you know, if you're going to have a player like that, that leadership has to happen inside the locker room. It's very hard for a coach at the top to, to go, you know, rein that in. I think that that comes from inside the locker room. So if you're going to have a player that's having a problem like that, man, you know, you got to, you got to address it directly and right away. Otherwise it actually really can affect the rest of your locker room. Mostly because if one part of your team is able to act that way, it gives others permission to act that way or it brings their performance down because, like, well, you know, why, why do I have to give everything I've got when that guy clearly isn't? So you really do have to address it. I'm not saying it can't work. It can work, but you have to have great leadership in the locker room in order for that to work.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, I was watching TUA last night and I'm, I've said before, you're six six. I am a big believer. If you look at the first place quarterbacks in this league, they're six, three and up. That's just the reality. Kyler Murray, age quick. Russell Wilson, Age Quick 2 last night, he doesn't feel like the same player. And I think a lot of it is. This is a hard league. Big men survive. I mean, you're a classic example. You look like an NBA guy when I and I've stood next to you and I'm six two. Take me to your career. And I don't want to pick on TUA where your size was a huge advantage because you didn't have great O lines for your 14 years. You got, you had a couple of Herbert years where you had guys connected to your hip.

[Drew Bledsoe]

You know, all things being equal, it's better to be bigger, you know, I mean it just, you know, you got a couple extra benches, a couple extra inches of viewpoint down the field. I do think it's a, it's a particular challenge from the pocket if you're not, you know, if you can't see over the top of these guys sometimes. But yeah, you know, I watched to a play last night and I've always been a fan of his game and a fan of the guy, but man, it was, it was, it was not great to watch last night. So I don't know exactly what's going on. You know, it's always more complicated than we want it to be, Colin, you know, in terms of what's going on, you know, down the field with what kind of what's going on schematically. It's never just simple like hey, the quarterback's not playing well. It's. That's. We like to boil it down and make it that simple and that's not what it is. But something's not right, you know, that's, that's clearly evident because two is not playing to the standard that we've seen him play at in the past right now, you know, and I'm, I'm confident he can get back there, but there's something going on because it definitely doesn't look like what we would expect from, from TUA right now on the field.

[Colin Cowherd]

The Rams are probably the best team in the league and it literally is an embarrassment of riches. Now that Blake Corum's playing well, it looks good. They play Seattle on Thursday now. I think Seattle is one of the only teams that can go toe to toe with the Rams. Everybody's concerned about Sam Darnold and the interceptions. I have defended quarterbacks for years that are aggressive. Throw it down the field. I was a huge Andrew Luck fan. Favre, they Elway through picks. When you look at Darnold, what do you see? And are you bothered by his picks?

[Drew Bledsoe]

No, I'm not. Sam's. Sam's a heck of a player, and he's been. That's one of my favorite stories over the past few years, is to watch his rise after he was exiled to the jets, you know, with quarterbacks go to die. We all know that. Right. And, you know, so it's been, it's been great to watch his rise. I'm not bothered by it. You know, I think it's. It's something that's. That's an easy fix for him. But, man, with the Rams, you know, one thing, Colin, that we have to talk about is Matt Stafford. Man, the guy is playing at such a high level, and for some reason, Matthew Stafford, when we talk about, when you hear the great quarterbacks in the league, talked about year after year after year, Matt Stafford's not very often in that conversation. We talk about all these other guys and, and I almost think he's just a victim of being so consistently excellent that it's. It becomes not interesting to talk about because, you know, he just has been consistently, you know, excellent since he came in the league, and he was excellent. You know, he was in Detroit before Dan Campbell got there, so he was playing great football on bad teams. But, man, the guy is playing such great football this year. He's got great weapons around him, and I'm just, I. I think he should be the mvp. I hope he is. I think he deserves it. And I just think we need to. He needs to be in the conversation more, Colin. So I'm putting that on you from now on. When you talk about the great quarterbacks in the, in the NFL, make sure you always include Matt Stafford on the list, man, because he's been consistently great for many, many years now. And it's cool to see him, you know, surrounded by some guys that are allowing him to really shine.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, when they talk about the term arm talent, he's kind of the definition of arm talent. Like, he could pitch in the bigs. He's an NFL quarterback. You were one of those guys Double Back Wineries. The name of it, the Bledsoe Family Winery. You're in Bend, Oregon, a gem in the Pacific Northwest. Will you be at your wine bar today and will you sample your product?

