The Herd with Colin CowherdColin gives Ohio State credit for turning their season around after 2 losses in the regular season to now looking like the most dominant team remaining in the College Football Playoff. He can't believe Texas nearly blew it against Arizona State and tries to make sense of a team that might have the most talent in the country but struggles with consistency. Plus, QB expert Jordan Palmer joins the show in studio to break down Sam Darnold's incredible season and Caleb Williams's struggles as a rookie.
Here we going to Thursday 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 Coast sell to play fantasy football, bet football, or just want to get smarter at football. Greg Cosell joins us in one hour from now. Jmak a deliriously fun day for most people, maybe not the Oregon Ducks. Watching college football yesterday, the smoke is starting to clear. It looks like Ohio State is coming through the fog.
Imagine that.
Yeah, we both liked Ohio State yesterday. We kind of felt like that was the play yesterday.
Ryan Day keeping his job. Huh, nice job by him.
Yeah, Ryan Day's in line for a Natty potentially. So There's always been an understanding in the NFL that football, real football, starts post Thanksgiving, that you want to be peaking in December and January. You can experiment in septeb It's not punitive if you lose a couple of games by early October. Meanwhile, college football, with the younger athletes who have to go to school, why they play, there's been this unhealthy and unrealistic standard that you've got to be on your a game and perfect starting Labor Day weekend stumble in October, you are unworthy. Off to the Fiesta Bowl, Off to the Citrus Bowl, Off to the.
Pop Tart Bowl. But now you're allowed to grow.
And Ohio State is the first team in college football history allowed to grow. They had a close loss early at Outsin all right, Uh, they were awful at home and stumbled against Michigan late. All right, But they did beat Penn State and blew out a lot of teams. So you know what, we're gonna let him in.
We're gon We're gonna let him in.
And they've been the best team easily in the tournament. Ryan Day, get him out of here. Oh wait, my bad, he had a bad Saturday. Will Howard had a bad Saturday. Yeah, it was late in the season. That would have disqualified them my entire life. The Buckeyes this moment are easily the best team in college football. Why did it take so long?
Well, I don't know.
Their best player player, Jeremiah Smith, receiver. He was in high school last year. Their second best player Caleb Downs, he's a sophomore and a transfer. Also, yeah, they're quarterback transferred too. It takes a while. Sometimes you gotta let the cake bake. By the way, Notre Dame lost in Northern Illinois earlier this year. How is that possible? Because they had a transfer quarterback? Who now Riley Leonard's playing really, really well in the NFL. You've always been given time. Tom Brady won a Super Bowl in week ten eleven twelve. That Tampa Bay team was terrible. They got hot. Then Peyton Manning had a team in Denver. They were two and two in December and January, and they got hot in one The Kansas City Chiefs the last two years, I mean last year, Kansas City lost to the Raiders late in the year. Yet they were the best team in football. Yet we've always held college kids to this unbelievable standard of well, what do you mean you loss to Purdue October first, you're out of here. Liberty Ball or nothing, give me Liberty Bowl or death. The point being is Ohio State's the first team in college football history that has been allowed to make a couple of mistakes. The Oregon loss. Who's winning at Otson? How about we start with nobody.
Yeah, they had a bad game against Michigan.
Great coach Andy Reids had bad games in Philadelphia. They ran him out of town. He had bad games. Tom Brady had bad games. He git a pick six in the Super Bowl. So finally, finally you can take different paths to a Natty. It's not perfection. By the way, how many seventeen to no NFL teams there been And if Penn State gets to the Natty, they will have played seven team games and you're.
Holding him to a perfect standard.
In a sport football where a guy jars the ball loose, if you fumble it the one out of the end zone, the other team gets the ball and it can ruin your season. Let kids make mistakes. When you were a freshman or sophomore in college, did you have it all buttoned up your first semester in September? College football is getting more and more like the NFL, And finally we're allowing a team like Ohio State with this transfer portal where chemistry challenges, especially at quarterback or a real issue. Nobody knew what they were getting with Will Howard. I watched the MC Kansas State. I was like, yeah, it's gonna be pretty good, and then I thought it was pretty good, and that against Michigan. He was pretty bad and it's you know, he had a bad game because all quarterbacks do, including Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes stunk earlier this year. Now he doesn't.
So you gotta let you gotta let the cake bake.
