← The Herd with Colin Cowherd
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- [00:00]
Colin Coward
This is an iHeart podcast.
- [00:02]
Ben Mather
Guaranteed Human I'm Colin Coward from the Herd. Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you'll definitely want to check out season four of Mind the Business small business success stories from iHeartMedia's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. In the latest season, hosts Austin Hanquitz and Jenise Torres are talking to self starters about the ins and outs of entrepreneurship and how QuickBooks helps you to get more done in less time. You don't want to miss it. Listen to Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 herd@foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FS. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. He is the founder of golongtd.com I've talked to him a lot on the volume here at FS1 former beat writer for the Bills Buffalo News former beat writer for the packers. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel covered the Patriots. He is tied in to all this stuff. He was at the Joe Brady Presser yesterday. Tyler Dunn, NFL writer, joining me. So J. Mac thought it was super emotional, emotional. But my take was first of all, it's a big job. Second of all, he's got a really human relationship that's intense with Josh Allen. So let's talk about that. You never see Sean McDermott get that emotional at, you know, at a podium. I watched the first time I watched Joe Brady at a podium. He gets super emotional. Is that part of his the attractiveness to hiring him?
- [01:59]
Tyler Dunn
Absolutely, Colin. I think look, there's everything we see and then there's everything we don't see when it comes to Sean McDermott and how it ended after nine years in Buffalo. What we see is is bad enough, right? Only I think only three coaches in NFL history in the super bowl era have won a Super Bowl. Their first super bowl with their with a team in year nine or beyond. You're talking Bill Coward, Tom Landry and Hank Stramp. And Stram won an AFL title. So it's it was time the message got stale. You move on. In the last six playoff losses, 52 non kneel down drives, they've allowed 25 touchdowns, 13 field goals, forced only three turnovers given up, 3.8, three points per drive. So that's what we see. That's enough. What we don't see is what I've kind of heard coming out a little bit more, you know, in addition to our series in 2023. Look, this is a coach who grinds on people. Yeah, right. Like he walks into a room, it sets a certain tone, it sets a certain mood. And what I was told by a high ranking source, you know, in that building is, and we talked about it in 2023, when that came out, he tried to loosen up, tried to soften a little bit, but whenever the pressure ratcheted up, Colin, you're in the playoffs, you're facing Andy Reid. It's a big game. He kind of resort back to his old ways. And that, that wears on people, not just players, but we're talking, you know, the medical department, trainers, coaches, everybody. So that needed to change, the messaging needed to change. And then there's a matter of accountability. You heard Joe Brady at that podium taking blame for five turnovers against Denver. I frankly never really heard much of that out of Sean McDermott over his tenure. You know, after 13 seconds publicly, you hear that word execution. That's code for the players screwed up. As we found out at Go Long, it was Sean McDermott overruling the squib, you know, taking over the defensive play calling and then blaming the coaches the day later. You guys got to figure out what went wrong here. It was always worse privately than publicly. So to hear that kind of accountability out of Joe Brady, breath of fresh air. To hear him know that everything orbits around Josh Allen, breath of fresh air. That was not the case with Sean McDermott until it was too late at the end.
- [04:07]
Ben Mather
So you also covered for years Mike McCarthy, Aaron Rodgers, I mean, you know this relationship very well. Ian o', Connor, a very established guy, yesterday, said, you know, Mike actually took Aaron out of college. Aaron, I remember watching him at Cal. I remember watching the USC game. He was very mechanical. He was very, very good. He had a huge game at the Coliseum. Yeah, yeah. And he was great. I mean, you knew he was good, but he did. He looked like a college guy. He was a little tight. And Ian said Mike loosened him up. Well, he became kind of the loosest of all the quarterbacks. McCarthy, Aaron, take me through the journey you had with him. Do you think they can say, you know what, let's let bygones be bygones?
- [04:51]
Colin Coward
Right?
- [04:52]
Tyler Dunn
I mean, you're the analogy expert, right? Colin, is this like, we all have that friend later in life who's single and you know, the market's getting a little dry. They kind of just get married to get married and I don't know, like, does Aaron Rodgers really have any other options here? Is anybody banging on the door for a 42 year old quarterback?
- [05:13]
Ben Mather
True.
