THE HERD - Hour 3 - Tyler Dunne Stops By

Summary

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The Herd with Colin Cowherd

Hour 3 - Tyler Dunne Stops By
Release Date: September 8, 2025
Podcast by: iHeartPodcasts and The Volume

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Episode Overview

This episode of The Herd centers on the NFL's biggest Week 1 storylines, including breakout performances, quarterback controversy, and the latest drama with the Chicago Bears and their rookie QB, Caleb Williams. The hour features an extended interview with Tyler Dunne, whose three-part exposé delves into leadership and dysfunction inside the Bears’ organization. Engaging analysis, candid opinions, and insider reporting keep the show lively and insightful for football fans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Packers’ Impressive Performance & Micah Parsons’ Debut

• Continuity as Key to Packers’ Success

  • Colin opens the hour by analyzing why the Packers looked sharp in their opener, crediting their roster continuity and plugging in Micah Parsons as “the big star they’ve never had” (02:49-05:16).
  • “It’s hard to deny how good the Packers looked yesterday... These young receivers now have been there two and three years... a lot of continuity in Green Bay.” — Colin Cowherd (02:49)

• Impact of Superstar Edge Rusher

  • Micah Parsons’ limited but high-energy debut changed the Packers’ defensive swagger.
  • “These last six months was super draining, super toxic for everyone... now that’s behind. These guys embrace me... and I’m just going to give these guys everything I have because I know what’s at stake.” — Micah Parsons, postgame (03:41)

• Untangling the Defensive Dynamic

  • Guest Matt Hasselbeck likens having a dominant, unpredictable pass rusher to having a great closer in baseball: “It’s like having a great closer... you don’t know where he’ll line up, what down he’ll play... it changes your whole offensive scheme.” (04:43)

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2. Atlanta-Tampa Thriller & Rookie Watch

• Rookie Standout Emeka Egbuka Shines

  • Tampa’s Emeka Egbuka posts a breakout game: 4 catches, 67 yards, 2 TDs—earning high praise from Baker Mayfield.
  • “He’s the real deal. True professional, doesn’t play like a rookie, doesn’t act like a rookie. His head’s never spinning.” — Baker Mayfield (07:00)

• QB Analyses and Team Outlooks

  • Discussion around Michael Penix’s debut (Atlanta)—“unfazed” by the high-pressure debut, and how sitting behind Kirk Cousins may help his growth.
  • Intrigue for both teams as potential playoff contenders, but run game questions for Tampa remain. (07:44-08:52)
  • “Maybe Tampa’s a little frisky... I’m going to still say Atlanta is slightly better.” — Colin Cowherd (07:54)

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3. College Football Top 25 Musings

• SEC Dominance & Surprises in Rankings

  • Florida’s drop and the SEC landing 11 teams in the Top 25 raises eyebrows.
  • Opinions on teams ranked too high or low—“Clemson should not be [12]... Oklahoma probably a little better than 13... FSU making early statements.” — Colin Cowherd (09:47-10:31)

• Michigan & Harbaugh’s Departure

  • Ongoing skepticism regarding Michigan’s transition post-Harbaugh.
  • “I’m not blown away by Michigan replacing Jim Harbaugh. Go look at the coaches that have tried.” — Colin Cowherd (09:57)

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4. Show Anniversary & Behind-the-Scenes Banter

• 10 Years on FS1

  • Brief acknowledgment and light-hearted montage celebrating Colin’s 10-year tenure.
  • “When I’m 70 doing this show... don’t call me crazy old man—I’m crazy middle aged man!” — Colin Cowherd (11:01)

• Crew Camaraderie

  • Fun exchange about receding hairlines, team spirit, and the perks of cake in the break room. (11:42-12:17)

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5. NFL Week 2 Lookahead & “Bounce Back” Theory

• NFL Week 2 Preview
  • Colin discusses his rule: in the NFL, teams that get blown out one week are good bets for a bounce back the next, unlike in college football.
  • “If a team gets blown out and humiliated in the NFL, take them the following week.” — Colin Cowherd (12:50)
  • Key storylines on Cowboys, Chiefs, Jets, Dolphins, and Packers. Major question: Is Miami “cooked”? Did the Jets find their QB? (12:50-16:00)

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6. Justin Fields—Hope for the Jets?

