THE HERD - Hour 3 - Julian Edelman Explores if the Eagles Should Move AJ Brown

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Episode: Hour 3 – Julian Edelman Explores if the Eagles Should Move AJ Brown
Date: September 16, 2025
Host: Colin Cowherd (with Rob Parker and guests Julian Edelman, Danny Parkins, Jay Glazer)

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Overview

This episode features Colin Cowherd and Rob Parker discussing major NFL storylines, with special guests Julian Edelman and Danny Parkins joining to provide insider perspectives. Key topics included the Philadelphia Eagles’ use (or non-use) of AJ Brown, the evolution of NFL offenses, quarterback injury prevention, young QB development (especially Caleb Williams), coaching hot seats, franchise cultures, and the ongoing evaluation of QBs like Justin Herbert.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Changing Team Cultures & Coaching Fundamentals

Julian Edelman on Coaching Turnarounds

• Edelman draws parallels between teams and coaches known for rapid turnarounds (e.g., Mike Vrabel, Jim Harbaugh).
• Key takeaway: Culture changes come from focusing on fundamentals (blocking/tackling), not just schemes.
  • “Belichick always used to say this game comes down to two things, blocking and tackling.” — Julian Edelman [03:40]
• Teams that succeed minimize turnovers and pre-snap mistakes and play to their personnel strengths.

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2. Eagles’ Offense and the AJ Brown Question

• Colin and Rob debate Philly’s offense, questioning whether underuse of AJ Brown (and limited deep passing) is a problem.
• Edelman defends the pragmatic, win-first approach:
  • “The ultimate statistic is the winning loss column.” — Julian Edelman [05:45]
  • He notes Philly, like peak Patriots teams, doesn’t care about stats if they’re winning and that “there’s going to be a time where they’re going to need [Brown]. They just got to keep him happy.”
• There’s agreement Philly’s style — efficient, controlled, short passing — can be demoralizing to defenses, provided playmakers stay bought-in.

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3. Quarterback Durability and Team Construction: Joe Burrow, Tom Brady

• Discussion of why some QBs (Brady, Eli, Mahomes) rarely miss time: preparation, body care, and offensive systems are key.
• Edelman reveals Tom Brady played through more injuries than known and prioritized his body:
  • “He always thought about his body in his preparation. If he’s subconsciously thinking about this all the time, it translates into your game.” — Julian Edelman [07:42]
• Burrow’s situation is contrasted: forced to take more hits due to lack of run game/support, leading to more injuries.
  • “How does Joe not get hurt? Hit him less, give the ball to other people more, get the ball out of his hands.” — Edelman [09:13]

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4. Caleb Williams and the Challenge of Rookie QB Integration

• Rob Parker and Colin discuss Caleb Williams with doubts about scheme fit under Ben Johnson.
• Edelman urges patience, arguing Williams is only in his second offense since college and learning an extremely verbose system:
  • “[Ben Johnson’s] offense is very operation driven ... a lot for a young guy.” — Edelman [10:06–11:44]
• Comparison to other QBs needing time to adapt, highlighting improvement and the lack of instant chemistry in year one.
• “This is kind of Caleb’s rookie season. It’s going to take some time.” — Edelman [10:06]

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5. Patriots’ Gritty Win & Signs of Progress

• Rob praises the Patriots’ recent divisional win as a sign of increased competency and improvement on key downs.
• Edelman notes the challenge of September games in Miami, emphasizing New England’s growth:
  • “Even a Brady-Gronk-Edelman team struggled in Miami in September ... They look like a better shaped team, more fundamentally sound football team.” — Edelman [13:15]
• Both acknowledge the importance of incremental gains early in NFL seasons.

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6. Dallas Cowboys: Defensive Holes & Offense Outlook

• Post-Micah Parsons trade, Dallas’ defense has struggled.
• Colin is encouraged by Dak Prescott’s performance and Brian Schottenheimer’s offense, speculating an offense capable of carrying the team to 7–9 wins if healthy.
  • “That offense alone, if Dak is healthy, that’s a 7, 8, 9 win team.” — Colin Cowherd [20:22]
• If Cowboys fail to stop Caleb Williams, concern grows among Bears fans.