In Ohio State, Ryan Day is secure, has the best team, and here he is after dominating the Ducks.
I know that, you know, there are some of your experiences and this team has had great wins this season, it's had some tough losses, and you know, we have learned shag notes and you got to grow and you've got to build, and you've got to make sure you're, you know, focusing on your strengths and making sure that you know, you understand what your your weaknesses are. And you know, we're at a place where you know, you can you can hear a lot of noise.
But they didn't do that. And I'm very very proud of our staff. I'm very very proud of our players. But we're far from done.
All those Buckeye fans are now erasing their posts on buckeyes dot com and reddit boards. Get him out of here. No terrible loss, suffered some pain. What does pain, create for all of us toughness and resiliency, and rethink the way your football team's operating. Ohio State, check check check did all of those, and now that the best team in college football. Okay, let's talk Texas Texas football. As a saying in Texas all had no cattle sometimes Texas is all talent, no discipline. How many penalties they had? I don't know how many three and outs did they have? So first of all, let's talk about Arizona State. Let's just give them a minute of love. Here outplayed out, schemed out coach Texas. Here's another out, an out rageously missed targeting call that would have probably given Arizona State, which had all the momentum the win. What a coach Dillingham three and nine last year, picked for sixteenth in the Big Ten this year, no five star players should have beaten Texas. And yes, that's targeting. In every game I've ever watched, I don't like the call. I don't like when they throw college players out of games, but that's targeting. Yes, Texas had the deeper roster, the more NFL bodies, and you listen, there are splash team. They average ten point seven yards of pass. That is Texas. But I think they're going to get rolled by Ohio State, who's playing with a level of defensive violence and offensive perfection that has just looks like a Sunday team. So you know Sark and I like Sark, and I consider him a coaching friend, right, like somebody in coaching I could call and ask a question. They're saying, all year has been all gas, no breaks. They need some breaks. They need to stop the car, pull over, go to a rest area, wash off, and figure out what they are, because that's not meeting Ohio State. Ten penalties, three and outs, now they are a splash team, and in fourth quarter to tie it up, and then in overtime a couple overtime passes, like that's what they are. That's what they are. But in between these amazing plays by these amazing Texas Longhorn athletes, you can't have ten penalties, you can't miss assignments. I mean, it looked like Arizona State really could not wait to play another game. They were so intent, playing with such intention and urgency. And sometimes I just feel like my entire life this has been Texas football. I feel like they should be six time national champs, not that one. Vince young team and disappointment. I can't explain it. I thought Arizona State outplayed them. I thought they got hosed on a call. Yes, I do think Texas matches up with Ohio State better more NFL bodies. They're only a six point underdog this morning. I'll take Ohio State. But I guess they were resilient. That's what Sark said after The.
One thing that I know about our group is when our backs are against the wall and when our best is needed, our best shows up time and time again. And the resiliency that these guys showed today was something as a coach, makes you really crowd.
Yeah, well, they didn't show up twice against Georgia and that targeting call gets called, which it should have been, and they don't beat Arizona State. So they're kind of an all or nothing team, right Like it's the report card is a plus and d there's a and I'm never quite sure what I'm getting with Texas football. I've said this before. I love Texas football. As a kid, I had never gone to Texas. It was the uniforms, the hook them, the horns, the rust orange. I don't know what it was. They just had good players and they were in big games. And it was at a time when Oklahoma, Nebraska, and Texas were huge in Nebraska and Oklahoma board me and I was fascinated with Texas.
I've always been pulling for him.
When they beat USC you know, my team for the national Championship, I was like, well, if somebody had to beat this, it'd be okay if it's Texas. But I watched that game and I'm like, all gas, no breaks, pump the brakes, pull over, rest area, figure it out, wash off. I can't ever get my arms around them. I know when they come out of the tunnel or in the hotel lobby. They have looked like the best team in college football ten times in the last twenty years. But man, I can't get my arms around him. I feel like even Oregon in the loss, I know what they are. Penn State, I've figured out. Notre Dame. I like them tonight. I kind of know what they are and what they're not. Ohio State, get out of their way. Texas. They should change their their helmet to a big question mark because I don't know what I'm getting. First half to second, first series to third. But congratulations on the win and again Dillingham, that program, I'll tell you what they want a lot of fans because Dillingham grew up around Arizona State, like he always wanted to be the coach of Arizona State. So he's not going to be a guy that just jumps to another job. And Arizona State, if you live out west, has always been kind of one of those sleeping giants when you're like, whins, Arizona State gonna roll the table. I mean they got as much money as Oregon, right, I mean they don't have a Phil Knight, but I don't know. I watched Arizona State and I'm like, boy, that was their turnout, their team, their effort, that running back, easy team to like. So congrats and Tempe to all those fans, you got yourself a rock start head coach Jay Mackett.
