THE HERD - Hour 3 - More on Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce engagement, Jerry Jones and Micah Parsons, Brian Billick

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Hour 3 – Cowboys, Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce Engagement, NFL Storylines, and Coach Brian Billick

Date: August 26, 2025
Host: Jason McIntyre (sitting in for Colin), with Rachel
Guests: John Machota (The Athletic – Cowboys), Brian Billick (Super Bowl-winning coach)

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Episode Overview

Hour 3 of The Herd covers several hot-button NFL topics with a mix of reporting, analysis, and entertainment. The show dives into the Dallas Cowboys’ latest drama with Micah Parsons’ contract saga, Jerry Jones’ management style, and roster concerns. Entertainment and sports worlds collide with coverage of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s engagement, and the hour wraps with Former Ravens coach Brian Billick offering insight on QB controversies, the Browns, and the Ravens’ Super Bowl chances.
Tone: Opinionated, lively, banter-heavy, and occasionally irreverent.

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Segment Breakdowns & Key Insights

1. Dallas Cowboys: Micah Parsons’ Saga, Jerry Jones, and the Running Game

[02:26 – 12:19]

Key Points:

• Micah Parsons Contract Drama:

  • John Machota underscores the tension: This negotiation is typical Dallas drama—ugly, frustrating, but usually leading to players getting paid in the end.

    “In the end, what happens is the players always end up getting their money.” – John Machota [02:50]

  • Holds out little hope for it being resolved quickly, emphasizing Jerry Jones’ penchant for handling decisions personally and dragging things out.

    “It will get done when Jerry wants it to get done.” – John Machota [06:42]

  • Parsons’ body language and absence impacts the team’s preparation, especially with a new coaching staff.

    “It’s an issue not to have your best player on the field throughout training camp with a new coaching staff.” – John Machota [09:08]

• Running Game Concerns:

  • The Cowboys have cycled through running backs—Rico, Javonte Williams, and rookie Jaden Blue each in contention but no clear bell-cow.

    "It’s going to be a variety of things that might even include the fullback, Hunter Lipke." – John Machota [05:00]

  • Jason jokes about fantasy football headaches from Dallas RBs.

• Offensive Uncertainty:

  • Schottenheimer, as head coach, is intentionally “vanilla” in preseason; much is unknown about how new WR George Pickens will mesh with CeeDee Lamb and Dak Prescott.

    “I just have questions about the run game, and if you can’t run the ball … I don’t know how teams don’t just sit there and drop two safeties as deep as possible…” – John Machota [03:45]

• Jerry Jones’ Role & Draft History:

  • No change in management style expected; Jerry is the final word on all big decisions.

    “Jerry has an ability to hold a grudge like very few others. And where we’re at right now with that, I think, is a great example of it.” – John Machota [07:23]

Notable/Juicy Quotes:

• “You even know his drink? [Johnny Walker Blue]” – Jason McIntyre joking with John Machota about Jerry Jones’ contract mood [12:09]
• “It was kind of funny that Dak Prescott made mention of [Parsons’ bad body language] yesterday…” – John Machota [10:00]
• “Are they just going to run into each other and it’s going to be a disaster?” – John Machota, on Jerry and Micah’s standoff [10:58]

Summary:
The Cowboys’ annual summer contract saga centers on Micah Parsons, with Jerry Jones at the epicenter of all decisions. The coaching change, sketchy running game, and heavy pass focus signal an offense with potential but major caveats. The show compares Dallas’ ongoing drama to years past—this is the Cowboys’ way.

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2. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Engagement—Cultural Phenomenon Meets Sports

[17:29 – 19:40, lightly referenced later]

Key Points:

• Engagement News Blows Up Social Media:
  • Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announce engagement via Instagram; “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married.”
  • Post draws skyrocketing likes (from 7.5M to 12M in <1 hour) [19:21]
• Media & Marketing Impact:
  • Rachel notes: Swift’s podcast appearance on Kelce’s show recently broke the Guinness record for “most ever listened to live podcast interview.”

    “There’s an obsession.” – Jason McIntyre [18:53]

  • Both hosts marvel at the “headline gold” for sports media and the engagement ring shelling out ($550K, 8 carats).

Memorable Banter:

• “Is he bankrupt? That’s expensive as hell.” – Jason, about the ring [19:21]
• “Just put Taylor Swift in your podcast title, your podcast downloads go up…” – Jason [18:42]

Summary:
The Swift/Kelce engagement exemplifies the intersection of pop culture and pro football, with the podcast crew gleefully tracking social and economic ripple effects—and poking fun at the spectacle.