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Tyler Dunn
Look, his brain is good, his arm is good, but Father Time is undefeated. He said it himself, you saw how it ended against the Houston Texans. So I think from Aaron's point of view he'd probably love to go back to Pittsburgh because I don't know who else is going to take him if I. Mike McCarthy though I know he has said nice things about Aaron Rodgers and look it, it ended poorly. Like Aaron, it's a double edged sword. He's an all time grudge holder. That's part of what makes him special, part of what makes him a Hall of Famer. And that's part of the reason everything fell apart with Mike McCarthy at the end and the play call comes in and he kind of does his own thing. So I think they're all going to say the right things right now. But when the bullets are flying, what happens, you know, And I knew we were, I knew you're probably going to bring this up so I texted a player for the packers who was on those teams was, was a source for me back in that bleach report story. And actually if I remember right, he was very pro Aaron like he loved playing with Aaron Rodgers and, and wasn't really thinking that Mike McCarthy was this quarterback expert anyways. I was like, is this gonna work? Like if they get together? And at first he kind of joked and he's like, yeah, it's a Cinderella story. And then he goes, no, he goes, Aaron's an all time grudge older. They're gonna be fighting right away. They'll be at each other's throats. This isn't gonna work. So you know, I think Mike McCarthy is an underrated quarterback coach, teacher. He did way better in Dallas under awful circumstances. They don't really care about football that much down there. At one point at the cafeteria I was told like there's marketing people all over the place, it's a circus. He turned to somebody and said, man, if I knew it was like this, I wouldn't have taken the job. So I'm happy that he has a chance to go to a place that wants to win football games. You just hope he's got a chance to work with a young quarterback. Dude, I mean why, why not just pay up from Alik Willis, right. Give him a chance to develop a young quarterback like he did back in the day with Aaron Rodgers.
- [07:02]
Ben Mather
That's interesting. The, you know, you do. It's because you were working on the packers. You covered a lot with the Chicago Bears. And I said this the other day is that the two best teams in the NFC were Seattle and la. By the end of the year, I think Chicago was third. Chicago almost knocked off the Rams and the Rams didn't drop a pass or have a, I think they had one penalty. You know, I mean the Rams played almost a perfect football game in Chicago given the weather and still had to go to overtime. Chicago was a really good team at the end of the year. You did a, I'm reading this here, a three part 27,000 word series, House of Dysfunction on the Bears. And so you're kind of an expert on this. Ben Johnson to Matt Eber flutes behind the scenes. What were the biggest changes made?
- [07:54]
Tyler Dunn
So, yeah, I talked to a lot of those coaches, players, front office people. It was, it was ugly for basically all parties involved that rookie season for Caleb Williams. Now I think initially with Eber flues and that staff. And it was kind of a continuation from the draft when the Bears are doing everything in their power to recruit Caleb Williams and convince him to want to be a Bear. I, you know, they changed their offense, they changed their play. Everything was kind of to placate Caleb and run what he did in college. It does make a lot of sense. But it didn't go well, obviously. And by the time that it gets to an interim coach like Thomas Brown and he wants to do what Ben Johnson did in year two, hold Caleb Williams accountable, you're, you're one of 53. It was, it was too late, right, for that message to really resonate on the fly. So I think Ben Johnson comes in and I talked to somebody who's close with Ben Johnson after our series came out and he's like, you know, just so you know, Ben did his research, he knows what he's getting himself into when it comes to Caleb Williams. All the stuff we reported on behind the scenes with the team, the gm, all of that. And to Ben Johnson's credit, Colin, day one, it's like you're going to play the quarterback position, you're under center, they take the risk, the wristband away. So, so they're, they're building an offense, they're building a quarterback. They, they built a powerhouse rushing attack, they're forcing a ton of turnovers on defense. And Caleb was really allowed, I think, to develop week to week to week to week, to the point where you see the theatrics he did at the end of the season because a lot of the same problems were still there, right, with completion percentage. But hell, they go out, they sign three offensive linemen in the first week. That helps. And I think that Ben Johnson, just being an old school, you know, hard coach on him, it was incumbent upon Caleb to respond. To his credit, he did right. They won the division. They won a playoff game.
- [09:44]
Colin Coward
Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app hey, it's Ben, host.