Was a fun day. There's a lot of stuff going on.
There's a really interesting interesting story out there, Adam Schefter put out. And you know how sometimes you and I, you know, we sit and watch try to read the tea leaves. We kind of we kind of watch sports as it develops. And I've always said on this show. When you do a three hour show like ours, you know we can do journalism lifting, but mostly you know where we're We have to have an opinion on a story if it breaks without having it fully connected. And so I there's something that happened this year in the NFL with with what we perceive as a great coach, Kevin O'Connell, And when they made the move, I thought it was a little curious, but it wasn't a big enough story to spend a lot of time on it. It is starting to make sense why they brought Daniel Jones to the Vikings. Oh okay, it's starting to make a little Generally, you don't bring another team's quarterback in who got pushed out the door on your roster when you have your two quarterbacks. Well, I got to say, I don't know what you're talking about with Schefter, because one of my New Year's resolutions less social media.
That's very difficult. But I have no idea what Jefter said. So I'm fascinated by this topic. You don't have to give up a feeling. I know where you're going.
Okay, you don't have to give up all social media.
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Hey, Steve Covino and I'm Rich Davids and together we're Covino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You could catch us weekdays from five to seven pm Eastern two to four Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the iHeartRadio App.
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So this is a real story, people, I trust. Adam Schefter said, teams are going to call the Vikings on JJ McCarthy. Of course they are. He's talented, and it's a terrible quarterback draft, and seven teams need a quarterback. Diana Russini reports the Vikings want Donald back. Of course they do. He's got an argument to be MVP. And Donald doesn't even turn twenty eight until down the road. So it's like Darnald's in his prime for five years. So JJ McCarthy, Michigan quarterback, was the one quarterback I wasn't sold on in this draft. I mean, he was fifty third in pass attempts his last year in college in the same number of games. Michael Pennix was number one. I thought Pennis threw a better ball. Bo Nix was more experienced than more athletic. I thought Caleb and Jayden Daniels were better, and I thought Drake may had a higher ceiling. He could work. He was kind of good in the preseason. What does that mean? Dak looked great in the preseason. Dak's talented, Dak's a starter, but as Dak ever had a year that looks like Donald not to me, And so this is something to remember. Why did the Minnesota Vikings in November bringing Daniel Jones? Why because maybe they were ahead of us. The Vikings don't have a second round pick, a third round pick, or a fourth round pick. It's a terrible quarterback class Seattle. You think they're going to go back with Geno Smith again. They can get JJ McCarthy for a second and a fourth, maybe a second, fourth and fifth. Vikings get their draft picks. They're franchise tagging at minimum. Sam Donald. Kevin O'Connell liked Sam Donald before he was a Viking. Kyle Shanahan like Donald before.
He was a Niner.
Now he's putting up an MVP season. They've made a decision. We like Donald, We're not letting them go. Why do they bring in Daniel Jones because they wanted to get him into the system ready to play for a playoff game. And my take, they'll rehab Daniel Jones like they rehabbed Sam Donald, and I think JJ McCarthy is good enough. In a week quarterback draft class to fetch you multiple picks, which if you're in the NFC North stacked, Green Bay roster, stack, Detroit roster, Chicago's going to get their act together. You need draft picks. If you're paying Sam Donald's big boy money, you need draft picks. Vikings don't have any. They got a first and a couple of fifts. They don't have any draft picks. Seattle's drafting eighteenth they need a quarterback because they got a super Bowl roster. I totally get Seattle saying we're gonna have to start paying some of these stars we have. Let's roll up with JJ McCarthy. If I ran Seattle, John Snyder, I make the deal tomorrow. I'd make the deal tomorrow, reset the clock. JJ McCarthy don't have to pay him for four years with this Seattle talented roster. Worried about a year, You're gonna have to start paying people big boy money. Vikings don't have any picks, so this stuff is starting.
