The Herd with Colin CowherdHour 2 - Raheem Morris's timeouts, Matt Hasselback
Colin and Jason discuss Falcons head coach Raheem Morris's decision to not use his timeouts near the end of the game against the Commanders. Former NFL quarterback and analyst Matt Hasselback joins the show to discuss the weekend's football action.
Thanks for listening to The Herd Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to three Eastern nine am to noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at Fox Sportsradio dot com, or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening to The Herd Podcast. Here we go, it's our two. It is a Monday. Thank you so much for joining us. Matt Hasselback, who has been such a gift as we're in the holiday season for our show. He was a free agent. We went and grabbed him. We got a steal in Matt Hasselback. He's coming up in five minutes live in Los Angeles. It's the Herd Jmack Michael Irvan next hour as well. These Monday shows are great. What a wild weekend of football Saturday Sunday. Also coming up the Bold Game or the playoff games folks the next three days. I know you all complained about the college football playoffs last weekend. Now it's neutral fields. What's your Texas? Notre Dame George just stacking up against each other. Well, keep your eye on Boise State with an upset.
You see the money coming in on Arizona State over the weekend, down from thirty.
Team to a laugh to eleven and a half against Texas.
I think a lot of people go to Vegas right on the weekend from Arizona and they start loading up on the gambling.
So we'll see. I think the games are gonna be good. I'll just leave it at that.
Yep, I'm gonna take Notre Dame. I think I'm gonna take Notre Dame. All right, here we go on a Monday. Colin right, Colin wrong?
Where Colin was right?
Well, they were my number one dark horse team to make the playoffs. Every year I pick one team. Last year it was the Rams, this year it was Washington. I felt just getting Dan Snyder, the owner, out of the building was worth wins. I also thought Jayden Daniels was gonna be a little Lamar Jackson light. He is a spectacular talent and a wonderful kid. You knew he was gonna be great when the coaching staff couldn't stop heaping praise on him in the preseason, which coaches never do.
We got the Commanders right where Colin was rough.
I think I've probably been too high on the Green Bay Packers. They've got beat by the Lions twice, the Vikings twice in the Eagles. I like this roster a lot. I like the coach, but they can't beat the good teams. And I had them above Minnesota and Detroit in the Herd hierarchy when they're really good, like the fourth quarter.
When they came roaring back.
They are so talented and so much fun to watch. But they're zero to five against the top teams in the NFC, so they're probably a year away. I kind of fell for him, but I still like their future. Where Colin was right, Justin Herbert, I said, no young quarterback has had to overcome coaching in his career more than Justin Herbert. Just get him Harbaugh and he'll be magic. Right now, his efficiency for a quarterback with over four hundred attempts is the best ever next to Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. He's a remarkable kid, four to two college major and a tutor in biology size speed. Justin Herbert, Finally he got the.
Coach where Colin was wrong. I like the Colts all year.
I loved their roster, but that may have been the worst loss in the NFL this year. They lost a close game to the Giants. They were getting housed early in some of their issues on the back end of their defense. I don't think they're very good, but there's no division titles here in the last ten years, and this was a bad one. I've said this before. If Donald's on the market, I would go after him. I like Joe Flacco. I think Anthony Richardson's talented, but sometimes you got to cut your losses and acknowledge in the AFC, if we're gonna win big boy games, we got to get better at quarterback. If Donald hits the market and you're the Colts, go get him.
Where Colin was right, Yes.
I said Baker Mayfield in Tampa, I would sign him to a long deal. I thought this was a perfect fit. This organization's always had talent and always had a bit of a chip on its shoulder for being ignored. I thought this was a great fit. And even though Baker and I have had disagreements, Mike Evans, Baker Mayfield time to throw pretty magic. You know, he leads the NFL in touchdown passes since he joined Tampa.
It's a good receiving course.
Not that good.
Baker and Darnold same draft, can both play.
