Colin Cowherd (4:03)

I think there's some of that coming. What's more encouraging to me is that when you watch the offense last year, understand Shane Waldron, none of it made sense. The ways that they were using the individual skill position players is the best example of this. They're using Keenan Allen on vertical routes and they're using Roma Dunze in all these change of direction ways. It's like what is your personnel do well and just put them in those positions. And so they've checked that box. The run game structure looks good. I think some of the details have been off over the first month. All the penalties, the fact that you're missing like little assignments here and there. But the overall plan feels like it's well conceived. Yes, you feel the plan and you can understand what they're trying to accomplish. There's intention behind it. And that for somebody who watches this team every week for a long time, it's a nice change of pace.

Jason McIntyre (4:45)

We said when your son's been getting D's, you're not going to argue over a B minus. I thought it was kind of a B minus performance.

Colin Cowherd (4:52)

I think that's right. And I was joking with a friend earlier this week. All I want is to be like the 16th best offense in the league. I don't understand why that's a huge ask. Like I feel like it's a reasonable thing to want and it seems like we're trending in that direction.

Jason McIntyre (5:05)

Yeah, you know, Caleb's funny. Like he's got. Relationships are hard, you know, like Harbaugh and Herbert was easy because Justin's like the nicest kid ever. It's egoless. And Jim is almost as he's age, is almost parental. But Ben is young and ascending and this is his first big job. And Caleb had a bad rookie year. I'm going to argue this is not as easy as we all think it is between coach and star quarterback.

Colin Cowherd (5:33)

I think that's right. I mean, the word that was used to me when I was there at House hall before the season. I was asking about their relationship. It was one word that somebody said to me, said, it's intense. It is intense between them, but not in a bad way. Intense, where you feel growth, where the tension can be healthy. And I think after his rookie year, Caleb needed that. He needed a little bit more structure. He needed somebody to push him. And by all accounts that's exactly what it has felt like so far. And I think you're starting to see the returns on that.

Jason McIntyre (5:58)

So I used the example earlier of Mark Jackson and Steve Kerr. Mark Jackson was more than capable. They were winning games. But you had this transformational talent in Steph Curry and you needed this ecosystem that was kind of impenetrable. That was unique. Draymond was it. Small ball became a thing. You had Klay Thompson and all of a sudden you look up and they weren't maybe as good initially defensively, but it did make sense in a division now with Sean Payton and then Andy Reid and then Mike Vrabel is gaining on you and Jim Harbaugh. They're iconic guys in the east. And I kind of look at Sean McDermott as a really great supervisor. That's not crazy creative. And I wonder, I wonder if Josh Allen now has a little self doubt losing to young, New England, losing to Atlanta. I mean, Michael Penix looked really comfortable last night doing kind of whatever he wanted to. I don't know. I mean, do you think. Did Josh and McDermott get along really well?

Colin Cowherd (7:06)

I think that my biggest frustration with the Bills right now is that there was a version of the Bills when Josh Allen was ascending. They were very specific on offense. They were very spread out. They used a lot of college concepts. The run game was very bad. And at a certain point I think that fed into Josh's worst impulses. There was no calming force on offense. And when Joe Brady took over, they developed this really downhill run game that they could rely on. And now they have this flexibility where if we need to throw the ball 40 times, we can't. If we need to run the ball 40 times, we can. That evolution has not happened on defense. All they're doing now is they're tinkering within the same world in which they've always existed. And I think that's where you're seeing some of the limitations. And ultimately that does fall on the coach. This on that side of the ball is his vision.

Jason McIntyre (7:49)

He can't stop the run.

Colin Cowherd (7:51)

They can't because of the way they're built. If you look at the types of players that they prioritize on the. In the back seven, it's undersized guys who move well and are smart, right. They're trying to recreate Micah, Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer in the back end because they want to do all this disguise and they still disguise coverages more than any team in the league. Well, all offenses are doing is saying you can do all that funky stuff on the back end you want to. We're going to bludgeon you up front. This entire game planet did. And it's so funny that the Bills offense figured that out. We're going to be the dominant, we're going to be the enforcers. Now the Bills defense has never gotten there and I think you're seeing how that's holding them back right now.

