J. Mac (3:27)

Yeah, winning time. McCarthy delivers, Baby.

Colin Cowherd (3:30)

All right, so I don't start my show with statistics very often, but I thought this was very interesting, and it serves a point. So in the first drive, Caleb Williams is 6 for 6 with 102 passer rating. The rest of the game, he completed 50% and a passer rating. In the 70s. That's a backup in the NFL. JJ McCarthy in the first three quarters. Unwatchable, a 34 passer rating. Look terrified in the fourth quarter, 6 of 8, 101 passer rating. My takeaway, the further the Bears Caleb Williams got off script, the worse it got. The more J.J. mcCarthy could play loose, intuitive football, the better it got. So don't be afraid to have a strong opinion after one game. Caleb, on script, velocity, horsepower, he can move on script, look comfortable and daring and good. But that opening drive in the third quarter, you could watch Ben Johnson, who was visibly frustrated with his lack of accuracy. There were also four false starts, 12 total Chicago penalties, eight on the offense, so. And he was missing badly with open receivers. So, I mean, I think he's talented enough to beat bad teams and mediocre coordinators, but that's not his division. And he was one in five against his division last year. The only win when the packers rested starters. So there. You can't watch that game and not be a little unsettled, off script. It looks like usc. Caleb Williams, wow. He's talented. And so was Cam Newton. And in 11 seasons, Cam Newton had three winning seasons because Cam was all over the map and too often relied on talent. His mechanics eroded, his accuracy regressed. It was hit and miss. And that was the knock on Caleb coming in. He had all sorts of talent, but there's a million talented lounge singers working at bad saloons. They're not coachable. They don't manage themselves well. You know, they. They, you know, they aren't consistent. The NFL is so much more than just arm talent. Jay Cutler had a great arm. Justin Fields, finally, as a passing game coordinator he likes in New York, you saw what he did. I also thought Caleb panicked when the first and second receiver weren't there. Now, again, Brian Flores, in my opinion, I have said this for like a Year is the best defensive coordinator in football, in my opinion. I think the staff of Minnesota this year, the Athletic did a piece. It ranked San Francisco second best overall staff, Minnesota number one. So you may not face a coaching staff this good. Green Bay's is pretty good the rest of the season, but Caleb does too many things that losing quarterbacks do. The false starts. Now it's first and 15 or it's second and 12. He panics with pressure. His. His off script. His accuracy dips when he's moving. And he had an extra year ahead of J.J. mcCarthy. J.J. mcCarthy just hasn't played in a couple years. I mean, he didn't even play in the preseason much. So I thought when you watch this game, there is a way to win in this league. This is what Belichick talked about with Brady. You can't have penalties. You can't play behind the sticks. You have got to be moving forward. And Ben Johnson's body language, he was frustrated. He was puzzled. He was swearing on the headset. It was just not good enough. You got to give me more than talent. And here was Ben Johnson after we.

Ben Johnson (7:25)

Said going into week one that the team that would make the least number of mistakes would win the game. And unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of that. We made too many there late in the game, myself included. 12 penalties. That's. That's got to get cleaned up in a hurry. And yet we've been saying that all training camp as well. So, you know, we'll find a way to get that done. It's going to be a collective effort. No one's pointing fingers.

Colin Cowherd (7:52)

First half, mostly on script, you felt pretty good about it. The further Caleb got off script. Hero ball, panicking, lack of accuracy. All the things Scout said they were concerned about. All right, J.J. mcCarthy. I've never seen a game like that. I've never seen a quarterback do that. So the fact that J.J. mcCarthy ended up with a 98 passer rating after the first three quarters is remarkable. I mean, the Vikings still only finished 3 for 12 on third down and six fewer first downs than the Bears. They were unwatchable offensively for three quarters. But I have found my JJ McCarthy comp. It's Baker Mayfield play at a college power. Tons of emotion, a lot of energy. I wish they were bigger, but all they have to do. Baker and J.J. mcCarthy can go into slumps and get reckless, but if they make one big throw and they gain that confidence, their velocity and their accuracy changes. And he after that, pick six, which is about as bad as Any pick six I've ever seen, I mean, he was. He was bad in the first three quarters, but then there was a moment for JJ McCarthy, and this is very Baker Mayfield. There was a moment. It was in the fourth quarter. He hit Justin Jefferson with a seed. And that. This play right here unleashed something. The next three drives, it was a different J.J. mcCarthy. And this is Baker. All Baker needs to step into it. One rope, and Baker changes the ball, comes out faster, more velocity and more accuracy. And again, he's got Kevin O' Connell and Josh McCown. You cannot get better as a quarterback. So what you really saw from JJ McCarthy is an old saying. Nobody is going to believe in you in life until you believe in yourself. And you watched his body language change. He's like Baker. He plays with a ton of emotion. He got a little chip on his shoulder. He wins a lot of football games, but you saw two different quarterbacks. The first three quarters was a coaching staff, and again, he hadn't played much that was protecting him. And they were kind of just waiting for it to happen. I text somebody last night, an NFL exec. He. And I say, what do you. I said, what do you make of this game plan? And he goes in KOC I trust he didn't play much in the preseason. He hasn't played a lot of snaps. They're probably thinking in Minnesota, let Caleb Williams make mistakes with Brian Flores. Let's just try to stay in the game. He'll make a play later. And he did. And I. I gotta tell you, that was a different quarterback in the fourth quarter. Here is Kevin OConnell after J.J. mcCarthy.

Kevin O'Connell (10:46)

For him to make some of the plays he did. I told him at halftime, you are going to bring us back to win this game. And the look in his eye was fantastic. And the best thing is just the belief I felt from the team, the unit and. And ultimately that doesn't get done without him in the second half. Two passing touchdowns and then the critical rushing touchdown, you know, at the end.