Where Colin was right, I said, the Rams are going to win their division, but keep your eye on the defense, not Matt Stafford. And they just held their last three opponents to single figures. This defense is really good and getting better. They're very reliant offensively on Puka Nakua and Kyron Williams. But I've said before I think they're a good team, but not a super Bowl team. But everybody was loving San Francisco and I said, no, they're getting old, expensive and brittle. Keep your eye on the Rams to win the division and watch this defense, and they.
Delivered where Colin was raw.
Yeah, I'm officially selling most of my Kyler Murray stock.
I was wrong.
I've defended him for years, but listen to this. He is one and sixteen against the NFC West in November and December. Well what can I say if I'm gonna sit here all the time and tell you like winners, he doesn't win. I think he's talented, I think he's elusive. I've defended him, even with the gaming stuff, but at some point I can't keep saying, yeah, I love this guy. He can't beat division rivals one in sixteen in November and December, I'm selling my stock at a loss, by the way, at.
A loss where Colin was right. Stop telling me that Kansas City Chiefs are lucky.
Best coach, best coordinator, best quarterback, best defensive lineman. Xavier Worthy is becoming a star. Number one seed in all of football, number two scoring defense. Listen, they don't blow you away. They don't win by route. This is not college. It's hard. The AFC's Lord, God, look at their division. It's hard bought. Sean Paige. Even the Raiders play hard. It's hard to win in this league. It's really hard. And the Chiefs just keep doing it. You were all and they were lucky in Week eight.
No, they're not.
There is a skill to winning close games. The Patriots did it for twenty years and they handed the baton to Kansas City.
Where Colin was right.
You know in Rex Ryan's name got floated for the Jets job. I said, absolutely, he's a viable candidate. Ian Rapaport reporting today. Believe it or not, he could be interviewed. Everybody makes fun of Rex because he puts it out there, but he's a culture changer. Woody Johnson liked him, great energy, He's got a view of the world and how to build a football team, and as running games have had kind of a return in the NFL. I would interview Rex Ryan, I said last week. I'd interviewed Pete Carroll. He's a smart guy. I'd like to interview Pete Carroll. I'd interview Rex Ryan. I don't think the best candidates. I think they're very wary of going to the Jets. And I think Rex Ryan has proven, like a Dan Campbell, he'll change the culture, and that one of the issues. That's why I've said I think Brabel's the guy would hire. If not, Rex Ryan's one of the better culture changers out on the market. Where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong, and with that eighteen years in the NFL and one of our favorite fifteen minutes of the week, Matt Hasselbeck now joins US Live. So let's go to last Night It is. I don't know how to explain it. For Jaydon Daniels to be this good this quickly. Is it brain power? I mean, he's obviously talented. It just shouldn't be this easy. It shouldn't be this beautiful like, are you surprised?
What is it? What do I give the credit to?
Yeah, listen, the word for me is awesome. And are you surprised, Yeah, you should be surprised. This guy's playing unbelievable. He's playing just like you did at LSU.
And I think, like this is an example of it.
It matters top down ownership GM head coach coordinator. Who's in the quarterback room all day with the guy, but at the end of the day, this guy hasn't. In fact, listen, I talked about it earlier in the year. I don't know what quarterback I was talking about, but your job is the quarterback, especially on a team like this, is to be the amazing Marinara sauce over yesterday's pasta. You don't have the best roster around you. You got to be the guy that changes everything. This guy has changed everything for this team. And I believe that they believe there's not a team in the NFC that they can't beat. Yeah, And as long as Jayden Daniels is the quarterback, either with his legs, with.
His arm, throwing it just on.
He doesn't flinch, he doesn't blink, fourth down, fourth quarter, two minute, He's got everything you're looking for. And for that reason, I think they're a very dangerous team. Undisciplined and frustrating, yeah, but very dangerous.
Yeah.