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3. NFL News Roundup: Running Backs, Texans, and Hot Seat Odds

[19:57 – 25:18]

Texans & Running Back Woes:

• Joe Mixon remains sidelined (non-football injury). Uncertainty looms for CJ Stroud, who faces the Rams in Week 1.
• Rachel: “You’re throwing around Nick Chubb like it’s the Nick Chubb of two years ago. He’s coming back from such a gruesome injury…” [21:30]

Dolphin’s Coach Mike McDaniel's Hot Seat:

• Vegas pegs McDaniel as the top candidate to be fired first (+200), with Brian Dable, Shane Steichen close behind.
• A scathing Washington Post report (“dead man walking thing”) is cited, with GMs doubting McDaniel’s approach and leadership.

  “Miami feels like a ticking time bomb. The head coach was all fun and games for a while, but there’s not enough tough love.” – Rachel quoting NFL GM [23:52]

• Panelists debate the risk/reward of “outside the box” coaching hires and groupthink in front offices.

Summary:
Major early-season questions face the Texans (injuries, offensive cohesion) and Dolphins (leadership, expectations, AFC East competition), with coaching job security looming as an early-season theme.

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4. Brian Billick Interview—Quarterback Battles, Browns, Ravens Outlook

[28:56 – 37:10]

Key Points:

• Browns QB Situation:

  • Departure of Kenny Pickett leaves two rookies and 40-year-old Joe Flacco in the QB room.
  • “If you draft a guy, you need to play him, particularly in the first round… They could do with it however they want to if they choose to go with Flacco and let that go..." – Brian Billick [30:07]
  • Stefanski’s job security is tenuous, regardless of “Coach of the Year” status.

    “The word coach and safe don’t belong in the same sentence, let alone the same paragraph.” – Brian Billick [31:32]

• Saints’ Surprising QB Decision:

  • Spencer Rattler named starter over newly drafted Tyler Shuck.
  • Billick urges finding out what you have with your high draft picks.

• Baltimore Ravens' Outlook:

  • Praises the roster (“as good as anybody in the National Football League”), credits Lamar Jackson, notes that their Super Bowl fate often hinges on a single play (referencing Mark Andrews’ drop).

    “They have been there and it’s been a play here, a play there… no reason to think they’re not going to be in that position again.” – Brian Billick [33:51]

  • Contextualizes the Lamar/Mahomes/Allen era with a Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson golf analogy.

    “They happen to be at a time when you also have Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.” [34:49]

• Player Safety and XTech Pads Promotion:

  • Billick advocates for XTech Pads, touting their high-tech, AI-driven, custom-fitted football pads for colleges, pros, and youth.

    “It’s absolutely the best pad. It’s the pad our young people need to be in.” – Brian Billick [36:15]

Summary:
Billick is pragmatic about the pressures on NFL QBs and coaches, notes the importance of playing drafted QBs, and sets realistic expectations for the Ravens amid AFC elite competition.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “There’s just no chance of [Cowboys front office change] happening as long as Jerry’s around.” – John Machota [06:42]
• “It will get done when Jerry wants it to get done.” – John Machota [06:42]
• “Dead man walking thing, isn’t it? What he’s selling doesn’t look like it’s playing in the locker room anymore…” – Rachel on McDaniel’s job security [23:52]
• “The word coach and safe don’t belong in the same sentence, let alone the same paragraph.” – Brian Billick [31:32]
• “Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are officially engaged. The IG post now has 12 million likes.” – Rachel [19:21]
• “If you just put [Caitlin Clark] in your podcast title, your podcast downloads go up…” – Jason [18:42]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Cowboys/Micah Parsons/Jerry Jones: [02:26 – 12:19]
• Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce engagement: [17:29 – 19:40]
• Texans RB & Coaching Hot Seat Odds: [19:57 – 25:18]
• Brian Billick Interview (Browns, Saints, Ravens, XTech pads): [28:56 – 37:10]

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Conclusion

Hour 3 mixes classic Cowboys drama and NFL insider perspective with a dash of celebrity intrigue. The host and panel juggle incisive football talk and playful banter, addressing the quirks and chaos that define the league each preseason. Whether you care about the contract minutiae in Dallas or just want a laugh about Swifties hijacking the NFL news cycle, this hour has you covered.

Transcript

[Jason McIntyre]

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[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

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.

[Rachel]

Now let's get this party.

[Brian Billick]

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.

[Jason McIntyre]

Welcome back to the Herd. In between news about Travis Kelsey and Taylor Swift, we're going to actually talk sports because you know that's what we're here for. So we're bringing in John Machota, Cowboys reporter covering the team for the Athletic. Oh John, I'm sure you are just loving the dog days of August as everybody waits for Jerry to blink with Micah Parsons. How are you spending your days right now?

