THE HERD - Hour 3 - Who survives between John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin, is the NFL MVP race settled?

Summary

The Herd with Colin Cowherd — Hour 3 Summary

Episode Date: December 30, 2025
Guests: Nick Wright (First Things First, FS1), Jason McIntyre (co-host/news)
Main Themes:

• Playoff picture and flaws of NFL contenders
• Eagles, Bills, 49ers, and MVP race analysis
• Cowboys and Trayvon Diggs’ release
• Chargers, John Harbaugh, and playoff outlook
• NCAA playoff structure, Notre Dame-UBC rivalry
• NBA: Nuggets injury woes, Lakers’ defensive struggles

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1. Episode Overview

Hour 3 of The Herd features Colin Cowherd’s trademark blend of sharp NFL analysis and lively debate with Nick Wright. The hour covers the playoff readiness (and dysfunction) of leading NFL teams, the uncertain NFL MVP race, surprising personnel moves by the Cowboys, and closing thoughts on NCAA and NBA headlines. The tone is candid, humorous, and somewhat critical—with a strong focus on how imperfections among top football teams will shape the playoff picture.

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2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

A. NFL Playoff Picture: Every Contender Has a Fatal Flaw

[04:30–07:24]

• Colin: Still skeptical about the Bills (“I just don’t buy Buffalo. You can’t win a Super Bowl trailing seven out of eight weeks... Anything else jump out to you here?”)
• Nick Wright: Argues every supposed contender has at least one “you can’t win with X” flaw this season—be it a shaky offensive line, inconsistent defense, or a quarterback lacking experience.
  • Cites Seahawks, Niners, Patriots, Jags, Rams, Eagles, Broncos, Texans, Bears, and returns to the Bills’ issues.
  • “I feel like you can do the ‘You can’t win a Super Bowl with X’ with every team this year… Now that the Rams look a little shaky— I don’t think we have the clear cut, all well-rounded, perfect team this year. This is what happens when the Chiefs aren’t in the playoffs. Everyone’s got issues.” — Nick Wright [06:15]
• Chiefs’ absence is felt: “It’s just so much better when the Chiefs are there; then there’s a standard to hold teams to.” — Nick Wright [07:18]

B. Eagles: Best Dysfunctional Franchise in Sports?

[07:24–10:30]

• Colin: Describes Philadelphia as a franchise that churns through successful coaches and QBs, has internal drama, and yet, could be called “the greatest dysfunctional franchise in American sports.”
• Nick: Compares Philly to the “Barry Switzer Cowboys,” “Blazers Jail Blazers,” and Vikings, noting that their roster is so strong it obscures mistakes.
  • “Maybe the similarity is just really stacked roster—the talent becomes almost mistake-proof.” — Nick Wright [08:35]
• Looking forward, Nick is not optimistic about Philly’s playoff chances, citing their current poor run of form, reliance on Jalen Hurts, and underlying dysfunction.

C. The Brock Purdy Conundrum & Shanahan’s Genius

[10:49–13:46]

• Colin: Conflicted on 49ers QB Brock Purdy: “Not big. Isn’t a big arm. But... three or four weeks in a row he’s as good as any quarterback in the league.”
• Nick: Gives Purdy credit for recent play, but feels the supporting cast and system amplify most QBs’ output:
  • “The last two weeks in particular, he’s been sensational… But the two leading actors for the Niners have been Kyle Shanahan, who has been brilliant, and Christian McCaffrey, who I think is the offensive player of the year in this league.” — Nick Wright [12:19]
  • References what Mac Jones accomplished in a similar situation, refusing to elevate Purdy among NFL elite.

D. NFL MVP Race: Is It Fair or Just December’s “Player of the Month”?

[13:46–17:31]

• Colin: Thinks the MVP will go to Drake May because he’s been the steadiest late, but feels it’s a tough call when candidates don’t have eye-popping style or narrative.
• Nick: Critiques the current MVP voting dynamic, arguing that the entire season feels reduced to a “final sprint” rather than a full-body-of-work award:
  • “It feels like everything up until December 1st is just about determining who are the three or four quarterbacks eligible for the award... among those three players, MVP just becomes December’s player of the month.” — Nick Wright [15:32]
  • Believes Stafford had the best season overall, even if May wins.

E. Cowboys Release Trayvon Diggs: More Dysfunction?

[24:08–27:05]

• Cowboys make waves by cutting CB Trayvon Diggs just two years after a $97M extension, signaling turmoil in Dallas.
• Colin: “I think they’re terrible at corner. Terrible.” [25:04]
• Jason: Points out Jerry Jones’ willingness to grab headlines: “The first thing Jerry does is go give an interview about it. The owner. When are we going to get perspective here? This is goofy.”
• The panel expects Dallas to target top corners and edge rushers in the draft but questions the staff and broader organizational decision-making.