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7. Coach Hot Seats: Dolphins, Giants, and Culture Critique

• Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel is under fire amid an 0-2 start, with debate on whether firing him is hasty.
• Rob Parker and Danny Parkins emphasize the fragmented culture and subpar roster construction as real issues, more than coaching itself.
  • “The culture feels broken. I can deal with losses, but ... What is Miami?” — Rob Parker [23:50]

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8. Young QBs and Front Office Patience: Focus on Chicago

• Discussion on whether Bears’ struggles with Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson reflect systemic issues or are simply “early days.”
• Parkins insists it’s much too soon to panic or consider a QB change:
  • “It hasn’t been good, but it hasn’t been awful. People have gone too far with this sky is falling narrative.” — Danny Parkins [31:49]
• Ownership and franchise dysfunction as barriers, but the right coach-QB combo can overcome cycles of mediocrity.
  • “Before Joe Burrow got to Cincinnati, the Bengals were the Bungles ... If you get it right at coach and quarterback, you can overcome a lot.” — Danny Parkins [36:40]

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9. Evaluating Justin Herbert’s Elite Potential

• Colin and Parkins believe Herbert is a “top five talent,” a quintessential “eye test” quarterback whose success will grow with stability (namely, Jim Harbaugh’s arrival).
  • “Justin Herbert is the ultimate eye test quarterback ... passes every possible way of just watching the games and saying, yup, that dude’s got it.” — Danny Parkins [37:52]
• They see future MVP and Super Bowl potential, arguing Herbert’s lack of playoff wins is a product of organizational missteps, not individual limitations.

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Notable Quotes

• Edelman on team culture:
  “Tough football teams don’t beat themselves.” [03:40]
• On star receivers needing to buy-in:
  “The ultimate statistic is the winning loss column … A.J. Brown’s probably top 5 [at outside targets]. They’re going to need him … They just got to keep him happy.” — Edelman [05:45]
• Burrow vs. Brady & risk management:
  “Tom just didn’t put himself in those situations … Joe’s getting hurt. How does Joe not get hurt? Hit him less … get the ball out of his hands. I think they really have a fundamental problem with how their team's made.” — Edelman [09:00]
• On Caleb Williams:
  “This is kind of Caleb’s rookie season ... It’s going to take some time.” — Edelman [10:55]
• Patriots growth:
  “They look like a better shaped team, more fundamentally sound football team.” — Edelman [13:15]
• Parkins on Bears/Caleb Williams:
  “It hasn’t been good, but it hasn’t been awful ... signs of improvement ... the concern just seems a little misplaced to me.” — Danny Parkins [31:49]
• Parkins on patience:
  “If you get it right at coach and quarterback, you can overcome a lot.” [36:40]
• On Justin Herbert:
  “Justin Herbert is the ultimate eye test quarterback ... Hall of Fame talent. There’s an MVP award in his future … a Super Bowl in his future.” — Parkins [37:52]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:14] Julian Edelman joins: coaching culture, Belichick’s fundamentals
• [05:45] Eagles offense, AJ Brown role discussion
• [07:42] Joe Burrow, Tom Brady, QB injury avoidance
• [09:18] Caleb Williams adapting to Ben Johnson’s scheme
• [13:15] Patriots improvement, divisional win in Miami
• [19:18] “Herdline News”: Cowboys struggles, Dolphins hot seat, Ravens/Shedeur Sanders story
• [31:49] Danny Parkins on Bears, Caleb Williams' development
• [37:52] Justin Herbert’s evaluation and future

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Tone & Style

The show maintains its trademark blend of sharp football insight, analogies, and playful banter. Edelman delivers practical, player-sourced wisdom, Colin drives debate with provocative questions, and Parkins brings both analytics and emotional perspective to team-building challenges. Honest, opinionated, and occasionally confrontational—but rooted in deep NFL experience.

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For New Listeners

If you missed the episode, this hour provided thoughtful, layered insights into NFL strategy, the impact of culture and fundamentals, and why patience (or lack thereof) with coaches and young quarterbacks remains one of the central dramas of every NFL season.

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Rob Parker]

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[Colin Cowherd]

This is John Middlekop from three and out with John Middlekop. Thursday Night Football is on. This week the Miami Dolphins take on the Buffalo Bills. Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern and it's 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.

[Rob Parker]

Thanks for listening to the Herd podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and 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.

[Colin Cowherd]

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

[Rob Parker]

And with that, Julian Edelman is now joining us live. Julian, you have a relationship with Mike Vrabel, who is a little bit like Harbaugh, that he's very intense. He's kind of physically intimidating. How you know this was the worst defense in the league 20 games ago. Now it's the best. How do certain coaches forget the playbook? How do you change a culture like Harbaugh's done?