[John Machota]

Excited, phone in hand, constantly seeing if there's anything that's changed. No, it's fine. I mean, it's not like this is new, you know, this is what the Dallas Cowboys do. They've done it with Dak Prescott, They've done it with CD Lamb, Zach Martin, Ezekiel Elliott, DEZ Bryant. I mean, the list goes on and on. And in the end, what happens is the players always end up getting their money. So it seems very ugly to people that aren't around it, and it might even get uglier than it is right now. But ultimately, Micah Parsons isn't going anywhere, and he will eventually get a new contract from the Dallas Cowboys.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, it's weird there. They made the big splash move going after Pickens. So the offense could actually be kind of good. I don't know. Dak Prescott, healthy, Pickens on the outside, Lamb on the outside. Like, they could be good offensively. I just have so many questions about the defense and, of course, Schottenheimer's head coach. I'm curious where you are with Shotty leading this team.

[John Machota]

I mean, I like him from a media perspective. He's very media friendly. He. He certainly understands our job. But there's just a lot of questions that I. I don't think have been answered yet. I mean, there's only so much you can get out of training camp. There's only so much you can get out of preseason games where they're not really playing many starters at all. And that's really been the case for Dak Prescott for the last four or five years. And so you really don't know. And then you match in the George Pickens and how he fits with the offense, the fact that Brian has said that he's trying to be as vanilla as possible at camp and then also in these preseason games because he doesn't want anybody to know what he can show on offense. And so certainly it should be a good passing game. I just have questions about the run game, and if you can't run the ball, I don't. I don't know how teams don't just sit there and drop two safeties as deep as possible and say, I'm not going to let CD Lamb and George Pickens beat us. What is your counter to that? And that's what we don't know yet.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, it's weird. They've moved off of the starting running back maybe three years in a row. I Is that. I'm not sure if that's exactly right, but Rico had a good year last year. And now they ran Javante Williams. Listen, I don't know if you play fantasy, I, I he's the kind of guy that you pick up and then drop within a week because he'll go for like five carries for like 12 yards. And you're like, this guy's not very good. You're right. The run game's a major problem, is it not?

[John Machota]

It is. And I'm just stunned that over these last two years there hasn't been a bigger move to add a veteran running back or draft one in one of the first two days of the draft. And so as we sit here today, Javante Williams will be the starter. So for those looking for who the Cowboy starter would be in fantasy, I would say Javonte Williams. Jaden Blue, their fifth round pick out of Texas, would be the guy that adds some juice to the offense. But he's coming off of a a little bit of an ankle injury, and so I don't know how quickly he'll be utilize. I'm sure he'll get some touches against Philadelphia, but I don't think that he's enough to will push onto Williams away. And then behind them, it's, I think a little bit of Kevonte Turpin, the wide receiver might be a little bit of a wild card there, maybe two, three touches a game. They will hand the ball occasionally to CD Lamb as well. And so I don't think it is going to be just your, you know, solid, normal Ezekiel elliott, you know, DeMarco Murray type running game. I think it's going to be a variety of things that might even include the fullback, Hunter Lipke.

[Jason McIntyre]

It's interesting listening to you talk about some of these guys. I start looking at their draft history and Jerry, he's had a couple whiffs in recent years, huh? Last year, nobody really distinguished themselves in the draft. Two years ago, they did.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

All right.

[Jason McIntyre]

And then there's the Mazie Smith pick, which has been an unmitigated disaster. Like, I listen, I know he's a billionaire, he runs the team, but at any point do you anticipate Cowboys brass sitting down and being like, guys, we're gonna have to do something here? Or is it there's just no chance of that happening?

[John Machota]

Are you talking about in terms of Micah Parsons?

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, just Jerry Jones botching every contract.

[John Machota]

Oh, no, that'll never change him out. But no, that's not as long as he's around, nobody will be stepping in and, and saying, I mean, we've seen it with this Micah Parsons thing. It was, I would say, a few months ago, something where I can see Steven Jones being involved. It's done. Now, this is a Jerry situation. It will get done when Jerry wants it to get done, so it remains that way. Now, Jerry does listen to the people around him. You know, I don't want it to come off as like he just goes around and he just goes with whatever the, you know, the last person he talks to. There's a lot of rumors of that now. He listens to people that are around him. But on these big decisions, he's. He's going to be the final say on these things. And so that's why when you see the Micah contract dragging out, people often ask me, how do you think it'll be different when Stephen Jones is running the team? There won't be as many of these things. I mean, Jerry has an ability to hold a grudge like very few others. And where we're at right now with that, I think is a great example of it. And I don't think anybody can talk him out of it. He has to do it himself.

[Jason McIntyre]

So he's now going on podcasts. He went on a podcast with Michael IRVIN. This is an 8A guy over 80 years old going on a podcast. And he's actually seems like he was talking trash about this Micah situation with the agent and shoving it up his butt. And like, it just did not sound good at all. What's your take? Have you spoken with Micah's agent and where's he on all this?

