THE HERD - Hour 3 - Mark Sanchez stops by The Herd!

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd – Hour 3, September 10, 2025

Main Theme:
This episode features Colin Cowherd in conversation with former NFL quarterback Mark Sanchez, delivering in-depth analysis of the week’s most exciting NFL matchups, early quarterback performances, and rookie standouts. The episode highlights Sanchez’s expert perspective heading into his Seahawks-Steelers broadcast assignment, the unique quirks of early NFL weeks, and X’s and O’s breakdowns of rising QBs, capped by lively banter about key storylines and an energetic “news whiparound” for the week ahead.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Seahawks vs. Steelers Preview and the State of Both Teams

[03:05]

• Cowherd points out that Seahawks-Steelers is a fascinating matchup. Seattle’s loss was among the more impressive of the week; Pittsburgh survived thanks to a late field goal.
• Sanchez’s Take:
  • Impressed with Seattle’s offense, especially quarterback Aaron— “He looked like he picked up from last season and you know, didn’t take a break at all.”
  • Defensive Issues: “The Jets ran the heck out of the ball on them... I could expect Seattle to try and do some of that this week with their two-headed monster in the backfield and Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet.”
  • Intriguing Player Matchups: “Sauce Gardner vs. DK Metcalf. I thought Sauce got the better of them and I think DK will be pretty fired up this week.”
    (04:58)

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2. Justin Fields’ Flawless Game Against the Steelers

[04:58]

• Cowherd: “Not only did Justin Fields play well, I thought he was the best I’ve ever seen him play.”
• Sanchez on “Magic Gloves” Theory:
  • Noticed Fields wore two gloves, possibly influenced by weather or better ball grip, comparing it to Peyton Manning post-surgery.
  • Draws a humorous “Forrest Gump” parallel: “Maybe the gloves are that. Maybe they’re perfect for Justin Fields. Maybe he just needs to wear two gloves all the time because I’ve never seen him spin it better. It was unbelievable.”
    (05:33 – 06:21)

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3. Quarterback Streaks and Turning Points: The J.J. McCarthy Example

[06:21]

• Cowherd marvels at J.J. McCarthy turning from three rough quarters into a Joe Montana-like fourth.
• Sanchez on Quarterback Momentum:
  • “You get streaky like shooters, like hitters. Once you get in your groove, things start to slow down and the target looks awfully big…”
  • Praises McCarthy’s coach for managing the rookie experience well, “Putting him in situations to be successful, not getting too scared after the pick-six, knowing you can rely on your defense...”
    (07:13 – 08:16)

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4. Caleb Williams: Riding the Ups and Downs

[08:16]

• Cowherd asks what Sanchez liked in Caleb Williams’ performance, despite public criticism.
• Sanchez’s Balanced Assessment:
  • “His highlights are like the highs are so high, the lows are so low... It was just the swing—from great to or throw... He just didn’t look as consistent as you want to see him.”
  • Calls for “managing your misses” and not letting the gap between great and terrible plays get so wide.
    (08:26 – 09:26)

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5. Justin Herbert’s Rise and Sanchez’s New “Rearview” Show

[14:47]

• Discussion on the Chargers’ Friday win over the Chiefs in Brazil and Herbert’s stellar second half.
• Sanchez on Herbert:
  • Sharing insights from his new show, “NFL on FOX Presents Rearview.”
  • “He is a special talent. When he gets hot... his numbers early on in his career speak for themselves.”
  • Observes Herbert “starting to hit that crescendo in his career where a lot of these big games, he might be on the other side of things.”
    (14:47 – 16:36)

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6. Adjustments in the Preseason Era: Slower Starts, Accelerated Learning

[16:36]

• Cowherd notes starting QBs get less preseason action; Week 1 feels almost experimental.
• Sanchez explains Week 1 struggles:
  • Defenses are ahead due to unscouted looks; teams need time for conditioning and full-speed tackling.
  • “That week one jump in speed and full speed tackling to the ground—guys forget. The bulk just goes everywhere.” (17:26 – 18:51)

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7. In-Depth QB Breakdowns: Cam Ward vs. Bo Nix

Cam Ward, Denver Game

[24:14]

• Cowherd impressed by Ward managing Denver’s elite pass rush, making high-level reads and throws despite so-so stats.
• Sanchez:
  • “He also had four drops. He threw some balls into tight windows... He also made some rookie mistakes, took some sacks, knocked himself out of field goal range.”
  • “The biggest thing: the stage wasn’t too big for him. That’s an overwhelming defense... he’s got something special to him.”
    (24:14 – 25:01)

Bo Nix, Operational Hiccups

[25:01]

• Cowherd: “They got to the line too late, too often… like a week three game plan.”