[Colin Cowherd]

I think you lean on fundamentals. They be they're fundamentally sound. Tackling, blocking. I remember Belichick always used to say this game comes down to two things, blocking and tackling. If you can get those things, tackle in the open field. When you're in a zone coverage which you see a lot of teams miss those tackles that turn into 30 yard explosive plays, you can get fundamentals down, not turn the ball over, not beat yourself with pre snap penalties. That's how you change a culture right away. Not with all the talking, not with this. It's with the actions that they're showing that they're doing. I mean, what are they? I think zero in the turnover margin or they may be plus one in the turnover margin. They haven't thrown any picks, they haven't had many turnovers. They're starting to get production out of their, you know, first round draft pick a couple years, Quentin Johnson, which is I think the huge difference maker. So they've looked very good. And I think when, when a coach comes in and establishes that if he wants to be a tough football team, tough football teams don't beat themselves.

[Rob Parker]

You know, if you go look at that last iteration of the Patriots with Gronk, you and Tom, Randy Moss was gone. You were not a big over the top offense. And I watched Philadelphia and AJ Brown just doesn't get looks. And my takeaway is that's not who they are. Like your Patriot teams, it's built on third down, efficient quarterback play. You don't have the quarterback throwing 42 times. And I almost feel like when you play the Eagles, it's demoralizing because there is very little, there's. And if you go back to your New England teams, those last couple, the one that beat Atlanta, you were not an over the top offense. Philadelphia's got A.J. brown, but they don't really throw it Deep. Very often when you, when that's not part of your offense, did you ever look at it as a weakness or did you look at it like, hey, zero to 15 yards, we're the best offense in the league. We just don't throw it over that.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think that's a loaded question. A.J. brown, if you take him out of the equation, then you condense the field, then they don't have to think about the deep target. Then the one time they do get that one matchup, that one on one matchup on the outside where he gets an explosion play that, that, that's tough to do when you don't have them out there. They're kind of like a military man. They have air, air support and they have land ground support. You know, right now they don't have to use their air force. That's how they're built because their team is built so well. They're a complimentary football team and they do what's best to win the game. They don't really care about numbers, statistics, which is very similar to us. The ultimate statistic is the winning loss column. And you know, if they can have the mental toughness where guys can understand that role, they're going to be unstoppable because there's going to be a time where someone is taking out their run game. Someone's keying out on Saquon and Jalen and they may have a little new wrinkle and they're going to have to lean on that pass game and went outside the numbers. And A.J. brown's probably top five at doing that. So there's going to be a time where they're going to need them. They just got to keep them happy.

[Rob Parker]

So I listen. The Bengals don't have a run game. The offense is very predicated on Joe Burrow throwing the ball down the field. But I said there is a skill, Eli Manning, Tom Brady Mahomes in not getting hurt. It's not all happens to Justin Fields, by the way. He gets banged up a lot. Brock Purdy gets banged up a lot. And I look at Joe Burrow and he is one of those guys. He sits there for the last second and go back to Tom, Tom. If when you consider how long Tom played, I'm sure he was banged up from time to time. But one of the biggest injuries he ever suffered was ripping his hand before a game because it got caught in a helmet. I don't remember Tom getting blindsided very often. Did Tom talk about and practice avoiding the sacks and avoiding injury?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, Those are the injuries that you knew about Tom. I mean, Tom played through some stuff that he just wouldn't, which I don't know if that's legal or not, but there's times where he had a broken foot. No one knew about it, that he played with broken ribs. He just didn't really publicize it. But I tell you one thing that Tom always did, he always thought about his body. He thought about that in his preparation. He had his little. He had Alex guerrero around him 24 7. So if he's precon, like he, if he's subconsciously thinking about this all the time, it translates into your game there. You know, when, when Burrow got hurt, that's you kind of double back and you're going in, there's people on the ground. I mean those are, those are high risk areas to be in. I don't, I think Tom just didn't put himself in those situations unless it was like something he had to do. I think a lot of this also has to come down to how their team is constructed. Everyone knows they got to throw the ball vertically to win. They don't have a defense that's going to get them turnovers. They have zero run game. So there's a built up pressure for Joe Burrow to have to make plays. And it's something that we've seen him be able to do. But they haven't been able to win games and they haven't been able to stay healthy. I think they have to fundamentally kind of change their team because this is what we're, we're starting to see in his career is that he, you know, Joe's getting hurt. How does Joe not get hurt? Hit him less, give the ball to other people more, get the ball out of his hands. So I think they really have a fundamental problem with how their team's made.

[Rob Parker]

I said when it comes to young quarterbacks, some of it is the eye test. I watched JJ McCarthy, he looks overwhelmed. I watch Caleb Williams and he's more of an ad libber. And Ben Johnson's more on script and structure. Sometimes I look at stuff and go, oh, that doesn't feel like it works. When you look at Caleb and the Bears, obviously their defense stunk against Detroit, but I do feel like the coach has a system and he didn't draft Caleb and Caleb doesn't really work for the system. Josh and Tom, I mean, they were both get it out quick. I remember the Charger playoff game when Bose is like, dude, I, I can't even get to you the ball's out so fast. I don't know if Caleb is built to play like that. Is it possible he's not?