Colin Cowherd (11:08)

Now, it does help. Minnesota's got better ownership, a better front office, a proven coach, a better roster. They were favored in the game. I said all week, this was the last blazing 5 pick. I didn't pick. I picked Minnesota. I thought this was one of the games. I just trusted the Minnesota Viking organization, their coaching staff. I think Ben Johnson's a really good coach, but it's just in. In big games, Caleb Williams has often been worse than the one o' clock window. So Minnesota, this morning, J. Mac and I are laughing before the show. What is J.J. mcCarthy? Well, I think he's going to be closer to the fourth quarter than the first three. And again is Kevin O' Connell was called the Tall Sean McVeigh when he went to Minnesota. And people have talked about if you drafted coaches right now he'd be a top three or a four coach. He can build a culture. He played in the league. Tall, good looking guy with a lot of confidence. Look what he did to Sam Darnold. I don't think JJ McCarthy is gifted enough to get a defensive coach or an average coaching staff and flourish. But there is something about Justin Jefferson, the production. They get their left tackle back soon. They did start to develop a run game, a pretty consistent run game in the second half that also helped field position and confidence. But if you're a Viking fan this morning and a Bears fan, I know that one quarterback outplayed the other for three quarters. But a Viking fan looks at that fourth and says, I absolutely believe we've got our guy for the next decade. I don't think anybody in Chicago, except maybe Caleb Williams is thinking that this morning. I don't know if Ben Johnson's thinking that because the body language with Ben Johnson was disappointment. Even when J.J. mcCarthy was struggling, I didn't sense that from Kevin O'. Connell. He was just sort of monitoring and watching, understanding the situation. The body language from Ben was these are, these are dialed up to work and you're not hitting them. So. J. Mack, one of the, I mean, how good was week one of the NFL?

J. Mac (13:13)

Unbelievable.

Colin Cowherd (13:14)

Every big TV game was unbelievable.

J. Mac (13:17)

Just some more context for McCarthy. So he's only 22 years old, very young guy.

Colin Cowherd (13:21)

Yes.

J. Mac (13:21)

No left tackle. Derrisa was out last night.

Colin Cowherd (13:24)

He's in a couple of. I think he's coming back in a couple of weeks.

J. Mac (13:26)

Adam Thielen was just traded for like 5 minutes ago.

Colin Cowherd (13:28)

Had a draw, brutal drop.

J. Mac (13:30)

You know, Jordan Addison suspended. Like everything going against him and you're down on the road at night in Chicago. I thought that was unbelievable what he.

Colin Cowherd (13:40)

Did in the fourth quarter. Not quite.

J. Mac (13:41)

Josh Allen, unbelievable. No, but I mean, look pretty impressive.

Colin Cowherd (13:43)

Look at the last two fourth quarters we've seen in the NFL. Baltimore dominates a game. Like, it's not competitive. Dominating a game, the wheels come off. J.J. mcCarthy, look, I mean, if I said, you know, five adjectives to describe it, I mean they're just. It looked a little intimidated, a little slow, a little hesitant. Pick six was, it was as bad as pick six. He literally threw to a bear in stride.

J. Mac (14:10)

Yeah. Real quick, the division, based on what you saw this week, you don't want to overreact.

Colin Cowherd (14:16)

Green Bay is the best team.

J. Mac (14:17)

Okay, who's the second best team?

Colin Cowherd (14:19)

I would say Minnesota, right over Detroit. Oh, I did. I think those coordinators, I think it's a major issue. Go back several years ago. Think how good the roster was for Philly. They hired coordinators that didn't work. Week 10, they were circling the drain. Coordinators. Go look at the Niners defense with Robert Sala. Go look at it last year. People don't understand. These coordinators are game changers.

J. Mac (14:44)

So this week, Chicago visits Detroit, 1pm I believe that's a Fox game, Colin. That is kind of a huge game for Caleb Williams and Detroit. Detroit can't lose that, can they? Can't start Owen 2.

Colin Cowherd (14:55)

It's over.

J. Mac (14:56)

But Caleb needs it badly. Given what happened the final three quarters.

Colin Cowherd (14:59)

Well, well, Minnesota defensively, in my opinion, is better than Detroit. Yes, they were a top five defense last year. I think total defense. I like Minnesota's defense better than Detroit's, which can be a little hit and miss. I do love Branch in the back end.

J. Mac (15:19)

He's good. That's a top five game this week. I know there's a lot of good games. There's good games every week. That's a top five game for me because I don't want to say it's elimination in week two column, but you know, we've seen this. 02 is a big hole to climb out of.

Colin Cowherd (15:31)

I can't believe how good week one was. I cannot believe how good it was.

J. Mac (15:35)

We were close to, you know, bears 17 6. Looked like they were about to run away with it. Remember Hawkinson fumbles and I thought that was a legit fumble.

Colin Cowherd (15:42)

I hadn't seen that when it was 17 to 6. My take was if the Bears get one more drive and even if they don't score, it is a field position. Because JJ was playing with no confidence. I'm like, just pin him deep. Make JJ drive 94 yards. We could have a game that's over. I mean, it's just sometimes this league just pulls stuff out of a hat. And between the last two night games, we've seen incredible turnarounds, one by a team and one by a quarterback.

Fox Sports Radio Announcer (16:13)

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

LaVar Arrington (16:23)

Hey, what's up, everybody? It's me, three time Pro Bowler LaVar Arrington. And I couldn't be more excited to announce a podcast called Up On Game. What is up on Game?

Colin Cowherd (16:32)

You ask?

LaVar Arrington (16:33)

Along with my fellow Pro Bowler TJ Hush Manzada and Super Bowl Champion.

Colin Cowherd (16:38)

Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris.