Jason McIntyre (8:29)

So I was saying, Sean Payton, text me over the last year about Bo Nix and it was a good fit and it's got a Drew Brees composition to it, right. But Bo is not a great deep ball thrower so far. And Mims, Franklin and Sutton can all be deep ball receivers and Bo misses it badly and Sean likes that. He wants that. You know, I also, I don't think he wants to run Bo Nicks that much because, you know, most coaches don't. It feels like to me this roster is really stacked. It's got a lot of long, twitchy athletes and they just, it's all underneath stuff. Like it feels to me that Sean body language last week in London felt frustrated. To me, Sean looked frustrated.

Colin Cowherd (9:19)

It's interesting that you talk to him because when he has talked about Bonix over the last year, anybody who will listen to it seems like he's willing to tell them, I believe in this guy. Like I think this guy can be a winning quarterback. But then you watch how they approach the offense. Last week on 3rd and 4th 3rd and 5, these really high leverage moments, and it's all screens all the time. And so he's saying one thing and then the construction and the decision making says another thing about the quarterback. And so I wonder how much does he actually believe in him if he's not going to let him drop back to pass on third and seven in the biggest moments of a game.

Jason McIntyre (9:51)

Yeah, it's. I like Denver's roster. I think it's fantastic.

Colin Cowherd (9:57)

Undeniably. I mean, the defense, top to bottom, might be the best in the league. The offensive line is great. I think you're seeing some of the limitations that Bo had last year continue to crop up again this year, and it's a little bit disappointing. You'd hope that there would be some gains in those areas, but some of the stuff that's holding them back now is some of the same stuff that was holding them back in 2024.

Jason McIntyre (10:15)

One more herd the herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app. Search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Hi, this is Jay. I'm the producer of the Paulie and Tony Fusco show. Usually in these promos they ask you to listen to the show. I'm here to ask you, please don't listen to the show. The hosts are two absolute morons who have the dumbest takes on sports imaginable. Don't listen to this show so it can get canceled. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What the hell are you doing in our studio?

Colin Cowherd (10:41)

Get him, Paulie. Ignore that fool. Listen to the Paulie and Tony Fusco show on the iHeartRadio app or wherever.

Jason McIntyre (10:50)

You get your podcast. He's still moving. Weighted vests are everywhere right now. And it's not just a fad. The science is clear. Carrying extra weight boosts calorie burn, ramps up natural human growth hormone and testosterone in the body, and builds real world strength. Not all vests though are built the same and low quality gear is getting guys hurt. Shifting weights, bad straps, zero support. Just read the reviews. It's a recipe for disaster. That's why I'm all for Wolf Tacticals. True fit weighted vest. Built like real field gear, the vest is heavy duty, breathable, totally adjustable, no bounce. It moves with you whether you're grinding out push ups, knocking out yard work, it is not a gimmick. It's gear that turns whatever you're doing into training. It's excellent. Go to wolftacticalusa.com take your training in physique to the next level. The code is HERD15 for 15% off your order. That's H E R D15 at checkout only at wolftacticalusa.com Thursday Night Football is on and it's only on Prime Video. This week, the AFC north takes center.

Jeff Passan (11:59)

Stage as the Pittsburgh Steelers battle the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jason McIntyre (12:02)

Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with Football's.

Colin Cowherd (12:05)

Best Party TNF tonight presented by Verizon.

Jason McIntyre (12:08)

Not a Prime member, Not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. It's the Steelers and Bengals Thursday at 7pm Eastern, only on Prime Video. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details. So I have defended Aaron Rodgers not much over the last seven or eight years. I can remember years ago not liking his body language. I pointed out years ago he has very few come from behind wins considering how great he is. Fewer than Derek Carr, Randy Dalton. Some of that is his his kind of body language changes if he has an early pick. He's a little bit more of a Baylor than a baller in big spots, but he's gifted. I actually love this Aaron. So the Steelers have like an NBA frontline. I mean Washington, Friarmouth, DK Metcalf. Like if there was a loose ball, they're getting the rebound. And I think he's My take on Robert May's joining us for the radio audience. My take on it is Aaron is looking at this and like we're not small and twitchy. That's not what we are. We're going to win one on one matchups. We're so damn big and he's not throwing it deep and he's getting crushed by the pffs. But when I watch them play, his risks are well thought out. It's beautiful back shoulders three to four times a game. I know I'm being told he's not rating well, but it looks like the right play to me. What am I missing?