To add up.
I got nothing against JJ McCarthy, but you can't let Sam Donald walk out of the room and Daniel Jones as a backup, A big, strong, athletic backup would be arguably the best backup quarterback in the league, and he's already shown. Remember McCarthy's already had two surgeries, He's never played an NFL game. Donald's an MVP level player, and Daniel Jones won a playoff game against those Vikings. So my take is JJ McCarthy, I think deep down they are strongly considering moving him. That is my take. I don't think it's a wild take. The Vikings cannot pay Donald a fortune and have no draft picks. You cannot in a division with the stacked Lions and Stackpackers, go yeah, we got a first round picking some fives. Do that roster's already arguably the third or fourth best roster in that division. You need draft picks, you need a second, a third, and a fourth. And I think JJ McCarthy in a week draft, I think Minnesota has leverage. They don't have to get rid of him, and it's not like they don't like him.
You could like.
People and trade them. But the dilemma is a great dilemma to have. We had no idea Sam Donald was the third best quarterback in the league. That's a great It's like when people can played about taxes. It's one of the better problems to have. You're paying a lot of taxes, you're making a lot of money. I don't like paying them either, but it's one of the better problems. Sam Darnald created a problem. He is way better than any of us thought.
And I'm a.
Donald fan to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays and noon Easter, not a Empacific.
No person in my life have I ever met that knows more about quarterbacks than Jordan Palmer, founder of QB Summit. He has worked with all of them, the Burrows, the Mahomes, the Josh Allen's. He was the first person to tip me off on Josh Allen. We were talking about Donald and he said, keep your eye on this Josh Allen kid before anybody else did. And I got so many questions to ask you. I'm going to ask you about the rookie NFL quarterbacks. I'm going to ask you about Riley Leonard, who nobody's paying attention to, and Jalen Milroe, who I think is better than people think. But I want to start with this. You are right now. I think you're an active quarterback consultant with Darnald. Yeah, so Sam calls you regularly what unlocked? We know Kevin O'Connor's a good coach, but what unlocked, the star power, the juice? What was unlocked? Because you always talk about that on this show. We got to unlock something. What was it with Sam?
Well?
His talent hasn't changed, right, He hasn't grown two inches since the draft. He hasn't gotten way faster. All these players careers should evolve. They're throwing mechanics should evolve, they're understanding of defenses, so that there's been an evolution over the last six years. The other thing is I don't think he'd river really been through a ton of adversity. You know in high school and college right kind of was a meteoric deal here, and then just getting drug through the mud for multiple years, getting traded away for nothing I think hardened him. And yes, the Kevin O'Connell, the pieces in the huddle. We don't need to spend time talking about how good the Minnesota Viking's roster in front office and coaching staff is because that's all everybody's talking about.
The thing.
The biggest thing for him that I've seen is that in all of those years of kind of getting punched in the gut media and the teams and traded and all that.
I just never saw him cut a corner.
I've never had this guy show up fifteen minutes late, have to bail early.
I've just never seen it.
And the way that I work with him and Joe Burrow as well, is it really is an annual relationship where, yes, the off season we try and find similar to what Tom Brady used to talk about, try and find one or two things right, because when you get to the level where you're playing, where Sam is right now and Joe is right now, there's still an off season coming up.
They're still going to try and get better.
And so what we do is in the off season we build the programming and look at what has been working and what can you build on. And then in season, every single week we're reviewing things. And there's three categories. One, what are you doing great that you need to continue to do great, let's highlight it. What do you need to work on, which means you used to do it better than you did and it's taking a step back for whatever reason. And then the third one is something to think about maybe something showed up in somebody else's game, Sam's attention and focus on those things, regardless of how bad it was going, and right now how well it is going. The fact that his approach hasn't changed, I think is really actually like a superpower. Your willingness to buy in find individual things to get better at is the superpower. And there's a perfect example. So by week it was week six, I think this year for them, he comes out here and spend a day together, and at that point this season, at that point in the season, I think it was twenty four point eight percent of his misses, not necessarily in completions, just a little off, was outbreaking routes to the right. Identify a mechanical issue, not drawn the shoulder in whatever the details were, address it, Show how he can work on it at home, how he can work on it in practice, what he can add to warm ups, And from the bye week to now he's got one miss on an outbreaking route to the right and the ball slipped out of his hand.