LaVar Arrington (16:40)

You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game, we're going to be sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on game with me, Lavar Arrington, TJ Huch, Manzada and Plexico Burris on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast from.

Podcast Announcer (17:03)

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Colin Cowherd (17:32)

In sports and in life, timing is everything. You can have the right talent, the right mindset, even the right team. But if you don't act at the right moment, the opportunity slips away. That's true on the field, and it's true when it comes to your health. If you or someone you care about is facing metastatic prostate cancer, there's a treatment called plavicto lutetium LU177 vapivotide tetraxitan. It's not chemotherapy. It works differently by targeting PSMA positive cells, including prostate cancer cells. Pluvicto is a prescription treatment used to treat adults with prostate specific membrane antigen positive metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer or PSMA positive MCRPC who have already been treated with hormone therapy and are considered appropriate to delay chemotherapy. Pluvicto involves contact with radioactivity, which may increase the risk for cancer and cause fetal harm. Patients are advised to drink plenty of fluids, urinate often, use contraception and talk to their doctor about how to reduce the risk of exposing others to radiation during and after treatment. It can also cause low levels of blood cell counts, kidney problems and infertility. If you experience weakness, pale skin, shortness of breath, bleeding or bruising, more easily an infection, or changes in urination, talk to your doctor. Side effects include decreased blood cell counts, tiredness, dry mouth, nausea, appetite loss, joint or back pain, and constipation. Here's the bot this isn't just about treatment, it's about making the most of the time you have time to be with the people who matter time to keep showing up for the moments that count. So if you or someone you love is in this fight, ask your doctor about Plu Victo. Because in sports and in life, the best players don't just react. They anticipate. They prepare. They act. Visit pluvicto.com to learn more. That's P L-U V-I-C-T O.com? for all the gamers out there. Are you seriously going to miss out on Alienware's biggest gaming sale of the year? These are Black Friday prices, so it's not just another sale. This is some pretty big bang for your buck. You know, it's Alienware with some of the most advanced engineering out there with systems at the top of reviewers lists. And what about a gift for yourself? Gift yourself a new Alienware 16 Aurora gaming laptop. This thing's got performance at the absolute next level with Intel Core processors. And even better, you can get it during Black Friday starting at 899.99. Plus you can save on all the latest accessories and displays like the Alienware 32.4K QD OLED gaming monitor for ultimate visual fidelity. These really are incredible deals on PCs and otherworldly performance. So visit alienware.com deals soon and grab what you can before the biggest sale of the year goes dark. 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 more@snapdragon.com laptops Snapdragon the heart of your PC. Battery life varies significantly based on device settings, usage and other factors. Here we go. Herd hierarchy. Our first in season. Herd hierarchy.

Fox Sports Radio Announcer (21:09)

Herd hierarchy.

Colin Cowherd (21:10)

Time is now. Let's go.

Fox Sports Radio Announcer (21:11)

The top 10 NFL teams according to college number 10.

Colin Cowherd (21:15)

I'm gonna put the Vikings in. I think they're gonna look more like the fourth quarter than the first three with JJ McCarthy's growth and confidence. Listen, Kevin O' Connell was head coach of the year in 2024 GM and Kevin got extensions. Flores, in my opinion, the best defensive coordinator. Listen, that start on Monday was the first competitive football J.J. mcCarthy had played in 600 days. It took a couple of quarters to shake the rust off. Christian Darasaw, the great left tackle is coming back soon. I like their roster. I like them organizationally. I think after Kansas City there's an argument it's the best coaching staff in the league. I have The Vikings at 10.

Fox Sports Radio Announcer (21:55)

Number nine, Tampa Bay.

Colin Cowherd (21:57)

Yes, Baker Mayfield. They've won seven of their last eight regular season games. And remember, going to a division rival Atlanta is a tough ask. And they didn't have Tristan Wurfs, their best offensive lineman. They didn't have wide receiver Chris Godwin. And Ime Buga is going to be a star as a rookie. So Baker's not only got Mike Evans, now he's got a sensational rookie again. I think as long as you have Baker and Todd Bowles, the complement of a confident high end quarterback and an excellent defensive mind in a pretty weak division. I have the Bucks in my top ten here at nine.

Fox Sports Radio Announcer (22:35)

Number eight.

Colin Cowherd (22:36)