[Colin Cowherd]

I think it's way too early to tell. We got to take in consideration this is his second system out of, out of college, in his second year. We all know that Ben Johnson has a very verbal offense that is very operation driven that, you know, has two plays in the play call and he's missing these wide open throws because his mind is racing. He's not really comfortable quite yet with the operation of this offense. Look last year at Bo Nix with his first year with Sean Payton. They look like a disaster the first couple weeks of the season. Right? That's because Sean has, you know, a complex system. There's a certain way of doing it things you got to kind of beat the backyard football out of the young guys, which takes little time and we got to recalibrate that. This is kind of Caleb's rookie season. It's a completely different offense schematically verbiage everything that he was going from last year, which was completely different what he was doing the year before. So there was times where this offense has looked competent. I don't, I don't remember any time last year the offense looking competent. So that's a plus, you know what I mean? They've done better in certain situations. There's been improvement. They just got to continue this and remember that he's, you know, he's going into his rookie year with, this is a rookie year, you know, with a new offense. So it's going to take some time to get, you know, the verbal communication in. I mean Ben Johnson, I guarantee probably gives two play calls every time you come in. You got to communicate the play, you got to communicate the personnel group. You got to get to the line of strength.

[Rob Parker]

Image.

[Colin Cowherd]

Take a pre snap read, look at the front, look at the coverage, make sure all your guys are assigned, then go get the right play called according to what you're seeing in the pre snap read with which can completely change in the post snap read. That's a lot of stuff for a young guy which you know that he's getting taught that. So you know, you can compare Caleb's first time to all the other guys that Ben Johnson had for the first time. Jared Goff, Jared Goff was in the same system with, with Sean McVeigh. That's the same verbiage as Ben Johnson stuff. So it's not the same kind of comparison. He had, you know, three, four years under his belt in A similar system going to Ben Johnson, who, you know, did that. So I think it's a combination of both Ben Johnson learning Caleb on what he does well and what he doesn't do well and, and trying to get those things out and, and Caleb trying to learn this system. I mean it takes time. He's, you know, he's.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah, yeah. I, I thought, I thought it was actually a big win for the Patriots. They got a special teams touchdown. It was a, it was a go back and forth game. They made a huge defensive play late. I still think they need juice on the outside. I think they're kind of a limited offense. But I gotta tell you, when I watched it, Drake May didn't make any mistakes. Big special teams play, big defensive play like it. This may not have been a big win for a fort for Edelman Brady Gronk team, but Miami's always been a tough spot. And I came out of that game and I thought, oh, that was an easy loss. You could have lost that game so easily. I was kind of impressed with it. You.

[Colin Cowherd]

I was really impressed with it. It's a division opponent that has had continuity for a long time and even a Brank Brady Gronk Edelman team struggled playing in Miami in that heat in September and they went and got it done. They look like a better shaped team, more fundamentally sound football team if you look at some of their stats. What the first week on third down against the Raiders they were 4 and 14 on third down they were 1 for 3 in the red area. This last week I think they're 7 for 12 in third down, they're 3 for 4 in the red area, so that's improvement. They only punted twice. They had a couple pre snap penalties that they got to get fixed, but that'll come. They look like similar to what I was saying with the Bears who didn't have any competency the year before. They look like an offense that's getting better, that's learning each other. There's guys making plays and this is the early part of the year for everyone. So, you know, not anyone who hasn't been together is going to look like they're a pro football team. Especially with the CBA and how these guys are supposed to practice. This is going to take some time on learning your team. There's not really, it's really hard for these guys to prepare for other teams. There's not a lot of films to learn what these wrinkles are. Once these things start getting adjusted and settled, they're going to be able to coach from these things and get better. So you're already seeing improvement. They got a lot more to do, but it's awesome to see that they got a divisional win.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah. By the way, again, early September. It's a It can be hot. Northern teams going down hot.

[Colin Cowherd]

We lost there a bunch.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah. Julian is always Games with Names New episode every Tuesday. Sit in the studio now Sundays on Fox NFL Kickoff. But I appreciate you stopping by.

[Colin Cowherd]

No problem. I'll see you guys.

[Rob Parker]

Be sure to catch live editions of.

[Colin Cowherd]

The Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app hey, it's me, Rob Parker.