Colin Cowherd (13:31)

I think you're missing the limitations down the road. That's what I would be most concerned about, the way that he's approaching some of these games. The Minnesota one is a perfect example against that Vikings defense. It's going to bring a lot of heat at you. They play a lot of very soft zone coverage. If you're getting the ball out very quickly, that's the way to attack them. But I think ultimately these guys who have super, super low time to throws. Joe Burrow comes to mind when the best version of Joe Burrow that we've ever seen was the Joe Burrow we saw last year when he started creating a Little bit more deeper into the play. You saw some of the pocket movement. Eventually you're going to need to do that against the best defenses in the league. You can't just hunt these matchups and get rid of the ball in two and a half seconds.

Jason McIntyre (14:09)

That's what he's doing right now.

Colin Cowherd (14:10)

Yeah, it's exactly what he's doing right now, and that's what he wants to do. If you look back at it last year, he had a very low time to throw when he's got a slot fade to Devonte Adams or a one on one slanting. Garrett Wilson, he does that very, very well. He can still pin the ball on guys, but ultimately, when you're playing against the Broncos defense on divisional weekend, you're going to need to restuff out and access different parts of the play than whatever your first immediate one on one opportunity is. And I still don't think we've seen him do that enough over the last couple years.

Jason McIntyre (14:41)

Yeah, Hasselbeck came on the show yesterday, Matt, and he's like, let me tell you, when the first number's four, you want to get rid of the ball quickly. You've hit, you've taken so many hits. He goes, I think it's subconscious. You just want the ball out. And I kind of defend him based on his history and how many times he's been hit.

Colin Cowherd (14:58)

That's absolutely what I've seen over the last couple years. And I think now he's been able to exist in this box and it's been okay if you push him outside of that. I think that's where things get a little bit dicey because I totally agree with Matt. I think you can feel him not wanting to sit in the pocket very long and read stuff out a little bit deeper into these plays.

Jason McIntyre (15:15)

So Baker won a playoff game in Cleveland. Stefanski didn't like some of the personality. He was a bit of a firestarter. And so they moved on. It's a mistake now with Baker, but Baker was never terrible. Sam Darnold was. Sam Darnold was regrettable. And so he goes to Minnesota. And a lot of the compliments was, well, Justin Jefferson and Kevin o', Connell, I don't know, did Seattle. Are they surprised Sam's been this good? Because I think a lot of people felt like, okay, that that was a bit of an outlier. Are you surprised? Do you think Seattle is. He's the number one graded quarterback now. There's a guy that will throw the ball down the field in Darnold. Are you surprised?

Colin Cowherd (15:55)

I'm surprised it's been this good. He had flashes last year, but I think the combination of the lack of mistakes plus all the high end plays, we've never seen that version of Sam Darnold before. Turnover worthy plays, the amount of sacks that he's taking, all of that stuff, the volume has been turned all the way down and you're still getting the high end stuff. And so I had a conversation with Sam last summer that was illuminating to me, just about the ways that he was seeing the game a little bit deeper into his career. And I think when he was in San Francisco and he finally was in an offensive system where the intention of what they were trying to accomplish was articulated to him. Why are you doing this as a quarterback? Why should you be seeing it this way? I think that's carried over over the last couple of years. And it's funny, we've seen this with Baker, with Sam, with Geno to an extent, Daniel Jones, these guys with their second act that have made the most of it. You see this convergence of physical talent and mental maturity. And that happens for quarterbacks at 27, 28 years old.

Jason McIntyre (16:47)

Humans.

Colin Cowherd (16:48)

Yeah, exactly. And I think with so many athletes, we think, oh, they're peaking at 23. That's what they're going to be. Quarterbacks aren't like that. Your prime comes in your late 20s. And so for somebody as talented as Sam Darnold, he needed another opportunity to.