F. Chargers & Playoff Readiness: Harbaugh Playing the Long Game

[27:34–29:55]

• Harbaugh sits starters, prioritizes health over final week seeding. Justin Herbert is out as Chargers head to Denver.
• Colin & Jason: Analyze a potential Patriots vs. Chargers playoff matchup:
  • Coaching edge: “Both [coaches] are great.”
  • QB edge: “Herbert is so seasoned, but Drake May’s first playoff game... at home, pressure... tough ask for week one.”
• Colin predicts Denver is dangerous at home; notes warm-weather teams will struggle to win in Denver’s postseason climate.

G. NBA Interlude: Jokic Injury Shakes Up the West

[30:42–32:34]

• Jason: Reports Jokic will be out for four weeks, ending his MVP bid and jeopardizing the Nuggets’ dominance. Spurs and OKC called the “top of the West.”
• Colin: Downplays Lakers’ chances due to poor defensive metrics and lack of 3-and-D players:
  • “They don’t have any 3-and-D guys. It’s been a 3-and-D league forever... That’s a roster composition issue. That’s not J.J. Redick’s fault.” — Colin [32:20]

H. NCAA Playoff Structure & Notre Dame/USC Rivalry

[37:04–44:11]

• Colin: Decries the automatic playoff bid for Notre Dame as unfair to teams in tougher conferences (“Would you go into a business deal where a guy had a side deal... and he could take a majority of the profits? I wouldn’t.”)
• Argues this system could have kept Miami out of the playoffs even after a head-to-head win over Notre Dame.
• Jason: Acknowledges it’s smart business for Notre Dame.
• Notre Dame prioritizes playoff entry over conference alignment; USC refuses to prop up ND’s schedule at their own expense.

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3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Nick Wright on the NFL playoff field:
  “It’s a ‘yeah, but’ season… Now that the Rams look a little shaky, I don’t think we have the clear cut, all well-rounded, perfect team this year.” [06:10]

• Colin on the Eagles:
  “Are the Eagles the greatest dysfunctional franchise in American sports? I don’t expect you to know hockey.” [08:08]

• Nick Wright on Purdy’s rise:
  “Credit—there’s only so much credit to go around. And to me, this year the two leading actors for the Niners have been Kyle Shanahan, who has been brilliant, and Christian McCaffrey.” [12:19]

• Nick Wright on MVP voting:
  “MVP just becomes December player of the month. I am 10 days removed from Matt Stafford throwing for 450 and scoring 37 on maybe the best team in the league. We are 17 or 20 days, 14 days removed from Drake May having the worst game of his season... I think what is happening to the NFL MVP over the last three seasons is a crime, a sports crime.” [15:32]

• Jason on Jerry Jones’ outsized role:
  “The first thing Jerry does is go give an interview about it. The owner. When are we going to get perspective here? This is goofy.” [25:23]

• Colin on Notre Dame’s playoff deal:
  “Would you go into a business deal where a guy had a side deal that you didn’t have… and he could take a majority of the profits?... I wouldn’t.” [41:46]

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4. Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:26] Nick Wright joins — scheduling banter
• [04:30] Bills skepticism and NFL playoff field flaws
• [07:24] Eagles: Dysfunction or design?
• [10:49] Purdy debate and 49ers pecking order
• [13:46] NFL MVP debate (Stafford vs. May)
• [24:08] Cowboys cut Trayvon Diggs — franchise dysfunction
• [27:34] Chargers rest starters, Patriots playoff talk
• [30:42] NBA: Jokic injury, Lakers’ defensive woes
• [37:04] NCAA playoff structure & Notre Dame/USC debate

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5. Tone & Style

• Lively, opinionated, and occasionally irreverent
• Both Colin and Nick offer sharp arguments, mix in humor, and favor strong, sometimes contrarian takes
• Willingness to call out dysfunction and challenge prevailing NFL narratives

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6. Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode is a must-listen for anyone intrigued by the current NFL landscape’s peculiar parity: Colin and Nick Wright dissect every leading NFL contender’s key weakness, debate the “broken” MVP voting system, react to surprising Cowboys personnel news, and riff on the NCAA and NBA headlines. They favor blunt honesty over sugarcoating, delivering an entertaining and nuanced assessment of why this year's chase for the Lombardi and MVP feels more “up for grabs” than ever.

Transcript

[Jason McIntyre]

This is an iHeart podcast.

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[Colin Cowherd]

Remember when people were nice? When we could occasionally stop fighting and come together? Well, here's some good news. The Ripple Effect is here. Hosted by comedian Jenna Kim Jones, it's a show about how powerful it is when we reach out to one another. It's the perfect weekly proof that goodness isn't gone. The Ripple Effect is more than a podcast. It's a reminder that you can start a ripple that changes everything. Listen to the ripple effect on iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 Hankwitz and Janie Torres are talking to self starters about the ins and outs of entrepreneurship, 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.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Nick Wright]

Hold on, hold on. That is one hell of a way to explain. I got bumped from the spot I've been in for seven years for Joel Klatt. When I got the text like, hey, can we move you? This is like it's herd hierarchy. Then Nick Wright every Tuesday for damn near a decade. Honestly, I said, yes, of course. And in my head I'm like, oh, Tom Brady must be coming on. Like, that would make sense. I was like, that's why I turn it on. And I love Joel. Best looking man in sports tv. But it's just a very quick. Anytime the ego gets a little too big, it's nice to have a reality check. And it's Joel Klatt's schedule. Far more important than with something we've done for a decade. So no problem. I'm glad you could make time for me, Mr. Cowherd. Thank you.