The Commanders didn't score a lot but 432 yards of offense. Devo Samuel, we said he's a great chess piece, was used efficiently, led the team in receiving yards in his debut. We know Terry McLaurin is going to get better week after week. And no defense allowed fewer points in week one. They spent some money on it. The Giants. There were no crevices to run between the tackles. They were five and one in games decided by three or less. So we know they can be good in close games. I have the Commanders at eight, number seven. The Chiefs didn't then it gets real tight. Listen, they were over seven on third down in the first half against the Chargers. They had a bad first quarter. The receiving room right now Worthy's hurt Rasheed Rice out for six games. They're still reworking the offensive line. I think they'll be fine. I think they're a playoff team but they're going to. We said going into it okay. They'd won 17 straight one score games. If they could go eight and three this year in one score games, it would be phenomenal. But they're a home dog against the Eagles and should be. So they're going to be fine. They got to get the receiving room right. They looked a little out of sorts early, but after the first quarter they were fine. Chiefs at seven, number six and Chargers at six. I do think Justin Herbert, Joe Alt played left tackle, was really good, didn't allow any pressures. That was great news. And Jim Harbaugh is also 60 in week one. So this was not an easy game for the Chiefs to go to Brazil. I think the Chargers in seven or eight weeks and the Chiefs in seven or eight weeks. If they met again. It's a very close coin flip game. I think these are very even teams. Kansas City's obviously dominated this division, but in the second half, Justin Herbert, one thing that's worrisome for the Chiefs, he was 13, 16. And the Chiefs, I mean, Keenan Allen, 33, why is he getting seven catches? I thought there were too many Charger receivers. The weakness of their team open. I have them at six, number five, Rams at five. They got to keep Puka Nakua healthy, and the O line worries me. But they've won six straight regular season games when starters are actually playing. And they've held opponents under 10 points in four straight games when the starters are playing. I believe their defensive line and their defense as a whole could be the best in the league right now because a lot of these good teams like the Bills and the Ravens, they gave up a lot of yards on the back end. They're young. They were the least penalized team. Stafford was the highest rated quarterback in week one. And I think after Andy Reid, there's a strong argument the best coach in the NFL is Sean McVeigh. I have the Rams at five, number four Ravens should have won the game. If Derrick Henry doesn't fumble their last three drives, they have 17 total yards. It's a little bit of a problem. Zay Flowers, I thought was outstanding, had his best game as a pro. I love everything about Baltimore outside of the fact that they get these big leads and lose them. And I, and I do think some of this is. When you dominate a team for two and a half, three quarters, it's hard to convince pro athletes. All gas, no brakes. Here they come. It's not college football. Everybody can play with everybody. Ravens still at four, number three, Buffalo and notch ahead at three. What concerns me about Buffalo, the back end of their defense, their offense got. Got 500 yards. Josh Allen sacked only once. I mean, that, that Buffalo O line, we don't talk a lot about it. Fewest sacks allowed last year. They don't allow a lot of pressure. And if they did, Josh Allen can evade it. Now they're going to face six straight teams with losing records, so they're going to go on a bit of a roll here. But that defense on the back end, it is a problem. And then that Sean McDermott got, I mean, Derek Henry broke into the secondary and was running away from secondary members who were smaller and should. So they're going to lose some games they should win because the back end of that defense. I have met three, number two, Philadelphia 17 and one since week five last season. And I know you're saying, how, how can they, how can they be at 2. Listen, Dallas showed they're a little vulnerable now. Jalen Carter will come back. I don't think he's going to get suspended. I could be wrong if that just came out. A.J. brown worries me only one target. I sense a little drama. Hyper aggressive GM Howie Roseman made another move today. Six trades since the start of August, but I have them two. And number one is number one. I thought the most complete team I saw was Green Bay. Jeff Halfley is a stud as defensive coordinator. Micah only played 40, 45% of the snaps. Already has an impact. I don't see the weakness. Does this team ever miss on tight end and wide receiver and quarterback draft picks ever? Everybody can play. And for the record, Jordan Love, you may want to look this up. Jordan Love's last eight regular season games, 11 touchdowns, no picks and a 109 passer rating. Coaching elite protection, elite run game, elite quarterback playing, elite wide receiver, tight end talent good in getting better. And Micah Parsons opens up lanes and space for everybody else. I said I have a right to overreact in week one. Packers blew me away. I haven't seen them play that kind of aggressive defense. That was Kansas City defense. That was Philadelphia defense. They were playing with their chest out. There you go. J. Mac.

J. Mac (28:06)

Am I allowed to take ask where the jets are because they were so good?

Colin Cowherd (28:10)

I have Seattle at 11.

J. Mac (28:15)

The same Seattle that lost to the Niners.

Colin Cowherd (28:17)

Darnold doesn't bump into a lineman. They beat San Francisco, San Francisco 12. But remember, Seattle is healthier going forward. I have to consider everything. Brock Purdy may not play in week.

J. Mac (28:28)

Are the Chiefs there on reputation? Let's be real. No, they did not look good.

Colin Cowherd (28:32)

Mahomes looked unbelievable.

J. Mac (28:34)

That's it. One guy.

Colin Cowherd (28:35)

They also have the best staff in the league.

J. Mac (28:38)

Spagnolo did not look good. I mean, he got carved up by Herbert on that final drive.

Fox Sports Radio Announcer (28:41)

One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the iHeartRadio app search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

Colin Cowherd (28:51)