[Drew Bledsoe]

I will. We call that working. Colin, I'm gonna go to work. I have to. Have to go try to go try some wine. And then we have our. We have our. Our company holiday party tonight. So that's an excuse to work a little harder and drink a little bit more wine.

[Colin Cowherd]

But.

[Drew Bledsoe]

But we've got, man, we've got. You know, we talk about great teams, man, and call them the coolest thing in our business. We have a rock star team. We've been very good in the past, and our team is getting better every single year, man. They keep just kicking ass for us and making me look good when I go out and talk about the wine. So it's really fun. And at the end of the day, we get to sit and drink wine and call it work. So life's good, man.

[Colin Cowherd]

Bledsoe Family Winery. Look it up online. I've been looking at it during our interview. It has always great to see you, my friend.

[Drew Bledsoe]

You too, Colin, man. Merry Christmas to you and everybody, everybody out there and we'll talk to you again soon.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, Drew Bledsoe. It really is. Double back is a. Unbelievable. The cab is unbelievable. It's not. You know, Drew's been doing this for a long time. Walla Walla Bend, Oregon. It's just fantastic. All right, I'm gonna do a break, come back with Herdline news. Quarterbacks all love Stafford. If you ask quarterbacks about quarterbacks, they're all like, it's like a comics comic, an actor's actor. They're all like, no, that's Stafford guy in la. That's the guy. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Coca-Cola Announcer]

What a matchup we got, y'.

[Rob Gronkowski]

All.

[Coca-Cola Announcer]

This is that classic HBCU vibe. Non stop action. The band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chance, echo, drum beat. Everybody showing that school prize game like this. Yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola. Ah, crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there.

[Prime Video NFL Announcer]

Mmm.

[Coca-Cola Announcer]

Yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere. And in ice cold Coca Cola, that's a winning combo. No matter the sport, no matter the yard, Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work. So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

[IBM Announcer]

So let me get this straight. Your company has data here, there and everywhere, but your AI can't use the data because it's here, there and everywhere? Seems like something's missing. Every business has unique data. IBM helps your AI access your data wherever it lives. To change how you do business, let's create Smile to Business IBM.

[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'tsleep on osa.com this information is provided by Lilly, a medicine company.

[Rob Gronkowski]

This is Rob Gronkowski from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and jules for the second season in a row, I partnered with T Mobile's Friday night 5G lights powering up hometown football football across America. This year, T mobile invested over $4 million in prizes to help schools take their Friday nights to the next level. The votes are in and now it's time to crown our $1 million grand prize winner. Congratulations to Derrick's High school and Derrick's Arkansas, home of the Outlaws and your 2025 T mobile Friday night 5G lights champion. The Outlaws and their community rallied to help them score a game changing home field upgrade, a Gronk Fitness weight room makeover, an epic 2026 tailgate party and a VIP trip to the SEC Championship game to every school that competed posted and rallied your communities. Thank you and to T Mobile for making it all possible. This season may be over, but the story isn't. Stay tuned for season three in 2026. Congratulations again to Derek's high school Outlaws.

[Prime Video NFL Announcer]

Thursday Night football is on and it's only on Prime Video. This week the NFC west grabs a spotlight as the Rams visit the Seahawks. Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with TNF tonight. Presented by Verizon. It's Rams Seahawks Thursday at 7pm Eastern. And don't miss Broncos Chiefs on Christmas night. Only on Prime Video. Not a Prime member. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details.

[Colin Cowherd]

NBA Cut Knicks are gonna take on Wemby and the Spurs. That's a good NBA cup. The east stinks, but the Knicks are interesting. J. Mac with the news.

