THE HERD - Hour 3 - More the contract dispute between Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones, Robert Mays

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd — August 22, 2025 (Hour 3)
Host: Danny Parkins (in for Colin Cowherd). Guests: Robert Mays (The Athletic Football Show), Chris 'The Bear' Felica

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EPISODE OVERVIEW

Main Theme:
This episode dives into NFL contract disputes—particularly the standoff between Micah Parsons and Jerry Jones—while also taking a comprehensive look at the 2024 quarterback draft class, rookie expectations, and training camp takeaways. Robert Mays delivers national-level insight, and Chris ‘The Bear’ Felica discusses both NFL and college football betting markets.

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KEY DISCUSSION POINTS & INSIGHTS

1. Caleb Williams: Concerns, Preseason Performance & Ceiling

[02:58-05:42]

• Danny Parkins asks Mays about his earlier skepticism regarding Caleb Williams and whether the recent preseason game against Buffalo boosted his confidence.
• Robert Mays:
  • Impressed by how "on time and mechanically sound" Caleb looked against Buffalo ([04:01]).
  • Cites Ben Johnson's coaching as key: “With Ben Johnson, this could be corrected. I watched what Ben Johnson did with Jared Goff...” ([04:17]).
  • Still believes Williams faces a "big gap" from last year's performance but is optimistic due to improved circumstances in Chicago.
• When asked about Williams’ ceiling:
  • Mays cites a "fluid" quarterback hierarchy: "If you told me at the end of the 2026 season that Caleb Williams was the eighth best quarterback in the league, I would believe that..." ([05:18]).
  • Sees potential for rapid rise if things break right, especially given uncertainty in the current QB ranks.

2. Assessing the 2024 QB Draft Class

[05:51-07:23]

• Felica labels it potentially the NFL's “most successful draft class ever” in terms of teams getting it right with QBs.
• Mays:
  • Calls J.J. McCarthy the "biggest question mark" due to limited playing time but sees "collective optimism" for the class.
  • Highlights:
    • Michael Penix “really excited about what he showed last year.”
    • Drake May’s functional offense in New England is “a borderline miracle.”
    • Points out that even Williams, the least efficient by metrics, should be better with improved context.

3. Trevor Lawrence: "Last Stand" in Jacksonville

[07:23-08:36]

• Felica frames this as Lawrence’s “last stand” with his current environment, noting he’s as old as current rookies Bo Nix and Michael Penix.
• Mays:
  • Agrees—if he can’t succeed now, “they’re not perfect…but what you’re requiring of the quarterback” is more favorable compared to prior seasons.
  • Defines success for 2025 Jags: “That we never see Trevor Lawrence’s name on a bottom-third chyron ever again” ([07:51]).

4. Travis Hunter: NFL’s Ironman Prospect

[08:36-09:57]

• Felica anticipates Hunter setting a record for snaps in his rookie year; describes his two-way play as historic.
• Mays:
  • “Something we’ve never seen before…Even watching the mechanics…having him switch jerseys in the middle of a practice…”
  • Praises Hunter’s stamina: “The way…the amount of gas he has in the tank, we should study him.” ([09:23])
  • Curious how many pure miles (feet) Hunter will cover in a single game.

5. Contract Disputes: Parsons, McLaurin, Hendrickson

[14:43-16:40]

• Felica raises the rarity of true holdouts post-Le’Veon Bell; asks Mays if he expects all three to play Week 1.

• Mays:

  • “I do, just because of precedent…I just tend to think…most of this stuff gets sorted out before the games get started.” ([15:16])
  • Analyzes differences in leverage/conflict among the players.

• On Parsons & Jerry Jones:

  • Mays blasts Jones: “Jerry is P.T. Barnum…his priority right now is spectacle…If I was a fan of this team, it would drive me absolutely bonkers. Just the pure hypocrisy…” ([16:40])

6. Jackson Dart in New York

[17:29-18:50]

• Felica asks when Dart will start with tough competition and coaching hot seats.
• Mays expects Dart “pretty quickly,” noting:
  • Brian Daboll unusually upbeat about him.
  • Offense incorporating more college concepts: “You’ve already seen some of that Ole Miss stuff get folded into what the Giants are.”
  • Calls Dart “energizing”; predicts he’ll start soon.

7. Training Camp Takeaways & Team Optimism

[18:50-20:12]

• Mays shares biggest surprises from training camp visits:
  • “Collective optimism” about Titans and Panthers, both building healthier cultures and systems despite uncertainty with QBs.
  • “If you asked me that on August 22nd last year? Absolutely no way.”
  • Intrigued to watch both offenses open week one.

8. Rams’ Boom or Bust Potential

[20:12-21:33]

• Felica: Are the Rams setup for volatility given an injured Stafford and line issues?
• Mays:
  • Rams always “get the benefit of the doubt” because of their history threading the needle to success.
  • Floor is higher with backup QB (Garoppolo) and left tackle (Humphries), but ceiling depends on Stafford’s health: “If your 37-year-old quarterback is going to have a back injury…”

9. Shador Sanders: Fluff, Hype, and the Camp Coverage Trap

[21:33-22:42]

• Felica prompts Mays for meta-analysis of media’s Sanders coverage.
• Mays:
  • Chalks up training camp hype to fan demand and lack of context: “The tail wags the dog a lot when it comes to sports media…breathless coverage…is so misguided most of the time.”
  • “We just don’t have a good handle…You can't go back and watch practice tape to understand any of the context…” ([22:08])
  • Predicts “silly things” written about QBs—cites Cleveland’s recent month as an example.