[John Machota]

Not recently, no. I don't have much contact with him. And that's, I think, by design. David Mulligetta, who you're talking about. Michael Parsons agent, much like Todd France. These are two of the top agents in the NFL and Todd France doesn't do much media either. And he represents Dak Prescott and has gotten Dak Prescott two of the most incredible deals. The last two times that they've gone to the table against Jerry Jones, they've no question won those battles. And so if you're David Mulligata, why not do the exact same thing? You don't need to get in a war of words. You let everything take care of itself and let Jerry do what he does, say what he says. But the track record speaks for itself and that Jerry ends up paying all of these players. Things got ugly with Ezekiel Elliott. I remember being in Hawaii for a preseason game where Tony Pollard looked pretty good and Zeke was in a holdout. And myself and a couple other reporters are standing with Jerry after The game. And he said, zeke who? As if Zeke wasn't needed for the team. And then, you know, you fast forward three weeks later if that. He's signing Zeke, and then they're holding a T shirt up that says Zeku, and everybody's laughing and having a good time. So it's like Jerry is fine with everything getting ugly. The. The issue you run into is it causes problems for everybody else, and the players will say it's not a distraction, and the coaches will say it's not a distraction, but it's an issue not to have your best player on the field throughout training camp with a new coaching staff. And so even if this gets done in the 11th hour, it's cost you all that time when Micah could have been on the field with this new defensive coordinator, with this new coaching staff.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. What about lying on the table? I know it only was brief. It barely happened, but it happened. You know, everybody wants to make a big deal out of it. Schottenheimer getting asked about it afterward. I'm just. Talk me through watching it go down. And your thoughts?

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Yeah.

[John Machota]

So we're. It's in the third quarter, and another media member mentioned it to me and said, hey, look at where Mike is at. And I was like, okay. You know, of course, being the journalist that I am, I snapped a picture with my phone. But I'm like, yeah, maybe it just is gonna last for like, 30 seconds. Not a big deal. And then a minute goes by, two minutes go by, three, four, five minutes. And I'm like, all right, well, I'm posting this. Others have already posted this. It just doesn't look good. But with that being said, even when things are going well with the Cowboys and have gone well with Mike in the past, he isn't the best body language guy, whether you're at practice or whatever. And it was kind of funny that Dak Prescott made mention of that yesterday when we talked to him about, you know, Micah's body language has clearly been that he doesn't want to be at these practices. He does not want to be at these preseason games. He wants a new contract. And so even Dak joked that, you know, it's not like he's ever been the best in that category for. In terms of the body language. But it's very clear that. That Micah's frustrated and that while he wants to be there for his teammates, he wants to try and drive this hard bargain that I'm not going to be out there until I get this new contract. And now you basically have These two trains headed towards each other and who's going to give first, you know? Or are they just going to run into each other and it's going to be a disaster? I seem to think someone's going to give in eventually. I just don't know if it's week one.

[Jason McIntyre]

Oh, oh, so you're saying you think there's like a maybe 50% chance Micah does not play in week one? The line's kind of pinballing between seven and six. It's at seven now. I guess that's assuming, hey, Michael Parsons ain't playing week one.

[John Machota]

So what I. When I was saying that, I kind of meant that a contract might not be done week one, I think to give you percentages, I would say I think it's an 80% chance that Micah Parsons is on the field. I think there's a 75% chance that it's without a new contract. I think that Jerry's pretty dug in on this one. Someone has to make a first call. He still hasn't talked to David Mulaguetta. A deal's not going to get done until he talks to David. And so who makes that first call? I don't get the sense that David's going to make that call. And so does this just come down to Jerry Jones one night having one extra Johnny Walker Blue and giving in and making this call? Maybe that's what it is.

[Jason McIntyre]

Good stuff. All right, John. You even know his drink? John Machota covers the Cowboys for the Athletic. Good stuff, man. Thank you very much.

[John Machota]

Thanks for having me on.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right. Boy, that is a tough job. Rachel, Listen, I know you covered some beats. I just can't imagine being on the Dallas Cowboys. This crap's going every single year.

[Rachel]

The only saving grace is that you usually can find Jerry Jones at a bar somewhere and get quotes from him.

[Jason McIntyre]

Probably great stuff.

[Rachel]

A lot of ownership in the NFL you can't say the same for. So at least they've got plenty of fun.

[Brian Billick]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Hey, Steve Covino. And I'm Rich Davis. And together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2.4Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio. And, of course, the iHeartRadio app. Why should you listen to Covino and Rich? We talk about everything. Life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right? So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up, as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports radio and the iHeartradio app from 5 to 7pm Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich wherever you get your podcasts. And of course on social media, that's Covino and Rich.