- [09:54]
Ben Mather
Of the Fifth Hour with Ben Ma. Would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth Hour? I'll tell you, it's a spin off of the Ben Ma Show, a cold hit overnights on fsr. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world where we chat with captains of industry in media, sports and more every week. Explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Colin Coward from the Herd. Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you'll definitely want to check out Season four of Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories for My Heart Media's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. Mind the business is part entertainment, part instruction manual, part inspiration. Each episode features practical tips and success stories that will resonate with entrepreneurs in any industry. In their latest season, hosts Austin Henkwitz and Janie Torres are covering topics on the forefront of running a small business. They're talking to self starters about everything from how AI helps them with work smarter to weathering market uncertainties and enjoying the benefits of being your own boss. And using Inuit QuickBooks to help you get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it. Listen to Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, two Truths and a Lie. Here we go. I went to college with college football coach Jim McElwaine, I began my broadcasting career doing play by play for the Las Vegas Stars, and I've been a Verizon customer for 15 years. Okay, I lied. All three are true. Verizon isn't as expensive as you think. In fact, if you bring in your AT&T or T Mobile bill to a Verizon store. They'll give you a better deal. That's right. A better deal on the best network with the most ways to save on plans, streaming and phone deals. So take that AT and T or T Mobile build to your local Verizon store today, get a better deal and start saving based on root metrics. Best overall Mobile Network Performance US Second Half 2025 all rights reserve must provide recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Yeah, I want to ask you the Vikings fired their GM today and there's some belief that Darnold his success in Seattle and being reminded of it and you've got so many NFL tentacles. I was never a big JJ McCarthy fan. I thought he was more of a second round talent. He's obviously struggled to stay healthy. I think he's an NFL quarterback but I didn't think he was a replace Sam Darnold quarterback. I thought if you couldn't get Bo Nicks or Drake May, those guys to me are all build around. When the GM gets fired today, what are your instincts? I'm not sure if you've made a call. What are your instincts on what happened was there's Adam Schefter said there was tension in the building. J. Mac says I don't buy that. That's just one of those things to, you know, to bury the gm. What did you make of that move today by the Vikings?
- [13:06]
Tyler Dunn
I think it probably was building for a while, the tension. Head coach gm. Right. Quesi del fomenta comes from analytics, numbers, metrics. That stuff is important. Kevin o' Connell is a quarterback guru, whatever word you want to use. Right.
- [13:23]
Colin Coward
He.
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Tyler Dunn
He has worked with some of the best quarterbacks. He knows the position inside and out. So I, I'm sure there might be some clashing going on and all that stuff is going to come out now. Right. It always does.
- [13:33]
Ben Mather
Yeah.
- [13:34]
Tyler Dunn
It's. It's hard not to look past the Sam Darnold thing. Right. And when Sam Darnold's in a Super bowl, he was in your building. Somebody's going to be held accountable. I was it the GM's fault? I don't know. Right. I mean because Kevin O', Connell, you can see the logic in him wanting to draft his own guy, develop his own guy. He has been effusive in his praise of JJ McCarthy. But I just think more than anything and I actually was just talking to a player for the Vikings, a veteran about this a couple of days ago, and the way he put it was perfect. And he said our plan was just a little confused. On paper, it looks great. Rookie quarterback contract, spend a lot of money on the lines. They've got the defense, they've got the weaponry. You know, everything makes sense. But you didn't really know if JJ McCarthy was that dude yet. You just kind of saw it in OTAs and you just got a sense for his charisma, but you didn't know if he could play yet. And I mean, it was ugly, obviously, in his first year as a starter. So this is the kind of thing that happens. Somebody has to be held accountable.
- [14:36]
Ben Mather
Little updates on all of it. Circle back one more. McDermott's not taking a head job. Does that surprise you? Sean McDermott is going to pass. I think he would have been interested in, say, maybe a Baltimore, but now it's Arizona, it's. It's Las Vegas. Are you surprised? You know him well. You've sat and talked with him before, at length. McDermott's like, I'm getting out of this. Are you surprised?
- [15:02]
Tyler Dunn
You know what, Colin? Not surprised. Because I think it did take until about year eight, eight and a half of nine, for Sean to really realize, look, we don't have jobs without Josh Allen. It took too long. But I think eventually he kind of saw who really makes the thing go. He's not just going to hurl himself into a bad organization, a bad environment without the quarterback. Now he's going to be picky, he's going to be choosy. But does that team exist next year? That's what we don't know. And look, there were a lot of assistant coaches who worked for him that took lateral jobs. Yeah, it might be difficult for him to build a staff to probably the best decision, just take a year off, step away from the game. He's a grinder himself. If he wants to go that route and rebuild a team, that's what he does well. But I think he knows he needs the quarterback.
