The Herd with Colin CowherdColin remains in awe of LeBron James as he dominates the league in his 21st season but points out the flaw in the Lakers that could prevent them from contending for another championship. He believes it's time for Michigan to step up in defense of Jim Harbaugh as allegations about sign stealing are growing each day. He also gives the truth about Jordan Love as he struggles to step into the role of franchise QB after the departure of Aaron Rodgers. Plus, Super Bowl champion James Jones joins the show in studio to give his perspective on Love's struggles and his reaction to Cowherd's replacement option.
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This is the Best of the Herd with Colin cowher on Fox Sports Radio.
Ah here we go, Home Road. It doesn't matter. We're all moving all the time, live in Los Angeles. It's the Herd.
Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. One hour from now, Greg Cosell, NFL films, Do you bet football? Fantasy Football? Want to get smarter at football?
Greg Cosell one hour from now, We love him On Thursdays. Jmack, It's November. That was about as good as an NBA regular season game as you're going to get November. The Clippers have dominated the Lakers for years. Even though the Lakers have all the banners and all the rings and all the legends and the rafters in recent history, the Clippers own the Lakers.
What a game.
Indeed, Yes, and Colin.
Listen, we got a good NBA s late tonight, and I have clarity on Steelers tonight, Colin Steelers, Will Lovis, I think I have a bet that I just fired on right before the show.
All Right, we'll get to that. So Lebron was remarkable last night. He filled up the box score thirty five twelve seven assists in forty two minutes. Forty two minutes. That's not ideal. Listen, Lebron is better than any basketball player in the history of the world in year twenty one. But it's remarkable how much better he is. At the end of the game, he had the most energy, he was the best player, he was the most efficient. If the NBA was March Madness and the playoffs were just one game, everybody equally rested one game, couple nights off, three nights off, another game, I think Lebron could peel off an NBA championship. I'm thinking right now though the NBA is long. The playoffs are longer. Seven games against the best teams. The best defense is the same players in a series. They know all your tricks. They're long, hard minutes. He'll wear down, he'll get banged up. He won't be as effective, and that's why they're not gonna win a championship. But it's year twenty one, year twenty one. He's not supposed to be in these win sprints in November supposed to be a marathon, and the Lakers are trying to scale back as minutes. And then it gets to the fourth quarter and it's the Clippers and you're at Staples and you can't beat them, and it is a rivalry and it feels like a playoff game, and it really did last night. Think about this, Lebron's played the second most minutes in the entire NBA, and if you count over time, it's first. He's in year twenty one. It's not supposed to be this. And I would take a well rested Lebron over ninety nine point nine percent of the league in a big spot. Still, that's how much better he is than the league. So you say to yourself, when the Lakers have failed him, right, because they gave him a d as a co star, Brittle doesn't give you seventy games hot and cold on the offensive end, the last guy you want to give him. But it's not like the Lakers failed And when you really think about it, the sport did. Lebron entered the NBA, and it was old school guys fighting to get on the floor. Now they're fighting for load management. Lebron came into the league, it was old school. Not everybody was rich. It didn't work that way. You were fighting. Leaders didn't have to be great players. There were leaders in every locker room. Now guys are just talented. The NBA has done a remarkable job to find global talent, it has not done a great job to cultivate leadership. Too much coddling, too much LOFE management AAU basketball does not help the sport. So Lebron, it's very lonely at the top. Lebron's perfect teammate, and AD will do because he is an elite defender having a healthy, productive year. He's a good guy. Lebron likes him. It's not like he's the worst guy could be with, right, But ideally, you would give Lebron a young player in his prime that could play forty four minutes to night, plays seventy games a year and gives you twenty six points a game, and says Lebron two out of three fourth quarters, you won't need to shift it into jet fuel. I'll take care of it. But that's not a d and that's not the NBA. There's only a handful of players, and it's a handful about ten that give you sixty five games of eighty two and twenty five a game. Jannis plays less than he used to, but Jason Tatum's there, Luca Janiz, Jokich. There's just not many, Devin book. The league doesn't have that anymore, trying to get stars to play sixty six games. And I love the sport, and the league has then a remarkable job to cultivate global talent. That's why I'm watching last night. The quality's insane. But Lebron, all these years in entered old school. It's new school in AD's personality. He doesn't know as want to lead. Jason Tatum's great, He's not really a leader. Lucas tempermental. Does he play well with others? There are very few guys. The sport has not created great leaders. It's created and discovered and cultivated great talent. So this is Lebron's reality. Fourth quarter and overtime November regular season games. Ad reeves, get on my back. It's the world he lives in, right now Lebron fourth quarter and overtime leads the NBA in minutes points, second, in rebounds, assists, third plus minus second. That's his reality. The Lakers didn't fail him. Ads about as good as you're going to get. But when you enter a business and it's old school, and over twenty one years it becomes new school, it's your reality. This is Lebron's and he delivered last night.