Jason McIntyre (17:01)

Make good on it.

Colin Cowherd (17:01)

But that convergence of those two things I don't think is more pronounced for any player in the league than it has been for Sam.

Jason McIntyre (17:08)

So I like Drake May out of college. I loved Vrabel as a coach. They were my pick to double the win total. And some of it was because I thought Miami and the jets were fairly lifeless. Hapless Drake May's better. Faster than I thought, right? Like what, what the coverage is. I mean, he had a really bad pick in the end zone against Pittsburgh. And you're like, okay, that's just. It's okay. I defended him when they lost to the Raiders, Robert. I said, okay, they've got nine new free agent starters, six rookies. Like, this is like an nil portal gone wrong in college. Like, they got way too many guys. Second, third, fourth week. So I kind of gave him a pass. I kept saying, be patient. I didn't think he was this good. Like, I, I thought, I'm not sure I ever thought. 75% completion percentage. Like, let's explain it.

Colin Cowherd (18:02)

I think that's a really good Way to look at it, to me it's a combination of three things. Lack of mistakes, like truly boneheaded mistakes. You just picked out one. That's about all there's been. You know, there's haven't been that many. And in college and even as a rookie there are more of those flubs mentally for him that I think you want to see. And he's really, really toned that down. And then there's a combination of high floor plays and high ceiling plays. What he can do with his legs and as a scrambler, all the easy completions that he's taking, that's what's so encouraging and exciting to me is that those completions that are there underneath, checking the ball down. He's doing all of that stuff at a really competent level early on and he is so talented and so aggressive. The high end stuff is going to come. That was never a question. It was all about the steady aspects of his play in the offense. And I think you're seeing all that stuff come together at the exact same time. And I'm 100% with you. He has been so much better, so much faster than even the most optimistic Drake May believers probably would have thought.

Jason McIntyre (18:56)

Yeah, you know, I. We can end it on this and chew on this a little bit maybe because I like Brian Dable. So even when the Giants came into this season, I wasn't sure about the GM Shane, but I like Brian. I like their left tackle. When healthy neighbors scatter. Boo. I thought would be interesting. And their defensive front's excellent. The jets have players and there's. There is a Freddy Kitchens aspect to Aaron Glenn where I'm like, wow, nothing's good. And I, and I do wonder because you know, the jets will tell people privately who criticize them on Saleh, we gave him multiple years. I mean the Aaron thing is, I mean if I was a college quarterback and the jets had the number one pick like I, I think that if I got the right nil number I may stay with my college program. What's too soon to pull the plug with the Jets Like Robert, Nothing works. The play calling was weird. It feels Freddy Kitchens where he may be a good play caller. Some guys are just vice presidents. That is fine. I mean what's happening there?

Colin Cowherd (20:08)

It's so strange. The offense. I think we all could predict that they might have struggled this year. Right. Justin Fields has been an afterthought quarterback. He's been a backup quarterback. We're not going to see this resurgence with all these guys getting another opportunity. The passing game with him and the receivers that they have on that roster was always going to be limited. And I think we've realized those limitations. What's most discouraging to me is the fact that their defense too often over the first six games has just looked lost. Like you look at what some of their second and third level defenders are doing in space, their eyes against the run. These things that should be the strongest parts of your team with a defensive minded head coach. Coaching to me is simple. In the NFL, I think we base coaching, we evaluate them. Are you getting the most out of your players, what you're supposed to be good at? Are you good at those things? Are you getting returns on those things? And for the jets specifically, that hasn't happened on defense. And I think that's where it gets really worrying.