[Drew Bledsoe]

No, no, no, turn on the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

This is the herd line news.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Oh, I've been waiting on this story for a good hour. It's your boy Sam Darnold in the Seahawks. Huge game Thursday coming. Yeah, Sam Darnold's been on the struggle bus. He's got a one way ticket on the struggle bus for about the last month now. I'll have some stats for you shortly. They nearly lost to Philip Rivers, the 44 year old dad bod who climbed off the sofa and went to Seattle nearly one as a 14 point dog. Anyways, here's Sam Darnold talking about offensive issues which have plagued Seattle of late.

[Drew Bledsoe]

For us, we just got to start faster as an offense. We got to finish in the red zone. It's, I feel like it's becoming a theme now these next few weeks and we got to get it figured out. You know, I feel like our defense is playing really, really good football. But yeah, we just gotta, we gotta step it up a little bit as an offense, you know, and that starts with me, but we just gotta, we gotta play better.

[Colin Cowherd]

How do you not love Sam Darnold? Never a victim starts with me. That guy is such a good guy.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Yeah, clearly. Very nice guy. I was such a fan of his when he was on the Jets.

[Colin Cowherd]

Now the bad news now, last 38.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Starts, some more positive stuff.

[Colin Cowherd]

Last 38 starts, which is Carolina at the end, Minnesota, Seattle. Higher winning percentage than the Goat and Mahomes. Awesome.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Yeah, they, I mean they won a lot of games last year in Minnesota. Okay, now to what matters is the last three games. Colin, this is staggering. So the staff was like, you know, the offense hasn't scored a touchdown in the first half in the last three games. So I dug into the drives. Look at this, 15 drives in the last three games, zero touchdowns offensively. They basically. Collin, they had one drive over 50 yards in the first half of the last three games. So let me ask you this. When you look at this and you're like oh wait, Kubiak last year, remember how hot he started in New Orleans? I mean his car was cooking, they were scoring 40 points. Petered out End of the season quietly. Kubiak, let's move on. Sam Darnold last year started hot with o', Connell, petered out at the end, struggled, done. This is happening again to Kubiak and Darnold. Colin, what's the concern? Level.

[Colin Cowherd]

First of all, weather gets worse later a season. Is offense is harder. Secondly, offensive lines of physical position. Nobody's offensive line is healthy. Seattle's was bad last year. Better could be dinged up. Also, let's be honest. It's a long season. It gets repetitive. Teams go high and low. I mean, I mean this week Denver comes off that huge Green Bay win. Would you be shocked if they lose to Jacksonville? Like, it's hard. And as the season goes on, you've exhausted every play and every set and every motion. Defense and running games are paramount. Seattle is winning games, my young friend.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

All right, and then, and then another stat for you. So you want to go first. Nine games this season. Darnold was unbelievable. 17 touchdowns, six picks, 71 completions. Last five starting with that Rams game, 62% completions. He's fallen down 9%. Five touchdowns, five picks. Now four were against the Rams. Yeah, but the numbers are significantly depressed. One could argue the Seahawks are winning in spite of Sam Darnold in the last few games. I'm not willing to go that far. But I do think you can say, Colin, can I interest you in a first half under in Ramsey Hawks?

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, yes, yes. But let me ask you, here are the three quarterbacks I keep being told we have real concerns over Mo. Nick's, Sam Darnold, Caleb Williams. What are their combined numbers? They keep winning. I like winners. I'm not. Stats, can we delete that?

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Are we live right now?

[Colin Cowherd]

Stats? No. Okay.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

All right, let's move on to the next story. This is a sad one. Pete Carroll and the Raiders. Holy hell, this team is a disaster. Do you remember when he got the job? He's like, oh, we could turn it around. We're a player or two away. Pete said he expected the team to compete right away, not rebuild. They're now 2 and 12. They are in the mix for the numeral uno pick in the draft. Here's Pete Carroll on his job security and the Raiders as a whole.

[Coca-Cola Announcer]

Do you feel like you're coaching for your job?