And we keep the game close. You know, I feel like in the fourth quarter that's when I meant my best and of the games clse, I feel like to make plays to help us win a ball game. So no matter who's on on the floor for.
Us, Yes, he was very good. So here we go. This is getting very interesting in the Big Ten getting getting very interesting. Big Ten coaches got in a zoom call with the Big Ten president. According to five sources familiar with the call, let me guess coaches collectively, they want the Big Ten to act right now punitively against Jim Harbaugh. What are we waiting for? We all know what happened. Coaches use the words tainted, fraudulent, unprecedented. Every game they play is tainted, said the coaches.
Uh h.
The sources. The coaches acknowledged on the call. According to sources, NCAA enforcement timelines not going to change this season, but the Big Ten technically has the authority under its sportsmanship policy to punish Michigan right now, right now. So what should the Big Ten do?
Now?
Let's remember I've never denied there's wrongdoing. I've simply tried to contextualize how wrong and how criminal is this. Everybody steals signs in college football, but it's sort of like everybody's speeding on the freeway. You know, sixty five miles an hours the limit. Everybody's doing seventy three. Harbaugh's doing ninety four and is mileserati. It's making people uncomfortable. It's a little dangerous. I'm not denying it, but it does feel like it's more fudging on taxes than drug trafficking or embezzlement or robbing a bank. I mean, right, we've all stolen a pen from work, put it in our pocket, Harboss, stealing the printer. It doesn't quite feel right. Joel Klatt yesterday on our show said this it's in its infancy.
You know, everyone wants this to come to fruition this year and I don't think that there's any chance that anything comes to fruition this year. Let's just say, for sake of argument, that the NCAA gave a notice of allegations to Michigan tomorrow. Bylaws say that they've gotten ninety days to respond. Season's over and nothing's going to happen by the end of this season, and we'll see. And by the way, I have heard that the extension is back on the table. I wouldn't be shocked if he signs an extension at Michigan soon.
Now there is a precedent for that. Harba's a top five college coach. Bill Self is certainly a top five college basketball coach. Remember a few years ago, Kansas got in trouble five level one violations, oh oh, the most severe breaches of NCAA by laws, including a lack of institutional control that brought down Tark. Bill Self's in trouble, and Kansas said, yeah, we support him, we don't care, sign him to a fully guaranteed lifetime contract. And a year later they wont a Natty and Bill Self today is doing just fine. Harbaugh and Self, in my opinion, were involved in things, maybe at a little more uncomfortable level of antiquated lou laws and rules. I mean, let's be honest. Now, a lot of the violations in college football and basketball now are business. Self, Harbaugh get involved in stuff that everybody's sort of doing. Winning a lot, strong opinion, people, winning big games a lot, dominating a conference a lot. Everybody a bit uncomfortable, and Kansas said, yeah, we trust our guy, we like our guy. And my guess is Michigan's doing the same. There is a precedent for this from the very beginning. I've said, you can't go from yeah, we're kind of doing it too, to sudden outrage. He won ten games his first year in Michigan, right, ten games, they were a mess. Ten games did that in the NFL. It's a really good coach. You may be uncomfortable with it. Those were uncomfortable with Bill self, but Kansas backed him. It went away, never missed the tournament. That's my guess on what Michigan will do again. I'm not denying wrongdoing. Video here allegations. There some truth here, but it doesn't feel like Robin a banker embezzlement on a freeway where everybody's speeding. He's just going a little more dangerously fast. We'll wait and see at least has the side. I'm on Jmac Greg Cosell joining us in forty five to fifty minutes.
Buddy, I've been trying to tell you for two weeks this Harball thing.
I'm with you.
I don't think this is a big deal. But they're coming after him with both guns, both barrels, pointer right, and Jim, we're coming for you. That's this is the NCAA putting all their effort right on Jim Harbon. They just they're angry with him. He embarrassed them and they want payback. I'm listen, I'm rooting for Harball.
This it's getting bumpy.
Well, it's gonna get worse, you know that, right, I mean eventually something, another leg is gonna fall.
Well for Bill's self, the violations were even more problematic. Those were like level one lack of institutional control. That's brought program like down. This stuff is who's that goofy kid in the hat that we think was on your staff as a low level went to see geek and had an iPhone.
It's just bad for college football to be doing this to a really good team. And then they don't need the spying to Would they beat Michigan State forty nine nothing forty two zero?
Well, come on, I don't think the spying is the difference. Although I again, it's a freeway that everybody's on and everybody's speeding.
Did you get me.
That guy where you're speeding. I'm nobody speeding and you get pulled over.
No. But I've been on a freeway where there's the Maserati guy who's going like significantly faster than me, and I'm going seventy one and I know he's going ninety eight.
You're not a seventy one in the left lane, guy, are you.
I'm right in the middle of the pack, obeying American laws.
I obey American laws at the front of the pack.