Jason McIntyre (20:59)

Yeah. Let's circle back one to the Bears. I think it was interesting last night. They put a stat up. The Bears scored 27 first quarter points and they're at 37 now. It's remarkable. Now they did get Drew Dahlman, they got Tunney, Jonah Jackson, they were going to be better. And it is interesting that the cohesion on the O line takes time because starters don't play in the preseason. So it was pretty rough the first two weeks. You could see the dominance on the O line last night and you start looking at their schedule and they're three and two. Of course again they could be. They could be two and three or one and four. I mean the Raiders game, it's a block kick. But they're getting better by the week. I looked at their offensive skill people and the whole lineup. Drew Dolman's elite Toonies. Elite Dundee is a nice young player. DJ Moore's talented. DeAndre Swift's always been capable. Tight ends are at least average. I don't know, I if the coaching, I'll say this, I felt the Bears last night. I thought skill and coaching, they can match up with everybody except the Chiefs. And is that just hyperbolic and nonsense? I actually like their personnel and offense a lot.

Colin Cowherd (22:16)

I don't think that's unreasonable at all. And I think you're starting to see it come together. I think their buy came at the exact right moment. When you look at the way they handled training camp, it wasn't just that those guys didn't play in the preseason. They're swapping out left tackles the entire way through training camp. They didn't know who the left tackle was going to be until the season started. And so now they settle in with Theo Benedict at left tackle and the way that they handled installing the offense in camp. They said this openly. They threw everything at all of those guys. We're going to figure out over this month what are we good at and what are we not. And that leaves you not a lot of time to hone the things that you're good at. And so thereby coming five weeks into the season is perfect because you get to take a step back, you get to take a breath and say, okay, now that we have all this information, let's start to really zero in on the stuff we can be good at with the line that we feel comfortable with with darn. All right, getting back. Now you're starting to see that process. I think that now they're really starting to fine tune things they couldn't fine tune in August.

Jason McIntyre (23:12)

I watched the Bills last night, Rasheed Rice is coming back and I watched the explosive Chiefs on Sunday and my take is, okay, you're wasting Josh Allen's years. I don't care if it's Calvin Ridley. I don't know if it's DJ Moore. Trade deadline Doesn't Buffalo have to do something on the perimeter?

Colin Cowherd (23:31)

I honestly think they could do something on the perimeter on the other side of the ball, like I think corner and defensive back and just I would be more interested in beefing up the defense than I think I would be with the pass catchers because for the most part I think that Josh Allen and a good offensive line is a route to an elite offense. I think they'll get there on that side of the ball. I'd be looking at my defensive personnel, whether it's safety, linebacker and just the lack of size physicality that they have. If I was Brandon Bean, I think that is what would be keeping me up at night right now.

Jason McIntyre (24:01)

Robert Mays the Athletic Football Show Great podcast. Do it every day so it's consistent. Really appreciate you stopping by anytime.

Colin Cowherd (24:08)

Really appreciate it. Thank you.

Jason McIntyre (24:09)

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific. Weighted vests are everywhere right now and it's not just a fad. The science is clear. Carrying extra weight boosts calorie burn, ramps up natural human growth hormone and testosterone in the body and builds real world strength. Not all vests though are built the same and low quality gear is getting guys hurt. Shifting weights, bad straps, zero support. Just read the reviews. It's a recipe for disaster. That's why I'm all for Wolf Tacticals. True fit weighted vest built like real field gear, the vest is heavy duty breathable, totally adjustable, no bounce. It moves with you whether you're grinding out push ups, knocking out yard work. It is not a gimmick. It's gear that turns whatever you're doing into training. It's excellent. Go towolf tactical USA.com Take your training and physique to the next level. The code is heard 15 for 15% off your order. That's H E R D 15 at checkout. Only at wolftacticalusa.com Thursday Night Football is on, and it's only on Prime Video. This week, the AFC north takes center.

Jeff Passan (25:20)

Stage as the Pittsburgh Steelers battle the Cincinnati Bengals.

Jason McIntyre (25:23)

Coverage begins at 7pm Eastern with football's best party TNF.

Colin Cowherd (25:26)

Tonight presented by Verizon.

Jason McIntyre (25:28)

Not a Prime member. Not a problem. Simply sign up for a 30 day free trial. It's the Steelers and Bengals Thursday at 7pm Eastern only on Prime Video. Restrictions apply. See Amazon.com Amazon prime for details. All right, J. Mac, we got a lot to talk about before this baby ends. J. Mac with the news.

Colin Cowherd (25:51)

No, no, no.