[Drew Bledsoe]

Like I wonder how did you kind of like. No, I don't feel like that at all. I really don't. I don't. I'm well beyond that. I blindly optimistic as I am, you know, I thought we would come in here and we'd have a big factor on this club and we would be able to, you know, find success that we would be proud of. And right now it doesn't feel like that.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it's not that they're losing, it's how they're losing. 75 yards of offense so, you know, it's. It's beyond losing. A lot of teams lose. They lose close. They're competitive. They fight. It's how they're losing.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

You see that line against the Texans in Houston? Fourteen and a half. I mean, you kind of want to just lay it, bet it and forget it, as they like to say. Let me just ask you this. It just hit me. Old guy Bill Belichick goes to college, total flop. The last two presidents have been very old, and they've both struggled greatly. Pete Carroll goes to the Raiders.

[Sophie Cunningham]

Old.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

I mean, at some point, do we need you to say, hey, guys, I knew you had a good run. Maybe it's time to just shut it down and leave the coaching and politics to younger folks? I don't. Pete Carroll has been looks clueless on the sideline. Colin, he has, like, no idea what to do. He's like, oh, let's start Kenny Pickett, they had 75 yards. I'm not being an ageist here. I know that might sound bad, but it's like, come on, guys, like, what are we doing here? I don't see any way Pete Carroll survives, do you?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I think the last two years, he and John Snyder had issues.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Pete's.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'm not going to get personal. I. It's been disappointing. I don't think from ownership down, it's working. I believe if you're going to hire a defensive coach, you got to go D', Ameco, Ryan's or Mike McDonald or maybe the next one's Jesse Minter. You got to go young. A lot of these older defensive coaches, Ron Rivera, Pete Belichick, sometimes Tomlin, they feel they don't quite understand the world's changed. You have to be elite on offense to win. Great defenses like Houston. Houston's going to be a number seven seed and easily has the best defense in the league. What does that tell you about defense in the modern era? There's limitations on your defense. Philadelphia's defense is amazing. Yeah, they're struggling. Why? Because they can't get the offense right. So if you're going to go defense, there's an argument. Lovey Smith was, like, struggled a bit. Then you got to go young in defense. So Jesse Minter would be a guy I would look at.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

So if I'm Jesse Minter and I see that the tight job is open with Cam Ward, the Giants job is open and the Raiders, which one of those appeals to you? If you're Jesse Mitchell, or do you just stay with Herbert and Harbaugh for another Year.

[Colin Cowherd]

That's the answer.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Exactly. I don't think this is a great job. Honestly. I know not to make it about the jets, but, like, I know Glenn has not been great. I'm not dumping him because there's nobody out there. I don't see any great candidates. I do think Pete gets run and, you know, obviously you could flex Tom Brady and he could probably bring in.

[Colin Cowherd]

A big name, but.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Final story, Colin. Let's go to college football. Big day in the college football world. Lot of speculation about Arch Manning. And Arch's dad confirmed that Arch Manning will return to Texas for the 2026 season. He's not going to enter the draft. I don't think this surprises anybody. We knew this after week one. I will just say, you know, Arch ended the season on a high note, right? He looked pretty good in that A and M game. Certainly better than he did early. He's still got some work to do. We got it scheduled next year. You want. You want to see it?

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Next year.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Not great. They gotta face Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, lsu, A. M. This is Tennessee, Florida. This is life in the sec. Like, it's not going to be easy for Arch.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, Ole Miss won't be as good.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Well, Lane Kiffin's going to be there. They're going to hit the portal hard, man.

[Colin Cowherd]

No, that's lsu. LSU will be great.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

I'm sorry, lsu? Yes, yes, yes. Lane Kim.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, next year's class will have Arch Matting, Jaden Mava as starters. I'll.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Dante Moore. Does he come out?

[Colin Cowherd]

If he. If he comes out next year, he would be the number one pick. He and Arch Manning would be the number one pick.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Keep an eye on the kid from Florida who's transferring. He's pretty good.

[Colin Cowherd]

He throws a lot of picks, a lot of pick. He's really inconsistent.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

What about your guy, Julian Saying? I'm not anywhere close on that.