• Fields’ Breakout Game
  • Matt Hasselbeck says Fields “was good, not great, but I think he can be great,” emphasizing growth as a passer, not just a runner. (16:04)
  • Coaching changes (Jets, Lions) notably impact QB performance.

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Feature Interview: Tyler Dunne on the "House of Dysfunction" (22:05-32:56)

Exposé on Caleb Williams & Chicago Bears Inner Turmoil

• Bears “Recruiting” Caleb Williams

  • Unlike a normal QB search, the Bears tried to woo Williams, the “first NIL superstar”, even tailoring their entire offense to his style and friendships (e.g., keeping college friend John Jackson III on the practice squad).
  • “Roles were really reversed...the Bears were in full-fledged recruiting mode...there has to be some type of coaching, some type of authority.” — Tyler Dunne (23:16)

• Allegations of Entitlement & Lack of Accountability

  • Multiple coaches accused Williams of disrespect and lack of coachability: “You try to tell him something...offer criticism, he’d turn around and walk the other direction.” (23:16)
  • Bears leadership tried to “twist and contort and try to change everything” for Williams, but when they finally tried to impose discipline, it was too late.

• Front Office Fumbles—No Serious Vetting of Other QBs

  • The decision to draft Williams was made well before the draft process, with “no process” and “no serious consideration” for other rookies according to scouts.
  • “It was Caleb Williams all the way...December of ’23, as soon as they had the first pick, it wasn’t a serious conversation.” — Tyler Dunne (26:06)

• Questions about Williams’ Leadership & Locker Room Fit

  • Williams’ introverted leadership style didn’t resonate with some teammates. “He would break down the team after practice and didn’t really know what to say... they kind of stopped doing it... wasn’t really voted to be a captain.” (28:29)
  • Video game playing over film study and missing informal linemen meetings contributed to frustration among veterans.

• Can Ben Johnson “Fix” Caleb Williams?

  • New head coach Ben Johnson won’t bend his system for Williams like previous coaches. “Ben Johnson... is old school. He’s not going to dumb down the offense and tailor it to Caleb. He’s going to run his stuff.” — Tyler Dunne (32:41)
  • The relationship between Johnson and Williams is “fascinating to everyone watching” — the make-or-break dynamic for both men’s careers.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• Micah Parsons on overcoming offseason drama:
  “These last six months was super draining, super toxic for everyone... but these guys embrace me...” — Parsons (03:41)

• Baker Mayfield on Emeka Egbuka:
  “He’s the real deal. True professional, doesn’t play like a rookie, doesn’t act like a rookie...” — Mayfield (07:00)

• Colin on Fields’ improvement:
  “He didn’t statistically have one off-target throw, and that was always his issue.” — Cowherd (16:31)

• Tyler Dunne on Bears’ process:
  “It was Caleb Williams all the way... there was no process. It was Caleb Williams all the way.” (26:06)

• Tyler Dunne on Caleb’s leadership gaps:
  “He’s introverted... coaches themselves told me, yeah, we named him a captain, but he really wasn’t voted to be a captain.” (28:29)

• Colin on NFL bounce-backs:
  “If a team gets blown out and humiliated in the NFL, take them the following week.” (12:50)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Packers analysis, Micah Parsons’ impact — 02:49–05:16
• Atlanta-Tampa game, Egbuka and Penix — 06:31–09:09
• College Football Top 25 React — 09:10–10:31
• Show Anniversary Moments — 11:01–12:17
• NFL Week 2 Storylines & Trends — 12:50–16:00
• Justin Fields & Jets QB outlook — 16:04–16:31
• Tyler Dunne interview on Bears dysfunction — 22:05–32:56

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Conclusion

Hour 3 delivers an insightful blend of NFL breakdowns, candid QB analysis, and deep investigative reporting on the Chicago Bears’ internal struggles. The highlight is Tyler Dunne’s exclusive, in-depth look at the Caleb Williams saga, leaving listeners with burning questions about the Bears’ future and the high stakes for their personnel and head coach. For NFL fans and those tracking the evolution of young quarterbacks, this episode is essential listening.