10. Super Bowl Pick

[22:42-23:21]

• Felica asks: Who wins the Super Bowl?
• Mays:
  • “It pains me to say it, but I’m probably going to pick the Ravens.”
  • Praises defensive "tweaks," Lamar’s maturation: "They felt like the best team in the league for stretches last year and just couldn't get over the hump. They're probably top to bottom the team I believe in the most right now." ([22:54])

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NOTABLE QUOTES

• On Caleb Williams’ Offense:
  • Robert Mays [04:01]: “It’d be hard not to feel better when you look at how on time and mechanically sound the offense felt… just the pre-snap operation and clearly how in command of that he feels.”
• On Jerry Jones:
  • Robert Mays [16:40]: “Jerry is P.T. Barnum…if I was a Cowboys fan…it would drive me absolutely bonkers. Just the pure hypocrisy that consistently goes on with the messaging and the reality of the people that are in charge of that franchise.”
• On Travis Hunter’s Potential:
  • Robert Mays [09:05]: “We’ve never seen anything like this…I want some numbers on [how much he runs] because I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like it before.”
• On Training Camps:
  • Robert Mays [22:08]: “The breathless coverage of every moment of training camp… is so misguided most of the time. Like, we just don’t have a good handle on what is happening during these practices.”

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TIMESTAMPS FOR KEY SEGMENTS

• Caleb Williams preseason & outlook: [02:58] – [05:42]
• QB draft class evaluation: [05:51] – [07:23]
• The Trevor Lawrence “last stand”: [07:23] – [08:36]
• Travis Hunter’s NFL potential: [08:36] – [09:57]
• Contract disputes (including Parsons/Jones): [14:43] – [16:40]
• Jackson Dart’s prospects in New York: [17:29] – [18:50]
• Training camp surprises (Titans, Panthers): [18:50] – [20:12]
• The Rams’ volatility: [20:12] – [21:33]
• Shador Sanders and media hype: [21:33] – [22:42]
• Super Bowl pick (Ravens): [22:42] – [23:21]

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CONCLUSION

This episode offers a fast-paced, opinionated trip through major NFL storylines, blending detailed player analysis with behind-the-scenes perspectives on coaching, contract standoffs, and media narratives. Robert Mays delivers thoughtful critiques—never shying from calling out team owners, weighing quarterback development, or deconstructing preseason hype—while Chris ‘The Bear’ Felica delivers actionable betting tidbits for both college and pro football fans. Whether you’re tracking the Bears, Giants, Rams, or the mood in Dallas, you’ll leave with fresh context and quotable insights on the state of the NFL going into the 2025 season.

Transcript

[Angela Rye]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Manny]

Why are TSA rules so confusing?

[Dan Beyer]

You got a hoodie?

[Robert Mays]

You want to take it all?

[Manny]

I'm Manny.

[Robert Mays]

I'm Noah. This is Devin.

[Manny]

And we're best friends and journalists with a new podcast called no Such Thing where we get to the bottom of questions like that. Why are you screaming at me? I can't expect what to do now if the rule was the same, go off on me. I deserve it, you know, Lock him up. Listen to no Such thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. No Such thing.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Who cares about truth when the lies more entertaining.

[Angela Rye]

Welcome home. I'm Angela Ride, co host of the Native Lampod with Andrew Gillum and Tiffany Cross, and we want y' all to survive and thrive in this political moment.

[Robert Mays]

We're having the same debates that American households are having all over the country.

[Angela Rye]

I am terrified that in our rest we're going to miss the moment. You want me to stop resting? What specifically are you asking me to do?

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Stop.

[Angela Rye]

Stay informed and take action.

[Robert Mays]

Listen to Native land Pod on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

I'm Jake Hofer and this is back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network. Each episode I'll be asking eight whitetail hunting pros a focused, thought provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the best part of the farm with less than ideal access should you? That's what the real question is. Stand without good access is not a good stand. Listen to Back 40 on iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to the Heard 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.

[Dan Beyer]

Now let's get this party started.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Back in on the Herd, I'm Danny Parkins in for Colin Cowherd. Chris Felica the Bear joins us in about 20 minutes, but I'm excited about this. Joining us now on the Herd, the host of the Terrific the Athletic Football show is my buddy Robert Mays. And Robert, I was thinking about texting you, I was thinking about calling you and then I was like now let's just do it on national TV. I listened to your podcast of the 2024 draft class and you root for the Bears. You're in Chicago. You, like me watched every pass of Caleb Williams last year. But when you did that podcast you were talking about how you thought the most question marks were about Caleb and I was surprised. There was definitely plenty of bad he was not as good as many of us thought he was going to be, but there were so many things that contributed to it. I'm wondering if you are feeling better after the preseason game against Buffalo.