Jason McIntyre (25:52)

Heard on the news. This is the herd line news.

Jeff Passan (25:56)

All right, let's start with this Bill Belichick drama in Chapel Hill. Colin, obviously last week was a rough one. A lot of reports that maybe he was gonna leave be one and done. Well, Belichick spoke to everybody yesterday. Here he is at the podium talking about it.

Jason McIntyre (26:12)

Some of the reports out last week about am I looking for a buyout, trying to leave here and all that, it's categorically false. There's zero truth to any of that. Glad I'm here. We're working towards, you know, our goals. It's a learning curve. We're all in it together, but we're making a lot of progress. And, and you know, the process will eventually produce the results that we want to produce like they have everywhere else I've been.

Jeff Passan (26:38)

All right, well, Jeff, by the way, did his, did Jordan approve that outfit at the podium? He, for the first time at unc, kind of looked like an old frumpy guy, hair a little disheveled. This was a throwback to the Patriots, right? He's wearing like a Carolina gray sweatshirt. He, he looked kind of old there, Colin.

Jason McIntyre (26:58)

Well, he is. And that's, you know, that's, that's, he didn't have a makeup artist, so, you know, sometimes it gets a little choppy when you get up into your 70s.

Jeff Passan (27:06)

He's dating a 24 year old. He's got to look a little better than that. I'm wondering if this pressure is getting to Him, Colin, a lot of shots at his boy, Mike Lombardi, who you and I know. I don't want to text Lombardi now. He's going through it, but it feels like things are dicey and is it the calm before the storm? There was a storm last week. Now it's calm. You know, whoever they're playing this week, nobody cares, because I think.

Jason McIntyre (27:30)

I think he'll get through the season. We'll see what plays out. Oh, that's as much as I'll commit to.

Jeff Passan (27:36)

Okay, let's move on to the Dallas Cowboys. One of the most famous owners in the NFL. Jerry Jones ducked the media very cowardly after the loss to Carolina, and all of a sudden the discussion shifts from Jerry to Matt Eberfluss, the embattled defensive coordinator. You know him well. Here's what Jerry said about Eberfluss.

Jason McIntyre (27:57)

He's had tremendous experience. He's dealt with adversity, with a long record, not only with us, but with his tenure at Chicago and Indianapolis. And he's had some great successes, had some very great successes, but he's had his tail kicked. That's who I want in the foxhole with me because there's no such thing as having all the answers. Yeah, I mean, I'm just giving Jerry a little bit of a pass. I think this staff has overachieved. I think defensively they weren't good last year with Micah, so I'm not going to be too harsh this year without him. You knew you were going to lose the trade until next April. I. Listen, come on. Last year they've also played. You know, they got Philadelphia in week one one. Philadelphia was good Week one. You know, they've. They've faced. They'll. They'll remain near the bottom of the NFL offensively. But I think we knew going in this was not a Super bowl team with Micah. So now they're not trapped. Now they have two first round picks over the next two years. I think they're going to be fine.

Jeff Passan (29:11)

They've faced Caleb Williams, Bryce Young and Justin Fields, and they're dead last in almost every category defensively. Colin, if I'm Eberfluz and I get a whiff my job's in trouble, I go tell. You know what I tell the media? Hey, guys, you know, Jerry Jones decided to wait and pay our quarterback $1 billion. You can't build a defense when you pay Dak Prescott that much money. And, oh, by the way, then you trade away our best defensive player, Michael Parsons, so we can't pressure the Quarterback, we got nobody in the secondary. This is on the owner. Guys, you can't as a chef, hand the chef just random ingredients and say, say hey, make me a Michelin star meal. That it doesn't work like that, Colin. The Eber flutes has no chance here and this defense has zero shot. I mean Bryce Young dog walked them for three quarters. Okay, that, that's all you need to know about this Dallas defense right now. They're that bad. And I think it's Jerry's fault. You're giving him a pass.

Jason McIntyre (30:02)

Well, it's not a pass. I just, I didn't want to resign Micah. So I'm going to live with the results for the next three months. Okay, final story.

