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THE HERD - Hour 3 - Eagles are still trying to make the right adjustments, Dan Campbell should get more credit, Geoff Schwartz - The Herd with Colin Cowherd | Wave AI Podcast Notes

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THE HERD - Hour 3 - Eagles are still trying to make the right adjustments, Dan Campbell should get more credit, Geoff Schwartz

The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Wed Oct 08 2025

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd (Hour 3)

Date: October 8, 2025
Main Guests: Geoff Schwartz, J. Mac
Theme: NFL and College Football Adjustments, Coach Credit, and Key NFL Storylines

Episode Overview

This hour centers on the evolving landscape of elite football teams—specifically the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions—amidst coaching staff changes, personnel challenges, and system tweaks. Colin Cowherd, joined by Fox Sports analyst and former NFL lineman Geoff Schwartz, digs into why the Eagles are struggling to find their groove, why Dan Campbell deserves more love for Detroit’s upturn, and how coaching acumen is impacting NFL success. The discussion also explores quarterback surges, offensive trends, and a coming referendum for USC’s Lincoln Riley. The hour closes with rapid-fire analysis on NBA storylines, the Yankees, and a candid conversation about sports pressures and expectations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. USC vs. Michigan – A Referendum on Lincoln Riley

[03:04-06:12]
- Geoff Schwartz picks Michigan over USC, citing Michigan’s physical edge and questioning USC’s ability to overcome strong teams in the trenches.
  - "Colin, you gotta point me in the direction of when USC is beating a team under Lincoln Riley that could push them around in the trenches. The answer, I think, is never." — Geoff Schwartz [03:53]
- Colin frames this as a career-defining game for Lincoln Riley, comparing him to James Franklin regarding struggles in big spots:
  - “This is going to be a signature game… If USC can't win at home and they're healthy up front, we have to come to terms with Lincoln Riley. He's not the culture builder...” — Colin [04:43]
The group notes USC’s history of home advantage and the big-game stage, but agree that losing would force a new narrative on Riley’s legacy.

2. Oregon's Secret Sauce and Dan Lanning’s Fit

[06:12-08:28]
- Complete offensive overhaul: Oregon replaced all 11 offensive starters yet remains elite.
- Lanning’s talent acquisition:
  - “Oregon buys the right players. Look at their hit rate in the portal. They hit home runs.” — Geoff Schwartz [07:03]
- Lanning’s Georgia roots, staff synergy, cultural buy-in, toughness, and letting players' personalities shine are named as key advantages.

3. Eagles’ Struggles: Is It the Personnel or the Coordinators?

[08:28-10:39]
- Coordinator impact: The Eagles’ offensive regression is partially attributed to changing coordinators, not a lack of talent.
  - "I think Philadelphia didn't have a personnel issue. I think they have a coordinator issue. They're very coordinator dependent." — Colin [08:28]
- Injuries and adaptation: Geoff points to injuries and slow system adaptation, reminding listeners that great teams sometimes need time to gel.
- Detroit’s overlooked genius: Geoff argues Dan Campbell is not getting enough credit for offensive continuity despite a coordinator change:
  - “I think Dan Campbell’s not getting enough credit here… looks very similar to what they did with Ben Johnson—that correlation is Dan Campbell.” — Geoff Schwartz [10:13]

4. Quarterback Play and Offense—Modern Trends

[10:39-14:32]
- Baker Mayfield’s resurgence: Colin is surprised by Mayfield’s MVP-level play despite missing key weapons.
  - "He's not a perfect size. He's not quite as athletic as he thinks he is... and right now, would be MVP of the league." — Colin [10:39]
  - Geoff praises Baker's grit: "He’s the most fun to bet on... He just fights, man. Like he’s so much fun to watch because they’re never out of a game." [11:09]
- Surge in QB passer ratings: 15 QBs have a passer rating over 100 (up from six just a couple years ago).
  - Colin credits smarter offensive coaches and early, extensive QB training.
  - Geoff highlights softer, zone-heavy defenses and immediate WR impact:
    - "You come in the NFL and you're good almost immediately at this position... just get the ball in their hands and let them run." — Geoff Schwartz [13:18]

5. Rapid-Fire Topics and NFL Odds & Ends

Coach and MVP Picks

[18:31-20:45]
- Colin: "If I had to vote coach of the year, Baker's my MVP... My coach is Kyle Shanahan. The fact that they're leading the division and 50% of their best players are not available—what he is doing in San Francisco, they may not win a division, but you can have a great year coaching and not end up winning playoff games because of what you do with what you have."
Geoff applauds Shanahan’s system “plug and play” capability.
- “Belief in the system… plug and play guys… that's why they’re staying on track with backups.”