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Transcript

[Colin Cowherd]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it's hard to deny how good the packers looked yesterday. Now the packers have continuity. Jeff Halfley the defensive coordinator in year two, I mean they just kind of plugged in Micah Parsons. But you know, these young receivers now have been there two and three years. Craft I think the tight ends on his second year. So I mean like there's a lot of continuity in Green Bay. That was an advantage over Detroit traveling new coordinators breaking in, new interior offensive linemen. So there was a lot of movement by the Lions, but I think Micah Parsons only played 40% of the snaps. But I don't think there's any denying the energy and the bravado and the confidence he brought to the Packers. And here's Micah after.

[Micah Parsons]

These last six months was super draining, super toxic for everyone. I mean it's something that, you know, I don't think no player should have to go through. I could have been with these guys getting better and better and we could have had probably even more dominant start, you know, if that was the decision we was going to make. So I'm just happy that's behind. These guys embrace me. They believe in my talents, they believed in me and I'm just going to give these guys everything I have because I know what's at stake.

[Colin Cowherd]

And the other thing is because of Micah is sort of see the quarterback, go get the quarterback. It does force you. He'll be double teamed a lot. That is clear. And he'll open up Rashawn Gary. He's going to open up lanes and space for other Packer defenders. And this is an organization that does offense staggeringly well. But outside of the Char Charles Woodson acquisition or Reggie White, you know, you always feel like they're missing the big star. And Micah is that. Here's Matt Hasselbeck earlier on what he.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

Provides the unknown for an offense. When you grow, when you're going up against, against a great pass rusher and you don't know where he's going to line up, you don't know what down he's going to play on you. You don't know like our whole, you know, before you drop any pass plays, you drop your projection schemes and a lot of times you'll say okay, we're going to slide the. Well, what if he's not even on the field now? What it's like having a great closer in baseball. Like, hey, we got a closer. You know, like if it's third and long, we got it. You know, we're in a, we're going to have a game changing play. We're going to close the door. We're going to, we're going to do it.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, it was just pretty impressive to watch. He had his first sack. You could feel the energy from the crowd, the anticipation and, and like it's not like this roster had a big hole, but in a division. Kevin o', Connell, offensive coach. Ben Johnson, offensive coach. You start looking around the division. Dan Campbell, offensive coach. They need to get offenses off the field. They needed an edge playmaker and it looks again he not in perfect shape. He only played 45% of the snaps. So they had a top five scoring defense last year or excuse me, they had a top five scoring defense one time during Aaron Rodgers prime and they got to the Super Bowl. So they've never, you know, it's not like they don't draft well. They've spent a lot of first round picks on defensive players, but they've never had a lot of swagger. They've never played defensively with a lot of attitude. And it felt like you saw a little bit. Now again, Detroit rebuild, O line, new offensive coordinator, some of that. And nobody plays starters. A lot of snaps in the preseason. So some of it is. It looked like Detroit did not have its footing, but it was still impressive. J. Mack with the news.

No, no, turn on the news. This is the Herdline news. So we can't get to every game, but we haven't really touched on Atlanta, Tampa, it was a thriller.

Yeah.

And the young fella out of Ohio State, Emeka Igbuka had an unbelievable game. I have him on my fantasy team. Four catches, 67 yards, two tuddies, including the game winner late in the fourth. Here's Baker Mayfield on his budding rookie star.

[Baker Mayfield]

Thank the way he carries himself. I've told you guys that it wasn't a front. You guys saw it live today in person. He's. He's the real deal. True professional, doesn't play like a rookie, doesn't act like a rookie. His head's never spinning. So he made some unbelievable catches and plays today for us. And obviously you're going to continue to lean on him.

[Colin Cowherd]

You know, did you notice what he said? Adult, doesn't play like a rookie, doesn't act like a rookie. Baker acted like a rookie, now he doesn't like. Baker's now a leader. Baker's now an adult. So there, there is. So this is what I had predicted before the season. I talked to a couple general managers and they were like, this kid is ready to be a 75 catch 10 touchdown guy with Baker Mayfield this year.