Baby, I'm a leader. All right. I've got a great parlay for you this weekend thanks to Draft king Sportsbook. New users, please use the code herd hg r D when you download the app for my parlay pick of the week via DraftKings Sportsbook. Dolphins at the Chiefs Kansas City oversees minus two and a half. Andy reid Off a loss, mahomes Off a loss. Kansas City has a much better O line in defense the rebound, and I will swallow the two and a half points. Seahawks at the Ravens minus six, better quarterback at home, better defense. I like the Ravens here ugly win over Arizona. They're a tough, tough home favorite. I like them here to beat Seattle in cover. Bengals minus two and a half. I like them hosting the Bills to cover. I think Cincinnati's defense is more consistent. Burrow situationally at homes better than Josh Allen on the road. Three favorites, Chiefs, Ravens, Bengals all Take all of them. You want to take the Herd parlay. Check out DraftKings Sportsbook. New users, please use the code Herd when you download the app.
Twenty one plus in most eligible states, but age varies by jurisdic should eligibility restrictions apply. Gambling problem called one eight hundred gambler in New York called eight seven seven eight hope and wire text hope and y four six seven three six y nine. See show notes for full details.
So Green Bay's offense wasn't much to talk about for the first two games, but it's gotten progressively worse and Brian gouden Kunst. I'm not body expert. I'm no body language expert. When anybody crosses their arms when you're talking to them, that's a bad sign. Or anybody moves and you didn't really push them, or they weren't nudged, it's a problem. Whenever I watch Brian Goodenkun's talking about Jordan Love, I just I see a guy that's a little uncomfortable. So he's talking about Jordan yesterday. It's quarterback.
I think it's been a work in progress for the entire offense. There's been glimpses, particularly in the second halves, of really good football, but we have not started very well.
Sm He's going to take you.
More than just this season to find out what you have in Jordan.
If he is the guy going forward, I.
Think you know we got ten games left. He's gonna be very important ten games.
You noticed that when he was controlling it, he stood there. When somebody asked him a question, he moved a little bit. It's a little uncomfortable with that question. Look it up, just saying I give quarterbacks until Thanksgiving. If you're a true rookie quarterback Thanksgiving year two. It's about twenty four starts. If you've been around a while, rookie Jordan Love, I give you Thanksgiving first year. We're four weeks from Thanksgiving, and unless this kid goes on a heater for the next three or four weeks, I've seen enough. Jordan Love feels like a really long second date. And the first one didn't go particularly well. Okay, and there were huge questions about him. He was a week first round pick. He was Brandon Weeden or EJ. Manual or Christian Ponder. There were a lot of doubters in their room. Two of his three years in college, a lot of interceptions. He had a bad final year at college, oh for four against Power five teams, busted for pot charges d there were questions about his accuracy, is consistency as judgment. Don't know him at all, but he was not a strong first round pick, right and even some of those bust you kind of look at him and my takeaway is just go back to his draft class. Herbert's been good for years, Burrow's been good for years. Two has been good for a couple. Jalen Hurts has been good for three. We're still waiting for Jordan Love. And the worst part of this is that the Packers knew it. Remember they said, lower your expectations. They signed that quirky two year contract, so they were able to because they're a well run organization, to mask his limitations. But he's getting worse. Why because now people have film on him and nobody can't do and they can no longer protect him. They got to put him out there. I don't need twelve wins here, I don't need ten. I need wow moments. And as my source said during camp, I said it on the air multiple times, there's no wow there. So his first two games six touchdowns, no picks, and his last five five touchdowns, eight picks. So what they provided the Packers did to Jordan Love was cover. Remember preseason, didn't get hit safe stuff. We kept saying everything's underneath. But now you got to win games. Getting windy, getting cold, got to make plays. Everybody's got film on everybody, and he's getting worse, not better. Young quarterbacks that have it, Trevor Lawrence get better, Andrew Luck get better, Burrow get better. To bump you first year better better, better, better, thanksgivings a month out, better, going a heater. But I think they know. I think the body language tells you, the contract tells you, the words tell you.
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The Warriors won again last night. Now Darren Fox didn't play, and they beat Sacramento. That's obviously profound, but it is remarkable to me how one employee can positively or negatively affect a team. I don't want to pick on Jordan Poole, but last year at this time, the Warriors chemistry was awful, the defense was not very good. They were atrocious on the road when you really have to bond. This year, they're winning. They won again last night. They're running, they're joyful, and they're deep and all they did exit Jordan Poole entered Chris paul So Last year terrible road team, now three of their four wins on the road. Last year. Average defensively now top six. It was just one move. NBA locker rooms are small, just like a lot of the cubicles and workspaces for you. One agitator removed, one lubric hat included. Changes everything in the NFL offense to that side, defense to that side special teams. Guys over there, baseball bully down their bullpen, pitchers over here, hitters over here, position players ktcher pitchers, catchers report different times. The spring training NBA thirteen dudes all together, one jerk, one ball hog, one agitator ruins everything. I mean, you knew Jordan Love was Jordan Poole was trouble because the agreeable and selfless Steph couldn't solve him. The zen Master two point zero, Steve Kirk couldn't solve him. The ultimate chill bra Klay Thompson couldn't solve him. One out, one in. Look at the Warriors now they're playing ten guys, they're deep, Chris Paul off the bench, better defensively, excellent on the road, and Draymond Green has absolutely taken notice.