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[Jason McIntyre]

All right, let's go to Rachel with the news. No, no, no.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Turn on the news.

[Brian Billick]

This is the Herdline news.

[Rachel]

Huge news in the world of entertainment, Jason. You know it. You love it. Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift took to Instagram to announce their engagement in a joint post. The caption reads, quote, your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married. Post already has seven and a half million likes on Instagram. It's been up for less than an hour. You got take.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, I got to take. Yeah. Let's just say there's some guys on staff here, Rachel, who are not as keen on the story as you and I. You seem to love this stuff. I'm into it. Listen, I'm up there.

[Rachel]

We're not in like week eight of the, of the NFL season. Guys.

[John Machota]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

If this, yeah, this happens, it's not.

[John Machota]

Even training camp anymore.

[Jason McIntyre]

If this happens next Thursday, an hour before the kickoff, it's like, done as soon as the ball Kicks off, then it's gambling and fantasy and football. Yeah, but you're right, these are the, these are the dull days of August.

[Rachel]

Well, to give you, to give you sort of the world interest in this couple, if not the people on the Fox Sports staff. When she was on his podcast just a couple weeks ago, it set a Guinness World World record. A Guinness World record most ever listened to live podcast interview ever. Ever. So there you go.

[Jason McIntyre]

We, you know, we joked about like the Caitlin Clark impact. If you just put her in your podcast title, your, your podcast downloads go up like that was a thing for like a year.

[Rachel]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

I wonder how many podcasts tomorrow in sports we'll have Taylor Swift in the headline. Just because people will automatically, they want to know what's going on. There's an obsession.

[Rachel]

Here's my last nugget on this. You ready? Engagement ring. I'm not going to put you on the spot and ask you how much you spent on yours, but Travis Kelsey, how much do you think he put out for that engagement ring? I'll give you, I'll give you a little context. It's eight carrots.

[Jason McIntyre]

No, stop it.

[Rachel]

Eight carrots, Eight carats.

[Jason McIntyre]

Is he bankrupt? That's expensive as hell. By the way, the post now has 12 million likes.

[Rachel]

Well, there you go. He's more than half a million doll record.

[Jason McIntyre]

I don't know, I'll just. Gosh, this is gonna be embarrassing. $3 million.

[Rachel]

More than half a million. So. 550.

[Jason McIntyre]

Oh, that's not that bad. I mean it's Travis Kelsey. He's got money. Doesn't he lead the NFL in commercials?

[Rachel]

So, so did you spend what, 480 on yours? No, that's not that bad. 550.

[Jason McIntyre]

No, I did not spend close to that.

[Rachel]

Taco football. Joe Mixon has been dealing with an ankle injury this off season. This has been a huge mystery. He's been unable to practice during OTAs minicamp. His last time participating with the team came in their divisional round loss to the Chiefs. And yesterday the team announced Mixon would not be activated from the non football injury list ahead of the deadline. That means he has to miss at least the first four weeks of the season. And who knows if it's better by then. Jason, we don't know what happened. It was just an away from football injury. That's all we've been told. How do you think this is going to impact CJ Stroud, who obviously wanted to have a bounce back season, now doesn't have his lead running back.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, what was Jet Ski accident or something like, you know, that stuff's not good. Although I did go on a jet Ski recently. It was awesome. So they're. They're have an entire new offensive line. They're going to. Their starting running back, I guess, will be Nick Chubb, who was not with the team until recently. CJ Stroud got sacked like 70 billion times last.

[Rachel]

I think that's.

[Jason McIntyre]

And they're facing the Rams in the opener. Are you going to go to the game? It's a. So qualify.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah. Should be. That should be good. I. I think the Rams beat him in that. I'm not as high on the Texans as everyone else I know. Two years ago they were awesome and last year they made the playoffs. I don't. I personally don't see it. I. I've cooled a little bit. The defense is going to be filthy, led by Will Anderson and company. But I, I like the Rams in that open room. That mix and loss is big.

[John Machota]

Now.

[Jason McIntyre]

If you get mixed and healthy mixing and Chubb, that's pretty nasty. Everybody's rooting for Nick Chubb, who's just all around good guy. Yeah. Where are you on the Texans this year?

[Rachel]

I mean, this, this changed my opinion somewhat. I liked the idea of turning the offense around somewhat because Stroud and the new coordinator seem to really have hit it off. And there seems to be a real symbiosis to how they're running things. CJ Is actually going to get more discretion over plays, calls at the line, stuff like that this year. So I think he's going to thrive in that environment. But again, this is a huge deal and you're throwing around Nick Chubb like it's the Nick Chubb of two years ago. He's coming back from such a gruesome injury. He didn't even start playing. He missed most of the year. He got hurt. Cause I think that was like in week two or something. He didn't come back for another year. Plus into week seven and then his first game back, I looked it up. He had 11 carries for 22 yards. That's not what you want. Now, obviously, you know, you get better and better as you come back, but there's no guarantee what Nick Chubb is going to be. And if for at least four weeks, maybe more. CJ doesn't have that kind of threat. I think that's a little bit of a factor.

