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THE HERD - Hour 3 - Drew Bledsoe stops by The Herd - The Herd with Colin Cowherd | Wave AI Podcast Notes

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

The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Tue Dec 16 2025

Summary

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

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.

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]

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]

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

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.

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 (0:00)

This is an iHeart podcast.

Colin Cowherd (0:02)

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Coca-Cola Announcer (0:35)

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Rob Gronkowski (0:37)

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Coca-Cola Announcer (0:37)

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Prime Video NFL Announcer (0:57)

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Coca-Cola Announcer (0:58)

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Colin Cowherd (1:22)

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Drew Bledsoe (5:45)

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.

Drew Bledsoe (8:06)

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.

Drew Bledsoe (15:03)

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 (37:08)

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.