And if you watch the replay, Baker did an amazing job looking off the safety, perfect placement. I was on the Falcons. My one loss on, on Friday's a.

Go either way game.

It was. But I, you know, Pennix put up some good numbers. That's a great route by the way, by Emeka. I mean that's just awesome. Everything. And by the way, when Godwin comes back and Tristan Wurfs comes back, maybe Tampa's a little frisky. I, I didn't see a great run game out of them yesterday. Yeah, I, I'm going to still say Atlanta is slightly better. Who did you come away like thinking is a better team here?

Well, I think Baker has found a star receiver and I, I guess I wasn't looking for better.

Okay.

As I watched this game, I was looking for validation that they made the right pick. Remember when they brought in Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix? And my take was I think it's great that Penix doesn't have to start and he's probably not as good as Kirk Cousins, but he's going to get great value sitting and watching. And I thought Penix, I mean that's a intense division rival opener and I thought Penix was unfazed by that.

I don't think we have video, but on the final drive, Drake London was out, did not play and Penix threw a dime to a wide receiver who like lost it in the lights of the dome. I don't know what happened, but he just didn't make the play. Anyways, nice win by the way. The kicker on Atlanta usually makes those. I'm not gonna savage a guy right now, but good.

Usually makes those kicks.

You're in a dome. Make a 44 yard field goal. Next up, college football. Colin the AP top 25 was released. Here we go, Florida, the biggest loser. Oh my gosh. They lost to us after done. However, the SEC. Are you ready? 11 teams in the top 25. What? 11. They just. You see Auburn and Missouri kicked in there at the bottom as we get it on the screen. Ohio State number one, Penn State number two. LSU three, Oregon. Sorry. Oregon four, the Hurricanes five. Any deep thoughts here? Texas did not look great early, but they rebounded.

USC's Nowhere should they be. I was there. They're pretty interesting. They're pretty interesting. Offensively, they're pretty good.

Who are they? Who you booting here? Are they better than Indiana?

I told you. I'm not blown away by Michigan replacing Jim Harbaugh. Go look at the coaches that have tried.

Yeah. By the way, what is Clemson doing at 12? They were trailing Troy for most of.

The game I think wasn't it like 16 to 3?

And I'm sure they came back but Clemson should not be.

I think Oklahoma is probably a little better than 13. We had said on this show I liked Oklahoma to win that game comfortably. I think they found their quarterback okay. Matier's really good player. I think Florida State probably a little better than 10.

Yeah, they scored like 77 points or something like that. I mean FSU is making some early statements here. Colin. All right, let's get to the final story. It's a special one. Today is a historic day. Cowherd 10 years ago, September 8, 2015 the herd launched on FS1 2400 plus shows on Fox. Colin, how many 2400 shows? More than 2400 on here on on fox. Everybody's happy for your run and they put together a reel of your funniest moments.

I know you'll love this when I'm 70 doing this show and do this. Don't call me crazy old man. I'm crazy middle aged man. I am dressed as Aaron Rodgers. I used to coach Stanford. I'm Jim Harbaugh. I beat USC so bad I made Pete Carroll cry. Impressionist painter. God, give me a break. So me and the boys had beaters last week. Uncle Colin brings big J journalism right there. Hook him. You don't want that smoke. We don't do drugs on Christmas. I am high as a kite. Was your pilot. I think we landed that thing se out. I. I had no idea I wore that many costumes.

Yeah, I didn't either. I didn't know you were.

I look good in aviators. I'm not going to lie.

Well, I think the hair has really. Well, you done a great job with your hair. It just looks sharper.

That's literally what you took from all that. I really like your receding hairline, I think.

No, no, it looks good.

Thank you.

Yeah, you got the silver fox going on okay.

Yeah, whatever. No, it's been amazing. It is I gratitude across the board is I've been doing this for a long time. Easily the best crew, best partner I've ever had. We have total support for management. We never see them. We'll see our management today because we have a cake and management shows up like seagulls whenever we have a free cake in the break room so that you know.