• Sanchez’s Analysis:

  • “It was a little hectic. The operation, the substitutions, it wasn’t mid-season form and that’s because it was week one.”
  • Felt Bo Nix didn’t use his legs enough, looked "reactive."
    (25:34 – 26:32)

• Film Breakdown Segment:

  • Sanchez uses play-by-play “tape review” to illustrate Nix’s missed reads on one interception, and a perfectly executed touchdown throw:
    • On the pick: “I think he got caught looking over the ball instead of letting this thing develop... He doesn’t see the safety Xavier Woods... that’s where the ball’s got to go.”
    • Touchdown: “Love the mechanics. Quick little pump fake... This is a beautiful throw... One of those footballs that, you know, flies through a car wash, doesn’t get wet.” (26:36 – 30:51)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mark Sanchez on Justin Fields:
  “Maybe the gloves are that. Maybe they’re perfect for Justin Fields. Maybe he just needs to wear two gloves all the time because I’ve never seen him spin it better.” (05:33)
• Sanchez on QB momentum:
  “You get streaky like shooters, like hitters. Once you get in your groove, things start to slow down and the target looks awfully big.” (07:13)
• On Herbert’s growth:
  “You saw him slide and hold the pose for a second, like, okay, you kind of see him coming out of his shell a little bit, and... when he gets his groove, look out, man, that guy’s scary.” (14:47)
• Breaking down Bo Nix’s touchdown:
  “That’s money. And that’s what you want to see from Bo Nix. He showed it in flashes... But trust me, I love their defense and I love that they’re learning these lessons with a win in the win column.” (26:36 – 30:51)

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News Whiparound: League, College, and Storylines

Mahomes & Eagles Defensive Strategy

[32:35]

• Discussion of Eagles DC Vic Fangio prepping for Mahomes’ sideline tactics; Mark and Colin debate defensive player frustrations about star QBs and hit rules.

Rookie and College Prospect Standouts

• Philadelphia’s Jihad Campbell and strategic linebacker plays are highlighted for “layering the boom.”
• Quick discussion of Raiders’ Ashton Gentry, Brock Bowers’ health outlook, and the SEC draft pipeline.

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Week 2 NFL Schedule: Upset Predictions

[41:16]

• The duo analyzes lines and potential upsets, e.g., “Giants could be live for an upset” over Dallas, and San Francisco’s health woes making them vulnerable at New Orleans.
• Colin’s upset pick: “Tennessee at home... low scoring... Tennessee in overtime beats the Rams.”
  (42:38 – 43:26)

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Final Thoughts

• Big Ten conference matchups and college football’s “pressure cooker” positions (Texas QB, Alabama/Notre Dame coaches).
• The scrutiny surrounding Arch Manning’s play at Texas and media/fan pressure.

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Seahawks-Steelers Analysis: 03:05 – 04:58
• Justin Fields’ “Magic Gloves”: 05:22 – 06:21
• J.J. McCarthy’s Hot Streak: 06:21 – 08:16
• Caleb Williams Overview: 08:16 – 09:26
• Justin Herbert & Rearview: 14:47 – 16:36
• Preseason Era Adjustments: 16:36 – 18:51
• Cam Ward vs. Bo Nix Film Analysis: 24:14 – 30:51
• Mahomes/Eagles Sideline Tactics: 32:35 – 34:47
• NFL Week 2 Upset Picks: 41:16 – 43:26

---

Tone and Style

The episode combines expert football analysis with Colin’s trademark wry humor and Sanchez’s player-first insights. Their chemistry leads to lively banter, real X’s and O’s breakdowns, and memorable analogies—making it both insightful for hardcore fans and approachable for newcomers.

Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Is John Middelkopf from Three and out with John Middlekop. Thursday Night Football is back. This week, the Washington Commanders take on the Green Bay packers. Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern and it's only on Prime Video, not a Prime member. Simply sign up for a 30 day.

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See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details. 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.

[Mark Sanchez]

Now let's get this party started.

[Colin Cowherd]

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Well, one of the more entertaining games, probably the most entertaining game last week before the Bills Ravens was the jets and the Steelers and Mark Sanchez who had the he has the Seahawks Steelers this week. J. Mac and I talked about it. Fascinating game because Seattle was one of the better teams that lost. Pittsburgh could have lost if not for an incredible field goal. And Mark Sanchez is joining us. Listen, they didn't run the ball that effectively. Aaron took a couple of brutal sacks, that one in the fourth. It was rough. What did you see though? I mean obviously they won. What did you see as a 41 year old quarterback that's going to need certain things. What have you seen so far as you prep for that game that you liked?