They get more penalties and bad, bad moments. And I'll say this, here's something else I like about him, Matt. And I know I've always said I don't like my quarterbacks had on backwards. I think the podium matters on Wednesday. People give me crap for that. One of the things I like about him. This team gets penalized a lot. They drop passes his body language through all of it. Because the camera Zola was on him. It matters to me, And maybe it shouldn't. Maybe this is just ridiculous, but I'm watching this team beat itself last night for three quarters and every time you go to him.
Smile Pat and the guy in the butt. Does a team sense that?
Yeah, Well, listen, He's played a lot of football, and I think a lot of that has to do with why he's so good. He's had some good coaches throughout his career, college career, now at the NFL.
But I would say it this way. There's two things for me.
Number One, do your teammates believe in you when times are tough, Do they believe in you? And then probably just as importantly, does the opponent fear you? Like, does the opponent feel like, oh, we got this guy, we got him on the ropes, or is he one of those guys where the balls in his hands late in the game or they're down and the opponent's like sitting there on the bench and they're like, Ah, shoot, man, we left him too much time. Or you know what, this guy's gonna do. What he did, you know what we've seen him do on film, what we've the film that we've studied.
He's going to bring him back.
And there's quarterbacks like in my playing career and my media career that you just you put in that category like you gave this guy too much time. It doesn't matter if they're down by four with under a minute to go. And Jayden Daniels to me, has that in factor. That's the aura that he's given off.
So listen, Addison, Jefferson, Naylor, TJ. Hawkinson, Kevin O'Connell. I'm not disputing any of it, but what I noticed with Donald is the plays they call in crisis, they have him throwing the ball into the teeth of a defense. And I've said before I can tell what a coach thinks of you by the play calls. I mean when they got that ball twenty seven to twenty five and the first down play was a pass, I'm like, that's not what coaches do. How much is the weapons and how much is Donald in your opinion?
Yeah, listen, I believe you'll know what a coach thinks of his past protection and his O line by the places they call more than the quarterback. But it all fits together. And if you look at the end of that game, the one word for me is trust. Like they trusted him to throw it. I think it was three times in a row. And they did it in a check with me system, meaning they'll call a play and they'll alert it or can it or kill it to another play.
And they got up there and showed run and.
He got up there and he said no, no, no, yeah, yeah, alert alert or can't can you know like whatever, We're going to the second play. And they gave him basically the keys to the Lamborghini. They said, hey, you and your guys on the field, you got it.
We trust you. We can't have an incompletion. What they do.
They threw it with you know, sort of short yardage, goal line type, high completion percentage plays that fit them. And so I just think when you have that seme symmetry with head coach, play caller, quarterback, you're rolling. And that's what they got going right now.
So I do think I do think it's important that if a player can hit a bonus and you're winning, it's a route and a coach says, listen, I'm gonna get a.
Guy a catch.
He's got a streak, he's got a bonus in a route. And so the Eagles are routing the Cowboys, the game's over, they go heavy into Saquon Barkley. My take is, though, wait a minute, your quarterback's hurt, your backup quarterbacks hurt. I don't want Saquon Barkley hurt. What did you make of the thirty one plus carries. I'm not anti getting a guy in a blowout a number or bonus. That's a lot of carries for a team that's got to banged up quarterback.
Yeah, listen, I believe in Philly. I believe in everything that they're doing. And this reminds me a little bit because he's real close to this.
Eric Dickerson record. I think he needs one hundred and one yards.
This reminds me of five we had the number one seed locked up in the NFC. Seawan Alexander was really close to the touchdown record.
If he gets the touchdown record, he's going to get the MVP.
And I just remember Mike Holmgren coming in to our team talking about, Hey, we're going to get this touchdown record, like this is a big deal, and it's a big deal to Sean, but it's a big deal to all of us. This is an offensive line a war, This is a fullback award, this is a team award, this is a wide receivers blocking award. And I thought Mike Holmbrin did an amazing job of making this like, you know what, this is our one and.
O this week, because that's really the goal. You try to go one and oh this every week.