Last year we had an.
Awful team as far as chemistry goes put that it was hard to come to work, not fun, you know, and so this year you see it the joy uh you know, guys face when they come in the building and you got guys like staying over two and three hours after just sitting around talking, getting here two and three hours early just to be here. You know, it's like you start to see that and you're like, Okay, this is a group that likes being.
Together years ago, three or four years ago. And I don't do this very often. I told my wife, I'm gonna make some cookies. I do it like once a year. It's gonna be a nice husband. And I left out one key ingredient. I did actually sugar and they were awful. One ingredient eggs flour yeast. Got everything else right, it's amazing. One ingredient added or subtracted ruins the cake, so it all matters. Lubricator in agitate her out, watch the Warriors, completely different, lack.
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So we were just talking about Corey Seeger. He's twenty nine in his prime, three four more great years. Two time World Series MVP shortstop, two ninety two hitters, so he plays a key defensive position, played for two teams Dodgers Rangers, National League Championship Series MVP, two time World Series MVP key position over a two ninety hitter at shortstops, sensational and everybody's like, I don't know, I don't know if He's a Hall of Famer if he has four more good years without any big banner awards. Shortstop two ninety hitter Reggie Jackson, Corey Seeger football understands the value of the moment. Baseball's the duration, the treadmill, the volume. But I don't know, to me, is just because all you writers are miserable having to sit in that press box for two hundred games a year. Don't make the rest of us suffer. Great is great, even if it's in short spurts, compilers, guys who play all these games. Corey Seeger is great in the biggest moments. A shortstop that hits plus two ninety with power, that's pretty good. He's in his prime. He's been in the MVP of two World Series and a Nationally Championship Series. And by the way he left the Dodgers, I think he signed for like three hundred and fifty million, like the Dodgers won, and they just couldn't afford him. They had other people they were, you know, mouse to feed. But I don't know that feels that feels like a Hall of Fame level player to me. I always thought Steve Garvey was a Hall of Famer Now he's running for Senate. But when I was a kid grown up, he was a first baseman, a power hitting first baseman, a Gold Glover, consistent as the day as long, and he had great moments in big spots. I thought Jim Rice was a no doubt about it, hall of Fame guy for a decade, dominant power hitter. American League took him forever because people thought he was grumpy. Corey Seeger Field, Corey Seeger Fields.
They got home run.
To me, like, do you say to yourself if a Hall of Famer? To me is can you explain their career in a sentence or two? Corey Seeger, great hitting shortstop, two time World Series MV for over a decade. As if you're a great player for over a decade, ten years of greatness at a key position in key moments. If that's not a Hall of famer, I don't know what is. You guys are all into compiling and hit by batsman in the most walks in your seventh year and you led the league in doubles once and we're twice. You know, a Silver Slugger runner up, that's never great. Cory Sneaker has been great in the biggest spots against the greatest pitching, and the greatest crisis moments. All right, Greg Cosel, top of Next Hour. So Brandon Bean is the general manager of the Buffalo Bills, and I think this is really interesting. So he says something, he's honest and it's true, and I think it's a little bit concerning about the bills current identity. This team is still forming its identity.
And while we know a lot more than we knew probably four or five weeks ago, I wouldn't say we know exis actly where this team's going to be. When you lose some guys at once the way we did on defense, some leaders and different positions in Milano and Trey and de Kwon, we're human.
Those guys are human.
It naturally rocks you a little bit, like all right, who's stepping up?