[Colin Cowherd]

I love Julian saying is under.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

No, Underwood was a red shirt. He was a freshman this year. So, no, he's not eligible. But, yeah, as we always say, next year's draft is stacked at quarterback. Matier from Oklahoma. I'm very curious to see what he looks like, by the way, Friday night.

[Colin Cowherd]

So am I. Is he playing Friday?

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

I think they play Friday. Oklahoma, Alabama.

[Colin Cowherd]

Wow, that's a good game. That's a good Friday.

[Sam Darnold Analyst]

Couple potential NFL quarterbacks. You know, you're in the Midwest. You should just, you know, take a little drive. What, a couple hours down there to Oklahoma?

[Colin Cowherd]

That's not a couple hours. A couple hours for me to get to the burbs. Couple hours is Green Bay J. Mac with the news.

[Drew Bledsoe]

Well, that's the news and thanks for.

[Colin Cowherd]

Stopping by the herd lie news. By the way, Mike McDaniel, who I argued earlier, I. He's not my cup of tea as a head coach, but there's not a great pool out there and the GM didn't do a good job. Two is regressed. There's an argument. The new GM says I'm going to keep Mike McDaniel around for a year and we're going to go draft a young quarterback and see what I can get. I think that's out there. Here's Mike McDaniel today at a pressure talking about her last night, talking about benching potentially to I think that, you know, we're in the process of game planning for the Cincinnati Bengals. So in that process we're trying to determine who will give us the best chance to win. Is that in your mind still, tua.

[Drew Bledsoe]

Or are you considering a quarterback change this week?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, I think the quarterback play last night was not good enough. And so for me, everything's on the table. I'll throw this at you. Their next three games are Cincinnati Burrow will play New England and Tampa. I would. I'd rest a few of your defensive starters. I'd go 0 3. They currently have the number 11 pick. I'd play two. I don't care. I would. You're going to lose to Tampa and New England because you don't have the players. Cincinnati maybe rest your top running back. Whatever. I'd rest a few guys and end up 6 and 11. And you may have to reach on a quarterback. Maybe you move down and replenish the roster a little bit. But I think Mike McDaniel with a new quarterback move off to a for a year is interesting. He's. He's an offensive coach. He's super bright and if you look at what he's done with Tua, folks, Tua led the league in completions one year, passing yards one year. I can argue Mike McDaniel has overachieved with Tua. I'm not. I can make that argument. I. I didn't like. My theory's always been if you have two as a quarterback, you have to have two things. A top 6 or 7o line and a good backup quarterback. They're bad at both. That's not Mike McDaniel's fault. So Quinn Ewers is a more than capable backup. You know what I think that's what I do I'd play Quinn Ewers. I want to see what I got. Go play Quinn Ewers next three weeks. I think that's what I would do. Zach Wilson. I know what I've got. Quinn, yours. Put him out there. Let's see if he can play and if he can. You don't have to draft a quarterback. But I would sure like to have that 11th pick become like the seventh pick because that's the territory that you can move down and get a 4 and a 5 and because they're not close. But McDaniel is good enough at what he does. It's, it's. If I, I get the job as gm, which has always been my dream job, I get the job as gm, I can sit around and go to Stephen Ross and say I'm going to keep him for a year. He actually, he, he actually. I'm looking for an offensive guy anyway. You, you tell me the market, instead of locking in for five years and $70 million, let's just see what happens. Life moves quickly. It's the hurt.

[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 at don'tsleep on OSA.com this information is provided by Lilly A Medicine Company.

[Rob Gronkowski]

Amazon Five Star Theater presents real customer reviews performed by Ed Helms. Tonight's review Tactical Jacket. I was living a simple life. Didn't get out much. Then I bought this jacket and everything changed. Women came flocking to me from lands domestic and foreign. On the 245 day sailboat voyage home, I was attacked by a shark. I knew it was the jacket he was after. Giving up the jacket in exchange for my life. 5 stars Amazon Customer 69 Shop the perfect gift this holiday on Amazon.

[Coca-Cola Announcer]

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[IBM Announcer]

All.

[Coca-Cola Announcer]

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[Drew Bledsoe]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Sophie Cunningham]

This is an I Heart podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

Guaranteed human.