[Mark Sanchez]

Well, I was impressed just watching him and the bounce he had in his step, the accuracy he played with. I mean he looked like he picked up from last season and you know, didn't take a break at all. And I don't know if that's week one, I don't know if it's because of the motivation playing against the jets, but either way I thought he had that team rocking on offense. I think conversely on defense that's where I was a little surprised. You know, the jets ran the heck out of the ball on them and they found some creases. So I could expect Seattle to try and do some of that this week with their two headed monster in the backfield and Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet. But that was, that was more of a concern to me than anything on offense. You know the, the Sauce Gardner matchup with DK Metcalf. I thought Sauce got the better of them and I think DJ will be pretty fired up this week to to go out and prove it and we'll see if those guys get another crack at each other because that was a good matchup.

[Colin Cowherd]

Mark, I thought not only did Justin Fields play well, I was the best I've ever seen him play. I thought he saw the field. I statistically he didn't have an off target throw. Explain to me how I can watch Justin Fields for years and then he goes against Tomlin Steelers and he is almost flawless. He was fantastic. Explain it to me.

[Mark Sanchez]

It was a little shocking to me, but if you notice. Did you notice he was wearing two gloves?

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh, I didn't.

[Mark Sanchez]

I think it was a weather thing. I think there was a little weather pregame, a little thunderstorm or shower or something. But he wears these two gloves. And all I could think of, you know, like, Peyton Manning wore the two gloves or at least a glove on his throwing hand towards the end of his career to help after his neck surgery with like, the sensation in his finger so he could like grip the ball right to finish throws. Well, I'm thinking David Carr, I'm thinking Teddy Bridgewater. And then I'm thinking, remember in Forrest Gump when he has those magic shoes and then he just takes off running and they just like explode and he's now like this fast kid or whatever. Maybe the gloves are that. Maybe they're perfect for Justin Fields. Maybe just needs to wear two gloves all the time because I've never seen him spin it better. It was unbelievable. And dropping balls in the bucket, finding guys when he scrambled. It's magic gloves.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah. The. So Monday Night Football, I. It was just week one is so crazy because starters don't play as much in the preseason. So a lot of times, I mean, I went into the Bears Vikings game and I'm like, I don't know. I don't know what's going to look like. I don't remember seeing a quarterback struggle more for three quarters and then become Joe Montana in the fourth. J.J. mcCarthy had a big completion, left sideline to Justin Jefferson. And it was like his chest got bigger and his velocity increased. It was like, okay, I feel good. I got what. And I don't know how to explain it. Maybe it's like hitting a great golf shot. But it was like that completion, off to the races. It like, it almost changed his body language. Have you ever seen a quarterback not have it and have it like JJ McCarthy over the course of a throw or two?

[Mark Sanchez]

I mean, it happens. You get streaky like shooters, like hitters. Once you get in your groove, things start to slow down and the target looks awfully big. You're anticipating everything.

[Colin Cowherd]

You.

[Mark Sanchez]

And you could tell he was. He was riding that momentum into the end zone. Even on his scrambler, his run, that looked great. He's a lot faster than you think. And all it takes is, is one good feeling, one good sensation, and then boom. He was impressive. And I was. I was impressed with his coach putting him in situations to be successful, not getting too scared after the pick six, knowing you can rely on your defense, understanding the big picture of playing with a rookie quarterback, there's going to be growing pains. You're going to screw up, you're going to have to win in spite of that quarterback sometimes. But when he gets good, when he gets hot, let's make sure we're all on board and we'll really take it to the next level. That was fun to watch.

[Colin Cowherd]

What was something Caleb Williams did you liked? Everybody's nitpicked, everybody's criticized him. The bad stuff was obvious. Was there anything you saw and you kind of liked?

[Mark Sanchez]

Well, his highlights are like the highs are so high, the lows are so low. Some of the throws that just go sailing over a guy's head in the flat, like those ones leave you scratching your head a little bit and then the ones that are, you know, the trick shot kind of falling away, got to put extra zing on it and you're getting hit as you throw it and the ball, you know, almost sticks in the guy's face mask and it's the most accurate ball you've ever seen. So it was just the swing, the the from great to or throw it was. I don't know. He just didn't look as consistent as as you want to see him. I don't know if it's, you know, the first game kind of thing, but he showed it in spurts. It's now about, you know, managing your misses and, and you know, not having such a delta between your great plays and your awful plays just somewhere in the middle would be a lot easier for for the coach and everybody else.