- [15:52]
Ben Mather
Golong td.com always inside stuff. Great job, Tyler, Done as always. And appreciate you stopping by anytime, Colin.
- [16:04]
Tyler Dunn
Thanks so much, man.
- [16:04]
Ben Mather
You bet. Substack golong td.com he's got all sorts of stuff out there. You hear him on this show, the volume we put him on, he just does a terrific job. J Mac with the news.
- [16:17]
Colin Coward
No, no, turn on the news. This is the Herd line news. With all due respect to the super bowl, the World cup is the biggest sporting event. Every year that it takes place, it's not even close to. And Colin, the excitement for the World cup right now is crazy. Kicks off June 11. FIFA says it received more than 500 million. That's million ticket requests in a month long application window which closed this week. Everybody's asking for two to four tickets. Right. So that likely means one billion ticket requests. One billion. This is going to be incredible. I'm so excited. Now they have the most requested matches, none of them involving the US which is kind of a bummer. But you know, people want to see stars. So Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal was the number one most requested game against Colombia. Obviously Mexico is huge. Mexico was number two and number four. And then the World cup final. Checking in. I'm geeked for the US Games. Don't go to two of them out here in la.
- [17:16]
Ben Mather
Skilled team ever.
- [17:18]
Colin Coward
Yeah.
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Ben Mather
Unlike the last World cup where we were just too young. We played the Netherlands at one point and it felt like, you know, it felt like the grownups and the young guys. I think we're at the perfect spot where our young players are moving into their early primes. For what's unique about this, we usually are really good in goal. That's one of the only positions we're not quite sure. It's very unsettled. And that's usually a strength of the United States men's national team. But I can't wait. I mean, we've got a new coach. We've got a new coach. There's been just enough, not dissension, but just enough turbulence to keep it interesting. But I do think this is the first time going into a World cup that the United States men's national team does not have to play against elite teams, sort of a defensive style, that we can be an attacking team against even the best countries. And I've never felt that before.
- [18:16]
Colin Coward
There's the US Matches on the screen. We open against Paraguay, followed by Australia. I'm not lying, Colin. We should go two and. Oh. In those games, we're going to be favorite in both of them. Here's the. Here's the real interesting aspect. I do believe this is a team that could have a ceiling of like making the Final Four. Making the Final eight.
- [18:35]
Ben Mather
Yeah.
- [18:35]
Colin Coward
Do you think that's like reasonable? Remember, we're at home.
- [18:38]
Ben Mather
Final Eight. Yes. I do think there's an advantage if you can play here in the States.
- [18:43]
Colin Coward
Yeah.
- [18:44]
Ben Mather
And again, health is a factor if we go in healthy, but we're more skilled than we've ever been. Our team got a little old a couple World Cups ago. Last year we were a little young. It's just like every other sport in America, when a majority of your roster is either in their prime, going in their prime, or maybe hanging on for a year or two of their prime. When a majority of your roster is somewhere around, you know that in for soccer, maybe it's five, six years of prime athleticism. And I think that's where we're at. We have a lot of guys. Pulisic's in his prime, but we have a lot of guys that are young, just going into their prime, which means the next World cup after this will still be in it. It's a pretty good group of players.
- [19:29]
Colin Coward
Yeah. I mean, yeah. Now the prime window is tough. Obviously. Messi and Ronaldo, two of the greatest athletes to ever walk the planet. It looks like both of them are going to play in this World cup, which is crazy. We thought we were. They were done after the last one. I'm so fired up. All right, let's go Back to the NFL, Colin. And if you remember the Buffalo Bills owner, Mr. Pegula.
- [19:48]
Ben Mather
Yeah.
- [19:48]
Colin Coward
He jumped in on a press conference with the GM and was like, hey, the GM didn't pick Keon Coleman. And it got ugly. Essentially, they were taking jabs at the underperforming. I think he was a second round pick. And they were saying, hey, the, the coach that we fired wanted him. Well, Josh Allen was asked about the Keon Coleman situation and this is what professionals do. Here's Josh Allen.
- [20:11]
Ben Mather
He will come back from that. I'm not going to give up on zero.
- [20:16]
Colin Coward
He's got too much ability, you know.
- [20:22]
Ben Mather
And I will not give up on him.
- [20:24]
Tyler Dunn
We're going to, we're going to work.