Isn't that great?
I love this stuff. I want him to tell you a story, folks. So Josh Allen, he was the first, got to tip me off on Josh Allen. So Josh Allen, now doesn't take the sacks and doesn't throw picks, and there's a fascinating you go deep into the numbers. It used to be a thing you after a couple of years, found something rolling right that was a problem. Tell the audience this story on Josh Allen.
Well, I think what started the Josh Allen hype train at Wyoming because it wasn't because they won it all or when undefeated. Right, it was a play he made versus Boise State. He's rolling right and he threw it about forty five yards back corner of the end zone, and it was one of those well, I don't know anybody who can make that throw type of throws. And then I think he was on Sports Illustrated and they were maybe gonna have gamed and it just kind of started to happen. Right, started to the hype train, whatever that means, started to roll. And then he got a lot of positive reinforcement from that. Right, Like, all of a sudden, everyone's talking about you and you see yourself on TV and they keep showing that play and he's so good at it. So he would roll right, and when he roll right, he would make unbelievable throws down the field and kept chasing it when he got early in the first two years, and Brian Dable was, you know, developing him and and really they were developing that team because Bills.
Fans know this.
Everyone forget like his number one receiver his rookie year was Kelvin Benjamin. Ye, like this is not he didn't step into some perfect situation. But really, through the first two years, I think he was high fifties completion percentage.
Yeah, and when he would roll right.
And at the time, I think I wrote it all down, but it was, you know, rolling right. You've got this many you know, ten touchdowns, fifteen unbelievable throws, thirteen picks and a bunch of hits, a bunch of you getting pushed or getting tackled and landing on your right shoulder, and you only get so many of us.
That's right to hear that. So he kept falling on his right shoulder. You discovered that, and then it.
Just it needs to become an asset because you have the highest level.
Now what's happened to him?
Well, I think now teams are sitting here going we can't let him roll right because he's not turning it over. He's not taking unnecessary hits, and I think he's one of the most dynamic runners.
Not at the quarterback position in the league.
So I've never heard anybody even discuss this. You just didn't like him falling on his right shoulder because your belief, and it's true, is your body gives you about three hundred of those and then and then it availability.
It's the whole like, what's your bestibility conversation? Well, availability is.
Okay, I want to talk about another NFL quarterback. You're a very optimistic positive quarterback guru, I of course tend.
To come off as a negative. I like rock Party.
But the theory on quarterbacks the if bucket after about three ifs, I'm not paying you starting with a five, you're a three or a four. If it's not raining, if he gets protection, if he has McCaffrey, if he's leading, the numbers tell you trailing fourth quarter in not the same quite the same quarterback. I couldn't pay Brock a fortune. I like him, I don't love him. Why should I love him? What do you see with him?
I think, Uh, were's so many ways for us to come to a conclusion or an opinion on somebody, right, So stats depending on who you are and what you're doing for a living, right, like stats is one tape for certain people, or if you're in the media, tapes less relevant. If you're in a front office, stats are less relevant, you know what I mean? Sure, depends on what context you're looking at it through. I with Brock look at it like what situations have we put him in and how is he handled it?
And when you've had a.
Healthy, good roster, he's basically played like one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and at least in my opinion, last the way that he yes, the plays that he made, the mistakes that he didn't make and avoided, but then the way that he went through the playoffs and played great didn't change the whole leadership element that really only the people in the building can speak to.
Right, We can all have opinions, but you're there.
And Sam Darnold backed him up last year, so I got a chance to hear just how mature and focused and confident this guy remained all the way through the Super Bowl, Right, And so if we build around him, this is a guy that I don't know if it starts with the five, but it definitely starts with a three or four. If you're asking me like it's a yeah, you give him a ton of money. You give them a three year deal. If the left tackles hurt and the running backs out and the receivers out, he's not as good. Well, if you pay the quarterback, then John Lynch's job is to build around him. And I think there's two things the Niners have done a really good job of. One of them is evaluating talent, finding good players. I don't know the name of the running back for them who's playing.
Well right now.
The second thing they've done is developed players. And so if you're if you're a Niners fan, you go, let's lock in brock Purty. I don't I don't like the whole Franchise him and make him play it, make him prove it. He's proven it, so pay him and then do a great job of evaluating talent and and developing the talent around him.
And you know he may.