In sports and in life, timing is everything. You can have the right talent, the right mindset, even the right team. But if you don't act at the right moment, the opportunity slips away. That's true on the field. And it's true when it comes to your health. If you or someone you care about is facing metastatic prostate cancer, there's a treatment called Plavicto Lutetium Lu177, Vapivotide Tetraxitan. It's not chemotherapy. It works differently by targeting PSMA positive cells, including prostate cancer cells. Pluvicto is a prescription treatment used to treat adults with prostate specific membrane antigen positive metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer or PSMA positive MCRPC who have already been treated with hormone therapy and are considered appropriate to delay chemotherapy. Pluvicto involves contact with radioactivity, which may increase the risk for cancer and cause fetal harm. Patients are advised to drink plenty of fluids, urinate often, use contraception and talk to their doctor about how to reduce the risk of exposing others to radiation during and after treatment. It can also cause low levels of blood cell counts, kidney problems and infertility. If you experience weakness, pale skin, shortness of breath, bleeding or bruising more easily, an infection or changes in urination, talk to your doctor. Side effects include decreased blood cell counts, tiredness, dry mouth, nausea, appetite loss, joint or back pain and constipation. Here's the bottom line. This isn't just about treatment. It's about making the most of the time. You have time to be with the people who matter. Time to keep showing up for the moments that count. So if you or someone you love is in this fight, ask your doctor about Pluvicto. Because in sports and in life, the best players don't just react. They anticipate. They prepare. They act. Visit plavicto.com to learn more. That's P L-U-V-I-C-T-O.com? for all the gamers out there. Are you seriously going to miss out on Alienware's biggest gaming sale of the year? These are Black Friday prices, so it's not just another sale. This is some pretty big bang for your buck. You know it's Alienware with some of the most advanced engineering out there with systems at the top of reviewers lists. And what about a gift for yourself? Gift yourself a new Alienware 16 Aurora gaming laptop. This thing's got performance at the absolute next level with Intel Core processors. And even better, you can get it during Black Friday starting at 899.99 plus you can save on all the latest accessories and displays like the Alienware 32 4K QD OLED gaming monitor for ultimate visual fidelity. These really are incredible deals on PCs and otherworldly performance. So visit alienware.com deals soon and grab what you can before the biggest sale of the year goes dark. 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 more@snapdragon.com laptops Snapdragon the heart of your PC. Battery life varies significantly based on device settings, usage and other factors. If you could stop somebody from breaking in before they got inside, why wouldn't you? Most old school systems go off after somebody's already in your place. That's too late. Simplisafe is different. It's proactive with a double layer of defense that stops crime before they start. First, AI powered cameras spot potential threats outside. Then live agents step in talking to the person through the camera, letting them know they're on video and police will be dispatched if they don't leave immediately. They can even trigger a loud siren or a spotlight. That's how you help stop crime before it starts. There are no long term contracts, no hidden fees. Cancel anytime. 60 day money back guarantee. So you can try it, see the difference for yourself. I love Simplisafe because it gives me peace of mind. This month only take 50% off any new system. 50%. It's one of the best prices you'll ever see for Simplisafe. Don't miss out. Hit simplisafe.com herd again that's simplisafe.com herd herd h e r D and lock in your discount. There's no safe like Simplisafe. Well, he has been one of the mavericks in sports certainly in the last 20 years. UFC president and CEO. He's now so iconic he's doing Dodge Ram commercials. I saw that last night. Our friend Dana White is joining us here on a Tuesday in the herd. Long time no talk. It's great to see you again. And you, you made your submit. Most of these commissioners, you don't really want to hear from them that much, but you're out there. You put yourself out there with any all the time. It could be politics, it could be sports, it could be football. I would imagine it's been good for your business.

Dana White (34:03)

Yeah, business is good. Yeah, yeah, business is very good.

Colin Cowherd (34:06)

So your entire, in my entire life, boxing's been pay per view. You now have a deal with Paramount where you're like, listen, we're going to move off. From what I can tell, the pay per view model, I like that for the fans. My, my takeaway is finally somebody rewards the fans. I buy your pay per views all the time. They were about 65 bucks, something like that. I also go to Your fights. But when you made that decision, it's counter to what boxing and UFC has been my entire life, which is mostly pay per view stuff for the big stuff. Why the decision and is there any risk to it?

Dana White (34:36)

Well, the world is changing now. I mean, you know, all these streaming services. Here's the thing about a streaming service. You know, you can have tons of great programming. I can go watch it whenever I want to.

Colin Cowherd (34:47)

Right.

Dana White (34:48)

But live sports, you have to tune in at a certain time. And I was waiting for the moment. I knew that they were all eventually going to need live sports. Now you see them doing deals with the NFL, NBA, and now us. It's just been an evolution, you know, as cable continues to, you know, nosedive.

Colin Cowherd (35:12)

Yeah. I mean, so you are now doing. You're promoting your first boxing match. Now, we talked about this before. You grew up in Boston. I was a boxing guy in Vegas. You now live in Vegas. So my first job out of college was in Vegas. I watched Hagler Hearns. I was a Pacific Northwest kid. I moved to Vegas. I fell in love with boxing. You know, I knew. I watched Ali or you'd hear stuff as a kid, but we didn't really have boxing. You know, where I grew up, you were a boxing fan, and I always kind of waited for you. My takeaway was, I would argue, you kind of ended boxing, and then you create TKO and you go into boxing. So is that telling me that boxing still has a life?

Dana White (35:48)

Yeah. I mean, every time you think that boxing's dead, a big fight pop up again. But, you know, it's. It's. It's every once in a blue moon. I mean, we at the ufc, we go every Saturday, pretty much every Saturday, all. All year. And boxing is, you know, here and there. I. So I'm. I'm promoting this Crawford fight this weekend.

Colin Cowherd (36:09)

Probably the best fight in five to six years, I would say. Canelo Alvarez is the fighter of his generation. He's a four division champion.

Dana White (36:16)

Yep.

Colin Cowherd (36:17)

Never been knocked down.

Dana White (36:19)

I agree. I love this fight. And the fact that Crawford is willing to risk moving up in weight to fight him. I mean, this is. If you're a fight fan, this is.

Colin Cowherd (36:27)

The stuff Crawford never lost. Tough childhood, been willing to put on weight again. He's a knockout guy. 76 of his fights are knockouts. This is as good as boxing to me in the last five years. This is probably the best fight.

Dana White (36:41)

I agree.

Colin Cowherd (36:42)

I think it's the best fight.

Dana White (36:43)

I love this fight. I forgot where the hell I was going with that, but, yeah, what Is.

Colin Cowherd (36:48)

The difference promoting UFC and boxing?

Dana White (36:52)

No, no real difference. I mean, you know, as long as you're putting up. Oh, that's what. So I'm doing the Canelo Crawford fight for Shake Turkey. Then in 26, I'm gonna. I'm gonna start my own, I guess we call a league in boxing. Basically, what I want to do is I want to build talent. Like tonight I. I have a show on called the Contender series, which I absolutely love. Tuesday nights, it's. I take the best unsigned guys.

Colin Cowherd (37:17)

Yeah.

Dana White (37:17)

In the world. They face each other that night, and I decide who gets a UFC contract. And basically, that's what I want to do with boxing, too. I want to take these up and coming guys, you know, 10 and oh, 12 and oh, and a 10 and oh, fights. A 12 and oh, you know, and like the undercard of Canelo versus Crawford, the undercard is excellent. Like the ufc when, you know, people show up for the first fight of the night, not just the main event. It's going to be that kind of a fight this weekend in Vegas. So the whole undercard is incredible. Not just the main event.