But when one and O doesn't really matter anymore or doesn't matter as much, you go for that. And to me, like knowing the personality of Philly, seeing how strong Saquon still looks, knowing how unselfish he was earlier in the year when he could have been patting his stats and he said no, no, let the young guys go. Let the young guys go, and to now still have it in their reach, I don't know. I think you go for it. I think you go for it, and I think you play ball, and I think it's a feather in the.
Cap of everybody there, coaches included.
And I think you play fearless, and you play to win not only the game in the end of the season, but also to win this record for that team and for all of Philly.
Go for it.
J Mack and I were talking earlier. I believe the Chargers are the best team in the NFL playoffs that probably can't win a Super Bowl. And then I go back and I look at hardballs teams everywhere. Stanford didn't have great receivers. The Niners had Michael Crabtree, they weren't loaded, Michigan won, and Natty they didn't even tow a pass at Penn State. I look at their weapons and think, God, they need a tight end, they need a running back, they need another receiver. Do they have enough juice to win three games?
Four games? Do you think?
You know?
That's tough?
It's an interesting point you make, like they're gonna have to play Buffalo, They're gonna have to play Baltimore. They're gonna Like I just don't know that they're there yet. Like I believe in Jim Harbaugh. I think he's done a great job setting a great foundation. I've been saying it forever. Herbert is amazing. He's everything you're looking for in a quarterback. It's one of the reasons I was so high on Drake May because he reminds me a lot of Justin Herbert.
Now, I think it's an.
Interesting point you bring, But to me, I just think that the a class of the AFC. There's a separation line when you talk about Kansas City and you talk about Baltimore and you talk about Buffalo. But the reason I believe that's in that separation is the quarterback. And so at some point, I don't know if it's this year, at some point Justin Herbert is going to have to kind of like morph into, yes, the Harball way of doing things, but also kind of getting in that that legit like on the podium of the upper echelon guys in the AFC. Is the top five, Yeah, no doubt. Is he on the podium. I don't think you can put them on the podium. Yet with those other guys I mentioned.
It is interesting, Donald Baker, Mayfield. You look at that class now, Josh Allen Lamark, Donald Baker, all of them having career years. I don't remember two quarterbacks that we all kind of bailed on, and yet they're both stars. Is this a fundamental change in the league. Have we gotten to point where quarterback is so important for success in this league now due to rule changes that you have to give guys a second chance.
You have to you have to make sure it works. But I mean, it's an insane story. In the same year.
Two guys we bailed on are both breaking records. How do we explain it?
Yeah? And they both were in Carolina. Who Carolina is? What they are? They're Carolina now, you know what it reminds me of one year.
Back in the day I three of it was the Saint Louis Rams or the LA Rams. Very early they had Nick Foles, Jared Goff, Case Keenum.
Those were the three guys in the quarterback room.
And then later on case Keenum's in like the championship game. Nick Foles is in the Super Bowl and Jared Goff is Jared Goffe.
It was just crazy success.
I forget the details, but no, it matters, and listen, I do also believe strongly that Sam Darnold will take this into consideration when his free agency comes. He's going to remember what it was like to be in a organization that doesn't get how to be relevant in December and January and beyond the Jets, Baker, He'll remember what it was like in Cleveland. They both remember what it was like in Carolina and they've tasted it now with an organization then not only loves them, but they love it back. And so when you talk about this free agency and hometown discount and yeah, these guys are balling out and hey you can go get paid, I really believe that they're gonna understand in value how great it is to have a head coach and a play caller that I'm in sync with, or how great it is to have the whole locker room to respect me and understand what I went through. And then you kind of kind of you guys kind of pulled me out of it. Like I pulled myself out of it, but you helped me, you know, come out of it.
Sure, And so like I just really think there's something unique and special, and I respect it. I think it's awesome.
So the one team that I'm fascinated with in a weird way.
I love Sean Payton and bow Nicks.