[Rob Parker]

Check out my weekly MLB podcast, Inside the Parker for 22 minutes of piping hot baseball talk featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the eye test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. The best B2B marketing gets wasted on the wrong people so when you want to reach the right professionals, use LinkedIn ads LinkedIn has grown to a network of over 1 billion professionals, and that's where it stands apart from other ad buys. You can target your buyers by job title, industry role, company seniority, skills, company revenue, all the professionals you need to reach in one place. Stop wasting budget on the wrong audience. Start targeting the right professionals only on LinkedIn ads. Spend $250 on your first campaign on LinkedIn ads and get a free $250 credit for the next one. Just go to LinkedIn.com cowherd that's LinkedIn.com cowherd Terms and conditions apply. American Public University where service members like you can access high quality, affordable education built for your lifestyle. With online programs that fit around deployments, training and unpredictable schedules, APU makes it possible to earn your degree no matter where duty takes you. Their preferred military rate keeps tuition at just $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's tuition, and with 24. 7 mental health support plus career coaching and other services, APU is committed to your success during and after your service. Learn more at Apu Apus Edu Military. That's Apu Apus Edu Military running a business online with GoDaddy instantly build trust with your customers and boost your credibility with an email that matches your domain so people know you mean business. Business. There's never been a better time. Just visit GoDaddy.com gdnow and choose from a wide variety of popular domains. To find the one that's right for you. Pair that with a professional email that works for all your business needs from daily communications to email marketing and everything in between. That's a little price for a lot of credibility. For a limited time, get a domain and matching professional email for just 99 cents a month for one year. Go to GoDaddy.comGdNow and look legit with GoDaddy. That's GoDaddy.comGdNow. there's never been a better time to choose the domain and email that's right for you. New customer purchases only Products Auto renew separately. See terms on site godaddy.com gdnow hey folks, this message brought to you by the one and only official Whiskey of the Herd with Colin Coward, Green River Whiskey. Now here's a story that'll knock your socks off. Picture this. Founded way back in 1885, Green River Whiskey is OG Kentucky Cool, the 10th oldest distillery in the state. And get this, it was so valuable back in the day that 20 barrels of the good stuff were traded for shares in a gold mine. That's liquid gold. Literally. But like any great drama, tragedy struck in 1917 with a fire that almost wiped it off the map. Cue the hero music. It was rebuilt on the same hallowed grounds, let me tell you, better than ever. So whether you're sipping their single barrel bourbon or a smooth straight rye, know you're raising a glass to history. Folks. Here's to Green River Whiskey, where rich flavor meets richer stories. Hop on over to greenriverwhiskey.com, discover a legend in a bottle today. Cheers to that. A product of Green River Distilling Company, Owensboro, Kentucky. Alcohol by volume varies by product. Greenriverwhiskey.com, please drink responsibly. No, no, no, no.

[Colin Cowherd]

Turn on the news. This is the Herdline news.

[Danny Parkins]

All right, Colin, let's get started with the Dallas Cowboys. They were able to come back and beat the Giants in a thriller, but the defense has a lot of holes. They traded Micah Parsons last month and they've given up 61 points in two games. Jerry Jones knows the defense needs to step up.

[Rob Parker]

It's buying into this game. You've got to handle your responsibilities and you got to really do that all over the defense. You've got to do your responsibility, that's first and foremost, and then make that play if it's there. But the main thing is you can't just be there Trying to make a play. You can't be a lone ranger out there. You got to be a part of a team. Yeah, I think if you're a Cowboy fan, you have to be so encouraged by your first two weeks. You so encouraged by Dax movement, accuracy. I mean, Brian Schottenheimer as a lot of people, myself included, thought this is a five win team. That's what I think. I said a five win team. You were more optimistic. But when I watch him today, that offense alone, if Dak is healthy, that's a 7, 8, 9 win team. Just on the offense alone.

[Danny Parkins]

Yeah, they're the Bengals of the nfc. Now the real question is, can the defense get help if Bland comes back? So Jerry Jones obviously is speaking because he loves to talk to the media. He says he has a real chance to play Bland, their great cornerback against the Bears Sunday. Now if he doesn't play and Caleb doesn't cook in this one, Colin, that's going to be a real bitter pill to swallow for Chicago fans. I don't want to say it's over for Ben and Caleb after three games, but you'll have to admit if he can't, I mean, what, what do you think the team total would be like? What's a good number for the Bears to score against this Cowboys defense?

[Rob Parker]

27 to 28 points.

[Danny Parkins]

Yeah, I think three or four touchdowns should be in play for the Bears in this.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah.

[Danny Parkins]

And I'm not talking garbage time.