[Colin Cowherd]

You bet. I did tell them yesterday. I said I'd prefer him in the second hour. It has to go through Nick. So I did you.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah, it's fine. No problem. Don't worry.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I still. I'm. I just don't buy Buffalo. I don't think you can win a Super bowl trailing seven out of eight weeks. They're so bad in the first half, they're worse than Cleveland in the. Since week 10 in the first half. So I have them 10. And by the way, I've said this for the Chargers. You can't win multiple playoff games with an O line that bad. You can't win when you constantly put a Cape on Josh Allen. Anything else? Anything jump out to you here?

[Nick Wright]

Well, so I guess here's what I would say. I feel like you can do the. You can't win a Super bowl with X with every team this year. Like if I were to go through your hierarchy, I would feel like the Seahawks we're going to trust Darnold in four straight or three straight huge spots. Feels tricky. The Niners, the team that gets to the quarterback less than any team in the league. That many defensive injuries couldn't do it. Patriots have looked great. The real knock on them is simply a quarterback's first ever playoff run. He's going to go all the way. And they haven't faced the stiffest competition the Jags have. You know how much I like Trevor Lawrence and want to believe in the Jags, but they were a shaky team until five weeks ago. They were winning despite not playing great. The Rams are they playing their worst football of the season at the worst time of the season? The Eagles have played 32 halves this year. Colin. Three of them. 10%. They have negative yards passing. One in 10 halves they go negative yards passing. We don't trust to me the Broncos or the Texans offense or the Bears defense. And then you get to Buffalo. So I agree with you. It's a. Yeah, but season. Here would be the positive case for Buffalo after Sunday night. I didn't know their defense had that in them. The defense actually bowed up in that game. They got let down by Josh Allen, who's been great, made some mistakes. The the sack he took to take him out of field goal range. The fumble is bad luck, but he didn't chase after it and he missed an easy throw. Can Josh Allen, who by the way, this is the other question. Never won a road playoff game, win three in a row to get to the super bowl. If not now, win. But I just feel like there is not now that the Rams look a little shaky. And I don't. I, I don't think we have the clear cut, you know, all well rounded, perfect team this year. This is what happens. The moral of the story is this is what happens when the Chiefs aren't in the playoffs. Everyone's got issues. I mean it really is just not the same. It's just. It's just so much better when the Chiefs are there and then there's a standard to hold teams to. Such a bummer.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, no, that's actually true and funny. It's both. You know, the Philadelphia is a fat. I said this earlier. If I said I'm going to tell you the tendencies of this franchise. Their coach spars with fans. They fire super bowl winning quarterback winning coaches. They move off super bowl winning quarterbacks.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

They go halves without completing a pass. Their coach is a fire starter and sometimes feels kind of immature. And there's draw between their star receiver and the quarterback. You'd be like, okay, that's Carolina. The Saints, the Jets.

[Nick Wright]

Yeah.

[Colin Cowherd]

Are the Eagles the greatest dysfunctional franchise in American sports? I don't expect you to know hockey.

[Nick Wright]

They're kind of what a great question. So I don't. So I'm not. I consider myself. I hope this doesn't sound arrogant. A true top shelf basketball and football historian. Not so much baseball. So I like. Were the Billy Martin Yankees like this? Were they really good? I don't, you know, I'm not quite sure. Typically when we think of dysfunctional teams, you think of, you know, the Vikings when they had, you know, earmuffs, kids, the sex boat stuff in the 2000 aughts. I think of the Trailblazers team that you covered.

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[Nick Wright]

And that by the way, like the Blazers, they were good. They went on playoff runs. But you don't think of champions. Maybe you could argue the Barry Switzer Cowboys had some of this and that is maybe the similarity is just really stacked roster that the roster, the talent becomes almost mistake proof. But Matt Collin, here's what we now know. Philly is going to be the two or the three seed and we know so they're going to play either the six or the seven. If they're the two, they get Green Bay. That I think they should be okay in that spot. But if they are the three, if either they lose this weekend or Chicago wins and Philly is the three, then the three seed will be playing either the Niners or the Rams. We know that guaranteed. Those are the only two teams that can be the six. Man, I feel like I like either of those teams to go to Philadelphia and beat them given how they're playing right now. I just can't trust that they don't have. They have Saquon but Saquon hasn't been able to save them this year. And they, they were playing their worst football of the year. They lost three straight. Jalen had the five turnover game. They then beat Josh Johnson and Kenny Pickett and people were like it's fixed. I don't know that it's fixed. And in Buffalo it didn't seem fixed. Even though the defense, hats off to Fangio. The defense is unbelievable. I don't Think that's going to be enough for them this year.