[Colin Cowherd]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three time pro bowler Lavar Arrington and I couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called up on Game. What is up on Game?

[Mark Sanchez]

You ask?

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Mark Sanchez]

My man was on fire and you're talking about NFL on Fox presents Rearview and I got to interview Justin. But basically the idea behind the show is to use some of the relationships I have in the league, get some true perspective, authentic, you know, answers from players about what's going on in their world. Nothing, you know, spun by the media. It's not a podium thing. It's not, you know, hopefully not a bunch of cliches and coach speak or, you know, those kind of, hey, we're going to bring our A game and hope we beat them. No, I want to know what's really going on. Talk to me as a player, a person, a former player. You know, let's let's get into it and let me hear your thoughts. But he is a special talent. And when he gets hot, we talked about, you know, J.J. mcCarthy getting hot when Herbert gets hot. I mean, his numbers early on in his career speak for themselves. And he's just never had those big game moments on this stage, right? He did in the Rose bowl. One took over that game against Wisconsin, I believe, with his legs. And then this past game to open the season against the Chiefs in Brazil, just the scramble to ice the game and the slide. And you saw a little bit of his personality show because he's so quiet and so reserved. He's a man of few words, but you saw him slide and kind of hold the pose for a second, like, okay, you know, you kind of see him coming out of his shell a little bit, and I think he gets like that as the game goes on. He takes a hit, he starts getting his groove. Look out, man, that guy's scary. And I think he's finally starting to hit that, you know, that crescendo in his career where a lot of these big games, he might be on the other side of things. And it's going to be fun to watch, too.

[Colin Cowherd]

So, Mark, when you were in the league week three of the preseason, you had a lot of snaps as a starter. That's the way it used to be. You play a half. That's not the way. That's not the way it works anymore. So I don't. The last few years, as we've cut down to three preseason games and starters don't play, I'm very. I don't want to go overboard on bad young quarterback play or bad O line play, because I think O lines take a while to get right. So I don't want to go crazy on. New England's got all these new coaches and new offensive lineman. It's like. But give me a thought about what is the difference between Week 1 and 2 in the NFL. Now, you played in the different era, but it feels like to me, week one, it almost felt experimental for some of these teams.

[Mark Sanchez]

Offensively, you're exactly right. I think week one poses so many challenges for each team inherently. Just like when you show up for training camp, just like when you show up for OTAs, the defense is just a little bit ahead of everything going on because that initial game is a lot of reactions to unscouted looks, things you've never seen, pressures and stuff that you're just not prepared for necessarily. So you kind of just work off your own rules and figure it out as a group. But I think that's a big issue is the unscouted looks, the conditioning aspect of week one getting back into playing shape, especially these guys that didn't play like we saw the guys from the Titans go to Denver. I mean, that elevation is real and game one elevation, new place. It's real. And they were dragging a little bit towards the end of the game, both sides, but Denver was obviously accustomed to it. So it's a huge advantage playing in Mile High like that. I think that's a big one. And then you go through all these practices, even when they're joint practices and preseason games. Yeah, you're like tackling, but not as full speed to the ground.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[Mark Sanchez]

That week one jump in speed and full speed tackling to the G, to the ground. Guys forget. Guys forget and the bulk just goes everywhere. So I think that's kind of the reason for, for the way week one looks. The way it looks.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, we're going to take a break. He's got Bo. Nick's thoughts on a game I watched a lot of Mark did. Cam Ward didn't have the numbers, but kind of blew me away considering the pass rush and Bo struggled. And Mark's going to talk about both when we come back. It's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app. 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 and that's LinkedIn.com cowherd Terms and Conditions apply. 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. Every certified Toyota undergoes a thorough quality assurance inspection before it even reaches the lot. So you can drive away with confidence with over 7 million sold. There's a certified Toyota for every lifestyle, from efficient commuters to family friendly SUVs. Each vehicle comes with added benefits like roadside assistance and features you expect, including Bluetooth connectivity. But hurry. These Great offers end November 3rd Toyota certified used Vehicle Sales event where every surprise is a great one, so don't miss your chance. Find your certified Toyota today. Inventory may vary by dealer, participating dealers only. Comprehensive and powertrain are limited. Warranties. See TCUV warranty supplement ToyotaCertified.com or your Toyota dealer for details. From date of Toyota Certified Used Vehicle Purchase Program available in continental US and Canada. See TCUV Warranty Supplement for details. A compatible Bluetooth enabled phone must be paired. Phone performances depend on software coverage and carrier. The Bluetooth word mark and logos are registered trademarks of Bluetooth SIG Inc. Use of such marks by Toyota is Under license. See toyota.com for details.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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 greenriverwhisky.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. Green RiverWhiskey.com Please drink responsibly. Really interesting quarterback breakdown. Mark Sanchez still with us on in the Denver game because Cam Ward didn't have the numbers. He made a throw mark that was really interesting. He made a couple of them. One of the throws that I was kind of. It was kind of magical. First of all, Denver's pass rush is a sea of orange. It's insane. It may be the best in the league. It's crazy. And very early, he got surrounded, like, one second in, he threw a pass to his left out in the flat. Have no idea how he saw the back. He threw it perpendicular. And I was like, okay, that kid's got a sense of the field. That was one of them. And I'll get to Bo Nix next, but I just want to talk about Cam Ward. I know the numbers weren't great, but I was really impressed by him.