[Tyler Dunn]

Damn.

[Colin Cowherd]

Listen you kid because you care. That's the only reason I said so. No. Don't you feel lucky here?

Sure.

Yeah. That was. Of course.

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Of course.

[Colin Cowherd]

Didn't say it with a Lot of.

We have the most fun and you know we have I will say you did ghost me this weekend. Rare Sunday with no texts from cowherd.

I was like I'm sorry labor intensive Sunday. I don't have time. I'm out there, you know, puffing cigars, masonry, working, working the notepad. J Mac with the news.

Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news.

Tyler Dunn's gonna us before the end of the show. So I was thinking do we have the, do we have week two schedule because tonight caps off week one and I always have a rule is that in the NFL, unlike college, if a team gets blown out in college they may just be bad. But if a team gets blown out and humiliated in the NFL, take them the following week. Like I think Detroit and I have some misgivings about the Lions. I would probably lean Detroit. I think, I think the Giants lost but they weren't, they weren't humiliated. I would here's my, here's my issue. Generally I would bet Miami because they were so humiliated. But I don't know if there's anything left in the tank. I, I really don't. I, I watch if you didn't watch Miami and Colts there was no effort defensively like I this is not a shot at Daniel Jones. But you know we don't look at Daniel Jones as kind of, you know, elite or even top second tier. He did whatever he wanted to. I guess. The three biggest storylines starting on Thursday. Let let three biggest storylines. We have the schedule here. Number one, Dallas and Dak looked way better than people thought. I thought they had a lottery feel to him. Dallas on Thursday looked better Friday the story is the regression is beginning for Kansas City. You're not going to win all these one score games. And then on in the early window yesterday I think the story is Justin Fields played his best game as a pro into the jets have a quarterback and Miami is cooked and looked like defensively they quit in the late window I think the story is Green Bay looked like the most complete team I saw all weekend starting on Thursday. Yeah, I think Bill's Ravens was what we thought two heavyweights exchanging blows. Yeah. So I would say my story Thursday Cowboys in a loss looked excellent. Friday story Chiefs regression started early window. Have the jets found a quarterback and the Dolphins are toast. And then late window I would say Brock Purdy pretty impressive. But more than that Green Bay housed Detroit. Those feel like the stories again. Buffalo came back to beat Baltimore heavyweights. They're going to Be around in January. I don't know what to take about. Matt Hasselbeck talked about this about Justin Fields, who I always saw as a guy that people liked. He could move, had a big arm, but seeing the field going through progressions, he just kind of felt like when he went to the jets, he's going to become kind of a bounce around the league. Guy here was Hasselbeck on what he saw with Justin Fields.

[Matt Hasselbeck]

It was like a high school reunion. You're trying to impress your old flame kind of a game. Like the. Both quarterbacks were like, man, I got to be my best. I got to show out my best for, you know, I'm the one that got away. I thought Justin Fields was. I think he was good, not great, but like, I think he can be great. I really do. And, you know, obviously he's a great runner, but it's not about that. It's about. It's about being a passer first and then being a threat as a runner.

[Colin Cowherd]

Which he has always been. Yeah, he didn't statistically have one off target throw, and that was always his issue. Didn't see the field particularly well and would miss open guys. So if you don't think coaching matters, the jets hired Aaron Glenn, hired the Lions passing coordinator, Goff struggled, and Justin Fields looked pretty damn good. So that was impressive. All right, the story, if you're a Bears fan, that is almost traumatizing. Tyler Dunn, who won the first ever Big J Journalism award and the last ever on this show, broke a story that painted dysfunction and discord within the Bears, who are hosting the Vikings tonight in one of the most anticipated Bears games in a decade. I mean, honestly, the city on pins and needles. Tyler Dunn joins us next. We're live in LA. It's the herd.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

You ask?