But if Cincinnati gets in and has to go to Buffalo, the pressure on Buffalo is insane, and the pressure on Cincinnati is a nothing burger. They sneak in. When you look at Buffalo, take your career. I feel of all the teams in this league, because Philadelphia has pressure, but they've been to Super Bowls. I feel like there's enormous pressure on Sean McDermott. Were you ever on a team you went into the playoffs and you could feel the pressure. You knew you had to win those first couple of games, And does does a coaching staff change the way they coach? Did you feel a tightness in your entire eighteen year career? Does that exist or is that just a media thing?
Yeah?
No, it exists, but I don't think I was fully aware of it.
But I remember in five it was five We're playing.
A wildcard game against Washington, and I didn't know this. I tried to, like, you know, keep my head down and just like go one. I know each week, but the Seahawks hadn't won a playoff game since, like Chuck Knox was the coach in Miami down against.
Don shul It was like this weird thing.
And I remember pregame the national anthems going on in all these former Seahawks, like the Steve Largent era guys, They're all lined up and they're getting teary eyed and they're gassed up, and they're like, let's like, this is game day for them. You know, these guys that were in their fifties, it was game day for them.
And that was when I really felt like, oh.
Wow, this this loss would be devastating to people outside of the guys who are wearing a helmet today. And I think that's probably true for you know that the entire like community that lives in breaths by the Bills' success right now in December because they are so invested in this in this program.
Yeah. But I think one of the things I.
Would say that I that I really like that the Bills have done and Josh Allen has done. He's kept it really focused about football, and.
I think that's just their key.
But yeah, hey, does anybody want to play the Cincinnati Bengals they get in.
No promise you. That's the team that decoordinators are afraid of.
They're like the they're afraid of nothing, but they're afraid of I think that Cincinnati offense.
Yeah, I think you're right. Cincinnati in the AFC and Washington in the NFC. Jaden Daniels is a problem. I mean, he's just there's nothing you could He's like Lamar Jackson, but a little better in the pocket than Lamar was as a rookie.
Yeah, there's the problem with the problem with the Washington situation versus the Cincinnati situation is the weapons in Cincinnati scare.
The heck added you.
I don't know if you saw Hard Knocks and Mike Tomlin talking about like Mike Tomlin literally said at one point something to the effect of like basically, I'd rather play Baltimore and Lamar than have to deal with this team with a losing record. By the way, Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase T. Higgins, like that's the team that you know. I was in Cincinnati for this game actually, and it was just like this, this this moment where like all of Cincinnati was like Joe's.
Gonna do it, Like just Joe's gonna do it.
He might do it by himself, like we're not going to kick a field goal from inside.
He might just do it by himself. But I think everyone believes that.
And again, like I was talking about earlier, the respect of your locker room is really important. But to have the fear of the opposing team when you have the ball, like that's everything you're looking for as a quarterback, when they feel like, dang it, like he's got the ball, we're probably gonna lose right now. And Burrow has that even with the year that they've had record wise.
No run game, pass protection, sketchy, and he's magic. Matt Hasselbeck eighteen years. Such a present for us during the holidays. Love having you on Mondays, Buddy, Happy New Year, calling, Happy New Year to you and your amazing family. He really does have an amazing family.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon easternn am Pacific on Fox Sports Radio FS one and the iHeartRadio app.
Hey Steve Covino and I'm Rich David 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 iheartrate app.
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Jmak We're gonna have a glorious next couple of days college football playoff games.
But first, Jmac with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.
Let's start with that Vikings win over the Packers yesterday. The sweep with the season series against Green Bay sets up a seismic Week eighteen matchup against the Lions for the top seed in the NFC.
UH and the NFC North title.
After the ninth straight victory, Justin Jefferson spoke about the team's resiliency.
We're relentless.
I think, you know, just so many different things happen throughout the season, throughout you know, the gangs that can really you know, determine if we're going to fold or not, or if we're going to head up, hang out, head down or not. It's just countless times where you know we're worth picking each other up, you know, where we're uh, we're leaning on each other, and where we're feeding off of each other with the energy and with the excitement and just with those big.