[Rob Parker]

You lose a shootout to Dak. It's 32, 28 and, and you know, Caleb completes 65 of his throws. Two TDs, no picks. He's not great, but it's a fight to the end. That's improvement. My problem was the first week, in the second week, great opening drive, but by the third quarter it just came unraveled and it's like, okay, I feel like I'm watching the same thing. So I didn't see a lot of growth. But I don't think, I think this defense and this environment is built for growth. I think Caleb will look better. Danny Parkins will have that. I think. I think it'd be really, really rough if Caleb gave you the third straight. Nice opening drive downhill from there. That would be hard to stomach.

[Danny Parkins]

Now we know Jadavian Clowney is expected to make his debut for the Cowboys defense. So they'll get another guy in the front. I mean, I don't know how much of a factor he'll be. He's more of a name at this point in his career. But hey, Dallas is trying. You know, they had to get Kenny Clark from the packers and now Jadavian Clowney. So really fortifying against the run game.

[Rob Parker]

Okay, he can play.

[Danny Parkins]

He's solid.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah.

[Danny Parkins]

Next up is the Miami Dolphins. Colin. They are oh and two. And the sharks are circling around Mike McDaniel. There was a banner that flew over the stadium in week two against the Patriots calling for the firing of McDaniel and GM Chris Greer. McDaniel says he's not worried about job security and his players are backing his coach with linebacker Chop Robinson saying it's not him out there on the field. It's really on us. We gotta get better. However, I have talked to some Miami fans, Colin, that I know down there. So they play on Thursday against the Bills. Their next game is not until next Monday against the Jets. If they get embarrassed and housed by Buffalo, this is the time you get extended prep.

[Rob Parker]

Right.

[Danny Parkins]

For the next week. It's not just a seven to a Sunday to Sunday. I, I would not be surprised if some a move was made.

[Rob Parker]

Well, I will say Steven Ross, the owner and Mike McDaniel have had multiple conversations. So that has been reported. I've been reading the. I've been reading Joe Shad and other writers down in Miami. So the owner and the coach are talking on a weekly basis pregame, postgame. So they're. I mean, I don't think they want to make a move and I do think their coach is on the right side of the ball. What really worries me is the lack of culture and the lack of effort. Again, this is not a great roster. Chris Greer's been the gm, I think longer than anybody almost in the afc. It feels like he's been there for forever. I don't like the roster.

[Danny Parkins]

I agree.

[Rob Parker]

So I don't think this is all Mike McDaniel. But the culture feels broken. That's where you lose me. I can deal with losses, but what are you. What is Miami? I don't think they're anything specifically. And that's. This is year what, four or five for him.

[Danny Parkins]

Well, here's the other problem. Remember if they fire him early, remember the jets fired Salah last year early and what happened? The defense completely fell apart. If the offense falls apart for Miami, you're looking at like 1, 2, 3 wins. Quick number for you, Colin. Okay. Brian Dabel and McDaniel were hired the same year. Okay. Mike McDaniel is 28 and 25 with two playoff trips. Brian Dable is 18 and 34 and one with one playoff trip. So McDaniel has 10 more wins than Brian Dable. They were both hired the same offseason and everybody wants to run McDaniel out of town. Yet Dable, all of a sudden, nobody's talking about Dable. I'm just saying I'm a McDaniel guy I like.

[Rob Parker]

I think, I think it's understood that this is Dable's last year. I think that's understood.

[Danny Parkins]

Okay, final story is everybody's favorite practice squad quarterback, Shadow Sanders. Remember that report over the weekend that the Ravens wanted to draft Shador 141st overall but passed because he allegedly said he didn't want to be the backup stuck behind Lamar Jackson? Well, of course media asked Shadour about this and he said, colin, wait for it. I'm focused on the now. I don't really want to talk about anything in the past. I don't remember anything pre draft. I go to practice every day and there's a 24 hour rule. That's not a denial, Colin. I just bolt it. You've talked for years. Baltimore is one of the best franchises in the league. Agreed. Yeah, he said, I don't want to go there because I'll be stuck behind Lamar.

[Rob Parker]

Listen, between the legendary draft room, the two 95 mile an hour speeding tickets and that quote, he either got really bad advice or he's got really bad judgment. But he's not leading the scout team, so it's probably a little bit of both. And I think Deion Sanders, you know, has not distanced himself from it, but I think dad gave him great poor advice and I, I think this is just, you know, a cautionary tale of, you know, dad leaning on the sun. Nico Iamaliava, the UCLA quarterback. Sometimes dads squeeze so hard, the love is so, you know, intense that they, they see, they squeeze too hard. Like, it's just. I think Shador got really, really bad advice and I think the UCLA quarterback, similarly really bad advice. You don't leave Tennessee, which has always been, even though they haven't won as much in the last 20 years. It's a football power. I mean, Tennessee playoffs. Yeah, I mean Tennessee is college football to ucla, which has no nil money and is the second best program by a long shot in their own city. Sometimes guys, young people get bad advice. Jay McLean news.