[Mark Sanchez]

Yeah, he also had, like, four drops. I mean, he threw some balls into tight windows and, you know, had his guys in position there towards the end of the game to. To win it. And, you know, he also made some rookie mistakes, took some sacks, knocked himself out of field goal range, you know, took a couple hits that I wish he wouldn't have. But overall, for your first performance, I was thoroughly impressed. And the biggest thing I could tell was the stage wasn't too big for him. It never felt like he was overwhelmed, really. And that's an overwhelming defense. That's a suffocating defense. So he's got something special to him, and I'm excited to watch him grow week after week because he's not nearly a finished product yet, and he's got plenty of talent.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, let's do Bo Nicks. I. So this was my complaint as somebody who sat in the couch. I felt they got to the. They got to the line too late, too often. I thought Sean put a ton on his plate. Sean does that. And I felt like, man, this feels like a week three game plan. They're putting a lot on him. He's. He's getting to the line late. I think you Noted this before, that was my interpretation was it felt like he was playing catch up a little bit. What do you think it was?

[Mark Sanchez]

It was a little hectic. The operation, the substitutions. It wasn't mid season form and that's because it was week one. There's a lot of personnel to go in. There's a lot of, you know, trial and error and some of this stuff. Like he looked great throwing on the run. That's one of his strengths and coach Payton knows that. He's got that, you know, he's such a good athlete and he can just do the quick double play kind of throws with the, with the little bubbles and screens and all that. And then I thought, you know, he didn't use his legs enough. Remember, he rushed for like 430 yards last year, so I could have seen him, you know, steal a couple yards with his legs a little more. But overall, not his best day. Tough operation late to the line of scrimmage. He felt like it was very reactive, at least in my opinion. And you know, that's just something they got to clean up. But I'd like to see him run just a little bit more.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, do you got, do you have tape? You can use tape on Bonicks.

[Mark Sanchez]

Couple good clips for you. But the first one is the interception. The second one is a touchdown pass and you can go ahead and roll those. But basically this is play one. It's kind of a half roll setup. It's a counter to the other play that they ran earlier that he got intercepted on as well. So essentially you're going to get this too high structure from the safeties. But look at this corner. He's got some blitz eyes and he's backed up by that near safety. So you're going to get a little corner cat away from the roll. Now when you bring the corner, you have to back him up with somebody. And that somebody is going to be Xavier Woods. He kind of turns into the corner because the corner is now blitzing. So Bo's going to roll to his left, set this play up. It's going to be a three level vertical flat defender read down in this bottom third. And you see Xavier woods, he goes to cover where the corner was and he knows Sutton's flying out of here, taking the top off the defense. I gotta, I got, I need help. He's basically pointing at the safety to let him know, hey, somebody help me right there. This play is a winner. It's. It's perfect. You got what you want. Your receiver on a safety who had to come forward and go get this guy. And there he goes right by him. So Bo Nix, I think he got caught looking over the ball instead of letting this thing develop in front. And that's the biggest thing on these deep crossers, shallow crossers you got to see in front. And then he gets stopped a little bit early because of the pressure by Simmons. So he's forced to cut this thing loose. And he doesn't see the safety, Xavier woods, drop off the deep high angle 7 route, that's where the ball's got to go. And this might be a huge touchdown in that place. Erupts and he gets caught looking over the ball, kind of predetermining that over route does not see in front when he has a huge opportunity over the top. That's. That's the design of this play. When you get a look like this, we got to cash in. Instead, he gets picked off by woods right there. So that was one of the, the negatives from the game. This next one, though, I really thought Sean Payton in this sequencing was like right in his groove. He showed him a ton of different personnel, got him right down in the red zone. They take Legerius need out of the game, and they went after Darrell Baker Jr. But basically it's when people talk about quarters or quarter, quarter, half, There's a fourth, a fourth, a half of the field for that near safety and then the flat. So it's quarter, quarter to the field, half to the boundary. And essentially when you cut this defense in half, it's four on three to the left side. The halfback is one of the three with the tight end and the outside receiver. And then on the backside, it's three on two. So it's advantage defense. You got to find stuff to stress their coverage and basically get verticals on those safeties and make those safeties hold them with inside verticals and then make your moves on the corner on the outside. Well, to do that, a lot of times you're going to double move. So you need a pump fake. Love the mechanics. Quick little shoulder lean, quick little pump, gets the corner to react. You're already holding the safety with that inside seam rod at the bottom of the numbers there or top of the numbers. Excuse me. And you see the corner who just subbed in for the Terry Sneed. And then the other corner had just got a penalty, puts him in this situation and boom. Sean Payton was all over it. His quarterback was all over it. You're running out of real estate here, Colin. So you got to make those pump fakes quick, you got to feel that safety and you have to drive this ball. This is a beautiful throw. I mean, he put this thing on a frozen rope. That's one of those, those football that, you know, flies through a car wash, doesn't get wet kind of thing. That's money. And that's what you want to see from Bo Nix. He showed it in flashes. It just wasn't as consistent as we were used to towards the end of last year. I think a lot of that is, you know, getting some of those personnel and plays and volume flushed out and getting all the guys on the same page. But trust me, I love their defense and I love that they're learning these lessons with a win in the win column as opposed to losing their home opener.