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[Colin Cowherd]

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

Well, he's published a three part series called House of Dysfunction about the calamity of Caleb Williams, the Bears quarterback who opens his season tonight at home against Minnesota. Deep rooted problems, day to day issues and fissures within the organization. Tyler Dunn, an NFL writer, the founder of golongtd.com it's long form journalism if you've got 30 or 40 minutes. I read it yesterday. I had two friends in Chicago, just journalists in that city, saying man, what do you make of this? So let's start with Caleb Williams. He was the first NIL star. USC in LA is a flashy, high profile program. It was fairly obvious and you can talk in some detail here that once he got on, once Eber Fluss is out, now he's on, you know, his second head coach and his third head coach. He didn't either respect his third coach. Is that it or was it just he came with attitude day one?

[Tyler Dunn]

Well, thanks for having me Colin. And I think you nailed it. I think that roles were really reversed in this case. The Chicago Bears were not interviewing Caleb Williams to be their quarterback, to be their selection number one overall. After talking to coaches and scouts and personnel men and GMs across the NFL, they paint a picture in our series where really the Bears were in full fledged recruiting mode. They're trying to convince the first NIL superstar to play for them. And look justifiably so as we get into the dysfunction there in Chicago is very deep rooted like you said. But I think that it really did sift onto the football field. Early OTAs training camp, you've got a guy like John Jackson III who I was told really has no business being in the NFL by GMs, but that's Caleb Williams best friend. So he's on the practice squad, he wants to change the cadence. So they go to a basic ready, set, go. They eliminate checks, they eliminate audibles, they kind of try to make this thing as Caleb friendly as possible. And it's a tough middle ground because you got to tailor an offense to your talented quarterback. But at the same time there has to be some type of coaching, some type of authority. And I talked to several coaches who basically said like the moment that we were around Caleb Williams, there was an entitlement, there was a disrespect, there was, you know, you try to tell him something, coach him up, offer some constructive criticism, he would turn around and walk the other direction. It happened early and it continued right on through that Seattle Thursday night game that we lead the entire series with. So it was bad. You know, they'd be in meetings. I had coach tell me that he'd ask Caleb Williams a question in a meeting and he would just look at him and not say anything like why are you asking me a question? Many, many specific examples cited. And you know what, the Bears coaches are not completely innocent in this regard and they'd be the first to tell you they really did twist and contort and try to change everything they were offensively for Caleb Williams. So by the time they wanted to get tough with him, by the time they wanted to hold him accountable. And yes, there were players that wanted Tyson beach to be their starter last year and Ryan Paul said absolutely not by that time. And when Thomas Brown becomes the interim head coach and he's being old school, he's being hard nose and it was too late. So maybe Ben Johnson with a full off season is exactly what Caleb Williams needs.

[Colin Cowherd]

So Ryan polls does not come off well. Essentially according to Tyler Dunn's story, a three part series, House of Dysfunction. Ryan polls decided for reasons you describe, we're taking Caleb. Whereas it's well documented, Adam Peters, the new Washington GM invited all the quarterbacks to Washington. He wanted to see all the alphas and all the relationships when he took him to topgolf. From your story, it sounds like Chicago made no serious overtures to any other of the rookie quarterbacks, right?

[Tyler Dunn]

Oh, I mean I had Scouts in the room tell me it was unlike anything they've seen in their entire lives. Just a total farce. A quote unquote rigged trial, a rigged process. There, there, there was no process. It was Caleb Williams all the way. I mean, and look, if Caleb Williams is a Hall of Famer then that conviction for Ryan Poles will, will win the day, right? Then he gets the last laugh here. But we're talking as early as Caleb Williams winning that Heisman Trophy when he's ineligible to even be drafted. I was told that Ryan polls would have taken him then with that first pick if he could have. So yeah, they make the trade, they have the ammo, they get the first pick. And December of 23, really as early as they had draft meetings, by the time all the scouts got in the room together, it wasn't a serious conversation there, There were no negatives discussed when it came to Caleb Williams. Remember the Notre Dame game? It was discussed but kind of through rose colored glasses like look, he might, he struggled in this game. But this is stuff that Mahomes saw in the NFL. Caleb already saw it. He was, he was compared to Mahomes often by Ryan Pole. So yeah, they, they put, they put Drake Mays footage up on the screen and it's some of his worst moments to make that the first impression. And you've got the GM and others in the room openly laughing at Drake May. Jane Daniels never a serious consideration. I do think that they wanted to have Jane Daniels in on a Visit, a top 30 visit. And I talked to somebody in Jane Daniels camp about this. It was, it was so insincere by that point that Jaden said no thanks, absolutely not. Caleb is your guy. And it's look, this is maybe the most consequential decision in the history of the Chicago Bears a century plus. To not seriously discuss and debate the other quarterbacks is. It's malpractice. And some very, very real red flags slipped right through the cracks.