[Robert Mays]

It'd be hard not to feel better when you look at how on time and mechanically sound the offense felt. Just watching him operate with a level of urgency and confidence and just the pre snap operation and clearly how in command of that he feels. I've always had faith that with Ben Johnson this could be corrected. I watched what Ben Johnson did with Jared Goff and I remember what Jared Goff looked like near the end in Los Angeles. So I think there's a big gap that Caleb has to close based on how he played last year. But when you go from the worst possible circumstances in terms of how the offense is being articulated to a quarterback, the intent of certain plays to what is one of going to be one of the best situations in the NFL when it comes to all that stuff, you can see a drastically different result. So I think that I was a little bit worried about some of that stuff last year. I absolutely still have faith that it can get cleaned up with the right coaching and I think Ben Johnson is the right coach.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

So what do you believe? Caleb Williams, not necessarily this year, but where do you have him in terms of a ceiling? What can he still become?

[Robert Mays]

It's a great question. I don't know exactly where I land on that because I don't know how many quarterbacks are like him in the NFL that are actually analogous to him when it comes to play style and what he's bringing to the table. But if you told me, I think is this as it currently stands in the NFL, the NFL quarterback hierarchy, when you get outside of the top four guys, I think it's pretty muddled. I think that group between like 5 and 15 right now is very fluid where there's going to be a lot of risers and followers over the next couple years. If you told me at the end of the 2026 season that Caleb Williams was the eighth best quarterback in the league, I would believe that a lot of stuff would have to go right for it to happen.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

But.

[Robert Mays]

But I think that tier, especially right now, is kind of there for the taking. Depend on how, depending on how the next couple seasons go.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

So he's a part of this 2024 draft class and I said earlier in the show I think it's trending that it'll be arguably the most successful draft class in NFL history. Not in terms of Super Bowls or anything like that, but in terms of teams just getting it right. The 2020 class had five guys who signed second contracts with the team that drafted them, which is an NFL record. I know it's early, but I feel like they're going to go 6 for 6 in the first round. Do you look at last year's QB class as potentially an all time one? I do.

[Robert Mays]

Obviously J.J. mcCarthy is probably the biggest question mark just because we haven't seen him play. But all the other guys, even with only a glimpse at Michael Penck, I'm really excited about what Michael Penic showed last year. So the guy, if you look at the numbers that was the least efficient, any advanced metric you want to take a look at last year among that entire group was Caleb Williams. And we just talked about the collective optimism that I think is justified with Caleb Williams. What you saw from Jayn Daniels was undeniable. Bo Nix was so much better than anybody could have expected. Drake May, if you look at the scenario in New England and the personnel in New England, that should have been doa. They should have had absolutely no shot to even be a competent offense. And if you look at those numbers, Drake May was able to actually have a functional NFL offense with that group, which is a borderline miracle. So we'll see what happens this year. I think there still reasonable questions about all of these guys, but the arrow is pointed way, way up in a way that we just don't typically see with a group as a whole.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

So I want to talk to you about Trevor Lawrence because he is the same age as Bo Nix and Michael Pennix who are in that quarterback class. But he's on his third head coach. He's had four first round picks on the offensive side of the ball that he's been there. He gets Liam Cohen who helped Baker Mayfield. To me this feels like the last stand for Trevor Lawrence to prove that he can be that guy. How how do you look at it now with the situation that he's in in Jacksonville?

[Robert Mays]

I think that's a great way to frame it. And if he's not going to succeed in these circumstances and they're not perfect, the offensive line, they're shooting for the middle of the road even in a if that turns out well. But when you think about the construction of the offense and how hard it felt in Jacksonville over the last couple years and how easy it felt for Baker Mayfield and Tampa last year, it's just a drastically different situation and what you're requiring of the quarterback. And it's funny, we're doing that AFC south preview on our show today and for each team we're talking about what is success. And for me and the Jags, part of their successful 2025 would be that we never see Trevor Lawrence's name on a bottom third cry on ever again. And so the fact that we're doing this right now I think speaks to what we don't want to be doing by the end of this season.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

That's an interesting way to frame it. I do think the most interesting guy maybe in the NFL this year is his teammate Travis Hunter. I've argued that he's going to set the snap record as a rookie, which is a weird record. I know that. Not everybody knows that Malcolm Jenkins has the most snaps of any player in NFL history, but he had more snaps last year in 13 or 14 college games than Malcolm Jenkins did in 16 games. Like he has a chance to shatter the record. What do you expect from Travis Hunter in year one?

[Robert Mays]

Something we've never seen before. I don't think we've ever seen somebody play on both sides of the ball at the clip that he is going to do it. Even watching the mechanics of what their practices were like when I was down in training camp in Jacksonville, watching him off to the side with defensive coaches while they were going through special teams, having him switch jerseys in the middle of a practice. We've never seen anything like this and it was probably 98 degrees and just disgustingly humid when I was there and he looked like he was having the best time anyone's ever had on a football field as all of the rest of us were miserable. The way the amount of gas he has in the tank, we should study him. I've never seen anybody like it and they know that even beyond the amount of snaps on both sides of the ball, how much they're going to put him in motion, how many just pure feet he is going to run over the course of an NFL game. I want some numbers on that because I don't think we've ever seen anything like it before.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

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

[Dan Beyer]

The iHeartRadio app he's Mike Carmen I'm Dan Byard. We have a fantasy football podcast called I Want your Flex.

[Robert Mays]

That's right Dan.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Every week we're going to scour the waiver wire to find the pickup to turbo boost your fantasy lineup sits starts fantasy football players rankings to get you ready to dominate the competition.

[Dan Beyer]

Listen to I Want yout Flex with Mike Harmon and me, Dan Beyer on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts and wherever you get your podcasts.