[Colin Cowherd]

Mark Sanchez has a new show debuting. Is it. Is it next Tuesday night? When it, when is it?

[Mark Sanchez]

No, it's out. It came out okay. Yesterday with Justin Herbert.

[Colin Cowherd]

Okay, go to foxsports.com and our digital. I'm gonna watch it myself. I'm in Chicago now, so I get on the train and go home. This is not all smoothie, sun, LA driving, baby. I'm commuting on the train.

[Mark Sanchez]

I love it. I love it.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right. All right. Thanks, Mark. Mark's got the Seahawks, Steelers this week, which again, a really interesting game. Seattle, one of the better, better performances for a losing team. Sam Darnold, they're driving. They're in the red zone. And then Pittsburgh wins. But their defense was taken apart at the seams by Justin Field, so. Mark, I thought, I thought Denver, Tennessee was fascinating. You know, it's not. J. Mac, we say this all the time. It's not just stats. If you watch that game, there's an argument that Cam Ward made better reads. Yeah. As a rookie than Bo Nicks. Bo Nicks has a much, much better roster. And because of Denver's defense, you know, most of the time Denver's going to score 24 points and win. So it's like that game. I sat after that game, I was like, I know nobody's going to say this. I thought Cam Ward, considering the environment, altitude, pass rush, I thought it was a B plus, a minus. I thought he was really good.

Totally agree. I think Titans are. They're going to be live Colin this season. Now we'll see against the Rams Sunday if they can duplicate that. Obviously you're, you're aware of the Rams offensive line situation, which is good news for our Titans.

Our Titans. That's right. J. Mack with the news.

[Mark Sanchez]

No, no, no. Turn on the news.

[Colin Cowherd]

This is the Herdline news. All right, Colin. It's being called revenge Sunday in the NFL.

A lot.

Lot of teams looking to avenge losses. Chiefly Patrick Mahomes. The game is on Fox. Patrick Mahomes going up against the Eagles. Well, Vic Fangio.

Fangio.

Fangio. However you want to say it. Eagles defensive coordinator has his squad on high alert for any Mahomes sideline shenanigans.

Always be aware when you're near the sideline for all those points. You just brought up one, the quarterback flopping, going out of bounds to the quarterback, lowering his shoulder and try and.

[Mark Sanchez]

Get the last piece of business in there. So you got to play with good.

[Colin Cowherd]

Bent knees and be ready for anything that happens. But, you know, Holmes is the ultimate competitor, and doesn't surprise me to see him do that.

That little Phil Jackson action there from Vick starting to lobby the refs on a Wednesday. I'm impressed. He's not wrong, Colin. You saw, you know, you can't touch Mahomes, the golden boy, right. And you saw him lower his shoulder and then kind of flexing like, bro, you can't do. Somebody's going to lay him out. And Eagles have some hitters at linebacker.

Oh, yeah.

I mean, here's the play on FS1 in question where Mahomes scrambles.

Yeah. No, I mean, and. And by the way, Mahomes got c called out on the Internet, so, you know.

You think he cares about that?