[Jason McIntyre]

Even the wide receiver room. I mean, Nico Collins, really good. Christian Kirk is hit or miss. The young kid, Jaden Higgins, the draft pick, he's Supposed to be a big deal. Tank Dell can't stay healthy. Like, just unlucky for the Texans.

[Rachel]

Yeah, yeah. Not a good start that they wanted. However, there are more teams in worse shape, Jason, because we now have odds on the hottest seat among head coaches, otherwise known as which NFL coach is most likely to be fired first? Vegas is looking at Mike. @ Mike McDaniel, which, you know, looking at you, man. The rest of the top five. Let's take a look. Mike McDaniel, by the way, plus 200. Brian Dable plus 400. Shane Steichen, 700. And then we get a tie. Dave Canales, Kevin Stefanski, 750.

[Jason McIntyre]

So look at the screen. Dolphins at Colts. And Indy is favored. How is that? It'd be terrible.

[Rachel]

Have you discussed their quarterback situation lately?

[Jason McIntyre]

I mean, I don't. I don't. How. How do you not take the Dolphins? Or by the way, the two coat. Two of the top three coaches to be first fired, dueling it out in week one.

[Rachel]

Yes.

[Jason McIntyre]

I would like the Dolphins there now. I don't know what's going up with Devon Hn. Tyreek Hill always seems to be a mystery. So it's possible that Miami implodes because, you know, it looks like that's McDaniel's the kind of guy who could easily lose the locker room. I like him personally. I mean, I don't know him personally, but I like everything I've read about him and heard.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

That's it.

[Rachel]

He's obviously super media friendly. Right. And he's just different. I mean, he presented as like, I embrace my inner nerd. Right. Just different from. Different from all the coaches. But the coach speak that you see year after year. So I think he became a bit of a media darling. Obviously had early success, offensive genius, all of that stuff. But there's an interesting article in the Washington Post I saw where they interviewed a couple GMs, right. Of other teams in the league. Here are some of the quotes. It's kind of a dead man walking thing, isn't it? The quote was what he's selling. Doesn't look like it's playing in the locker room anymore. The thing looks like it's falling apart. Another GM said Miami feels like a ticking time bomb. The head coach was all fun and games for a while, but there's not enough tough love. So that speaks to the culture that you were referencing. And I think that's why it's. It's just. And also, everyone else in the AFC east improved, right? They didn't improve.

[Jason McIntyre]

Jets, I don't know. We'll see. But yeah, Patriots got a lot better Bills, super bowl favorites. It's tough for McDaniel. You know, he didn't play and I'm the kind of guy who's rooting for underdogs. I would consider him an underdog. No. Yeah.

[Rachel]

Oh, absolutely.

[Jason McIntyre]

How do you.

[Rachel]

It's kind of amazing he got to the spot he got at considering there's so much group think in football. Right. Well, let's go out. Let's not go out on a limb. Let's do the safe thing. I'm going to look bad as a GM or an owner if I take some wild chance. If I get a guy who's typical for that position and he doesn't work, no one's going to like single me out. But if I hire Mike McDaniel, people might be, what were they thinking?

[Jason McIntyre]

Outside the box.

[Rachel]

Risky, right?

[Jason McIntyre]

I like it.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

I mean, as an outside the box guy, website guy, I love it. Good stuff. Rachel with the news.

[John Machota]

Well, that's the news.

[Jason McIntyre]

And thanks for stopping by the Herd lie news. All right. Coming up next, we've got a former NFL coach to talk about this shadour Dylan Gabriel situation and also the Baltimore Ravens. Is this the year? That's next on the Herd.

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[Brian Billick]

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the iHeartRadio app.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right, we have a great guest stopping by right now. Brian Billick, legendary coach in the NFL, won a Super bowl with the Ravens. He is vacationing. Look at that. Summer home looks beautiful, Brian. You guys got cable TV up there, right?

[Brian Billick]

Yeah, and we actually get radio and the foam works and it's all great. Yeah, we're, we're up here. It's, it's God's country up here near the Canadian border and the temperature's perfect and lots of good golf.

[Jason McIntyre]

Love it. And what about preseason action? Are you just digging into it or are you more like, ah, let me play some golf?