[Colin Cowherd]

Now of course Ben Johnson has power. I also think Caleb is smart enough to look at him and realize this is the real deal and I cannot struggle with this. Coach Eber Flutes was on a hot seat the minute Caleb showed up. And he probably had more power. Like you said, they were recruiting him to be interested in the Bears. But what about Caleb's personality among players? You know, we often talk about Alpha and is he the guy? Is he authentic? From your article it details that that may still be an issue.

[Tyler Dunn]

I, I think the fact that there were several players that wanted Tyson Bajan to be the starter last year is. That tells you a lot because I know on the outside looking in, it would have shocked all of us if all of a sudden Tyson Bezos, the quarterback when you've got number one overall pick, Caleb Williams. But yeah, I heard that his leadership style is. He's introverted, right? There's, there's a, there's an introverted nature to Caleb Williams where he would break down the team after practice and didn't really know what to say, didn't really know how to say it. So they kind of stopped doing it. He was named a captain. The coaches themselves told me that. Yeah, we named him a captain, but he really wasn't voted to be a captain. You know, there weren't really much. There wasn't much route running after practice. Little things like that. They, they set up these meetings to get together with the linemen, go over some pass protection stuff. A meeting like that was optional. It matters most to Caleb Williams. He didn't show up to show up to those. I think by the time, like some of these veterans heard about the video games being played at night instead of maybe looking at film that did eventually irritate players in that locker room. Look, he's not just hated by everyone. Elakaru has full of different players, different personalities. And there are players in there, I'm sure that would go to war for Caleb Williams. But there's also players in there that say his leadership style is, is something very, very different than they've ever, than they've ever seen. So is that something that you just kind of turn on? Maybe. Right. Maybe with experience, maybe with being around these guys, he can develop. But I think, number one, Colin, this is what the coaches say, the scouts, people in Caleb Williams's past. He's got to kind of look in the mirror and realize it's on me. I've got to take accountability here because football, frankly, has always come easy to Caleb Williams. There's a GM who kind of broke down this scene at USC pregame. Caleb Waynes is out there pre, pregame early. And it's the most dynamite workout this GM has seen. Lasers, daggers. He's, he's all into it. But by the time the whole team was there for a pregame routine, he's screwing around. He's throwing it left handed. He's not taking it serious. I mean, that's kind of Caleb Williams in a nutshell. Like, he's got all the talent in the world and all the talent in the world has led to Heisman trophies being the first overall pick being annoyed at the Chicago Bears savior, but being a successful starting quarterback, this is a theme. It takes more than talent. It takes more than talent. Takes all of these little things that go on behind the scenes.

[Colin Cowherd]

Finally, is his relationship with Ben Johnson. What, what does your intel tell you on. Because I, I would think we've all had an average boss, then we get a great boss and it doesn't take long to figure out as an employee. I got to get my stuff in order with this boss. I, I mean, what's the Ben Johnson, Caleb dynamic now?