[Colin Cowherd]

So I acknowledge we all have biases. I'm a traitor ist with quarterbacks. Yeah, I want, I want, I always say I want my quarterbacks like my furniture, big and hard to move. I like big. I like strong. I like tough. I like, I, I like, I like guys who throw picks. I like guys that throw it down the field. Like I, I, I.

[Nick Wright]

Sure.

[Colin Cowherd]

And then, and then, and now I don't know what to do with Brock Purdy because he looked like a version of.

[Nick Wright]

He looked awesome.

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, the last three weeks with a good old line, he missed. He didn't have Kittle, Trent Williams. And you and I have been on this and I think you and I have mostly been right on the quarterback stuff. I look at Brock Purdy, I'm like, not big. It isn't. Big arm. He's a pretty good athlete. And then I watch him and I'm like, okay, three or four weeks in a row, he's as good as any quarterback in the league. I could say, well, it's, it's, it's Shanahan. But Trey Lance didn't work. Garoppolo was okay, wasn't this. What do we make of Purdy?

[Nick Wright]

So listen, I think both things can be true. The last two weeks in particular, he's been sensational. And last week against Caleb, he went blow for blow, throw for throw with a guy who you and I both believe has MVP caliber traits. So I will, I am not taking anything away from Purdy for what he did the last couple weeks. That can be true. While it also can be true that we, the information we, we gleaned from seeing Mac Jones in this offense with these players for half the season not be as good as Purdy, but be really good. Be, you know, oh, wow, if you had never seen Mac Jones before, you'd be like, okay, that's obviously a franchise quarterback, but we know he's not. So I think that can go into the Purdy grade and evaluation. I also have said and people don't believe me on this and I'll be honest, I don't even know if I totally believe myself on this when I say I'm not trying to be a Brock Purdy hater. I'm just trying to give credit where it's fully due. But I want that to be the case. And what I, the reason I say that is it's not that I don't want Purdy to get credit, it's that credit. There's only so much credit to go around. And to me, this year, the two leading actors for the Niners have been Kyle Shanahan, who has been brilliant, and Christian McCaffrey who I think is the offensive player of the year in this league. I think Christian McCaffrey having another 2,000 yards from scrimmage season, the touchdowns, the touches, the only consistent person on their offense all year to have them a game away from the one seed. He has been brilliant. Purdy since he's come back from injury has been very good and the last two weeks has been exceptional. I still am hesitant and in fact not hesitant. I am at the moment unwilling to elevate him past a certain tier of quarterbacks because of what I saw Mac Jones doing, because of what I saw Purdy look like last year. But he's been awesome the last two weeks. There's no doubt about it.

[Colin Cowherd]

I would say I had Mike Vrabel on earlier and I didn't ask him this because I had talked about it earlier, but it was very easy in year two to go. Lamar should be MVP because he's so explosive and dynamic and stylistically so unique. And it was very easy with Mahomes. He was winning so many games to go, yeah, that's an mvp. He throws left handed. He's got the best arm in the league. The guy is clever, he's fun. I think it's harder to look at Drake May and go, he's very accurate, he's very sturdy. I like his leadership. It's a hard. Until last night you were like, let's give it to Stafford three weeks ago. Let's give it, let's give it to Alan, Drake May as Brady with a little bit of mobility and Brady to the very end. Seth Wickersham wrote a column once, I remember this reading it and to the very end there were sources saying in the building a lot of quarterbacks could win here. I'm like, could a lot go to Tampa and hoist a trophy? I don't think so. So I think Drake May is going to now, now win mvp and I'd argue he has been the most consistent quarterback in the league since week three.

[Nick Wright]

So here, listen, I think Drake May is awesome. I think that. And I came on with you two months ago and I said May and Vrabel are a lesson for all the perpetual rebuilding franchises, that it does not take five years if you have the right coach and the right quarterback. It takes two years and they've only had the coach for one year. So if you've had the Same coach and same quarterback for two years, and it's not working. One of them, at least one of them is not the right guy. I said a month ago that when I am doing the top five quarterbacks in the league, forget, you know, in 10 years or moving forward, right now, this moment, Drake May is on that list. I believe in Drake May. I think he's excellent. And if he wins mvp, I don't think it's a crime. But I think what is happening to the NFL MVP over the last three seasons is a crime, a sports crime, and that is this. It feels to me, Colin, like, because we do the MVP horse race starting in week four, that what the MVP race has actually come down to is this. It feels like Everything up until December 1st is simply about determining who are the three or four quarterbacks eligible for the award. And this year it was Stafford way ahead of everyone. Drake May and Josh Allen snuck in at the end, and then it's as if there is a whole new season. And amongst those three players, MVP just becomes December player of the month. It's like, okay, Stafford, May, and Allen, who has the best closing kick? That guy's the MVP because I am 10 days removed from Matt Stafford throwing for 450 and scoring 37 on maybe the best team in the league, one of the best defenses. We are 17 or 20 days, 14 days removed from Drake May having the worst game of his season. Again, he's had a great season, but against Buffalo in a big spot. I think Drake is excellent. If I had a ballot, he would be second on it. But what bothers me about where I think the MVP race is going is if you took all 32 games, these two guys have played 16 each and rearranged the order randomly. I think Stafford wins nine out of 10 MVPs, but because Drake May is finishing best and Stafford, sad, one of his worst games, he's going to win it. I think Stafford's been the best player this year. That's what I think.