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[Manny]

That you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this.

[Angela Rye]

Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone, to land this plane.

[Manny]

Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control.

[Robert Mays]

And they're saying like, okay, pull this.

[Manny]

Until this, pull that, turn this. It's just, I can do my eyes closed. I'm Manny.

[Robert Mays]

I'm Noah.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

This is Devin.

[Manny]

And on our new show, no Such Thing, we get to the bottom of questions that, like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Those who lack expertise, lack the expertise. They need to recognize that they lack expertise.

[Manny]

And then as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the Runway.

[Robert Mays]

I'm looking at this thing. See?

[Manny]

Listen to no Such thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Beyer]

Who cares about truth when the lies.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

More entertaining.

[Angela Rye]

Hey, everybody, I'm Angela Rai, co host of Native Lampod with Tiffany Cross and Andrew Gillum. Through the lens of politics and culture, we talk with you every week to make sense of this madness. I've been telling Angela I don't even know how to fight back right now. So what I'm focused on is just looking out for ourselves.

[Dan Beyer]

That's the truth.

[Robert Mays]

We're having the same debates that American households are having all over the country.

[Angela Rye]

Rest is certainly a form of self care, but if you are watching your full neighbors starve, not be able to pay bills, your rest is selfish. But the thing is, Angela, this is not the mess we created. So I do understand black folks feeling like, you know what, y' all got it.

[Robert Mays]

We're like family, but we disagree all the time. All the time. And we love when our listeners chime in.

[Angela Rye]

What would happen if we built our own little Wakandan communities in the rural South?

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Tiffany, do not run to no rural South. I don't know what you're on.

[Angela Rye]

What our audience is asking is. Okay, fine. You want me to stop resting? What specifically are you asking me to do? Stay informed and take action.

[Robert Mays]

Listen to Native Lamp Pod on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Angela Rye]

Welcome home, y'.

[Manny]

All.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Hello, I'm John Lithgow. We choose to go to the moon. I want to tell you about my.

[Dan Beyer]

New fiction podcast, that's One Small Step for Man. It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

True pioneers of space.

[Robert Mays]

You're a great pilot, Buzz. As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't predisposition.

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To depression, alcohol abuse and suicide.

[Dan Beyer]

We'll see Buzz, try to overcome demons.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

What do you say, Buzz? Another beer.

[Dan Beyer]

And triumph over addiction.

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Here's to you, Buzz.

[Manny]

Buzz Aldrin, good luck to you and.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Become a true hero. Buzz and I will proceed into the lunar module not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself.

[Dan Beyer]

Buzz, we intercepted a Soviet radio transmission.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Starring me, John Lithgow.

[Dan Beyer]

Can you put it through Translate on.

[Robert Mays]

The iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

You get your podcasts? Columbia Robert Mays from the Athletic Football show is our guest. We'll get into the specifics of the Micah thing in a minute, but I've argued that, like holdouts in terms of missed games, they're not extinct, but they're like an endangered species. Because the best players get paid. In a post Le'Veon Bell world, it doesn't really happen. Chris Jones is an outlier. We have three of them right now. Terry McLaurin, Trey Hendrickson, and Micah Parsons. Do you expect them all to play week one?

[Robert Mays]

I do, just because of precedent. And I know you were talking about Micah before I came on, and I think the Occam's Razor approach to this is typically how I do it. Like the simplest answer and the answer that we've seen before is the answer that we'll see again. All of them have subtle differences between them, but these guys are incentivized to play. I don't think they want to be missing game checks. And every single one of these teams has aspirations for this season, and all of these players are necessary components to that. So I'll believe it when I say see it. If none of these guys are on the field week one, I just tend to think the way the league currently works, like you just said, most of this stuff gets sorted out before the actual games get started. And that's where I sit with them.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

The McLaurin and Hendrickson ones, though, right? Like McLaurin, I can see the argument, well, we know we need to pay him, but he probably isn't as good as AJ Brown, so I could see there being some disagreement there. Hendrickson, it's like, okay, we know we need to pay him, even though he's really productive. But he's older, he's on the wrong side of 30. I could see there being Some disagreement there. Micah Parsons is just like universally regarded as a top three top five defensive player in football for the team that drafted him. Coming off of his rookie contract. It should be easy, but for some reason Jerry Jones doesn't want to talk to an agent even though David Mologhetta has players that are on the Cowboys. It's all ridiculous. What do you make of that one specifically and why this one has been so difficult in Dallas?

[Robert Mays]

Jerry is P.T. barnum. I mean that's, that's what he has been for way too long. And the fact that that's his priority right now is a spectacle spectacle out of this team. If I were a Cowboys fan, and we are all collectively agreeing that some of this is to drum up interest for a Netflix documentary or just to drum up interest for about the franchise in general that doesn't need any more publicity, it's just so hard for me to square the fact that this is somebody who has openly talked about how important it is for him to win another super bowl and how much winning matters and so many of his actions are directly contradictory to that. If I was a fan of this team, it would drive me absolutely bonkers. Just a pure hypocrisy that consistently goes on with the messaging and the reality of the people that are in charge of that franchise.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Let's stay in the NFC East. Jackson Dart has looked good in the preseason, but he's got two veterans in front of him. He's got a coach and a GM on the hot seat and their schedule's a mess. When do you expect to see Jackson Dart?