- [20:25]
Ben Mather
Tirelessly, him and me, and as well as everybody else in this building to.
- [20:28]
Tyler Dunn
Make sure that whenever we step foot.
- [20:31]
Ben Mather
On the field that we're going to.
- [20:33]
Tyler Dunn
We'Re going to find ways to win.
- [20:34]
Colin Coward
Football games and he's going to be a part of that. Now listen, he. Yeah, go ahead, go ahead.
- [20:39]
Ben Mather
Well, Brady's. Joe Brady came out and said, I stood on the table for Keon Coleman. Like, he did the opposite of what had been said earlier. He was like kind of put a life preserver out there. He said, I love this kid. I'm the one that jumped on the table and said, go get Coleman. This is my guy. So that's going to ingratiate, right? Joe Brady, he's crying for Josh Allen. He is stumping for Coleman. It's. He is. As Tyler Dunn just said, Joe Brady is Younger and more player friendly than McDermott, more emotional, and that'll play well. Yeah.
- [21:15]
Colin Coward
Listen, these young guys who come into the league, not all of them are ready to be pros. I mean, this guy was late to meetings, he got benched a bunch. But Colin, that stuff happens. Do you remember how goofy you were in your first TV gigs? Oh, yeah, I'll never, Colin. I was a young guy working newspaper jobs and they'd be like, hey, you got to cover this high school football game on a Saturday. Well, I'm going out Friday night and I'm getting hammered. I'm having fun. I'm chasing girls like, and I'm vomiting Saturday morning. Being late to football, like, that's just stuff when you're 20.
- [21:42]
Ben Mather
Was your two dual earrings, double hoop earring?
- [21:45]
Colin Coward
Yes, I was rocking the double hoop earrings. Listen, when you're in New York City, you're like, what do I care about this high school football game? I want to have fun. So listen, Keon Coleman, there's some growing up to do, some maturity involved. I think he's going to be fine. And I do like Josh Allen keeping up for his in battle wide receiver. Don't like the owner taking jabs. Final story, Colin. The Browns hired Todd Monket. I like how you laugh as soon as I say the Browns. How about this one? It has come out that as part of the hiring process, the Browns gave all the candidates a personality test. And one of the questions was, how would you develop Shador Sanders? I'm going to go ahead and let you take it away from here because I don't. I've said enough not nice things about Shador this week.
- [22:31]
Ben Mather
This is the hardest job. Of all the jobs available. Two look really tough to me. Arizona and Cleveland. I think if the Raiders get Mendoza, that's that job you could win. Two jobs look difficult. Arizona, Cleveland. Why make it tougher? Why ask more of your candidates? It just doesn't.
- [22:51]
Colin Coward
So what? Also, what if you're Deshaun Watson or Dylan Gabriel in the quarterback room? By the way, the last coach had Dylan Gabriel start ahead of Shadour. Shador was a practice squad guy. What are you thinking if you're Dylan Gabriel? Oh, they're done with me. I'm out. Like, I got no shot. They don't even think about developing me. Just what do we do in Cleveland? My goodness, just pathetic.
- [23:13]
Ben Mather
J. Mac with the news.
- [23:16]
Colin Coward
Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news.
- [23:20]
Ben Mather
J. Mac's tomorrow's headlines to today. I can't wait Next, be sure to.
- [23:25]
Colin Coward
Catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific.
- [23:29]
Ben Mather
I'm Colin Coward from the Herd. Whether you're a seasoned small business owner or thinking about getting started, you'll definitely want to check out Season four of Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories for My Heart Media's Ruby Studio and Inuit QuickBooks. Mind the business is part entertainment, part instruction manual, part inspiration. Each episode features practical tips and success stories that will resonate with entrepreneurs in any industry. In their latest season, hosts Austin Henkewicz and Janiez Torres are covering topics on the forefront of running a small business. They're talking to self starters about everything from how AI helps them work smarter to weathering market uncertainties and enjoying the benefits of being your own boss. And using Inuit QuickBooks to help you get more done in less time. You won't want to miss it. Listen to Mind the Business Small Business success Stories on the iHeart app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, two Truths and a Lie Here we go. I went to college with college football coach Jim McElwaine, I began my broadcasting career doing play by play for the Las Vegas Stars, and I've been a Verizon customer for 15 years. Okay, I lied. All three are true. Verizon isn't as expensive as you think. In fact, if you bring in your ATT or T mobile bill to a Verizon store, they'll give you a better deal. That's right, a better deal on the best network with the most ways to save on plans, streaming and phone deals. So take that AT and T or T mobile bill to your local Verizon store today. Get a better deal and start saving based on root metrics. Best Overall Mobile Network Performance U.S. 2nd Half 2025 All Rights Reserve must provide recent consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply. Usually this is one of the actually slower weeks, the slowest week of the football season when the conference championships are decided. You have a big Monday show and then you have four days. You don't want to talk too much NFL because of the super bowl. And that's what you'll be sort of devoured. Everybody will be devoured by that next week. So we look to forward forward to the kind of a guest list we don't normally have. We don't use as many guests throughout the course of the year like next week, and we'll make sure we bring in the right ones. But this week has moved along because of all the coaching hires, some high profile ones. And so with that we move into one of my favorite segments every week. It's called Tomorrow's headlines. Today, Mike McCarthy and the Steelers. J. Mac, what's the headline?