Plays I mean Naylor, Addison Hawkinson Jefferson.
May have nailed.
I remember Naylor was a Michigan State kid. If I recall, he was a big ten guy, I think, and they just got dudes everywhere that that that is the best receiving Coronelli.
And if you load up on justin Jefferson. The other guys are good enough. Like Jordan Addison's coverage man was like he feels like a small.
Version of T Higgins. T Higgins is probably the best two in the league. Jordan Adison the.
Best two in the league.
He's excellent.
Yeah, mean that guy catches everything. And it's interesting because they double Jefferson. People roll coverage over and yesterday Naylor was one Naylor. Yeah, because you can't. I mean, it's just Hawkinson's an elite tight end. Like they got a great roster. Are you sure about.
Fifty milivers for Sammy donold you sure?
Well?
I'm just saying if Daniel Jones several years ago got forty.
One, I was dumb money and it cost them a lot called people jobs.
But he's not forty one unless they franchise tag him. But I'm saying, on the market in a weak quarterback draft class, what's the number?
Let me just the counter.
Kevin O'Connell can work magic with anybody at quarterback, right, remember the pastornat Josh Dobbs, Nick Mullen's look good.
No cousins put up you.
So if you can get ninety percent of Sam Donald from JJ McCarthy next year, how good can this roster be? I mean, how sacked will they be? They don't they can afford everybody.
I think it's I think it's a fascinating dilemma. It's like the best problem to have is you know, I pay a lot of taxes. Well that means probably make a lot of money.
Yeah. Yeah.
So it's like.
It's but I'll say this, in that division, I want guarantees. Because Detroit's good and Green Bay's good. I want guarantees. Donald I'm guaranteed if he comes back, will be very good. Okay, JJ McCarthy off two surgeries could be. I don't want any could bees If I have to pay the Packers and the Lions four times a year?
Very valid, I would argue, like, and I'm a Sam Darnald guy.
I love doing. The Jets drafted him. This season is an outlier for him.
Okay, significantly, I'm not denying you.
We look at history.
But here's what's not an outlier. Addison's not going anywhere. Naylor's not going anywhere, Jefferson's not going anywhere. They bring their great left tackle back in Kevin O'Connell. So the components around him. It's not like this is a year where they're going to move off receivers. A lot of their offensive talent outside of the running back is young.
To go back to the rock Perty comparison. Rock Perty, I think was third in the MVP last year. I think it what Lamar dak Brock, Sam Donold's probably gonna be third or fourth this year, and everybody's gonna say Vikings next year the team to watch and Ken Darnold do it again. Perdy couldn't quite. Everybody got hurt. We'll see with the Vikings, but they are a fascinating story.
Colin next up.
Yep, it's time. It's time, Rahie Morris, you're gonna have to get asked about it. What a brutal loss Falcons last night. I saw one of those chances to make the playoff. Metric went from seventy nine to fifteen.
With the loss brutal. Late in the fourth quarter, score.
Tied Atlanta driving, Rahie Morris failed to call a timeout. He had two in his pocket. Yep, they forced to play incomplete. They settled for a fifty six yard field goal. When the kid kicked it, I was like.
Yes, Falcons are gonna win. It's over and it was like, what's six yards short?
It wasn't Clellan, just brutal.
So Rahie Morris was grilled about it. And listen, I'll say this.
He owned it.
Probably could have you know, I thought we can get the line of scrimms, what operation made a little bit faster there, get him there without going on the fasten the ball trying to save that time out. In hindsight, could have been a good decision, to better decision to take that time out, but I wanted to have the opportunity to move up there. So, like you know, always second gainst those things. You can always second guess those motives. You can always go back and look at him. See I can get it snap a little bit quicker.
Yeah, at least he owned it, and he screwed up badly. You're not going to the playoff, Colin. Did you see the line for Saints at Bucks. It's like thirteen and a half.
Tampa's favored.
The Bucks have no It's crazy about this league, the Giants and the Raiders.