Lose debo this year for whatever reason. Well you drafted Ricky Pearsall in the first round. I think they did a good job evaluating talent, and now it's not to develop them.
I want to go, let's talk a couple of rookies. You have kind of an interesting belief on Caleb Williams, who has had the roughest rookie season, and your belief is.
What the talent is there, worthy of being the number one pick, worthy of being the Heisman Trophy winner, worthy of being the Elite eleven MVP and number one recruit in the country. Like that, that part hasn't changed for me. I think, Uh, however you want to classify this, I would put it in the field. Let's just use this word failure. Okay, this hasn't been the CJ Stroud year from last year, right or Jayden from this year. So for his standards, which has been number one, number one or one like all the way through, this is a step back.
Whatever.
If this is classified as a failure, not that it's his fault, right all the pieces around him. I think for guys who've had nothing but success, a failure year where it didn't go the way that you had envisioned actually can be really good for your growth. I think it's been really good for a lot of people's gross in the background in the past.
I think it's been good for Sam Darnold's development.
Just like when we look at Josh Allen and we say no offers had to go to Juca. Well, that was failure early, it didn't work.
Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady.
I think a healthy dose of a tough year for the incredibly confident and incredibly talented players, which is what Caleb Williams is. I think it can actually do wonders and I think we're going to see his best ball ahead of him. And I'm not really concerned with Caleb's future looking out. I think he's in a really tough spot right now and he needs to get better. And for the first time in his life, in his football career, it's not just him wanting to get better.
It's obvious he needs to improve. He needs to find ways to improve.
I think that's healthy for the really elite thinkers, really elite confidence guys, and the really elite talents.
Okay, I got to ask you about two college guys because there will be a guy in this draft I'm targeting Riley Leonard. I'll get to him in a second. Notre Dame quarterback. I like him a lot, but again, he came from Duke. It's a new system. Notre Dame is asking a lot of him, and it took a while to get going, but he's been very good lately. But Jalen Milroe's fascinating. My comp is he's a much better Anthony Richardson.
I like him.
I would absolutely draft him, not as my first quarterback, maybe not as my second. I think he's a first round quarterback. What do you see You've been so good on this through the years. What do you see with Jalen Milroe that, if I'm right, that makes him a first round quarterback?
Well, I look for anybody looks for unique traits.
And when I say unique, I don't mean one of the you know, unique, The word means like there's not another one like it. Sure right, And he has two so one the first one is at the athleticism. I he's a client of mine. I've been a tusclos a hndful of times this year. And uh And the same thing that I said with with Joe and Sam, it's I've got ten college guys where we we work throughout the entire year.
We talk every single week and go through things.
I've been out there that little Ryan Williams receiver, the rookie goes out there, I go, hey, Hey, how fast is Jalen compared to the other guys on the team.
Him and other guys are like, well, Jaylen's the fastest kind of the team.
Jalens faster than Williams.
I think Jalen's the fastest kind of the team. Not anything guys at Albama would say that. So he's not like going to run a fast forty. He's like the fastest guy on the field. Okay, so that's unique. Faster than the others definition in Alabama, yeah, or on any field, and so you go, Okay, the athleticism and get to full speeds another thing, because a lot of guys have top end speed. But you know, we saw guys like Vince Young like that not necessarily translate the running in the NFL because some guys it takes a lot longer to get to their time might be fast.
This's full speed like three steps.
So the athleticism is unique, and they'll be Lamar Jackson comps in terms of you know, the draft and coming out. But he's got like twenty pounds on Lamar, So he's a bigger, stronger.
Little mechanical for my taste, what do you make of that?
Yeah? And I think like I said earlier.
Everybody's throwing motion mechanic like that all evolves. And what I have seen from him is the buy and the attention to it and the professionals, and how he looks at developing it, not just going I've got a super strong arm and I'm gonna roll with it, which a lot of people do. I don't think it's gonna affect anything moving forward. I think the first one is the athleticism. The second thing is his personality. Once he goes through this draft process, folks like you, front offices, teams meet him like this dude's a magnet.
This guy's a light like he is that cool to be around.
And so those two unique traits will stand out as the process unfolds.
The tape will be the tape.
There's some good, there's some bad, like everybody, and I think somebody's gonna fall in love with him, and he's gonna go higher than some people thought, and as high as I.