Jeff Passan (30:10)

Colin. You know we talked a lot, lot about the Bills last night. No love for Michael Penix. Michael Pennix was slinging it all over the yard through for 250 and a touchdown. Probably should have had a second touchdown if Drake London doesn't step out of.

Jason McIntyre (30:23)

Bounds at the end of the half.

Jeff Passan (30:24)

I didn't love this though. After the game, Penix talking to the media, you know, very speaking very highly of himself and his team.

Jason McIntyre (30:32)

I don't feel like we played our football. You know, I feel like we have more in the tank and, and for us to go out there and win that football game with the half, the second half that I feel like we had, that was a big lull.

Colin Cowherd (30:44)

I feel like it's going to be a scary sight whenever we figure it.

Jason McIntyre (30:47)

Out and you know, all play together and play a full game and not just one good half. It show that we, one of them was like this team is really good. This team is really legit. Well, Drake London, Bijon Robinson are. And here's the thing, when Michael Penix has time to throw, he throws a beautiful ball. I mean I thought last night he looked really comfortable. And there's not a lot of great defenses in this league. Kansas City's got a great defense. Name the other great defenses. Rams defense is really good. There's not seven great defenses, there's none in his division. So I mean I, I watched that last night and you know, they're their top picks. Penix, Bijan, Drake, London, they're playmakers. Kyle Pitts has been a good career disappointment, but this is a, this is a functional offense and I think, I think Michael Penix looks the part. I think he's exactly what I thought he would be. When he has time to throw, he throws a beautiful ball. It's accurate. He gets rid of it quickly. He's a pro franchise quarterback.

Jeff Passan (31:47)

It's interesting you, you bring that up so they don't face good defenses. You know who they got this week is the San Francisco 49ers out of players on Sunday Night Football. But the only problem is it's outdoors, indoors. That Atlanta team look like a track team. Okay, Bijan and Drake.

Jason McIntyre (32:02)

London.

Jeff Passan (32:02)

Drake. London's established himself, you would say as a one, right? He looks like a stud.

Jason McIntyre (32:06)

Oh, absolutely.

Jeff Passan (32:07)

So you got a one, you got Bijan. I like Algiers, a change of pace back. I like Penix. The defense showed well. Are you starting to believe in the Atlanta Falcons, Colin? The team that loves to let you down?

Jason McIntyre (32:21)

I think offensively they're a very interesting team. I mean they, they, they, they beat. Who did they beat? 30 nothing?

Jeff Passan (32:29)

No, they lost 30 nothing to the Falcons. That was their hiccup there. We what? Everything that could go wrong went wrong in that game.

Jason McIntyre (32:36)

Yeah, but I think it's, I, it looks like a grown up NFL offense with a lot of play. Even the Bijan Robinson run. He got tackled and he broke the tackle. Yeah, and he's sensational player.

Jeff Passan (32:46)

Don't forget in the opener they had Tampa beat and their kicker whiffs on like a 45 yarder at the buzzer or, or I don't know, maybe they're, they're considered better than the Bucks right now. I'm just telling you if you're buying stock, you obviously want to buy last week before the Bills game. But this is a Falcons team scheduled. Not that difficult. Okay. We like Pennix quarterback on a rookie deal. I know they got the dead money and cousins, but things are looking good for my Falcons.

Jason McIntyre (33:11)

J Mac with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie. So we were talking in the hour ago. I said Blake Snell was so good last night, historically good. He didn't struggle the previous innings and he was at 102 pitches. I would have just pitched them in the ninth because I didn't think it was a great spot to put a rookie pitcher, Roki Sazaki on the mound. I didn't think it was a great spot. I, if I was going to pitch him in the nlcs, that's a lot of pressure. I wouldn't want him facing a Milwaukee lineup that get contact. I wouldn't want him being on the road in game one, a pivotal game. I wouldn't want him having to go on the mound as a rookie after Blake Snell's performance and Blake's on the dugout Steps watching you, I felt, I felt Roy was a bit intimidated by the moment. He did not have great stuff and I, I would have just, I would have kept Snell in. I think in playoff baseball, just win the game, do not worry going forward. Let itself figure itself out. But here, here was Blake Snell on being pulled last night in the 9th. Crossing your fingers for the win and his reaction. Feel like you could have done the ninth? Yeah, I mean I felt, I felt I could have. But I trust Dave.