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, you've got a hit show that starts around the corner, and since we pushed you to, like, a co pilot.

[Nick Wright]

I got to go. I know. It's unbelievable. I got. I got the show. I also have a very, very demanding podcast boss that demanded two episodes from me this morning. I'm just working. I'm just working like crazy. Happy holidays, Colin. Great to see you, brother. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year.

[Colin Cowherd]

All right, the super fun, talented Nick Wright. First things first, after our show. I am a very demanding boss. I think, you know, J. Mac knows that pedal to the metal. So nice to have Rabel on today. He already sent me a nice text. He's a nice guy, the guy. It's, it's. I. Oh, the NBA is interesting because I, I grew up. My first player I love was Dr. J. And I was reading an article today about Peter Vessey retirement. It was great, great article about, you know, covering all these old NBA stars. And the NBA has always been a sport. Like the style matters, like culture style. I mean, like Walt Frazier, the way he dressed everything. But, you know, Walton was against authority. Like, that's. Football is really not about that. Football's about winning games. But it, the quarterback position, it's just, it's, it's funny. Now you can go to the very end of Tom Brady in New England. And I, and I swear it's Seth Wickersham, great writer. There were writing articles at the end of the Brady run and there were sources in the building saying, you know, a lot of guys could win here. And I'm like, all right, Cam tried, Mack tried. Garoppolo tried. Not winning nearly as much. It's, it's. And then there's the divorce. Belichick Brady. And you look and you're like, yeah, Tom was about 75% of it, probably, maybe, maybe 65. He was the greater part of it. But like Drake Mays game is so efficient. And it's not boring. Boring is the wrong word, but it's just so efficient, it doesn't jump through the television. He just completes passes one after another after another. And he's very good against the blitz, which young quarterbacks generally are awful against the blitz. So he doesn't get into trouble. He's not running for his life. So much of Drake May is pre snap getting out of trouble and completing 7 out of 10 throws. Meet Tom Brady with movement out of pocket. Movement. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific, on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app.

[Jason McIntyre]

Hey, this is Jason McIntyre. Join me every weekday morning on my podcast Straight fire with Jason McIntyre. This isn't your typical sports pod, pushing the same tired narratives down your throat every day. Straight Fire gives you honest opinions on all the biggest sports headlines, accurate stats to help you win big at the sportsbook and all the best guests. Do yourself a favor and listen to Straight fire with Jason McEntire on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Colin Cowherd]

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[Colin Cowherd]

Warning.

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[Nick Wright]

So.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Nick Wright]

Turn on the news.

[Jason McIntyre]

This is the Herd line news. Oh, boy. Colin, big day in the NFL. We got some breaking news out of Dallas. The Cowboys just released Cornerbacks Trayvon Diggs two years after signing him to a $97 million extension. More Egg on the face of Jerry Jones. We'll hear from him shortly. Diggs is going to go through waivers. And you know what, Colin? I think. I think he's eligible to be picked up by any team in the playoffs here. We're still waiting on that. I don't know if anybody will take a gamble on him. One could argue. Hey, he hasn't been a good scheme fit with Eber fluts. Well, what are you doing dumping him? Because deeper flu is toast anyway. But the Cowboys remain a mess. He's going to. Diggs will be eight and a half million dollars of dead cat money next year. Gotta love that, Jerry.

[Colin Cowherd]

I think the Cowboys are going edge rusher and corner in round one of the draft.

[Jason McIntyre]

Here's your boy Jerry Jones talking about releasing Trayvon Diggs.

[Colin Cowherd]

We had a high expectation in our secondary and I thought we would be good at all phases of it. I'd say team wide breakdown for us not to play better defense than we've had. Not an Uber Clues breakdown per se, just him. Yeah, I think they're terrible at corner. Terrible.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, obviously tough day for the Diggs family. We know what his brother's going through in New England right now with some. Some charges. Colin. I can't get over the fact that Jerry Jones is. He's the owner of the team. And they release a cornerback who's barely done jack squat this year. And the first thing Jerry does is go give an interview about it. The owner. When are we going to get perspective here? This is goofy. Colin, what is happening still? I'm just. This is. If you're a Cowboys fan, hey, you know who's next? Is Bland, the other guy they paid?

[Colin Cowherd]

We'll see what happens with him.

[Jason McIntyre]

Like I know you love the Jerry.

[Colin Cowherd]

Move for Quinn and Williams. I think next they're going to get the top corner in the draft. They're going to get a top three edge rusher.

[Jason McIntyre]

But how would they get in the top three cornerback in the draft?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well, there's about. There's two really good first round corners. They're going to get one of them and then they're also going to get probably the third best edge rusher. Second third best edge rusher. So that. So they'll solve some of their defensive issues. Quinn and Williams is Kenny Clark that have you know they haven't drafted that poorly. They over shown's been a good player.