I mean, there is no tanking in this league.
The Giant there's like nineteams with like four weeks.
I know, but it's like the Giants and the Raiders could have played back up. Raiders played their best game of the year and the Giants may played their first or second mess game of the year.
This is what you know about the NFL.
You cannot ask coaches and players, hey, take the foot off the pedal.
Unless you make guys what unavailable?
Yeah?
Inactive for the game. Regarding the Falcons, this is the only division. What have you missed?
Right?
No? No, no, no.
So I got the AFC all right, yeah, and the NFC. I got the Eagles right in the rams right. I had the Packers beating the Lions lion second and I got this wrong the NFC sid.
I had thirty seconds. Nobody had Tampa Bay winning this. Everything was lined up for the Falcons here.
Falcons beat Tampa twice, so I thought they matched up better, and they did, But they kind of waited. Had they played Pennix earlier, maybe we you know when he started when when Kirk Cousins started to dip badly, they kind of stayed with him for three weekends. And when you watch Penix, you're like, yeah, Pennix is a better quarterback right now. But I do think because they paid Kirk money Arthur Blank sitting there thinking, guys, I want to get squeeze the rebound of the juice out of this paycheck.
Listen, hindsight is all that fun stuff.
But there's some guys in that front office who talked Arthur Blank out of Belichick. Remember Arthur Blake was interested in Belichick, and there's some people who talked Arthur Blank into Kirk Cousins. All right, well it's massive letdown.
Let's say, let's hear it.
Let's hear well, Belichick wants personnel control. And maybe that was fine in New England because he had all the equity, but Bill's not good at that.
Well wait a minute, I can tell you right now he would not have gone for Kirk Cousins. That would not have happened, not off an Achilles. So I could continue.
I just think in hindsight, well you gotta hire Bill. Nobody wanted to hire Bill. It wasn't in an Atlantis show. He didn't get it. He got one interview that was a little surprising. Okay, so it's not Layman, and I'll go back to this. It was Bill's unwillingness to get out of the personnel space. If Bill would have just said, I'll just coach. I think you would have had multiple offers. But Bill, I mean, it's the records clear his last seven drafts. There's way more misses than hints. They're one of the weakest rosters in that they are the weakest roster in the league. Giants have more good neighbors as a star player, They've got defensive line, but there are players for the Giants, Andrew Thomas left tackle. The Patriots have the least talent in the league. And that's on Bill and I think he's a legend, but it's guys like City Reid don't want personnel responsibility, Guys like Peyton, Sean Payton likes it, McVeigh likes it, and Bill likes it.
So instead of listening to and taking a chance on a guy who maybe struggled at the end in New England, in Belichick who has how many rings I think thirty seven Super Bowl rings versus the Atlanta guys that brain th us has won nothing Colin and now they're missing the playoffs. Now, I don't know if he's gonna run off the GM or whatever, but this is embarrassing. Okay, you go big with Kirk Cousins, their win total was high. Colin, this is in every way shape.
For here's the good news.
You got a star back, a star receiver, a star quarterback, and a star defensive tackle. There are worse situations in the NFL, and you're in a wonky week division. Well, I mean last half full Colleake London, Drake London, Robinson ahead, try to name half care You've got good players.
Drops the Kyle pits. This season he did catch again. Drake London's fantastic. Who Drake London? Yeah, he's good.
I like it.
Let he went to school USC. I liked him coming out.
People were like, no, no, now this final story, Colin, it's people are worked up about this.
College football.
My man cam Ward played in the first half of something called the Pop Tarts Bowl.
He set the Division One record for the most career.
Touchdown passes and then sat out the second half in Miami, ended up losing forty two forty one to Iowa State One More did not meet the media after the game. Mario Cristo Ball provided no insight, saying the decision was made in private and they'll keep it private. And there are pockets of Jabbroni's on the internet.
There he worked up. How could he quit on his team at halftime?