[Robert Mays]

I expect to see him pretty quickly. I really do. I just think the way that he's played in the preseason, how warm and fuzzy Brian Dable seem to feel about this. I've interacted with Brian Dable several times in my life. Brian Dable is not a warm and fuzzy person. You watch Brian Dabel on the sideline. He's not happy about much and he seems to be pretty happy about what he's getting from Jackson Dart. And you can honestly see it in the construction of the offense when Jackson Dart is in there. Brian Dable is somebody that came from the college game before he was the offensive coordinator of the Bills. He spent a year, that gap year at Alabama that so many guys seem to spend. He's interested in the college game. He consistently studies the college game and you've already seen some of that old missed stuff get folded into what the Giants are. I think that on so many different levels, the Jackson Dart experience has already been energizing for this team and this coaching staff. The idea that they would wait a while before tapping into that. When Russell Wilson at this point in his career, to me is the opposite of energizing. I think I want to see Jackson dart pretty quickly, and I wouldn't be surprised if the Giants want to see Jackson dart pretty quickly.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

All right, so let's go open ended here. You've been to a bunch of training camps. You cover the NFL as in depth and as closely as anyone. What's been the biggest learn for you? The biggest thing? Oh man. Positive, negative, good, whatever surprise that you learned on this training camp tour?

[Robert Mays]

I would say two things. I think it's the collective optimism I had about the general direction of both the Titans and the Panthers. Those are two organizations and two teams that really haven't had any reason for people to think that there are good things waiting around the corner. And when I left those two buildings, I think that the process, the way that they've tried to build the rosters, some of the things they're trying to do with their young quarterbacks, I don't know if it's going to work. I don't know if the Bryce Young thing is going to continue based on the second half of last season. I don't know if Cam Ward is going to be good. These are all things with young quarterbacks that there's a little bit of murkiness. But the what they've tried to do and how they've tried to go about things in both of those buildings, I'm looking forward to watching both of those offenses in week one. And if you had asked me that in on August 22nd of last year, there's absolutely no way. So just the general direction and how much quiet optimism I have about both of those places, I did not expect that before I walked into both of those buildings earlier this summer.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

What do you make of a team that's supposed to compete for a Super Bowl? Gave the Eagles all that they could handle but has an injured quarterback and a bad offensive line. I feel like there's a lot of boom or bust potential right now with the Rams.

[Robert Mays]

There's always boomer bust potential with this team and they're so hard to talk about because we discuss this a lot. The Rams get the benefit of the doubt where we're consistently talking ourselves into oh well, in the best version of this team, look at what they can do. We don't do that with anyone else. We don't wish for the best version of every other team consistently. But we've seen the Rams do it before. They did it when they won the Super Bowl. They did it for that stretch in 2023 when they can thread the needle. They look special. And so I just think that there's more volatility with that team than almost any other in the league. I will say they have built in contingencies with this version of it they have not had in years past. If you remember that 2022 season and even that game Stafford missed, I believe in 2023 when Brett Rippen had to play in Green Bay. That's why Jimmy Garoppolo is there now. They have a backup left tackle and DJ Humphreys. So I think the floor is slightly higher for the Rams than it has been in years past when they've had some of these injuries. But the ceiling also seems a little bit harder to reach if your 37 year old quarterback is going to have a back injury coming into this season.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

So this is not a story that you guys would really do a ton of on the Athletic Football show, but I'm just curious, what has your perception been of the media handling of the Shador Sanders story as it relates to the validity of it as a football story?

[Robert Mays]

We know how this stuff works. You know, you have to talk about certain things because there's interest in certain things that the tail wags the dog a lot when it comes to sports media. I'm not surprised by this. I just think overall the breathless coverage of every moment of training camp, training camp stats, who looks good, who looks bad. It's so misguided most of the time. Like we just don't have a good handle on what is happening during these practices. You're watching it from the sideline. You don't have a vantage point of the entire offense. You can't watch the entire offense and you can't go back and watch practice tape to understand any of the context of what's happening. So there inevitably there are going to be so many silly things written and said over the course of any given training camp and I think there's a very good chance that most of those reside in Cleveland based on how the past month has gone.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

All right, last one. Who's winning the Super Bowl?

[Robert Mays]

It pains me to say it, but I'm probably going to pick the Ravens. I just think that their best year is so good right now. I love some of the little tweaks they made on defense with the way they played on the back half of the season on defense last year and I think Lamar has reached a really special level and they have most of those component parts coming back on offense. They felt like the best team in the league for stretches of last year and just couldn't get over the hump. They're probably top to bottom the team I believe in the most right now.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Robert Mays from the Athletic Football Show I love. Listen man, this was fun. Thank you.

[Robert Mays]

Anytime bud.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Appreciate you man. That's Robert Mays from the Athletic Football Show. It's a great listen. You should check it out. All right. So Robert Mays on the record with the Ravens and I tend to agree most talented roster in the NFL truck that they tough to trust for me that they'll get it done consistently three weeks in a row in January. Chris Felica the Bear. He's going to help us make some money. Bear bets coming up. The Herd.

[Dan Beyer]

Be sure to catch live.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Editions of the Herd weekdays at noon.

[Robert Mays]

Eastern, 9am Pacific running a business online.

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[Manny]

That you're on an airplane and all of a sudden you hear this.

[Angela Rye]

Attention passengers. The pilot is having an emergency and we need someone, anyone to land this plane.