Come on. No, but I think it was pretty obvious that they. They designed the rule. They did not want this to happen. And, you know, there is something to be said generally, you know, nobody wants to hurt anybody. But I think this play is the kind of play that gets talked about in locker rooms in the NFL by defensive players. It's like we can't touch him, but they can put a shoulder down and take a shot at us. That's the kind of thing where defensive players the following week may. May take one for the team and get a flag and hit a little bit late on a sideline. Yeah.

Let me give a name for you. Jihad Campbell, The. The rookie for Philadelphia. Oh, yeah, he was unbelievable against Dallas.

Huge, great athlete.

You had him as the sixth best rookie who showed out in week one. This guy's a machine. I would not be surprised if somebody layers the boom.

Classic Philadelphia move. They go to the sec. You know, he's an inside linebacker, which is considered like a third, fourth, fifth round. That's not a position a lot of guys just to and you know, Howie Roseman says, I'm just going to go get the best athlete available. He was the best linebacker, certainly the best interior linebacker, but he was one of those guys that you knew with what Philadelphia has around him, he was a can't miss first round pick.

By the way, they love shopping in the SEC at the draft. Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter, the kid Davis in the middle.

And they get rewarded.

Yeah, exactly. All right, let's move on to Thursday Night Football. It's a good one. Commanders at Packers. I think you and I both on the same side here. Micah Parsons made his presence felt in limited action against the Lions. And you know, Dan Quinn was asked about how he'd handle his former player. Are you asking what would I do if I. Yeah, I'd sit him this week.

Like Micah and other great players, you want to, you know, know where they are to how to go play. And if you have a vulnerability in.

[Mark Sanchez]

A spot, you want to make sure it's.

[Colin Cowherd]

You can fortify that to a strength so you don't just, you know, leave.

[Mark Sanchez]

It to chance and see what happens.

[Colin Cowherd]

It's good. Thursday night game. We have had a string of college and pro football games, big standalone games, and they've almost all hit. We have through, through one week at the NFL in two weeks, college football, there have not been a lot of misses. I mean, Belichick was the big miss week one. Did you watch Belichick? Week two?

No.

They played like UNC Charlotte and lost time of possession. Appalachian State scored more points against Charlotte than Belichick's offense did. I'm telling you, that Belichick factory in Carolina is not good.

That was a rare off season whiff for me. I was bullish on this team. Real quick. If you're looking for a name that could spy Jaden Daniels, Edurin Cooper, the young linebacker out of Texas A and M, dude, he is an animal. And I'm telling you, they can. They have chess pieces now with him and Micah Parsons. And then you get the young kid at the other on the other edge coming off Van Ness. This is a scary defense. I don't want to say packers in a blowout, but this came off three, so respect expected money pushed it up to three and a half. I, I like the Packers. Tomorrow night, final story. Colin, is the Raiders grabbing ashton Genty top 10 in the draft. A lot of hype around him, but in week one he couldn't really get unlocked. Only 41 yards on 21 touches. Pete Carroll is confident he'll be better.

In Week two, Sebastian was.

[Mark Sanchez]

He was a little. He was. He was hyped, you know, he was.

[Colin Cowherd]

Jacked up and he would tell you.

[Mark Sanchez]

I would that you know, he wish.

[Colin Cowherd]

He would have been a little more.

[Mark Sanchez]

Patient on some reads and things like that.

[Colin Cowherd]

That will come.

[Mark Sanchez]

He didn't look like that in preseason. This game, you know, being out there and being called on to play and you know, carry the ball, you know, 19 times or whatever it was, it.

[Colin Cowherd]

Was a little bit different for him.

[Mark Sanchez]

And he'll play way better, he'll see.

[Colin Cowherd]

Things more clearly and I know he's a little frustrated by that. I think the Raiders are going to give the Chargers all they can handle.

You want to wait to see if Brock Bowers is healthy and play?

That would help. Yeah, it's. That is one of those that probably won't make the blazing five simply because I don't know if Brock Bowers can play. Remember the COVID Covid year when we were all awful betting because you had Sunday you'd wake up and four guys were a scratch. But Brock Bowers plays. I'll take the hook. I'll take the Raiders.

Well, the hook may be gone but Brock Powers is announced in but yeah, he's going to be huge. If not, do you really have to respect any of those Raiders like Jacoby Myers is good but I'm not worried about him killing me, you know. And so you load up in the box and say ashton Genty, come on down buddy.