Colin Cowherd (34:27)

He knows what's best for the team.

Jason McIntyre (34:29)

Okay, here's Dave Roberts on pulling him and was it tough?

Colin Cowherd (34:35)

I thought it was tough one for me. Hadn't been in the ninth inning.

Jason McIntyre (34:41)

8 ups potential going on regular his next outing.

Jeff Passan (34:46)

I, I thought it was 50, 50.

Jason McIntyre (34:48)

Roki's been throwing the baseball really well. Have a two run lead.

Jeff Passan (34:52)

I felt good with rookie there.

Jason McIntyre (34:54)

All right. And you know, I again, so Dave Roberts is saying it's 50, 50. Like I get analytics. I'm not anti analytics. I do think playoff basketball analytics don't feel, I don't think you have to stay. I think analytics in basketball and baseball are for volume. I think statistically for volume they work. But in playoff baseball you'll, you'll use starters in the pen. You're going to manage differently because you're facing the best batting orders, high leverage situations. You'll trust guys in June against the Reds that you may not trust against the brewers in Milwaukee. So I think you manage differently. I think in the NBA the refs don't blow the whistle in the playoffs. So you're just your stuff that works in the regular season when teams are not equally rested. You just play the percentages in the regular season, baseball and basketball. Postseason, it's more situational, circumstantial. So I would have just pitched, I would have pitched Snell, but it was 50, 50 and they pulled it out. It was wild though. Snell was just that change up. It was insane. Milwaukee could not get bat on ball. He faced in eight innings, the minimum 24 batters. There was some stat about nobody done that since Don Larson. So I always think life, you know, if you're a kicker in the NFL and all these guys play three and a half hours and you go up to kick it, to win it. The pressure on delivering for the brotherhood for your guys. How would you like to be a closer? You literally followed a Sandy Koufax level performance. You're a rookie, you're on the road. It's Milwaukee in front of a hostile crowd and you go up and Blake Snells on the dugout steps. Watching you like that is enormous pressure and I thought Roki wasn't quite ready for it. So great games though. They play again tonight. Game two tonight. J. Mac Colin, you remember.

Jeff Passan (36:51)

I think it was oral Hershiser in 88. I'll never forget. He was so good in that playoffs in the World Series. He was on the COVID of Sports Illustrated. That was my introduction to the Dodgers. I haven't seen anybody as good as him since last night. Blake Snell, he was that good.

Jason McIntyre (37:05)

Yeah. And the Mariners have taken a convincing. You might as well shut that series down. A convincing two love lead on the Toronto Blue Jays. Very exciting. Two nil. Two love. Two nothing. Two love.

Jeff Passan (37:18)

Are you playing tennis again?

Jason McIntyre (37:19)

Bagel so exciting for the Mariners. So exciting for the Seattle Mariners. Hey, get used to it. This is where they're gonna be for the next week.

Colin Cowherd (37:30)

Two weeks.

Jason McIntyre (37:36)

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Colin Cowherd (39:49)

Hey, it's Ed Helms, host of snafu.

Jason McIntyre (39:52)

My podcast about history's greatest screw ups.

Colin Cowherd (39:55)

On our new season, we're bringing you.

Jason McIntyre (39:57)

A new SNAFU Every single episode. 32 lost nuclear weapons.

Jeff Passan (40:01)

You're like, wait, stop.

Jason McIntyre (40:03)

What? Yeah, it's going to be a whole lot of history, a whole lot of.

Colin Cowherd (40:06)

Funny, and a whole lot of fabulous.

Jason McIntyre (40:08)

Guests Paul Scheer, Angela and Jenna, Nick Kroll, Jordan Klepper.

Colin Cowherd (40:13)

Listen to season four of SNAF with.

Jason McIntyre (40:14)

Ed Helms on the iHeartRadio app, Apple.

Colin Cowherd (40:17)

Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an iHeart podcast.