[Jason McIntyre]

I think they're I like over shown.

[Colin Cowherd]

He's very good. I think their bigger issue is do you love the staff because there's Nick Wright just said this even got the Pickens.

[Jason McIntyre]

Pickens is a big one. What do you. You tagging him? You paying him?

[Colin Cowherd]

No, no, no. Flournoy, CD Lamb, Turpin go draft another fifth round receiver.

[Jason McIntyre]

Flournoy looked great because everybody was focused on the whiteouts and Flournoy's left alone. Or is Flournoy like an emerging star?

[Colin Cowherd]

CD Lamb's a guy that you sometimes you have to bracket and double team. So Turpin and Flournoy are going to get. I think Florida is a good player.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, I like him. Lamb had a case of the drop seas this year. Listen, you could put lipstick on a pig all you want. This is a disaster situation in Dallas.

[Colin Cowherd]

Let me, let me just say this. Let me just say this. New England. I think I've hit four in a row, maybe five of predicting who's going to double their win total based on if they make a move at coach. Dallas will be my team next year.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, who's or who are they getting? Come on, come on.

[Colin Cowherd]

They're dumping shoddy one and done Halfley Dable. Come on.

[Jason McIntyre]

Really? Another first time head coach in the NFL.

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[Colin Cowherd]

Wow. I mean Jason Garrett had never been a coach.

[Jason McIntyre]

He was on the staff for years. He was Jerry's guy. Jerry wants a. I'm not. I'm just going to say stuff I regret. Anyways, let's move on to the Chargers. Colin. They secured a playoff spot but they have ruled out Jim Harbaugh. I'm sorry, not Jim Harbaugh has ruled out Justin Herbert for this week as well as other starters, which is smart. They are now massive underdogs against Denver in a game that doesn't mean anything. Thank you. Jim Harbaugh. And here's sound of Harbaugh sitting his.

[Colin Cowherd]

Guys health and winning. You know that's that's it. Yeah there's no way to predict we're.

[Nick Wright]

Going on the road first round all.

[Colin Cowherd]

Potential teams would be would be good. The guys that need to you know have the most bruises and need the the most healing we will pull them back. Justin Herbert would would be one we'll see how the rest of the week goes tomorrow. Listen it's. We've got some. I tell you what what.

[Jason McIntyre]

What do we have tomorrow?

[Colin Cowherd]

You don't need Burrow Mahomes. Oh in the playoffs some of these playoff matchups are fascinating.

[Jason McIntyre]

Okay, the Chargers Patriots. Let's do it now I I'm saving.

[Colin Cowherd]

My pick for I would say New England at home would win that game. Interesting.

[Jason McIntyre]

Uh, let's just break it down real quick. Who's got the head coaching advantage? New England Chargers.

[Colin Cowherd]

They're both a coaches both are great.

[Jason McIntyre]

And so no edge. It's a wash. Okay who's got the quarterback edge?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well I think at this point Herbert is so seasoned but I mean Drake Mace first playoff game that's a at home pressure. Khalil Mack coming off the edge. Jesse Mentor DC that's a tough ask for week one. Yeah but if it's snowing so far Chargers going into a snowstorm so that's.

[Jason McIntyre]

Not great overrated narrative. I totally disagree. If this is. If this somehow is three and a half.

[Nick Wright]

I'm.

[Jason McIntyre]

I'm considering next year's salary just on.

[Colin Cowherd]

The charger side I just.

[Jason McIntyre]

I love horrible Listen man and they're resting their guys. I love it. Patriots are playing their guys because they still have a shot at I think the number one but Denver would have to lose to the Chargers which isn't happening. Can we just get real talk. I don't like looking through the 15 permutations for what could happen. Do you like doing that or no?

[Colin Cowherd]

Well there's not 15 of them I think no, no.

[Jason McIntyre]

I mean they sent me Chargers playoff there's okay fine not 15. There's.

[Colin Cowherd]

I'll just say different things. If if Baltimore wins tomorrow I'll do an AFC playoff picture stating that Baltimore wins and then that because that I think they're going to win then we know what's going to happen and I think you know I think nobody's talking about Denver's going to have all home games they don't lose at home. Jacksonville is the only team in two years that's got him at home and and Jacksonville Chargers Texans those Are warm weather teams having to go play in snow.

[Jason McIntyre]

So you're sounding confident that Sean Payton's going to the super bowl, huh? Make it, make it, make it interesting perhaps.

[Colin Cowherd]

Take a deep breath.