[Tyler Dunn]

Man, Everybody that I talk to is fascinated by this relationship between Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. Because think back to last year when Thomas Brown, an old school head coach, is trying to tell Caleb Williams something during that Seattle game and Caleb Williams just walks away, right? Okay. Ben Johnson is old school too. Ben Johnson has an offense that he wants to run. He's not going to bend and twist and contort and change everything. He, this is an opportunity that he has worked his entire life with for. You know, one of his former colleagues said, Ben is the kind of guy that will lock himself into an office and search for every answer to every question that his team could possibly face on game day. So he is going to give Caleb Williams z the perfect scenario starting tonight against the Minnesota Vikings. I've got no doubt about it that Ben Johnson has the answers. I mean, you saw it there with Detroit. It. But also it takes to the tango when that play clock hits, hits, 15 seconds it that headset, shut up. It's all on the quarterback to maybe check to a different play to see that safety coming down and know, all right, I gotta send the run the other direction or I gotta send some protection and do all of those little things that go into being a successful quarterback. Maybe Caleb Williams is there, right? Like maybe everything that happened last year. He knows the truth. He knows he has to evolve. Last year, I mean, coaches described the worst Friday walkthroughs they've ever seen in their lives.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, I heard that twice. I heard that by two sources that were at Bears games on Friday that the walkthroughs on Friday were horrible.

[Tyler Dunn]

Yeah, absolutely. So you know, Ben Johnson will. He's not going to dumb down the offense and tailor it to Caleb. He's going to run his stuff. He has set himself at a podium. They loaded his plate up with everything. So now we see if he can handle it. Maybe he can.

[Colin Cowherd]

Tyler Dunn it is golong td.com mean last year the Bears allowed the most sacks, worst Total offense, fewest yards per play, it all. They reboot it tonight and Tyler is always great work and thank you.

[Tyler Dunn]

Thanks so much for having me, Colin.

[Colin Cowherd]

You bet. It just makes it fascinating. We don't know JJ McCarthy either and there's been reports about JJ McCarthy's a little bit unsettled. We'll find out. It makes. We're not going to get Bills Ravens offensively tonight. I think that's realistic. I think the story of the game is Kayla Williams against Brian Flores, the defensive coordinator for the Vikings. That, that to me feels like the story of the game. So you know, you watch football and you know, you think, oh, this guy played well. This guy did not play well. So PFF graded. They take every pass, every decision by quarterbacks, every single one. This is what they do. PFF graded. The top 10 passers starting Thursday night. Cowboys, Eagles. Do we have the order? First one's a little bit of a surprise. Matt Stafford, although he played really, really well, he didn't score a lot of points. But it shows you it's not just about throwing touchdowns. You're talking about high grade throws, not missing open targets and reads. So Matt Stafford 1. I am not surprised. Justin Fields was 2. Dak Prescott 3. The great Sammy Darnold, number 4. Josh Allen only falls to 5. I know it's funny. I know it's. There should be, there should be like a Josh Allen grade. You could just pff. Should come up with another grade. Could anybody in the world make this throw that Josh just made 6. Justin Herbert 7. Geno Smith. Geno played well against New England. Jaden Daniels 8. Joe Burrow 9. Who was under attack? Jordan Love 10. So I think we were. I would have guessed Josh Allen was like two or three. One. Two or three.

One data point, Colin. That's all this is for the audience.

Come on.

Josh Allen only number five. Well, well, I mean Justin Herbert six. I thought first of all Justin Herbert was eight for eight on the go ahead drive to get the touchdown against the Chiefs. Like come on. Against Magnolo, like Herbert was amazing. Don't tell me that Dak Prescott by the way is throwing some awesome passes. Don't tell me Dak and Darnold were better than Herbert and Allen.

Come on. Why the PFF?

How is Joe Burrow 90 through for 114 yards?

Well, they had like offense, they're.

Yeah, I understand.

They're, they're grading every drop back decisions. Like Justin Fields, by the way, one of his things is he had no off target throws. Meaning if a guy was open. Justin Fields hit him every time.

I don't see Lamar Jackson on there. They hung a four Woody burger on the Bills.

Well, that, that goes back to. It goes back to what? You, you know, you, you're a fan, you see something, you think, how are they graded?

So I'm looking on PFF right now, and there's this thing called big time throws.

Yeah.

Now, I don't know who's grading those, but Matt Stafford had five, led the league. Dak Prescott had four, as did Josh Allen. So that is, you know, something that goes into the equation.

That's quite a show. It flew by. It moved, baby. We'll see you tomorrow.

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[Colin Cowherd]

This is an iHeart podcast.