[Jay Glazer]

Well, that's the news and thanks for.

[Colin Cowherd]

Stopping by the herd lie news.

[Rob Parker]

Well, he worked in Chicago for over a decade and there wasn't a lot of winds and happiness and rainbows and birds chirping with the Bears. Danny Parkins Next on what he's seeing with Chicago is there hope? Be sure to catch live editions of.

[Colin Cowherd]

The Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Rob Parker]

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[Jay Glazer]

Not even close, Colin. I mean, it hasn't been good, but it hasn't been awful. And I think people have gone a little bit too far here with this sky is falling narrative because at the beginning of games on script it's looked good. Some of the off script stuff, the improvisation has been very impressive. It's been frustrating. Week one felt a little bit like week 19, just an extension of last year. But I do think that coming out of that Detroit game there were signs of improvement from Caleb Williams. But it also speaks to we are such a quarterback driven culture that we're asking these tough questions about Caleb Williams. And I get it. Number one pick, it's the quarterback. It's a quarterback league. The defense gave up 50 points like that. Caleb Williams is not a linebacker. A pass rusher or a cornerback. So coming out of that Lions game with Caleb Williams, concern just seems a little misplaced to me.

[Rob Parker]

You know, Ben Johnson, young guy, first job, he's been not defensive. He's not Brian Kelly at lsu, at the mic, but he's trying to be very supportive. It's a, it's a, it's a fine line. He wants to be supportive, but he doesn't want to get pushed over. In the preseason, he went, he said, tyson Bagent, this guy is razor sharp. This is unbelievable. And I thought, that's a, that's a. That may be a little too much. I offered to J. Mac this week. I said, if, if the Dallas defense stops him, do you think Ben Johnson drives home after the post game and thinks, maybe I got to make a quarterback change? Or does that sound ludicrous?

[Jay Glazer]

It sounds ludicrous, Colin. And when you said it earlier in the show, frankly, it upset me. I was a little angry with you and I considered texting you, but then I realized, oh, we could just do this on the air the old fashioned way. Like, Ben Johnson was the hot coaching candidate in 2024. He interviewed for the Chargers job. He interviews for the commander's job, he interviews for the Seahawks job. He's at the top of everybody's list this last year, and he chooses Chicago. And at the introductory press conference, he says, yeah, the quarterback was a big part of the reason why this is the job that felt right for me. And then two games in, or I guess in your scenario, after the third game, he's going to be driving back to the suburbs of Chicago and be like, you know, on one hand, I have the generational talent who you just compared to Josh Allen, who struggled his first, first few years in the league, and then it was ultimately unlocked. And on the other hand, I have the undrafted kid out of Shepherd.

[Rob Parker]

Huh?

[Jay Glazer]

Which one am I gonna go with? I don't believe it. I think it's completely nonsensical and why it made me angry. If I could keep going. Here is last week, you have this unbelievable access. You can talk to billionaires and owners and GMs, and you have the goat. You have Tom Brady on your show and you're like, my theory, Tom, is Thanksgiving of year two. I will know it. And then we saw week two and it wasn't perfect. And you came out on the air on Monday and were like, forget Thanksgiving. How about October 1st? You just abandoned those principles off of two games. And frankly, it upsets me.

[Rob Parker]

I'm very emotional person. Okay, how about this you are. How about this? You and I have talked about this off the air. So much of this league is ownership. I mean, Tampa's ownership stays out of the way. Todd Bowles doesn't have an ego. Baker Mayfield looks like a top five quarterback in Cleveland. Impulsive owner, always desperate, bitter. Media like environment matters. Chicago's got one of the poorest ownership groups. Lot of kids upstairs. Ryan Poles, many, myself included. Surprised he got an extension. That Ben and Caleb are just literally climbing a hill every day in this organization and that it's just going to be harder than it would be at Buffalo. The Bills were a playoff team before Josh Allen arrived. So how about the argument that it may never be perfect because this is an imperfect organization?

[Jay Glazer]

Well, I think that there is a ton of truth to that. You know this. Ben Johnson took his car in for an oil change and they were like, you need a new transmitter, you need new brakes, you need new wheels. And frankly, you need an entire new car. Like, this is a big job. It's a big organizational overhaul. The Bears, Bears fans come by their cynicism with this stuff, honestly, because the Bears organization have not given them a reason to have the benefit of the doubt. So I think it's a big job with big culture shifts that need to take place. But I would also say before Joe Burrow got to Cincinnati, the Bengals were the Bungles.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah.