- [26:05]
Colin Coward
All right, now it's difficult to do some of these outlooks because free agency, the draft, coaching staffs aren't even fully filled. But we have an idea of where teams are headed. So for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike McCarthy, the headline next season will be It's McCarthy. We can lose if we want to, lose if we want to. I don't see it, Colin. I don't. I'm tracking here second oldest roster in the NFL. That's not great that I'm counting a guard as a free agent. Maybe their best guard. What gain? Well, their backup running back who's good, an aging defense. Colin. There just isn't a lot of blue chip talent on this Pittsburgh Steelers roster. Now if McCarthy can find a quarterback, great. We know he's an offensive mind. But everything I look at, up and down, offense, defense, special teams, they're not as good as the Cincinnati Bengals. I don't think they're going to be as good as the Baltimore Ravens. And remember, if the Ravens kicker makes that field goal at the end, a 44 yarder and the Ravens go to the playoffs and the Steelers miss, is it total panic in Pittsburgh? We'll see if Will Howard is the guy. I've heard pretty good reviews on him. I think the smart move, and I know Steelers don't want, fans don't want to hear it, is you write out Will Howard. Maybe you win five games and you get a high draft pick and you get a quarterback and you start the cycle again.
- [27:21]
Ben Mather
Interesting. Tomorrow's headlines today I think I know where you lean on this first year coach Joe Brady in the Buffalo Bills.
- [27:30]
Colin Coward
Yeah, listen, Josh Allen, I believe is the most talented quarterback in the league right now. He's great. So they're going to be in the mix. But I did say the super bowl windows closing and Colin, the headline for the Buffalo Bills and Joe Brady will be say it ain't Joe. Bill's barely clear playoff window. As you see Josh diving out as the window shrinks. I think they'll make the playoffs only because the division is rotten. I mean my jets are a dumpster fire. They continue to be just horrific. The Miami Dolphins, I don't think they've had a good off season so far with the coaching hire the gm. So Buffalo by default is going to fall backwards and win 10 games assuming Josh Allen's upright. But Colin, you want to talk problems? Eight starters are free agents. Eight. And several of them are on defense where they were pretty lowly rated. Against the run, against the pass. I don't know that the talent is there. We'll see what happens. As you noted, Josh Allen's cap hit sixth biggest among quarterbacks next season. And maybe they can retool. You know, Bosa comes back on the cheap. But two starting linebackers, free agents. Milano, who's starting to age because of all the injuries. Shaq Thompson, you know, cornerback or tr. Is he going to come back again? If Josh Allen's healthy, they're fine. If Josh Allen has to miss a couple weeks. This is a honestly a bottom five team in the league. Give me, give me 10 wins for the Bills.
- [28:51]
Ben Mather
You make good points. Tomorrow's headlines today, Raiders new head coach. I like the quarterback they're going to draft.