Colin Cowherd (37:50)

Well, Nick Khan, who you know very well, and you, Dana White, both are in the business of accumulating talent and finding guys before the rest of the market moves. I have a little podcast company. We do the same thing. It's exhilarating. There's nothing better than share somebody's ride. It's just unbelievable. So when you. It's interesting, like a lot of times on TikTok, I go to a lot of business guys. Yourself, a Jeff Bezos. It can be a Mark. I think it's Andreessen or Anderson.

Dana White (38:17)

Yeah, yeah.

Colin Cowherd (38:18)

And. And really smart guys. Mark Zuckerberg. I'm looking for, I guess, the thread among successful business people. This is the thread I always hear Amazon didn't make money the first 20 years, is that I don't think people understand. You had a lot of headwinds. I mean, at one point, UFC John McCain wanted it off cable. And I always look at your rise, and I don't think people understand how hard it is. Was there ever a time in your rise that the head went. You had the fertittas behind you? Was there ever a time, though, that you woke up and thought, is this thing going to work? Am I going to get it? Am I going to get a week of good news? What was the point that was hardest for Dana White?

Dana White (39:01)

I always thought it was going to work. You know, just. Is the timing right? Was the question. And there is A time Lorenzo called me one day and said, I can't keep doing this. I can't keep pumping this money into this thing. Go out and see what we could sell this for. So I started calling around that day, and I came back to him that night and said, yeah, probably 7 or 8 million dollars, and we were probably 40 million in at that time. Maybe, maybe 30 something million. I don't remember exactly.

Colin Cowherd (39:29)

How'd you convince it?

Dana White (39:30)

Huh?

Colin Cowherd (39:31)

How'd you convince him to stay in?

Dana White (39:32)

I didn't. I just told him that, and he said, okay, I'll call you tomorrow. He literally called me the next morning when I was driving to work and said, effort, let's keep going. Keep going. So we did, and, you know, thank God, here we are today.

Colin Cowherd (39:45)

Yeah, no, it's. It's been pretty remarkable when you, you know, when you look at right now at ufc, I've always thought the hardest thing in your job, and I don't know if there's any luck involved, but finding the next Jon Jones, who I. Who I think's the best fighter I've ever seen in ufc, I would say probably pound for pound, probably the best, in my opinion.

Dana White (40:09)

Yes.

Colin Cowherd (40:10)

Yeah.

Dana White (40:10)

You know. You know, as you look at boxing and where it is now, everybody's undefeated. Right. Of all these guys that are undefeated because they won't fight anybody now in the ufc, whatever division you were in, you fought the toughest guys all the way up to become a world champion, and Jon Jones did that for the last however many years, and he's still undefeated. So. Yes.

Colin Cowherd (40:33)

So when you. And I've asked you this before, but I think it's. I think it's compelling, and I think you're going to find this in boxing. Boxing feels, and UFC feels, to me, so global. Is there ever a moment when. When is there talent aplenty? Is it just for Dana White to find it, or are there cycles where, like, it's dry that you go six months and you can't find talent?

Dana White (41:00)

No, I wouldn't say that, but. And especially as the sport gets bigger, you know, there's more and more people that realize now they can make millions of dollars fighting.

Colin Cowherd (41:11)

Right.

Dana White (41:11)

So, yeah, it. There was a point in time. There was a point in time when that was the case, but not now. There's. There's plenty of talent out there.

Colin Cowherd (41:22)

You know, it's interesting. You used to come to California all the time. We barely get you out here anymore. There's a lot of people that.

Dana White (41:28)

We were just talking about that. I was just talking about that with my crew when we were coming in.

Colin Cowherd (41:32)

Yeah, well, I mean, it's a different time. There's a lot of pushback. There's a lot of things happening in the country where when you embrace Trump, that's your audience. I've been to UFC fights. I've been there twice. When he's there, people love him. They go crazy. Did you ever worry when you did this? We're such a tribal, polarizing country. This could be bad for business. Did you ever worry for a minute about that?

Dana White (41:53)

Well, Trump and I have been friends for, you know, 25 years, so it's not like.

Colin Cowherd (41:58)

Oh, yeah, that's right. You.

Dana White (41:59)

It's not like I was getting political and, and, you know, choosing a side or anything. This guy's my friend. He's been my friend forever, so it wasn't really that way for me. And he's a huge UFC fan, and he came to the UFC before he even thought about running for president. Yeah, he would be at the events and held the events at the Taj Mahal and in New Jersey. So this guy is just a person who's been a friend of mine for a long time. And, and he's a huge fan of not just ufc, but a fighting period. I mean, all the big fights he held at the, at the Taj and Atlantic City back in the day. Yeah, it wasn't. Wasn't really a political move for me.

Colin Cowherd (42:36)

You have. You and Trump have something in common. You don't sleep much. You're a live concert, live event, moving all the time. There are certain. There's almost an innate energy with you that you. This is who you are. Were you always this guy? Were you always, like, burn 24. 7. You're like a human Red Bull. Was it always like that?

Dana White (42:58)

Yeah, Yeah. I can tell you this, though. He's 79 years old. He's way worse than me. He never sleeps, ever. I mean, this guy will call me at night and It's. And it's 2 o' clock in the morning on the east coast, and he'll hit me again in the morning, and he's up already. He never sleeps. It's crazy. I'll get four or five hours a night, and I'm good. I saw a guy on Joe Rogan saying, anybody that tells you that they sleep four or five hours a night, they're full of crap. No, dude, you're full of crap. I literally sleep four or five hours a night. And I can tell you right now, Donald Trump sleeps less.