[Brian Billick]

You know, I'm, I kind of on the periphery. I'll wait till the regular season really cranks up. You know, it's exciting that the regular season is cranking up, so I'll do a little more of a deep dive now that now it's for real.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yes, now that it actually matters. I like that. Let Me just start with this. Obviously there was a trade. The Browns got rid of Kenny Pickett. So they said for months that the Cleveland Browns were like, oh, we can, we can have four quarterbacks on the roster. We will do it. We're prepared. And of course they didn't do it. It didn't even come close. And they traded Pickett. What do you think this does to that quarterback room with two rookies and a 40 year old Joe Flacco who you are kind of familiar with?

[Brian Billick]

Yeah, Flacco can be a great mentor for them. Although knowing Joe, I don't know that's really how he sees it. Because he wants to play. But yeah, he can be that. He brings a wealth of knowledge to it. But at the end of the day, the Browns have got to make a decision. They've got to make a decision right now because at some point those rookies are going to play. And I'm a big believer that if you draft a guy, you need to play him, particularly in the first round. They don't have that first round pick. So when it comes to Shador Sanders, there's really no pressure. It's not like he was a first round pick where you basically have to start. This guy, the fact that he was what, a fifth round pick, they could do with it however they want to if they choose to go with Flacco and let that go until all of a sudden now something happens either to Flacco or the season hasn't gone well enough and go with the other guys. But I think Kevin Stefanski, he needs more success right now than maybe what the two rookie quarterbacks might give him.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, it's interesting you, you phrase it that way because some people are like, hey, he's won coach of the year twice. We had a reporter covering the team, said Stefanski, safe, but I don't know, you go 3 and 14 last year with a win total that was projected to be nine. What if they win four games this year? Gabriel stinks. Shador stinks. Like, is Stefanski safe? You've, I'm sure you've dealt with some of these kinds of stories around the league where the owner's like, oh, it's fine, and then come December, it ain't fine.

[Brian Billick]

No, the word coach and safe don't belong in the same sentence, let alone the same paragraph, because that's the pressure of the National Football League. But that is the challenge of them right now. If they go with, with Flacco and go with the veteran quarterback because they think they're A pretty good team. And they, and Joe has shown that they can. They can win with Joe then, then that's great. But if it doesn't and if he doesn't play well or the team doesn't play well now you have to go with the young guys. I don't know that now to kick into the motive. Well, they've got young quarterbacks so it's just a matter of how well do they develop. It really doesn't matter how well the season goes. I think Kevin Stefanski's long enough with the Browns. That might be a tough sell.

[Jason McIntyre]

So to two other young quarterbacks around the league, I just saw the Saints have announced Spencer Rattler has won the job and he will get the quarterback spot in the opener. They just drafted a guy, Tyler Schuck, who's 25 in the second round. Like what are these teams doing, Brian, it just is puzzling. Spencer Rattler was awful last year. Why don't you see what you've got in the young guy, the rookie that you just drafted?

[Brian Billick]

Well, that's the decision they have to make and they've seen enough to feel like, I guess they think Rattler, if this is what we'll start with him and then we'll move to the second rounder. That doesn't bode well. That usually doesn't go well because now you're really counting on what if he does play well and Rattler is one of those guys that can look really, really good or it can look really, really bad. If you can keep it on the 30 pitch count and you can get the good Spencer Rattler, that's great if he has to throw the ball 40, 45 times. Now you're going to see everything that he is and that's some good and that's some bad. So like I said, even though he's only a second round pick, I'm very much a believer that you've got to play the quarterbacks that you draft early to find out what you have.

[Jason McIntyre]

Totally agree. Let's go to the team you know well, the Baltimore Ravens. You want a Super bowl there in year two. Listen, they are close. They have all the personnel. Their super bowl odds are there. It really comes down to big the big postseason games and Lamar either hasn't delivered or Mark Andrews dropped the pass. I know you get asked to about it a lot but your thoughts on the Ravens heading into the season?

[Brian Billick]

Well, they're as good as anybody in the National Football League. They've got as dynamic a player at quarterback next to maybe Patrick Mahomes as there is in the league. They have. They play great, solid defense. So you're right. I mean, they have been there and it's been a play here, been a play there, and. And you can't just dismiss that. But by. By the same token, they've been in that position, so there's no reason to think they're not going to be in that position again. And I got to believe that, given the same situation next time Mark Andrews catches the ball. So, yeah, I think they're clearly going to be right there. They're going to be in the hunt, notwithstanding injury, and they're as good as anybody in the National Football League.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, listen, it's tough, man. Not everybody can win a Super bowl like Dan Marino got there, never got back. John Elway could not deliver until he gets Terrell Davis late in his career. Like, these are things. Lamar and Josh Allen are still relatively young, right? I mean, is there. Are we putting too much pressure on these guys, or is it that Patrick Mahomes has just changed the equation with all his early success?