[Jason McIntyre]

I'm excited. All right, final story. Colin, we got some crappy news out of the NBA. Nikola Jokic, currently the best player in the league, had an just a brutal moment here where his own player backing up steps on his, on Jokic's foot, the knee buckles. There was some major fears. The good news is ligaments are intact and it's a hyperextended knee. He's gonna miss at least four weeks. If you are in the awards market, Jokic missing four weeks cannot win the MVP because they have this silly gotta play 65 games or whatever. And Jokic now is missing four weeks. He's, he can't win the MVP. So obviously the Nuggets have major injury problems right now. Aaron Gordon is down. I mean they're starting guys I'm not familiar with. Colin, this is really good news for the young San Antonio spurs who are establishing themselves I believe is the best team in the league. It's OKC and the spurs at the top of the west record wise. If the Lakers can tread water without Reeves. Listen, the Nuggets for a month, what are they going to be? 5 and 5 and 15. They're not going to be good without Jokic at all. There's a chance for the Lakers to gain some ground.

[Colin Cowherd]

Oh come on, they're not Lakers. Lakers have so many. They're so bad right now defensively.

[Jason McIntyre]

Hey, why don't you start saying nice things about him? Cuz JJ Redick will then come on the show.

[Colin Cowherd]

JJ Redick's busy. I mean they have these NBA guys coach and living on four and a half hours sleep. He's trying to fix the defense. I think J.J. redick's busy. I like, I think, you know, Everybody's like oh J.J. redick, he is, you know, he's really rough on these players. It's okay if the NBA players occasionally Charles Barkley and J.J. redick don't pander to them. NFL guys get crushed all the time. So what? He better win games. Lakers stink defensively. Somebody needs to call him out.

[Jason McIntyre]

Go off coward.

[Colin Cowherd]

J. Mac with the news. Well, that's the news and thanks for stopping by the herd lie news. Lakers 4th worst defensive rating in December in the league. Fans know it. Think about this. They don't have any 3 and D guys. Like the NBA is a 3 and D league. Has been for a decade in December. Opponent shot 41% from the three point line. They just can't get out to defend it. It's brutal. I mean that, that's just brutal. Like, and that's a, that's a roster composition issue. That's not J.J. redick's fault. I mean it's been, it's been a three and D league forever. They don't have any three and D guys. Jared Vanderbilt's got some dexterity. He, you know, he's a little bit, he's versatile as a defender, but so many diverse defenders. It's an offensive, it's an offensive roster. That's not J.J. redick's fault. Don't blame him. He inherited it. It's the Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd, weekdays at noon Eastern, 9am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the iHeartRadio app PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite processors are made to go the distance with blazing fast performance. Next level efficiency. Snapdragon processors are built to tackle it all. From highlight reel editing to intense player research, making it all feel effortless. And with multi day battery life, you got true freedom all right without being tethered to an outlet. So from long video calls to all day fantasy drafts, your laptop stays ready so you can be at the top of your game. It's the kind of performance your lifestyle demands. So make sure your next PC is powered by Snapdragon. Learn more at snapdragon.com laptops Snapdragon the heart of your PC. Battery life varies significantly based on devices, setup, usage and other factors. Love the night reach for Zyn After Dark, a limited cocktail inspired series for those who get up when the sun goes down. Try Zinn's Mojito Spiced Cider and Espresso Martini Nicotine Pouches. Find them at select retailers. Available while supplies last. Zinn After Dark Bring on the Night.

[Jason McIntyre]

Warning. This product contains nicotine.

[Colin Cowherd]

Nicotine is an addictive chemical.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Jason McIntyre]

Saturday Primetime Hoops is on Fox with a Big Ten showdown as fifth ranked Purdue takes on Wisconsin. It all tips off at 8pm Eastern Saturday on Fox.

[Colin Cowherd]

Thursday Big college football games. I think Oregon, Texas Tech is going to be interesting. So Dante Moore is fascinating. There could be a domino effect. Here's my big opinion and it actually helps. Oregon helps Dante Moore and hurts crappy NFL teams desperate for a quarterback. I don't think he's going to play particularly well against Texas Tech, but I think Oregon probably finds a way to win. He was good against James Madison. Five touchdowns, 300 yards completed. 70%. He wasn't great against Iowa. He was. It was bad weather. He wasn't great against Indiana. He was good against Penn State. They turned out to be not very good. I like Dante Moore a lot, but he's 20 years old. What a disaster it would be to send him to the Jets. What a disaster it would be to send him to a bad team with a shaky ownership. I want to see the kid succeed. Reportedly he's a great kid and I think Texas Tech, Oregon's best case scenario for the program is they win and Dante, maybe as a bad pick, doesn't blow everybody away. I think that's best case because Darnold look how Good Darnold is. And remember how good Darnold was in college at usc. He went to New York, the dysfunctional jets, and he was 20. And it was a disaster. So you can't overcome weird ownership, bad coaching, shaky front offices, weak rosters. No matter. Unless you're Andrew Locke at a college. So Here is Todd McShay last week on the show about Dante Moore going forward.

[Lavar Arrington]

I love him. I think he's going to be a great pro. If he were solely listening to my advice, I would say go back to school for another year, man. Because I have evidence from 25 years that I've gathered that the number of starts that he has, which is what, 17. I think at this point it'll be 18, 19, 20. Somewhere in that range. The chances of him succeeding with another 12, 13, 14 starts next year are significantly higher. 25 years of data telling me that Todd's right.