So Brandon Bean's really good. He's very smart and very respected. But the Kansas City Chiefs have rebuilt a defense one year, rebuilt a wide receiving corps for the second time, and have rebuilt an offensive line and they keep ending up in super Bowls. And I'm not demanding that for the Bills. But Stefan Diggs is in his fourth year. Josh Allen's in his seventh year. Your best offensive lineman's been a bill for seven years. Josh Allen's six, not seventh. The safety tandem the best in the league, arguably, they're in their seventh year. You've never really rebuilt your defense, You've just added to it. The GM's been their seven years, the head coach has been their seven years. There's nothing but continuity. You've added to a good defensive line, you never rebuilt it. I mean, my question is how is Kansas City able to continually rebuild entire units, defenses, entire sides of the ball, receiving core defenses, O lines. I mean, Philadelphia's bailed on winning head coaches and quarterbacks, super Bowl winning quarterbacks and head coaches, and they're always good. San Francisco's constantly adding pieces. A left tackle here, a running back here, take a big swing and a first round pick here. San Francisco's adding stars, quarterbacks, and they just keep winning. My question is do you have the right coach? I'm asking It's been nothing but continuity. You've added pieces, but Stefan Diggs. Now you're four, Josh Allen, You're six. Best alignment year seven This defensive line's been good for years. You've moved off some linebackers, but your tandements safety's outstanding. They've been there now for seven years. I need more late season wins. It's like who's captaining the ship? Stop running aground, stop hitting icebergs. I mean, at some point, there's nothing but continuity here. Philadelphia is changing constantly, Kansas City's changing constantly. San Francisco's in a doubt. Coaches, quarterbacks move and Brock Purty, now why are they going further in the playoffs. Usually a star head coach and a star quarterback. You have an immediate identity. Mike McDaniel was in Miami with TUA for two hours, fast fast, fast, fast, speed, spead speed motion, speed fast, immediately SLA with the Jets, physical, punishing, tough, six weeks into his career. Jets have an absolute identity without a star quarterback. The Mimy Dolphins have an absolute identity with Mike McDaniel. Sala identity, Mike McDaniel identity. How can you be searching for an identity? Got the quarterback, the receiver, your best offensive lineman, most of your pass rushers, your best safety tandem. I've been around forever. It just shouldn't take this long. You know what, The identity is, same thing it was five years ago. Good defensive front and hey, Josh Allen put the Superman Cape on save us. I got nothing against Sean mcderbott. How do you not have an identity your best safety is off of the infant's alignment receiver quarterback. You're not rebuilding anything. You just went and got a by the way, I like their GM. They went and got Rasoul Douglas, a really feisty corner. That's not rebuilding anything. It's a free agent acquisition to a defense that's already stacked.
Then you have a couple of playoff flameouts, especially that Bengals one, and it's like, I think your guy mcdermot's taking the reins and says, well, let's.
Run the football board.
So they go two tight ends.
They draft Kincaid, well not Dauphin Knox hurt and you can't really run the two tight ends. So are we going to morph back into the three wide receivers. That's like, I think this is kind of on McDermott.
I do too. So there's two or three things I look at when you have a coach. And I'm not saying McDermott's bad. We don't have a Brandon Staley situation here. We don't have a Joe Judge here. Nobody's saying that. But the standard when you get Josh Allen is super Bowls, you get Mahomes, you get Burrow. You got to get to the dance. Okay, that's the standard. Right when you have the star quarterback, you got to start winning a lot of games. And one of the things that has worried me about Mike Tomlin with the Steelers, what's the identity of Pittsburgh's offense?
There is none?
How many years do you get what's the identity of the Buffalo offense? Josh Allen's great, Like I do think offensive coaches. Sean McVeigh created an identity with the Rams first year, Kyle Shannon, hands teams, clever, situational, red zone, Mike McDaniel, heavy emotion, Andy Reid, clever play calling. I think offensive coaches. When I watch football, I see an identity with defensive coaches. I see toughness, emotion, and that's part of football too. But man, can't you can't still be selling me. We're trying to find an identity. Your safety is your best on lineman, your best receiver, your best your quarterback. You've got a lot of the same guys around Philadelphia. Is I mean they are turnstyleing it San Francisco. Miami adds pieces? How many pieces has Miami added the last two years? I still know exactly what Miami's identity is, exactly what it is Buffalo's identity when they play Miami, Miami can't stop Josh Allen, so Buffalo's beating Miami. It's just maybe you don't need an identity if you have Josh Allen and you play Miami. But I don't like you selling me that.
Hey, we're Covino and Rich Fox Sports Radio every day five to seven pm Eastern. But here's the thing, we never have enough time to get to everything we want to get to.
And that's why we have a brand new podcast called over Promised. You see, we're having so much fun in our two hour show. We never get to everything, honestly, because this guy is over promising things we never have time for.
Yeah, you blubber list name in me.
Well, you know what it's called over promise. You should be good at it because you've been over promising women for years.
Well, it's a Covino and Rich after show, and we want you to be a part of it. We're gonna be talking sports, of course, but we're also gonna talk life and relationships. And if Rich and I are arguing about something or we didn't have enough time, it will continue on our after show called over Promised. Well, if you don't get enough Covino and Rich, make sure you check out over Promised and also uncensored, by the way, so maybe we'll go at it even a little harder. It's gonna be the best after show podcast of all time. There you go, over Promising. Remember you could see on YouTube, but definitely join us. Listen Over Promised with Covino and Rich on the iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.