Colin Cowherd (43:35)

By the way, my staff can I take magnesium when I go to bed because I'm a lousy sleeper. Five hours, maybe five and a half. I can't. My eyes are wide open. I can't. I can't sleep anymore. Whatever it is, it is.

Dana White (43:48)

I'm with you.

Colin Cowherd (43:49)

You are having a White House ufc. Is it next summer?

Dana White (43:53)

Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (43:54)

Okay, so the, this is interesting because I had a friend once that was number one at Air Force, and I think it was Reagan spoke. He goes, you cannot believe the security with the President. Like, you don't even understand what it's like. Literally one minute before dinner, they changed all the glasses in case there was poisoning. And he said, so my takeaways, this is a big event. You're gonna have a president there. Do you already have to plan that now? I mean, how far in advance?

Dana White (44:22)

So we went to the White House last week, me and my team, and we had the first meeting with them. We laid out all the renderings and we started to get him to sign off on what he likes and doesn't like. And he loved it. So, yeah, now we're diving in head first. Now all the work starts. But you're right, this is the first time. This last time I was at the White House, I went up on the roof of the White House and they got snipers with 50 cows all over the roof of the White House. And it's pretty crazy. But yes. I mean, the security is going to be a massive issue because at the end of the day, Secret Service's job is to protect the President. And I don't know how it's going to work out as far as having people there live on the, on the lawn of the White House. It'll be under 5,000, though. But there's a, I can't remember what they call it. There's a park that's connected to the White House. We could put 85,000 people over there with screens and, you know, we're going to put a big stage out there, do concerts, and we're going to take over Washington, D.C. that whole week.

Colin Cowherd (45:30)

So when you, you know, this, this fight, this weekend's allegiant. Okay. Yes. And I think ideally you'd like to be in Vegas. Vegas McCarran or Harry Reid Airport. Now, it's easy to get in. It's, it's. The weather's almost always good. You don't have to worry about flight delays when with the ufc. Are there still states that you'd like to go in that push back or is the world open? Do you have a Second favorite venue. Is there a venue you've never had a fight that you're. I mean, you took it to an island during COVID So where is the place that you want to go that haven't. And are you still accepted? Virtually everywhere.

Dana White (46:04)

Yeah. The world is wide open for ufc. We haven't been to Spain yet. I mean, this Saturday I have two fights. I have UFC and Oche in San Antonio, Texas, which is sold out. We broke the record for the gate. And the boxing event this weekend is the number three all time boxing event. Number one is Mayweather Pacquiao. Number two is McGregor, Mayweather. And number three is Canelo Crawford.

Colin Cowherd (46:32)

Okay, so I was at the first two. I want to circle back to this because it's worth noting if you don't follow boxing and you're sitting here thinking Saturday night, the college football game you wanted to watch was in the afternoon. Canelo avers is has held the title in four divisions. That's unheard of. Most of us grew up with Ali. He was a heavyweight. He wasn't going down four different. He's never been knocked out, never been knocked down. But Crawford is 19 world title fights. Unbelievable story. My take on this, it may not be Hagler Hearn's first round, but it will be a fairly aggressive fight. Do you have a sense of what it will look like and do you usually with fights.

Dana White (47:16)

I agree. I think that, you know, Crawford is, has taken this fight to prove that he's, you know, one of the greatest of this generation. And I think he's going to be very aggressive. I think he's going to go after Canelo and you know, Canelo is an unbelievable counterpuncher. Great head movement and powerful. I think that this fight's going to be a war. I think that it's what I love about being a part of this promotion. I think that the fight's going to be great and the whole undercard is going to be great. I think people are going to turn off their TVs on Saturday and be happy they stay at home and watched it.

Colin Cowherd (47:54)

When.

Dana White (47:55)

Which means everything to me.

Colin Cowherd (47:56)

Yeah, no, I mean it's. I am a regular UFC watcher and I buy for years pay per view. The Paramount deal for me is a win. I think it's always a win. I, I've talked about this with broadcasters before. I don't want to be behind a pay per view. I mean, even there was a time Howard Stern everywhere and then you disappear behind a wall. I mean, let people. Everybody's charging for something. Give me something, I can just turn on the TV and Gap.

Dana White (48:20)

Well, I love being with the Ellison's. You know, they're obviously very smart guys, great businessmen and very aggressive. So I'm looking forward to being in business with these guys for the next seven years.

Colin Cowherd (48:31)

So you, when you go look at your life and your career, of all the people you've dealt with and you've dealt with business leaders, global leaders, politicians, is are you ever surprised or do any of these people, you ever meet your match? Do you ever think to yourself, you walk out of a room and think, man, if I could hire that guy, I would hire that guy? Because you're dealing with industry leaders, a lot of alphas, very aggressive people. I mean, when's the last time you were blown away?

Dana White (49:00)

Well, let me tell you this. I got the answer to that question. So I, I, Mark Zuckerberg reached out to me and asked me to be on the board of Meta. Right now, I would never imagine that I would want to be on the board of anything, but when you look at Meta as a business and as a company, when you go in to one of these board meetings and they start at like 8:30 in the morning, and first of all, the board of Meta, just the people they have on there are all just absolutely brilliant and badass. And when Zuckerberg comes in and starts running this meeting, I am literally on the edge of the seat the whole time listening to.

Colin Cowherd (49:37)

He's changing the world.

Dana White (49:38)

What they're doing and the level that they're doing it at. What blew me away is that I would be so into, you know, this thing starts at 8:30 in the morning and we end at 5:30 at night, these board meetings. And he's got every minute dialed in. He knows everything about the company, inside and out. His cfo. His CFO is unbelievable. She's brilliant. And she comes in and goes toe to toe with the Wall street guys. It's absolutely fascinating. And one of my favorite things to do, which I would never in a million years dream, I would be that into it.