[Colin Cowherd]

So it's just he's a really talented kid. But we've seen this time and time again you get stuck with the wrong franchise. Look at how good Sam Darnold is now. Winning record, Carolina winning record, Minnesota winning record. Seattle disaster in New York. So the other thing I tend to see myself as America's honesty broker. I had the voice of college football Joel clad on earlier who is also the voice of reason on USC and Notre Dame ending their at least for the time being. I think they'll resume it at some point perhaps, but ending their rivalry and Klatt sees it like I do. Listen, it does not behoove anybody. I can't believe I'm saying this, but like to schedule Notre Dame because they have such an advantage over these teams that are playing in the Big Ten in the SEC cases much more difficult schedules. And now there's this bar, like a minimum bar where all Notre Dame has to do is be in the top 12 with their schedule. That's. That's crazy. Miami if Notre Dame side deal would have been intact this year, Miami who just beat Texas A and M in the playoff, Miami would have been bounced out by Notre Dame and Miami beat Notre Dame. Think about that. Meaning there could be a scenario if usc, Notre Dame played usc, beat Notre Dame, is ranked ahead of Notre Dame and would get bounced out by Notre Dame and their automatic bid. Think about that. Miami this year would have been bounced out and they beat Notre Dame head to head and, and, and had four common opponents and beat three of the four. So just put yourself USC in Miami shoes. They would have been knocked out and beat Notre Dame. So again I said before all these former Trojans that are upset. Are any of you guys business guys? Any of you guys entrepreneurs? Would you go into a business deal where a guy had a side deal that you were. You didn't know or you didn't have, even if you did know and he could take a majority of the profits because of the side deal? I wouldn't. I wouldn't do a business deal like that.

[Jason McIntyre]

Colin, can I ask, why do you. I know you hate this. Notre Dame auto in the top 12. Why do you think the committee cut the deal with him then?

[Colin Cowherd]

Why.

[Jason McIntyre]

Why would you do the deal at Notre Dame? Hey, cool. Playing a conference. No, we want you. Why do you think they said you're auto top top 12?

[Colin Cowherd]

Because Notre Dame's a huge brand. Yeah, they are. And also Notre Dame cut a deal because Notre Dame knows if USC doesn't play us, our schedule will easily be the weakest of any top 10 to 12 program. They knew it. So now this could all be averted. If, if you didn't have these automatic qualifiers like Tulane and James Madison, if you took those out, then I think USC would be more comfortable saying, hey, if we're ranked top 12, we get in. But now you can be ranked 10th, if you're USC, Notre Dame 12th, you could have beaten them head to head and Notre Dame gets in automatically. I'm not going. Yeah, it's smart.

[Jason McIntyre]

By Notre Dame.

[Colin Cowherd]

Right.

[Jason McIntyre]

You. You would admit that you can say the other side is, like, upset. Why would you do it? But it's.

[Colin Cowherd]

Notre Dame smartly is prioritizing the playoff.

[Jason McIntyre]

Yeah, and we're not. We don't care about a conference. We don't need no conference because guess what? We've got to deal with NBC and teams are willing to play us for a marquee game. Right? Cincinnati, all these other middling tier programs. And guess what? Notre Dame, they then could bake in one loss a season and still get to the playoffs. It's genius business from their end.

[Colin Cowherd]

And USC says no can do. We're now. We're now in arguably the toughest conference if you look at USC schedule next year. Ohio State, Oregon, Washington at Indiana, at Penn State.

[Jason McIntyre]

Well, we don't know if Indiana and Penn State are going to be great, but the other two.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yes, that Indiana is going to be really good. They got major money and a great Coach. They got NFL dudes everywhere.

[Jason McIntyre]

They're not going to be top 10, though.

[Colin Cowherd]

Come on. Oh, I think they are. Really? Okay, Mark Cuban, you see the writing checks? Have you seen the two families writing checks for Indiana. Indiana's got a great business school. Indiana is here to stay.

[Jason McIntyre]

I think this deal makes sense for both sides, USC and Notre Dame. There's no loser here except the fans who miss the game, right?

[Colin Cowherd]

I mean, Michigan used to play Notre Dame. They stopped playing it. The sport's more popular than ever. I think college football is a bit of a mess, but it's a.

[Jason McIntyre]

That's for sure.

[Colin Cowherd]

Yeah, well, but, you know, not everything that's a mess. I've gone. I mean, we've all gone to events, we've all gone to parties, we've all been in. Relationships are a bit of a mess, but they're fun. USC played nine conference games this season. I don't think you need to add another PCs powered by Snapdragon X Elite processors are made to go the distance with blazing fast performance, next level efficiency and multi day battery life. Snapdragon processors are built to tackle it all, from highlight reel editing to intense player research so you can be at the top of your game wherever the day takes you. Learn [e-mail] laptops Snapdragon the heart of your PC. Battery life varies significantly based on device settings, usage and other factors.

[Lavar Arrington]

What a matchup we got y'.

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[Colin Cowherd]

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[Jason McIntyre]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Colin Cowherd]

Guaranteed Human.