Here's a story. Could the commanders in Washington try to hire Bill Belichick after the season. Apparently it's in league circles. It's being discussed by people in the league. Now there's a story that Belichick has an extension of a contract as well. But they wouldn't have to fire Belichick. They wouldn't have to engineer a mutual parting. They wouldn't owe him any money. They could actually get back some compensation they gave to the Jets while hiring in two thousand. That goes on and on and on and on about how Robert Kraft could actually go out of this thing they would give you anyway. The point being in league circles commanders, Belichick is being discussed. So, first of all, all good things end trees. As somebody told me in the financial sector once, don't grow to the sky. Years ago. Belichick and we all sort of watched him and worshiped him for years, he said something that bothered me. Urban Meyer was quoted saying, I'm always amazed how he takes these non stars and makes them stars players you haven't really heard much about. All of a sudden, they're making great plays in the biggest games. I started asking Bill about it. He made this point to me, and I shared it with our team. He said, at this point in my career, I want to coach guys like I like. I want to coach guys I want to be around. And that's it, he said, I'm not going to coach anybody else. Well, that's ideal in a perfect world, but there's way too many players and personalities for that to ever be true. A locker room's got over fifty guys, right, There's going to be a selfish guy, a temperamental guy, a me guy, a distracted guy, an immature guy, and Bill doesn't want to coach them. And what bothers me about that is that Bill howd the power. Bill had the power to make that as close to a reality as the NFL has. And that's why he designs marginal players because some of our great personalities and more difficult players. You ever thought about this, what position do they play? Star wide receiver Bill re signs Devonte Parker likes Juju Smith Schuster. I mean, I'm just I'm sitting here thinking you only want to coach the guys you like. Isn't that selfish? It used to be all about winning, sacrifice everything for winning, Just do your job well. Doing your job is not a perfect world. There's going to be players that are selfish, There's going to be players that are distracted, immature. These are kids, They're not perfect. So my takeaway is I don't know what to make of this story. I thought it was interesting, and I think he's going to be considered one of the great coaches of all time. But if you're selling me something hard like sacrifice, take less all about winning, and then you pivot to I'm only going to coach the guys. I like, really, I mean Andy Reid. You think he loves every guy in that longer room. I know he doesn't because every year he moves off several. That's part of sports. You age. They're younger, different world, they come from different backgrounds. They're imperfect. It is interesting, though, some of the more personality filled players in this league have been wide receivers. What is the one position Bill has struggled to draft and develop wide receiver? Is that part of it? Like, I'm not going to deal with personality on the perimeter, Well don't you have to. Those are the basketball players of football. They break the huddle first, it's one on one, it's me against you. They're the superstars in the league along with quarterbacks. You gotta deal with some ego at wide receiver. I mean, listen to Odell Beckham's had his issues. I still like Baltimore going to get OBJ. Then you got to deal with some of it.
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You played James Jones nine years in the League of Super Bowl Champ just one brief relationship with the Raiders. Yeah, so earlier this week on was it Tuesday Wednesday night when they fired Josh McDaniels and the GM after only two drafts, couple seasons? Yeah, not even completed seasons. What did you make of it? Surprised?
No, I wasn't surprised.
You know, I do Raiders game day, so I'm in that building every weekend, road games, home games. I'm in that building every single weekend, so you know, I hear a lot of the stuff going on, see a lot of the stuff going on. Obviously I'm close with a lot of players over there, but even just the stuff that I seen, they didn't believe in Josh no more. And I'm strictly just talking about players. You know, they did not believe in him no more. You've seen it was a lot of regressing. You know, it wasn't improved, especially on the offensive side of the ball. You know, you you an offensive mind, and you're not taking care of the offensive side of the ball. Really having this offense clicking on all cylinders, so you know, just through that building, it was a lot of it was a lot of people not believing in Josh McDaniels. And for me when I heard it was a team meeting, it's only two things come out of these team meetings and players being able to voice their opinions and voice their frustrations. It's two things that come out of this. You either come out and you win and everybody's saying cool, we answered all those questions in the team meaning are you come out and you played the way you played and you lose and you're like, yeah, ain't this ain't gonna work.
When you have a team meeting, who do you tell Let's say there's concerns about the coach, would a captain go up to Mark Davis or the GM and tell him.
Well, see that.
And that's the thing GMS ain't even in these team meetings. This is coaches players. Sometimes it's players only. Sometimes it's not. A coach need to be in on it. So you'll have one of your leaders a coach. We want to have a team meet with just you. We don't need no position coaches, we don't need know nothing. The team wants to meet with you. Want to voice our frustrations. We want to get some of this stuff off of our chests. How can we improve in these areas? How can we get better in these areas?
And let's go. Sometimes it's just players only meetings.
I've been in both of them, right, And the only thing to really make these meetings worthwhile is going out there playing well. And if you don't go out there and play well and look like you looked against the Detroit Lions, then you lose the locker room.
And I think that's what was happening. That's what was happening here.
When you have a team meetings, that's really a lot of conversations going on in the locker room, and we need to address a lot of this stuff right. And I will truly believe it came down to them just not believing in Josh no more. And I truly believe it's a move that Mark Davis had to make. And I think this was the perfect time to make that move because you have two really winnable games coming up. You know, you would hate to fire a coach and a GM and you got the Chiefs and the Dolphins next on your schedule. What you want the next coach to do. At least you get Antonio Pierson in there, who I'm really proud of, really high on. I coach both of his sons, you know, on you football.
You know. So he's a player.
We all know he knows how he's gonna know how to push these guys and get the best out of these guys.
But you give him an opportunity.