- [29:01]
Colin Coward
Well, we think they're going Mendoza. I can't envision an alternative scenario but it is interesting that they haven't hired anybody and Seattle is still playing. The headline for the Vegas Raiders will be Rubik's Kubiak. Raiders still stuck on playoff puzzle. I do believe like you, Kubiak will be the next head coach of the Raiders. It's an attractive job. You're right. Mendoza, he's got a lot of promise. You do have the left tackle and Colton Miller elite tight end in Brock Bowers and Ashton Genty who we like a lot. The problem Colin is after that there's not a lot of talent. Now this may surprise you. The Raiders have the third most salary cap room heading into this offseason. Right. So they can retool on the offensive line. Have you seen their wide receiver room, Colin? It might be the worst group in the NFL. It's not good at all. They traded Jacoby Myers which turned out to be a disaster. The defense, it's weird. They graded out pretty good like league average. But if you look individually at the player, grades are not great. Some of that could be that the offense was so bad, Geno Smith with the turnovers that the opposing teams weren't trying to score much. They were just handing off because it was a formality. So I think there's a lot of work to do here for Kubiak. This is still a 5, 6 win team. But you and I are both bullish on Mendoza. I see a young, young early stage. Tom Brady, just a smart quarterback, cerebral, puts the ball where it belongs. So I do think the future is bright. But Next season. It's going to be a tough go.
- [30:29]
Ben Mather
Yeah. Our final NFL topic, tomorrow's headlines today, the Arizona Cardinals. I felt a couple years ago they were so promising and it feels like it's just bottomed out.
- [30:42]
Colin Coward
Yeah, I don't know what the quarterback situation is there with Kyler Murray. Hell, what are they doing?
- [30:47]
Tyler Dunn
A head coach.
- [30:48]
Colin Coward
The headline for the Arizona Cardinals will be one LeFleur over the Cardinals nest. Cardinals stay cuckoo. I think it's going to be Mike LaFleur, the Rams offensive coordinator. He had a run with the jets that was not really memorable, but then again, he had Zach Wilson at quarterback, obviously the brother of LaFleur. The packers, he's been with the Niners as well. So I think there's some promise here. Here's where it gets interesting. Colin. I believe they move off Kyler Murray and the name to watch here is Malik Willis. So he was with lafleur's brother in Green Bay. He showed well as a backup. I think it's a seamless move. And honestly, here's the scary part. That division's loaded the Cardinal skill position guys. James Connor is a top 10 back in the league. Trey McBride is an elite.
- [31:36]
Ben Mather
Fitzgerald Wilson.
- [31:38]
Colin Coward
Well, not Fitzgerald, but Harrison Jr. Harrison Jr. And also Michael Wilson, who had a thousand yards, seven touchdowns.
- [31:44]
Ben Mather
Good player.
- [31:45]
Colin Coward
Dude, I'm just telling you, you get a quarterback in there, they've got the engine ready and Arizona can. Can hang. They showed that they could hang with the NFC west this season. Defense is another story, but I do think LaFleur would be a step in the right direction for Arizona.
- [31:58]
Ben Mather
Yeah, that's kind of interesting. I kind of like that. The Harbaughs and the lafleurs. Well, there's been a big headline. The Greek freak is the nickname. Tomorrow's headlines today, Giannis moving. Nick's heat feel right to me. Some speculate. The warriors, what say you?
- [32:18]
Colin Coward
So. So the trade deadline is next Thursday, but unfortunately Giannis is on the shelf four to six with another calf injury. We'll get to shortly. So you and I were in Arizona for the Super Bowl. I'll never forget being in an Uber when I got the news that Kevin Durant was moved. I don't know if you remember that. It was seismic stuff. Will we see that next Thursday? The headline for Giannis will be Fedegged about it. Greek oak planted in the Garden. Yes, I do believe the Knicks and impetuous James Dolan make an irrational move and they go after Giannis. Colin, I'm a little nervous because there are I think two in the east right now. You get Giannis, he's out four to six. You're going to fall in the standings. Now, the only way the Knicks get him, it's not going to just be for call Anthony Towns.
- [33:04]
Ben Mather
No.
- [33:04]
Colin Coward
They're going to have to move off OG Anunoby, and there is a huge divide among Knicks fans. Yeah, well, shucks. Is Brunson, Hart, Mikhail Bridges and Giannis. Is that enough? Is there enough shooting? Because Hart's not a great shooter.