Thought, Riley Leonard. People roll their eyes at me. I see a little Josh Allen, tall athletic. Marcus Freeman tells me, relentless competitor, He like all these young guys. Duke didn't ask him to do what Notre Dame is didn't love him. Early after about week five, six seven, I'm like, I don't know, folks, tall, rangy, athletic arm is there something there?
Am I nuts?
Absolutely no, not nuts. I think this guy's gonna be a really good player, really athletic.
His basketball tapes's insane.
Yeah, and just it shows up like some guys are great basketball players, and you would have you know, you would have never known it. Some guys you watch their tape and I tell you they're great basketball.
You go, oh, that makes sense, you know what I mean?
And so with him, I think all the mobility stuff that he has. I don't know what his forty time is. I don't care. That part translates. Running in the league as a quarterback is like the sum of six and eight yard games.
It's not the fifty five years, right right, yeah? Right?
And then I like guys that have gone to another school for their last year and played well because it's there's a lot of newness. It's similar to a rookie year. Yeah, you go from Duke to Notre Dame. It's not just new for you, it's now it's Notre Dame. It's a new lot of academic Yeah, the magnitude of it, all the stuff you gotta do.
You know they're gonna pay you, and I owe money.
That means you've got to do a lot of stuff right, right, and you got to be a lot of places and talk to a lot of people. And then the new teammates and then they had a bad loss in Northern Illinois. Yeah, and it totally could have caved and it didn't. They're on like an eight or nine game heater. I think Marcus Freeman deserves a lot of credit for that. I think Riley Leonard does two.
Okay, So it's called QB Summit. It's a program that helps quarterbacks reach their potential. He's had Burrow golf, Trevor Lawrence Bownecks. By the way, Bonex, you liked it, Has it been what you thought?
Yeah? I think so.
I think it's the perfect pairing between him and Sean And there's so much of Bow's not just game but personality. He's intense, it's similar to Dewbrees right, very mature, he's married, he's like he's dealt with adversity.
He kind of goes better than I thought, and he's a.
Lot more athletic than anybody getting credit for. He moves, Yes, he moves, and so I think it's been exactly what Sean Payton was hoping it would be and the best balls ahead of him.
Did Sean call you?
He did not, But but I think he's I think he got exactly what he was looking for.
And yeah, I mean he had so many starts in college that he was one of those you kind of knew what you were getting. But I will say this, I didn't think I thought his arm was Derek carr Ish kind of in the same thing. And then I've watched them deliver some deep throws and I'm like, well, Aaron Rodgers' arm got stronger in the NFL.
It all evolves absolutely, And the way this guy approaches his development and his game is like some of these other guys I've talked about, where it's like he's doing it like he's been in the league for a long time and already knows what it needs to work on.
How do you make I'm not that I'm going to go out and throw football. How do you make your arm stronger? Aaron's was strong in college. It's insane. Now, what's it's not a bench press. Is it why I'm metrics?
What is it?
No?
I think it starts with the Burrow's a perfect example because even though he torched college football, his arm has gotten a lot stronger really coming off the ACL, because when you can better understand one, there's the strength component, but when you can better understand how to use the ground. So let's just say, when I go to throw and I lift my left foot in the air, one hundred percent of the force that I'm putting in the ground is through my right foot right because my left is on the ground. And then at some point when I'm throwing the football, all that goes to the left foot, my right foot leaves the gun. So it's really a conversation around how much force am I putting into the ground and how is that transfer from my back foot to my front foot happening when you can do that and build it all the way up. And so for Joe, like I said on the annual basis, he's coming off of a very scary wrist injury. Yeah, we forget about it now because he's like up for MVP, But like, well, hold on, this was a rare one. You know, this isn't an ACL that million people get those. This was a rare wrist injury. So he executed this plan of having to recruit more things so come January he doesn't have to compensate and pronator his wrist and create an issue. And so whether you're increasing your your velocity or you're a big strong arm guy trying to get more touch, it's the same thing. It's how am I playing force to the ground and how is that transferring?
Jordan Palmer, it's great Scenia again, thanks for having me. Happy holidays. Your your brother Carson Palmer now is coaching his son.
At Santa Margarita. That's that's as Trinity League. They got Modern Day and Bosco big boy football.
Yeah, and his son's pretty good, right.
Yeah, he's a good little player.
Yeah, great, senior man.
Thanks for having me.