Colin Cowherd (50:15)

Well, congrats on that. You, you are known as an aggressive. Is it poker or 21? What do you play?

Dana White (50:25)

Well, I'm, I'm playing baccarat these days. Okay.

Colin Cowherd (50:28)

And you're aggressive, I'm aggressive. And you just walk in and you're going for it. Is there any casino that has said, dana, you're too good, there's too much money, our margins are slim.

Dana White (50:38)

It's not that I'm too good, but what they do is I, I have a style where I come in and I want to bet as much. I want to bet a million dollars a hand. I'm working on it right now with, with mgm. MGM might actually let me do this. Yeah. And, and one night, me and, me and Michael Rubin. So fanatics. And. Yeah. So he and I together, one night only. A million dollars a hand. Working on that right now on that deal.

Colin Cowherd (51:03)

Oh, were you always a risk taker? Is this just who you are?

Dana White (51:06)

Yeah, I. I guess. Yeah.

Colin Cowherd (51:08)

Yeah, that's who you are. So again, allegiant, you have two events. You have one in San Antonio and one in Vegas.

Dana White (51:16)

Yes.

Colin Cowherd (51:17)

Which one needs you more?

Dana White (51:22)

Yeah, I think they. Listen, the UFC is a well oiled machine. We go every Saturday. What I'm looking for on, on Saturday night for, for Canelo Crawford is, you know, I can tell you right now, the television production will be amazing. It'll be perfect. It'll be great. What I'm looking for is the live event. You know, we're in a stadium, which I don't love stadium fights because I feel like, you know, you're watching two ants fight on a matchbook.

Colin Cowherd (51:51)

Right.

Dana White (51:52)

So we have to make sure that the people do not have that experience. They have a much better experience. Live vip, you know, you get to your seats, you know you're ticketed and they get you right in, sit you down. I want everything to go smooth with the live event. You know, when you think about the live event, people fly in from around the world, in other states, they have to get a hotel room, they bought tickets, they gotta pay for the restaurants, it's expensive. So I always. It's a big deal to me that the live event, the people who show up, have an amazing experience. I went to a boxing match a few years ago and it was a horrible experience. So that's a big deal to me on Saturday.

Colin Cowherd (52:34)

Vegas has struggled year to year. Last several years. I've got got my beliefs. Why? How does Vegas turn it around? They have not been on a good two to three year roll. Economic.

Dana White (52:43)

That's, that's total bs, man. You know, this whole narrative right now about Vegas. Vegas is always doing well. Vegas is booming this weekend. There's going to be over 60,000 people coming in for this fight in Vegas. And that's just one event. You know, Bruno Mars plays there all the time. His show is great. His show is incredible, actually. And many, many other things to do in Vegas. So everybody's always counting Vegas out. That's ridiculous.

Colin Cowherd (53:09)

The restaurant. I always say this if you, you know, when I got to Vegas, I was out of college. It was like 86, 87. The rebels, Jerry Tarkanian, Steve Wynn. You didn't have pro sports. There was a stigma. That was all nonsense. I said that for years UFC didn't exist. There were boxing matches, it was, it was Don King and Bob Arum. But I used to, you know, I used to always say, this is. People don't understand how good of a food town it is because everything starts in Vegas.

Dana White (53:34)

So true.

Colin Cowherd (53:34)

It's like every great restaurant that ever franchises and I mean the high end stuff. If I said to you, you're going to Vegas for a weekend, you're lucky you just got a bonus at work, somebody's watching this, that you can fly in to watch Canelo, Alvarez and Crawford and you can have one meal in Vegas. Where would you eat?

Dana White (53:53)

Carbone.

Colin Cowherd (53:54)

Oh, the Italian place.

Dana White (53:55)

Yeah. It's incredible.

Colin Cowherd (53:56)

That's in.

Dana White (53:57)

Incredible. Always consistent. The service is off the charts. And if you have to wait, they got a great bar too. It's a great, great restaurant. I love car bones. But like, you know, when I was growing up in Vegas and when you were there, you know, Vegas was buffets or, you know, 99 cent breakfasts and things like that. Now it's all the best restaurants in the world there. Best restaurants, the best shopping, you know, now there's live sports there, you know, and when people are talking about Vegas, the Raiders are playing again. So, you know, all their home games are going to be sold out and packed and people coming in from all over the country. And if you're, if you're a fan of the Patriots, right? And there's an away game that you're going to go to, you're going to the Vegas away.

Colin Cowherd (54:45)

That's what he said for years.

Dana White (54:47)

100%. If you're flying on Thursday, you know, have a blast, go to the game on Sunday and then fly home.

Colin Cowherd (54:52)

By the way, that was a. I know you were torn. Vegas against New England. Who were you rooting for?

Dana White (54:56)

I'm not torn at all. It's New England. Okay, you're not torn at all. You know, we just lost Sunday to the Raiders.

Colin Cowherd (55:04)

Are you. Do you know Variable?

Dana White (55:06)

No. No.

Colin Cowherd (55:07)

Oh, he's a butt kicker.

Dana White (55:09)

Yeah, I heard.

Colin Cowherd (55:09)

Oh, there's no nonsense with Variable. I heard. Sharp as attack. Great.

Dana White (55:13)

I'm close to Max Crosby, so if we're going to get beat by anybody, at least it's Max Crosby.

Colin Cowherd (55:18)

Nobody better in the league than Max Crosby.

Dana White (55:20)

Love him.

Colin Cowherd (55:20)

Great guy. Hey, Congrats we'll be watching the fight. Haven't seen you in a while. You look fantastic.

Dana White (55:26)

Thank you brother.

Colin Cowherd (55:26)

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