- [33:18]
Ben Mather
It is enough in the east, and here's why I think it makes sense, because I think they're going to have. I think you're right, is that you have got. Brunson is a liability defensively, but he's so good offensively and so smart and such a good leader. He is the best quarterback New York has had since Eli Manning. He is a great. I want him to be my guy for his size. He's a remarkable closer. Tough, gritty. I like everything about him. Classic Villanova guy with great skill. Kind of. Kind of a liability on the defensive end. You can work him and that's okay. A lot of great offensive players. Luke is another one. Harden's another one. I don't want him. You know, you can pick on him. You gotta. You gotta be able to defend the rim. You need length and athleticism. Carl Anthony Towns, similarly, is a below average defender. And so just getting. Just that move alone is. And again, I think there's a lot of. Josh Hart, you know, Brunson and Giannis give you two elite players. Oh, yeah. In the east that can win the east in a year. Jason Tatum is out. And by the way, if you did it and just got to this Finals in New York, that plays pretty well. You'd be good with Giannis, but this may be your opening. Tatum's out. Boston still good. Halliburton will come back. Orlando is still young. This May. You know, we talk about this all the time. You can see aggressive teams seize the window.
- [34:47]
Colin Coward
Yeah.
- [34:48]
Ben Mather
The outside of Detroit, this is the moment for New York. So I think. I think the Knicks feels like the move.
- [34:54]
Colin Coward
Yeah. So even if they don't do OG to the Bucks, they may have to move OG to a different team.
- [35:00]
Ben Mather
Right.
- [35:00]
Colin Coward
Get more picks because he's going to be in high demand. 3 and D wing. And then you put the picks in Towns and send them to the Bucs. Colin, I just don't know. Mitchell Robinson.
- [35:10]
Ben Mather
Right.
- [35:10]
Colin Coward
He's an amazing offensive rebounder. Can you play Mitchell Robinson, Giannis and Josh Hart, three Non shooters at the same time. You'll be great defensively, but I just don't know if the offense is going to be there. Man.
- [35:21]
Ben Mather
Here's the thing that's really, to me, that's really interesting. And we've noticed this with this draft and next year's draft. They're unbelievable. Like stars everywhere. We went about 20 years where you were lucky if you got three really, really good guys in the draft. I mean, this past draft, it looks like the top five guys are all dudes. Like now. They're all good now and they're all kids. And last year's draft was pretty good. My take is draft picks going forward mean more. There was a 20 year period where you were getting, you know, you were getting a lot of guys. Anthony, one of the guys who played in a very diluted, weak college basketball sport. Now because of nil, college basketball's got all sorts of good Euros. So you, if you're Cooper Flag, you're playing against Euros, you're playing against better players. So it's a better training ground. So I value draft picks going forward. So if the Bucks could get four draft picks. Yeah, those are four potentially nice starters.
- [36:25]
Colin Coward
Yeah. Let me ask you though, this Giannis, calf injury, this is the third calf injury he's had in two years, Colin. And you know what those lead to? Historically, he is 31. Lot of tread on those tires. A lot of playoff trips. Although they haven't had success recently, it would be devastating if they traded for Giannis, forced him back. And you know what?
- [36:43]
Ben Mather
That's why it said J. Mack. I don't think Giannis equals titles. I could argue if you trade for him, this is the year because Tatum and Halliburton, this is the year that guarantees a trip to the finals once Tatum comes back, that that team is better than the Knicks.
- [37:02]
Colin Coward
Don't you think the Knicks could get to the finals without Giannis this year? I mean, they're number two in the East. They went through a little malaise recently. They're stacked, man. They got a great team.
- [37:13]
Ben Mather
Carl.
- [37:13]
Colin Coward
Anthony Towns is not playing like a guy who's thrilled to be in New York, given the honest chatter right now.
- [37:19]
Ben Mather
Wish they would have kept Tibs. Nothing against Mike.
- [37:21]
Colin Coward
Please give me a break.
- [37:23]
Ben Mather
Very, very good defensively with old Tibs. We'll see you Monday.
- [37:29]
Colin Coward
Think Verizon is expensive? Think again.
- [37:32]
Ben Mather
Anyone can bring their AT&T or T Mobile bill to a Verizon store today and we'll give you a better deal. So. So bring us your bill.
- [37:38]
Colin Coward
Walk in running pogo stickin' teleport if you can ride on the back of.
- [37:42]
Tyler Dunn
A rollerblading yak or flyin on the.
- [37:44]
Ben Mather
Wings of a majestic falcon.
- [37:45]
Tyler Dunn
Any way you can bring your AT&T.
- [37:47]
Ben Mather
Or T mobile bill to a Verizon.
- [37:49]
Colin Coward
Store today and we'll give you a better deal on the best network based on RootMetric's best overall mobile network performance. US second half 2025. All rights reserved. Must provide very recent postpaid consumer mobile bill in the name of the person redeeming the deal. Additional terms, conditions and restrictions apply. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.