[Manny]

Think you could do it? It turns out that nearly 50% of men think that they could land the plane with the help of air traffic control and they're saying like okay, pull this. Until this, pull that, turn this. It's just I can do my eyes closed. I'm Manny.

[Robert Mays]

I'm Noah, this is Devin and on.

[Manny]

Our new show no such such thing, we get to the bottom of questions like these. Join us as we talk to the leading expert on overconfidence.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Those who lack expertise lack the expertise. They need to recognize that they lack expertise.

[Manny]

And then as we try the whole thing out for real. Wait, what? Oh, that's the Runway.

[Robert Mays]

I'm looking at this thing. See?

[Manny]

Listen to no such thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Dan Beyer]

Who cares about truth when the lies More entertaining.

[Angela Rye]

Hey, everybody. I'm Angela Rye, co host of Native Lampa with Tiffany Cross and Andrew Gillum through the lens of politics and culture. We talk with you every week to make sense of this madness. I've been telling Angela I don't even know how to fight back right now. So what I'm focused on is just looking out for ourselves.

[Dan Beyer]

That's the truth.

[Robert Mays]

We're having the same debates that American households are having all over the country.

[Angela Rye]

Rest is certainly a form of self care, but if you are watching full neighbors starve, not be able to pay bills, your rest is selfish. But the thing is, Angela, this is not the mess we created. So I do understand black folks feeling like, you know what, y' all got it.

[Robert Mays]

We're like family, but we disagree all the time. All the time. And we love when our listeners chime.

[Angela Rye]

In what would happen if we built our own little Wakandan communities in the rural South.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Tiffany, do not run to no rural South. I don't know what you're on.

[Angela Rye]

What our audience is asking is. Okay, fine. You want me to stop resting? What specifically are you asking me to do? Stay informed and take action.

[Robert Mays]

Listen to Nativeland Pod on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Angela Rye]

Welcome home.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Welcome home, y'.

[Dan Beyer]

All.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Hello, I'm John Lithgow. We choose to go to the moon. I want to tell you about my.

[Dan Beyer]

New fiction podcast that's One Small Step for Man. It's about Buzz Aldrin, one of the.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

True pioneers of space.

[Robert Mays]

You're a great pilot, Buzz. As far as I'm concerned, the best I've seen.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

That's the story you think you know. This is the story you don't predisposition.

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To depression, alcohol abuse and suicide.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

We'll see Buzz try to overcome demons. What do you say, Buzz? Another beer. And triumph over addiction.

[GoDaddy Ad]

Here's to you, Buzz Aldrin.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Good luck to you and become a true hero. Buzz and I will proceed into the lunar module, not because he conquers space, but because he conquers himself.

[Dan Beyer]

Buzz, we intercepted a Soviet radio transmission.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Starring me, John Lithgow.

[Dan Beyer]

Can you put it through?

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Can you Translate on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Columbia, bro, as the elder statesman of the show, would you like to make the announcement?

[Robert Mays]

Sure.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

We've announced it already. I know, but now, now we have.

[Robert Mays]

We didn't announce a date.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

We didn't announce a date. We didn't announce a. Time is moving to three hours. We will now be 3 to 6pm Eastern time. There we go. That's the big news. And you're right, we didn't announce the.

[Robert Mays]

Time because a lot of people are.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Thinking, wow, three hours. Is it gonna go two hours?

[Robert Mays]

Then maybe 11 to midnight? Turns out three consecutive hours.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

A lot of people hadn't announced a date. And my room still hasn't announced the date. The date.

[Robert Mays]

Yes, the date.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

It's August 25th.

[Robert Mays]

August 25th.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

It's the starter predictions week. Guys, this is. I'm. I'm disappointed in you. I have an announcement today. Pretty buttoned up in this segment. Yeah. Or this, this press. We know the. Listen, camera here. First things first.

[Robert Mays]

Single shot.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

First things first. Starting predictions week. August 25th. It's going to be 3 to 6pm 3 to 5pm totally unchanged. 5 to 6pm we'll be a part of it. Danny will get part of it. Coach will be a part of it. Greg will be a part of it. Maybe new friends, the first things first, family. That's what's happening. Starting predictions week, Monday, August 23rd. You have a good take, the show's over. That's not how it works.

[Robert Mays]

We start with a man halfway through the take.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Just gotta drive him home again. That would be extra.

[Robert Mays]

Everyone gets a chance.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

If you're gonna sudden death, you get a chance to make a take.

[Robert Mays]

Brew gets a chance to make a take. If Brew doesn't score on his take, you win. The show starting August 25th has ever.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Needed a vacation more than this guy. This guy starts the mornings grumpy and then right before the show starts, around this time of day, he's loopy. Then I see him in the hallways sniffing smelling salts. Whole thing with no idea how this.

[Robert Mays]

Three hour show's gonna be.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Exactly right.

[Robert Mays]

I might get that like runners high, you know?

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Yeah.

[Robert Mays]

The endorphins start to pump.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Yeah. See it?