Chiefs Check-In

[20:45-22:11]
- Colin remains bullish on Kansas City, citing play improvements and personnel health.
- Geoff warns of ongoing pass rush issues; suggests a trade may be needed.

6. NBA, College Football, and More: Hot Takes and Banter

Luka Doncic’s Dramatic Weight Loss

[23:12-24:53]
- LeBron praises Luka’s offseason work:
  - “He just looks... a little bit quicker, more functional. But more importantly, what people will not see is the recovery. Super duper proud.” — LeBron (quoted by panel) [23:28]
- Colin and J. Mac debate Luka’s new play, projected dunk count, and how staggering minutes could help the new Lakers dynamic.

Michigan-USC Anticipation Continues

[24:53-27:20]
- Discussion of Michigan fans flocking to LA, weather’s impact on crowd mix.
- Colin: "USC will move the ball... Michigan may win through physicality, but USC will have a few more dynamic plays over the top." [26:28]

Eagles’ Locker Room Jabs and Brian Daboll’s Comments

[28:32-29:53]
- Brian Daboll subtly stirs the pot:
  - “AJ's open a lot... There's a lot of weapons, I would say, on that offense, and whatever they choose to do is what they do.” — Brian Daboll (clip, commented upon by hosts) [28:48]
- Colin: “He wants AJ Brown to read that and get a little testy. He’s playing gamesmanship. This is like Phil Jackson... just planting seeds.” [29:12]

7. Notable Quotes

On USC and Lincoln Riley:
"If they lose this game, you have to kind of acknowledge what Lincoln is." — Colin [04:43]
On Baker Mayfield:
"He’s the quarterback thing a lot of us want to guide our teams, right? Just the guy that we want to root for and we see the battle from him each and every week." — Geoff [11:09]
On Modern QB Success:
"Quarterback play is better than ever in NFL history." — Geoff [14:32]
On Shanahan’s Coaching:
"I played on one team that was really beat up like this... and we sucked. I mean, we were terrible after everyone got hurt... I give [the Niners] a lot of credit." — Geoff [19:29]

8. Fun and Memorable Banter

Colin and J. Mac riff on LA’s status as a destination for traveling football fans in winter, reminiscing about the days of NFL games in San Diego.
They muse about the Yankees’ “action movie” roster and postseason hopes, with jokes about Hollywood classics like Die Hard and Predator.
J. Mac jokes about Scatter Boo, "reminds me of myself, tough, physical, not backing down from anybody." — [30:27]

Timestamps for Important Segments

USC vs Michigan/ Lincoln Riley Legacy: [03:53]-[06:12]
Oregon’s rise under Dan Lanning: [06:12]-[08:28]
Eagles and Lions coordinator/coach debate: [08:28]-[10:39]
Baker Mayfield MVP talk: [10:39]-[11:09]
QB Rating Boom/Modern trends: [12:13]-[14:32]
Shanahan and the Niners’ resilience: [18:31]-[20:45]
Chiefs' defensive dilemma: [20:45]-[22:11]
Luka/Lakers NBA banter: [23:12]-[24:53]
Brian Daboll gamesmanship: [28:32]-[29:53]

Tone and Style

Direct, witty, analytic—classic Cowherd, with Schwartz playing the candid, stats-savvy counterpoint.
Spotlights both Xs-and-Os football talk and locker room psychology.
Playful yet insightful, especially during rapid-fire sequences and post-interview segments.

Conclusion

Hour 3 of The Herd delivers a blend of pointed football analysis, coach appreciation, and topical debates about the state of the game—from the trenches of the NFL to the hype of college football's top programs. Colin, Geoff, and guests balance deep dives with relatable humor, serving both serious sports fans and casual listeners with a dynamic, content-rich hour.

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Transcript

Mandy Money (0:00)

This is an I Heart podcast.

Colin Cowherd (0:04)

What do you do when things get tough? You don't give up.