You have the Giants and the Jets on your schedule, two winnable games, you know, to come out there, especially with them both being at home. So I'm excited to see what he's gonna do and see how this team is going to look under Antonio.
James Jones. You know, it's interesting because I love several players. I love Max Crosby Man one of my favorite players. Absolutely, I would build around him. I love Davante Adam, no question. There's several players I like Hunter Renfros and Jacob Josh Yes, so I love too. I like about six. I don't think it's a rebuild. I think it's a draft to quarterback and let's see if Pierce can get it done. Do you think there's a chance if if Antonio wins a couple games, goes five hundred the rest of the way. Absolutely, we get the gig.
Absolutely.
And the reason why I think think that that's possible is because the way these.
Players feel about them. They love it, you know. And one thing I know about Mark.
One thing I know about Mark Mark, he wants to get this thing turned around by any means necessary, whatever I gotta do. Another thing I know about Marcus he loves his players, current former. He is always gonna look out for you. He's always going to listen to you. So if these players is coming up there, like man, listen, hey, Antonio Pierce is the guy, all right, we love him. He got us going in the right direction. Mark is going to listen to that. So Antonio Pierce has a really good shot at being able to be the head coach of this football team if he goes out here and this team looks the right way and they find a way to win some of these ball games.
Let me ask you, j Mac. You and I talked about this. I love in preseason. I said, keep your eye Aid O'Connell. He was the Purdue kid, not terribly mobile, but can take the ball out of the shotgun, make throws again, not going to move all around, but should he just start the rest of the way and say, Jimmy, so you go with a young kid.
Absolutely, I would go with the young kid.
We know what Jimmy g' is gonna bring, right, just like some of these other quarterbacks in the league that are starting over, rookie quarterbacks, whatever it may be, We know what these guys are going to bring.
Let the young guy get in there.
Let O'Connell get in there, get some experience, go through his ups and downs, whatever it may be.
He has a live arm.
It's flicker a risk, yes, just like any of these quarterbacks in the National Football League. So let him go out there, get comfortable, get some chemistry with these receivers, and go out there and be able to sling the ball, you know, all over the yard. He has a really good running back in the backfield and Josh Jacobs to hand the ball off to.
The offensive line. Colton Millard's fight, o Cold Miller's there.
The offensive line is probably middle of the packed in the National Football League. Dress Yeah, but this is one of those things to where hey, we got to get out here, we got to out scheme people. Let's get this quarterback into some place to where the football could come out of his hands extremely fast.
He has two really good wide receivers.
A lot of people don't watch DA Kobe Myers, Jacoby Myers and Deavonte Adams.
Jacoby's done a nice job. And by the way, Mayor that you tied end for UD.
Yeah.
Absolutely, But you're talking about being able to make somebody missing the phone booth. Davonte Adams and Jacoby Myers off the line of scrimmage are special. So we has guys to get the ball to and you already touched on Hunter Renfro.
So I've been saying this for two years now. Rookie tight end, notre Dame, yep, Josh Jacobs, Colton Miller, Hunter Renfro, Davonte Adams, Jacoby Myers, Max Crosby. Those are key positions. You can't tell me this is a total rebuild. No, No, I don't love their I didn't love their first pick, the defensive edge Wilson. I worries me a little bit. Could he be a rotational player salvage it. I don't think it's a rebuild. I think it's a coach quarterback issue.
No question.
And I think if you draft a quarterback you be able to go in free agency and address some of the needs you may need to address on the defensive line, the offensive line. This team is not far off. And you know, we talked about it yesterday. But this team right here, if I'm a head coach, this job right here is intriguing to me.
Right I'm in Vegas. I have really good players to build.
Around, especially offensive players and an edge rush.
No question.
So if I'm able to get some help in free agency through the draft on this defense, this team is not far off.
They got they got three wins this year, you know.
So it's been a circus and the players didn't like the coach and they've got three wins in a division with Chargers Sean Payton, Andy Reid. So this is kind of my feeling. Mark Davis can wear me out. There's been a lot of a circus. There's dudes here, there's ballers. Okay, now we got to get uncomfortable Packers. Okay, now I said this earlier. Here's the biggest concern. The Packers are a well run organization. Jordan's getting worse. So what they did is they did a good job to protect him. But now everybody's got film and now the numbers by week three, four, five, six, it's progressively getting worse, generally with a young quarterback, bumpy stable, Wow, this is like protected, not a lot of wow, unstable, all crapt. This don't work like in the building. Do you think they know the truth? I mean they moved off for Suley Douglas.
Yes, And that was a trait that I did not want to see happened, because he.
Plays hall hard.
He's a really good football player.
And to be honest with you, even coming into this season, I thought that the defensive side of the ball was gonna have to play really well. They got seven to eight first rounders on that defensive side of the ball, and I thought the defense would be a whole lot better than they are right now playing football to be able to help Jordan Love. But as for Jordan Love, when the season first started, I was extremely high on Jordan Lovel. I'm like, this dude is the future of the Green Bay Packers. He can throw the ball with the best of them, He's extremely smart, he was seeing the game extremely well.