Okay, J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the Herd lie news. College football weekend is okay following week and then the following week after that you start getting big time in a conference play and there's some really good matchups in a couple of weeks, especially in the Big Ten. I thought it was interesting so we paid all this attention. Texas plays Ohio State and all we talk about in the summer and it's a slow time of the year. You're looking for segments and Arch Manning, the Manning name, Texas, Ohio State. So it got a lot of play and he's a very good athlete and maybe everybody got a little overheated but you know, it's July and talk radio and sports shows and then he, he stunk in week one. He just arm angles, mechanics, accuracy. It was a bit of a mess last week. He came out and it was fine. But he did wince a couple of times when he threw. And my opinion on that is it's football. People wince all the time. Sark got a little defensive at the press Conference about that. And I asked Joel, Clint, Joel Clad. I said, you know, the truth is Texas football, the quarterback position, it may be the most discussed and pressurized position in college football. It's, you know, coach at Notre Dame, coach at Alabama, quarterback at Texas. Is Sark feeling the heat when he got defensive with the media covering the Longhorns? What makes it more worrisome is that he's wincing while not throwing the football very accurately. And there's speculation of why is his arm angle down and what's going on. Is he. Is he hurt? There's. So there's wild speculation, and I think that Sark sees that. You see the defensiveness of a coach trying to defend a quarterback that is not reaching the expectations that have been shoveled on him by the outside, whether he liked it or not and whether you like the answer or not, I like it if I'm arch. And I think that's the point. Okay, so it's time. Week two, NFL schedule. J. Mack, I ask you, we get to midweek, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and I ask you specific questions about the NFL schedule. I'm going to bring out the week two schedule. So in, in week one, we had a lot of near upsets. I don't consider the Chargers over the Chiefs a huge upset, although the. I think the Chiefs had beaten him seven straight times. Did we have a huge upset in week one? I mean, Miami's performance was disturbing in.

Terms of point spread. No.

No, we did not. Although. Although again, Tennessee made it uncomfortable for Denver. Do you see. Does any upset jump out to you in week two?

You know, Colin, so the Cowboy, they release a thing called look ahead lines. Right? So on last Friday, the Cowboys were three point favorites against the Giants for week two. That line's now six because Dallas looked good against Philly and the Giants looked inept. Do you really think Dallas, remember, don't go off week one your preseason. Did you think Dallas was six points better than the Giants? I mean, I think you had Dallas in the basement. So I think the Giants could be live for an upset here.

No, no, I think that's a good.

Call in the division. You know, Brian Dable kind of back against the wall. I saw Jackson dart also taking some first team reps this week.

Also, Micah, now you have tape of the Cowboys a full game without Mike. Yeah, right. You now. Okay, now, you know, Kenny Clark's nice player, but maybe that helps. San Francisco at New Orleans. Spencer Rattler was not terrible and San Francisco's a mess physically.

Does that have upset on it, yeah, it does, unfortunately. But you know, I'm a ride or die Brock Ferdy guy. I need to see what's up with.

His shoulder and toe.

Obviously. No, Kittle is not great and like you said, 31 touches for CMAC. You can't keep doing that every week.

Okay, here's my upset of the week. Tennessee at home Rams O line beat up Jeffrey Simmons. Unblockable. Cam Ward comes home low scoring. So it's not going to be a shootout. This is going to be a low scoring football game with a couple of offensive lines that could struggle. Tennessee in overtime beats the Rams.

Jeffrey Simmons just wrecking havoc up the middle against Stafford, who's not really mobile. And the Texans defense was good against the Rams. Man, that was a good defense. So you're right. I think this is a close game. I think we're going to see the line dip down a little more lower than five now. Historically McVeigh's been very good in the early time slot when traveling east. He's just a great coach, you know, but I don't hate that pick. Are you willing to hold your nose and take the Browns to beat the Ravens?

No, I'm not. I will not hold my nose. I do think I think San Francisco, based on the health report, is ripe for an upset. And I would say keep the health report in your hand with the Rams O line. They could be in trouble. All right, we are done. We will see you tomorrow. First things first is around the corner. It's the hurt. 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. See TCUV warranty supplement ToyotaCertified.com or your Toyota dealer for details.

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[Mark Sanchez]

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[Colin Cowherd]

In the US based on analysis by Ookla of speed test intelligence data 1H2025CT mobile.com network this is Colin Coward from the Herd with Colin Coward. A wingman flies close with unwavering dedication at Folds of Honor. A wingman stands with families of Americans, fallen or disabled heroes. The burial flag given to their grieving family is folded 13 times. As a wingman, your $13 monthly donation provides scholarships to their spouses and children. 13 folds $13 Become a wingman. Join today at foldsofhonor.org this is an I Heart Podcast.