[Brian Billick]

No, I don't think you're putting too much pressure on them because that pressure exists. At the end of the day, they've got to get to that next level. They've proven they have the abilities to do all the other things, and they're with teams that are good enough to take that next step. Now, they happen to be at a time when you also have Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. It's like, you know, Phil Mickelson's a phenomenal golfer, but he obviously grew up in an era of Tiger woods. And there's no denying that.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

That's.

[Brian Billick]

That's a part of how you look at a Phil Mickelson and everything that he accomplished, as opposed to what he could have accomplished. Well, the same thing with Lamar, same thing with Alan, that it's. It comes down to it that it's going to be compared because they clearly are contemporaries with Mahomes. They are clearly on good enough teams. And it's just a matter of. You're right. When you get that final games, things have to fall into place. The Ravens did everything they needed to, to be in that position, except for that final drop by Mark Anderson.

[Jason McIntyre]

That was a tough one. Now, I see the sweatshirt there. X Tech. You're promoting X Tech. Can you tell us a little about it?

[Brian Billick]

Yeah, I mean, this is the 14th season. And, you know, this is. This is the pat. It's the best pad. It's number one patent pro and major college football players like we just talked about, Josh Allen, Justin Jefferson, Fred Warner, elite colleges, Oregon, usc, Penn State and the like, the top high school programs in the country, they're all wearing and using XTEC pads because it is the best pad. You know, in the old days, it was old, you know, big pads on big guys, little pads on little guys. It's not that way anymore. With the technology we have, this is AI driven. We have 14 years of data now that these basically pads are basically form fitted for the athlete based on height, weight, age, position, injury history, the things, you know, all the things that they should be based on. It's absolutely the best pad. It's the pad our young people need to be in. And I'm really gratified to see parents now vesting themselves in the process. They're going to extechpads.com they're seeing the difference in this, in this pad, seeing the difference that it makes for their players because nothing's more important than keeping these players safe in what is a very volatile and physical game. X Tech pads is that next level of protection.

[Jason McIntyre]

That's awesome, man. Congratulations on that and thank you very much for taking the time. Enjoy the rest of your summer up north.

[Brian Billick]

We'll do it.

[Jason McIntyre]

All right, Brian, Thanks a lot. Brian Billick, super bowl champ with the Ravens. It's interesting. I was just looking at his bio. Rachel, are you ready for this? He was drafted in the 11th round in 1977. 295th pick. Can you believe they had that many picks?

[Rachel]

Yes.

[Jason McIntyre]

Early 70s, I didn't. Or mid-70s. That's kind of wild. I was going to ask him about Brock Purdy, but I didn't know how to weave. Hey, you were an 11th round pick.

[Rachel]

What do you think, Mr. Irrelevant. Starting for an.

[Jason McIntyre]

Anyways, by the way, obviously Rachel and I are surviving the Travis Kelsey Taylor Swift engagement. I mean, very exciting news. The memes are flying. I mean I, I saw a funny one about the how Nvidia and Taylor Swift are propping up the US Economy.

[Rachel]

Reported here first. Yes, Jason, right here on this show, the Dow Jones spiked after the engagement announcement.

[Jason McIntyre]

What a world we live in. I mean, so we got news on day one yesterday with Terry McClure in middle of the show.

[Rachel]

Yeah.

[Jason McIntyre]

And then today the engagement. So maybe Micah Wednesday and then can we, can we keep getting news every day?

[Rachel]

Y' all are way more optimistic than me. I do not think this Micah Parsons deal is getting done anytime soon.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay. All right. A little pessimist over.

[Rachel]

I am. I mean, look, it might be last minute Dax style thing, but I I just don't see anyone budging here.

[Jason McIntyre]

Jerry, think about the shows, the content. That's what we do. All right. Day two in the books man, what.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

A fun show on Fox one. Now you can stream your favorite live sports so you can be there live for the biggest moments. That means NFL Sundays and college football games, nascar, Major League Baseball, postseason and more. With Fox one, you get it all. Live, edgier seat plays, high octane moments, and that feeling like you're right there in the action. Fox 1 We live for live streaming now. Balancing work, family and education isn't easy, but American Public University makes it possible with online courses, monthly start dates and flexible schedules. APU is designed for busy professionals who need education that fits their lives. And Affordability matters too. APU offers the opportunity grant, giving students 10% off undergraduate and master's level tuition, helping you reach your goals without breaking the bank. Plus, they provide career services and 247 mental health support at no extra cost. Visit Apu Apus Edu to learn more. That's Apu Apus Edu.

[Brian Billick]

For years, everyone thought Verizon had the.

[John Machota]

Best network because they did.

[Fox Sports Radio Announcer]

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[Jason McIntyre]

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T Mobile has the best mobile Network.

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In the US based on analysis by Ookla of speed test intelligence data 1H 2025C T mobile.com network this is Colin.

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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 iHeart podcast.