But now that we sit here, these.
Next ten games nine ten games, however many they have left, are huge for him. He is going to have to play at a high level for the Green Bay Packers to say this is our quarterback of the future. We're not gonna go draft one, We're not gonna grab one in free agency. He is going to have to play at a very, very high level, and coach Lafloor.
Is gonna have to let the training wheels off on him. You're gonna have to stop calling the game safe. You're gonna have to open.
Up this playbook and let him go out there and be able to throw this ball over the yard to see if he really can do it. When I watch tape right now, it's a lot of safe play calling. And when you call safe play calling, that means you're trying to have your quarterback be safe with the football. We at one point we got to find out we halfway through the season.
We got to find out if he can really handle all this.
And coach Lfloor is gonna have to do a better job of opening this playbook up. He has receivers, he has running back. You're gonna have to open this thing up to see if Jordan Love really can do it. But these next these next games, is important for Jordan Love.
Okay, j Mack, you ready for this hot take all right. You would have thought it was ludicrous if I'd have said at one point Farv's going to be a Viking. M he was, Yeah, Minnesota doesn't want Kirk Cousins. No Midwest Ethos, Midwest kid, not flashy. You're not paying any of those receivers, any of those tight ends. They're going to get a left tackle. That offense now is going to be cheap. Eight million for Kirk Cousins.
Oh, he's saying, Kurt's to the Packers knows.
The division knows, the NFC, Midwest ethos, small town family guy, same coaching tree on offense. It sounded outrageous far to the Packers. I'm Green Bay. If listen, the bottom line here is they do have two seconds and two thirds and they're currently number six. But if they win three games and they're nine, nobody's moving back. You're not getting Caleb and Drake May and Pennix. To me, if he plays well this weekend again for a high profile game, go get Kirk Cousins.
You're gonna have to go, am I nuts, You're gonna have to go in free agency to get somebody of Jordan loved to his boxes.
Absolutely, I mean, guy same coaching tree.
Coming off of injury, you're probably gonna get him, get him, get him for the right price, you know. And like I touched on earlier, this defense has a lot of first rounders and a lot of ballers on this defense.
And the offense not paying anybody because they're gonna draft to tackle, so in the first round if they end up eight, nine, ten, they're getting one of the tackles. So I'm not paying Watson Dobbs, I'm not paying a left tackle. I'm not paying Musgrave. I'm not paying anybody.
You might be on something. You might be onto something.
If Jordan Love does not answer the questions these last.
Three d hot take hardists everybody. If I'd have told you Durant to the Warriors and far to the Vikings, Kirk Cousin, I'm I'm good, and co Kurt, I respect the heck out of him. Midwest guy knows division. Minnesota. You'll say Minnesota won't. It's free agent, Yeah, do trade Claus. You don't think he doesn't want to go to Green Bay and say, okay, all right, you got you, you let me go. I'll go across the street. He's competitive, and.
Not only that, you can get a young quarterback to sit them behind Kurt for three two, three years.
You're gonna win games with Kirk Cousins. You're always gonna win games with Ryan over there is looking at me like I'm a wizard. That Breen function so quickly.
I'm rooming for Jordan Love still though, but it's definitely not bad if he doesn't answer all these questions.
If that doesn't trend it down on Twitter, you people are just not paying attention to brilliant all right, one more I gotta ask you one more thing. So you played with Derek Carr, Yes, sir, Okay, he's barking and yelled at people. I think it's good to yell at you, to yell at Chrys o'lavey, who's a kid. He's probably sitting there thinking, give me a break. What do you make of him yelling.
I mean, I gotta yelled at as a kid by Brett arm I got yelled as a kid by Aaron Rodgers. I mean, at the end of the day, we are trying to win. That's what we are trying. We are trying to win. I used to tell Aaron Rodgers, get on me. If I'm not doing my job. I have zero sensitivity in my body. If I'm not doing my job at a high level, if I run the wrong route, or you don't think I'm running my route full speed, or I don't make a tough player, or whatever it may be, get on me. That's football. I know you as a teammate. I know if you're disrespecting me, and I know when you're just pushing me to say, hey, man, let's get this thing right. Derek Carr is just like man, come on, you can't stop on routes. He's pushing these dudes to make this thing right. Offensively, we have been struggling. We haven't been scoring any points. I'm the quarterback in charge of all this stuff. I'm gonna demand the best out of you. We've seen it, we see it from the great quarterbacks. You just can't be sensitive nowadays in this league. Get on all of them.
That would me. If you're not doing your job, get on them.
That's what I had to do with him when he had to bark Chase.
You know, you gott to bark at him sometimes. Fine, bring you closer to It's all good, that's right, that's it is closer. He passed back once in a while we get me really close.
All right.
James Jones super Bowl Chap, you brought your A game today.
I appreciate him.
On Man, you are so you're you really deliver