[Robert Mays]

August 25th.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Everybody can't wait. Gonna be great. It's gonna be so ridiculous. Hey, guys, do a quick promo about the show coming up or just get into a two minute argument about how they've already announced it. That's the beauty of First Things first. It's ridiculous. The chemistry is unmatched and really Parkins, you're gonna change. No, three to five won't change. It'll be different between five and six. I'll be a part of it every day from five to six. And it's a true thrill and honor. We got some really fun stuff planned and we're gonna grow and develop and figure it out as we go along. We hope that you'll be there because it starts on Monday, 5pm Eastern. I'll be there with Brunick and Wild. Greg Jennings is in next week, but those guys will be there every day. The show is from 3 until 6, starting on Monday. Truly exciting joining me now. Also exciting though, as I sit in for Colin Coward, gaming expert. You know him from Fox. Big Noon Kickoff. Bear Betts with our guy, Jeff Schwartz, Chris the Bear, Felica. We will do mostly football and Bear, thank you as always for making time for us. But the brewers are on this unbelievable run. It is completely crazy. They have been dominant. They have passed the Cubs, they have lapped the Cubs. They are the best team in baseball, but they do not have anywhere near the best odds to win the World Series. What do you make of the split between the regular season accomplishment and the odds makers for the Brewers?

[Dan Beyer]

It feels to me a little like the Orioles a couple of years ago when they finally broke through and made the playoffs and had that great regular season run and then were a quick knockout in the playoffs. I mean, brewers have had their troubles in the playoffs in recent years when they've made in. I just worry if this type of run that they are on is sustainable. You look at a lot of the advanced numbers like they're last in the major leagues, like barrel rate, which is like hard hit percentage. Someone was telling me that they also scored like 40 more unearned runs than the next closest team in baseball. They lead the league in infield hits. So it's like a lot of little things over the course of a year you can kind of build on. But on a short series, as we've seen so much in baseball, anything can happen. Despite having some really good starting pitching. And they might get nobody beats the Miz back here pretty soon, too.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

All right, so then let's get to football. We got week zero upon us here. People have not been, you know, they dive in, they play catch up once the season actually begins. But that's not something that you've been doing. What are some early bets that you like for the Beginning of college college football.

[Dan Beyer]

The game, the game in Dublin tomorrow is a game that I've had my eye on. Iowa State against Kansas State. Two teams that are certainly in the mix to take home that Big 12 title and get to the College Football Playoff. I laid the three here with Kansas State. Once it got. Once it hit three. Last year Iowa State had one of their best teams and best seasons in school history. They beat Kansas State 29, 21 innings. In order to do that they needed to be plus two in turnovers, get a 21 yard field goal blocked, have Kansas State go 417 on third and fourth down, including a fourth and two drop late in the game. There were a lot of things that went Kansas State went against Kansas State rather last year. You look at the way I was State, the way they defend the run with their formation defensively, this 3, 3, 3 kind of unique stack that they run. I'm not sure that's going to be the best way to slow down Dylan Edwards the running back and Avery Johnson the quarterback and Irvin the running back transfer from Nebraska as well. If they're in third and two all game, I think it could be a pretty long day for Iowa State. So I'm looking forward to getting to Ames in a couple of weeks with big new kickoff. But I do like Kansas State tomorrow.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Any futures in college football that we haven't discussed yet?

[Dan Beyer]

Yeah, I think there are two that we haven't necessarily discussed. I bet Miami you can get them anywhere from like + 175 to + 200 to make the college Football Playoff. I think their schedule is very susceptible to that. You hear great things about what Carson Beck has done in scrimmages and in practice. Developing a real rapport with a lot of those young wide receivers. Great offensive line defense should be much improved. Big game next week against Notre Dame where the winner. I think you're really going to see their stock improve on that. And then I bet LSU +700 to win the SEC. I don't think the gap between Georgia, Alabama, Texas and LSU is really that great. And I wonder if LSU is the best team. People just amongst the While Texas has archmanning hype. Oh, Alabama is Alabama. Alabama will be back for sure. Ryan Grubbs there now, but yet Alabama. The large part of Alabama was Nick Saban who's no longer there and then you have Georgia. Where can Gunner Stockton, is he really going to be the guy? Oh, we got to trust Kirby and trust him. That's why I think there are a lot of Narratives going around the SEC and LSU might wind up being the best team of the bunch.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Let's go to the pro game, Bear. I always say betting favorites, weighing odds, it's not boring if it wins. But people, people like long shots. They like dark horses. Do you have in the awards market a dark horse MVP candidate this NFL season?

[Dan Beyer]

Yeah. Yeah. I think Brock Purdy is someone who, excuse me, he was going to win the award a couple years ago until he just had that terrible game on Monday night head to head against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. You can get Purdy around 28 to 1 or so to an MVP. We know it's going to go to a quarterback. It always goes to the goes to a quarterback and that's not going to change this year. But Purdy's about as low on the board as I would go. The Niners schedule is one of the easiest in the league and if he were to do it this year, maybe they win 12, 13 games with that schedule. With the group of receivers that he has, like, I think a lot more people will be willing to recognize. Okay, he got the deal. He earned it. He led the Snyders team to a division title in Navy, a 1 or a 2 seed in the NFC. He's someone that I think possesses a good bit of value there because like I said a couple of years ago, he was a short shot to winning and then he had that one terrible game. But the Niners are a team I think you're going to see massive improvement on this year in terms of their wins. And of course that's going to help not only Brock Purdy, it's going to help Bosa in the Defensive Player of the Year, Mikel Williams in Defensive Rookie of the Year, and CMAC in the Offensive Player of the Year category.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Okay, you just mentioned Mikel Williams. The awards market's a fun one to bet. And you know Travis Hunter is not sneaking up on anybody. And you can bet him to win both offensively Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year. I'm just excited to watch him play. I don't have any investment in it. Do you see any investment opportunity in this market around Travis Hunter?