Joel Klatt (0:07)

You stand your ground. If you've been diagnosed with metastatic prostate.

Colin Cowherd (0:10)

Cancer and have tried hormone therapy, ask your doctor About Pluvicto Lutetium Lu177Vipivatide Tetrexitan Pluvicto is not chemotherapy. It's a different treatment that targets PSMA positive cells.

Joel Klatt (0:23)

It's now FDA approved after one hormone.

Colin Cowherd (0:25)

Therapy or before chemotherapy.

Joel Klatt (0:27)

Bluvicto is a prescription treatment used to.

Colin Cowherd (0:29)

Treat adults with prostate specific membrane antigen positive metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer or PSMA positive MCRPC who have already been treated with hormone therapy or hormone therapy and chemotherapy. Pluvicto involves contact with radioactivity which may.

Joel Klatt (0:45)

Increase the risk for cancer and cause fetal harm. Drink plenty of fluids, urinate often, use.

Colin Cowherd (0:50)

Contraception and talk to your doctor about.

Joel Klatt (0:52)

Ways to reduce the risk of exposing others to radiation.

Colin Cowherd (0:54)

During and after treatment, Pluvicto can cause low levels of blood cell counts, kidney problems and infertility.

Joel Klatt (1:00)

Tell your doctor if you have weakness, pale skin, shortness of breath, bleeding or.

Colin Cowherd (1:03)

Bruising more easily an infection or changes in urination. Side effects include decreased blood cell counts, tiredness, dry mouth, nausea, appetite loss, joint or back pain and constipation. Ask your doctor about Pluvicto because every.

Joel Klatt (1:15)

Day without cancer progression is a victory.

Colin Cowherd (1:18)

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Colin Cowherd (36:05)

There is something to be said about having it like Arch doesn't quite feel like me. He's big enough. He's got, he's got arm strength, he moves well. You know, some of it is just sometimes it's just there is a thing about quarterback play that it's hard to quantify. It's like some guys just like when I first watched Mahomes, I'm like, he's. They said this about Wayne Gretzky. He sees the play before it's fully developed. Gretzky passed the puck before the play was fully developed. Mahomes has that Aaron Rodgers in his prime was that Aaron could see something just, just a half beat before it was open. Here's Joel Clatt earlier on the. On the athletic story about Arch being the biggest bust ever. Arch has not played well at all and Texas has not played well. And that's the other part, is that they're not doing really anything well. The offensive line, which was rebuilt this year after a veteran group a year ago, they have not protected him at all. When they do protect him, he doesn't throw the ball well. They can't run it very well. If you look at what they've done against FBS competition, it's like nothing, nothing. So there's no evidence that would lead you to believe that this is going to turn around all of a sudden. It's not like they've had some performance against a good team that would lead you to believe that all Of a sudden, it's going to get better. Yeah. No, I think that's fair. The other story is it's, you know, it's so different. Baseball in New York is so different. Okay, first of all, you have a lot of revenue and a lot of money. And so the fans read that and hear about it, and the expectations are high. You know, Milwaukee struggles. Everybody knows middle of the pack or at best, salaries. So you come into every season with massive expectations. The Yankees are interesting. Garrett Cole gets hurt before the season. Well, you're, You're. You're not winning the World Series. I mean, to me, expectations for the Yankees have been unrealistic. I mean, Volpe is a good player, but he commits a lot of errors. Aaron Judge, a good player. Until last night. He had good moments. He'd be great player. Obviously. John Carlos Stanton's hurt a lot. They're not a great baserunning team. They're not a great defensive team. They're an uneven roster. They have more good players than a Boston. They're not close to the Dodgers. I don't think they're as complete as the Brewers. And so a lot of it's just expectations. I mean, Aaron Judge, I said it before. They're an action movie. He's the lead, and he has to be on camera or the movie's not as good. You know, it's a rock movie. It's. It's an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie. They got to be on camera. It's not a great cast. It's not a great plot. It's not a great script. The Dodgers are a great script, a great plot, an ensemble cast. That's not what the Yankees are. And so I think once Garrett Cole got hurt. Go back to last year's World Series, the two games they looked like they could compete with the Dodgers. He started. Go to the other games, dude. It looked like the Dodgers and an American League Central team with a 18th biggest payroll. They weren't good defensively. They didn't run the base as well. They don't play small ball. This team strikes out all the time.