[Jay Glazer]

Before Patrick Mahomes got to Kansas City, it had been since Todd Blacklidge that they had won a single regular season game with a quarterback that their franchise had drafted. Not a playoff game, a regular season game with a quarterback that the Chiefs had drafted had won a single game. So if you get it right at coach and quarterback, you can overcome a lot. And I just think it's way too early to think that Ben and Caleb can't be the right combination.

[Rob Parker]

It is. I want to end with this. I'm a big Justin Herbert fan. I covered Oregon. He's such a nice kid, but there's always been this push and pull on. You know what? He got four interceptions in the playoffs, blew a huge lead. And my take is we finally got an adult as a coach and now he's really good. As somebody that hasn't lived in LA and watches from a far from an organization, not like the Bears, but has been an organization that has blown multiple opportunities through the years in huge games, chargering it. I think that's now gone. You hope. How do you view Justin Herbert, a relatively young quarterback?

[Jay Glazer]

Like a top five talent in the NFL. And I felt that coming into this year and it was reflected on the lists and the topics that we would do on the show all last football season. To me, Justin Herbert is the ultimate eye test quarterback. Like, if you watch the games, you know that this guy can do everything that anyone would want from a quarterback on the football field. And at times he has been let down by Anthony Lynn, by Brandon Staley, by, yes, having the worst game of his career at the worst moment possible in Houston, but also knowing that two of those four interceptions were off of his pass catcher's hands. And the interior of his offensive line was an absolute disaster against the top five pass rush in the NFL in Houston last year. And he had a great first half in that game against Jacksonville. And then Jacksonville staged an epic comeback on the Charger defense, not on Justin Herbert. So the playoff success will come. But I believe that he is a Hall of Fame talent. I believe that there are. There's an MVP award in his future. I believe that there's a Super bowl in his future. And yes, Jim Harbaugh is a big part of the reason why. But I felt that way before Harbaugh got there, simply because he passes every possible way of just watching the games and saying, yup, that dude's got it. Sometimes you don't need more than that. It's an eye test thing. And Justin Herbert's that level of player.

[Rob Parker]

Yeah, I felt that when I. Jaden Daniels in college. I remember saying, it's going to look like Lamar Jackson. Not quite as fast, better from the pocket. That's going to work in the NFL. And I. To your point, J.J. mcCarthy looks overwhelmed. That's what my eyes tell me. He looks overwhelmed. Danny Parkins, first things first, does an amazing job. Show is now three hours, not two, because Danny said, I'll carry some. I'll carry some of the weight. And he is, by the way, great seeing you, bud.

[Jay Glazer]

Thanks, Colin.

[Rob Parker]

You bet. Really, really sharp guy. Love seeing him. Yeah, no, I think Herbert's one of those that we're so. We're so rough on quarterbacks and postseason success. We don't do that in baseball. Mike Prout, Mike Trout does nothing. And everybody that covered the sport for a decade said, Mike Trout's the best player. We don't do that even in the NBA. James Harden, he's unbelievable. Yeah, he falls apart in the playoffs. Doesn't matter with quarterbacks. And people are on Lamar Jackson every January. He won 76% of his games in the AFC. Herbert's the real deal. First things first, coming up next American Public University, where service members like you can access high quality, affordable education built for your lifestyle. With online programs that fit around deployments, training and unpredictable schedules, APU makes it possible to earn your degree no matter where duty takes you. Their preferred military rate keeps tuition at just $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's tuition and with 24. 7 mental health support plus career coaching and other services, APU is committed to your success during and after your service. Learn more at APU Apus Edu Military. That's APU APUS Edumilitary the Toyota Certified Used Vehicle Sales Event is here. It is packed with great surprises. Choose from a wide selection of low mileage vehicles all backed by Toyota with warranties that begin on the date of purchase. Because when it comes to quality, the best new cars make the best used cars. So don't miss your chance. Find your certified Toyota today, but hurry. These Great offers end November 3rd. Toyota Certified used Vehicle Sales Event where every surprise is a great one. Inventory may vary by dealer, participating dealers only. Comprehensive and powertrain are limited Warranties CTCUV Warranty supplement toyota shortcut certified.com or your Toyota dealer for details. There's nothing like sinking into luxury.

[Danny Parkins]

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Rob Parker]

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[Danny Parkins]

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[Rob Parker]

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[Rob Parker]

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[Danny Parkins]

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[Rob Parker]

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[Rob Parker]

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[Colin Cowherd]

This is an iheart pod.