[Dan Beyer]

I do. Not necessarily betting Hunter himself because I'm really curious to see how he performs in the National Football League at this level, potentially playing both ways. He was someone who I actually had a Heisman bet on last year. So I thank you, Travis, for that. Nice gift around the holidays, but I think it does create value elsewhere in the offensive Rookie of the Year market. I Bet a Mecca Abuka, the Buccaneers wide receiver. You know, he's going to be in an offense that throws the ball a lot. They have some wide receiver injuries. Of course, Mike Evans is always there. He's going to see a lot of targets, a lot of catches. He was dependable at Ohio State. He's anywhere between like 25, 28, 30 to 1. So I think a book is a wide receiver worth looking at. And then I mentioned Mikel Williams in the defensive player rookie of the year market as well. Being opposite Nick Bosa on that defensive line with Robert Saleh back at coordinator, I mentioned the schedule. He should get a lot of opportunity to be a very disruptive pass rusher for the Niners this year. He's right around, I think like 10, 11, 12 to 1 or not right now as well. So those are two guys that I have my, my eyes and investment on Bear people bet.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

You know, they bet on Sunday right before kickoff. They bet their futures right before the season kicks off, even though the numbers have been posted for forever. And then we're so starved for football information and football content that we can take little morsels of training camp reports or preseason games and extrapolate it out. Where do you see preseason results impacting NFL gambling markets?

[Dan Beyer]

Well, I think you can certainly see it in like the rookie of the year markets because we really don't know what type of roles these guys are going to have. Take a look at Jackson Dart. I think it's a perfect example of that. He's someone who, I think a lot of people were high on Jackson Dart. A lot of people might have thought he could have been QB1 or QB2 certainly in this draft. And we've seen him play great in the preseason. Now we know Russell Wilson is going to be the starter there, but maybe if the Giants get off to a slow start and Dart winds up playing, he's taking money in the, in the offensive rookie of the year market. Do you think he's down to like, like 23 one or so? So Dart is someone to pay attention to, watch these rookies. And the other thing in a greater macro treetop point of view, watching a team like the Lions and their backups like they're the backup. Sure you don't want to jump to a conclusion and say the Lions aren't going to have a good year, but if they're forced to play a lot of these guys that have been playing in these preseason games. Josh Schwartz pointed this out the other day on Bear bets like they could potentially be in Trouble, especially with a with a very difficult road schedule.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Bear, thank you so much for the time. We will be watching big noon kickoff and of course be listening to bear Bets man. May all your bets cover. Thank you, sir.

[Dan Beyer]

Absolutely. Thanks, Danny. We'll see you soon.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

Absolutely. Can't wait to see you. That is Chris the Bear. Felica, you can see me coming up in for First Things first. Not just in as a guest on the show. The show expands from 3 to 5 Eastern to 3 to 6 Eastern starting on Monday. Cannot wait to be a part of the 5 to 6pm Eastern every single day. Fun show today. Thanks to Taron Armstead and Tom Verducci and Robert Mays and the Bear, everyone here at the Herd for making me feel so welcome as always. Colin is off next week, but J. Mac is back with Rachel Nichols. So you're in very good hands next week. Again, catch me on first Things First. Newly expanded three to six next week. This is the Herd.

[Manny]

Why are TSA rules so confusing?

[Dan Beyer]

You got a hoodie on.

[Robert Mays]

Take it all.

[Manny]

I'm Manny.

[Robert Mays]

I'm Noah. This is Devin.

[Manny]

And we're best friends and journalists with a new podcast called no Such Thing where we get to the bottom of questions like that. Why are you screaming? I can't expect what to do now if the rule was the same, go off on me, I deserve it.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

You know, Lock him up.

[Manny]

Listen to no Such thing on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. No such thing.

[Dan Beyer]

Who cares about truth when the lies.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

More entertaining.

[Angela Rye]

Welcome home. I'm Angela Rye, co host of the Native Lampod with Andrew Gillum and Tiffany Cross, and we want y' all to survive and thrive in this political moment.

[Robert Mays]

We're having the same debates that American households are having all over the country.

[Angela Rye]

I am terrified that in our rest we're going to miss the moment. You want me to stop resting? What? What specifically are you asking me to do? Stay informed and take action.

[Robert Mays]

Listen to Native Land pod on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Chris 'The Bear' Felica]

I'm Jake Hofer and this is back 40, a limited series show on Wire to Hunt, part of Meat Eaters Podcast Network. Each episode I'll be asking eight whitetail hunting pros, a focused, thought provoking question about hunting and land management. How do I hunt the back best part of the farm with less than ideal access? Should you? That's what the real question is. Stand without good access is not a good stand. Listen to Back 40 on iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Dan Beyer]

It's Black Business Month and Money and Wealth Podcast with John Hope Bryant is tapping in. I'm breaking down how to build wealth, create opportunities, and move from surviving to thriving. It's time to talk about ownership, equity, and everything in between. Black and brown communities have historically been lasting long. Let me just say this AI is moving faster than civil rights legislation ever did. Listen to Money and Wealth from the Black Effect podcast network on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Angela Rye]

This is an iHeart podcast.