This will have zero effect on his draft status. Remember second tier bowl games literally nobody cares. In the NFL, nobody cares. And now I would have rather be not played it all than pull himself out.
Just don't play. I don't have a problem with it. I don't want to get hurt.
The record, okay, and a lot of guys who like records Barkley nod again.
I would have just said, just sit it out.
I don't have a I've been defending college players that sit out of bowl games from day one. Remember Leonard Fournette did defenditive, Christian McCaffrey did defended him. I defend guy, if you're in a second tier bowl and you've been a great college player, don't play. I don't love coming out, but just no, it has zero effect. No NFL executive can Yeah.
Now, what about the the dopes online who were like, hey, what about the forty nine Ers linebacker who quit?
This is the same thing. No, it's not cold. I can't deal with these people. They don't understand logic or anything.
No, that's it's not the same thing. This is a second tier meaningless. It might as well be an exhibition, thank you, except for the USC win.
That's a real bowl.
Oh yeah, I forgot.
They said, like Miller Moss was cooking last year.
He's in an exhibitions. He's now transferred to Louis beat eight.
And four, LSU and eight and for Texas and has some good, good dubs.
Early J McK with the news. Well, that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the herd.
Lie Michael urban is joining us in the last hour of the show.
It's boy. The next few days.
Those college games, oh man, are they good. The other thing is, if you're like a college football fan, the truth of the matter is is everybody's looking for traits. Cam Ward has a really good arm, he's a really good athlete. He's stout and physical. He's gonna go in the top five picks.
It's not like he's a bad guy.
It's just, you know, people will say it's kind of selfish.
Again, it's not perfect.
If you need a quarterback in the NFL, you're not saying, you know, I really liked him, but you know, in the Pop Tart Bowl he came out at half. I don't know, let's just go with our backup zero effect. NFL and college football have some similarities. Overwhelmingly, NFL teams want talent, and cam Ward has a lot of it.
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays and noon Easter not am Pacific.
Saturday on Fox Primetime Hoops. It's a big ten.
Battle as Michigan looks to re establish themselves as a contender power against USC at eight Eastern five Pacific only on Fox.
You love some college basketball, so you know one of the big stories over the weekend is the ch Roger's role to dice and said, we're gonna play fifteen million bucks a year and get Jim Harbaugh. And I thought they'd win ten or eleven games. I wasn't sure if they were going to be a playoff team. I don't think I had him in the playoffs. I thought they were gonna be really, really good because I think Harbaugh's magical. But Matt hasselback earlier on sort of you know they need another running back, another tight end, another wide receiver. You know you cross your fingers on JK. Dobbin's health. It's lad McConkey JK. Dobbins, and you know, cross your fingers. But here's Hasselback on Herbert trying to push the Chargers to the next level the.
Class of the AFC.
There's a separation line when you talk about Kansas City and you talk about Baltimore and you talk about Buffalo. But the reason I believe that's in that separation is the quarterback. And so at some point, I don't know if it's this year, at some point justin Herbert is going to have to kind of like morph into, yes, the Harball way of doing things, but also kind of getting in that that legit like on the podium of the upper echelon guys in the af Is he top five?
Yeah, no doubt.
Is he on the podium. I don't think you can put them on the podium yet. With those other guys I mentioned.
So the five best quarterbacks to me, and I think they've kind of separated. They're often bigger, stronger, don't get hurt, as much more productive. If you look at what Herbert Hows has done this year in terms of efficiency, it's up there with Brady and Rodgers. So I think in no particular order, although most of us put Mahomes one, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, justin Herbert, Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes. And I've said this before. It any one time in football my entire life, there's usually four or five quarterbacks that just are different. I mean, Alan sixty six two fifty, Burrow maybe the most accurate thrower of the football ever, Herbert six five, two thirty and a four to two college kid with a huge arm. Mahomes best arm talent maybe ever. And Lamar Jackson is the greatest athlete arguably to ever play the position. So now I think there's another group of quarterbacks. Jayden Daniels looks like wow, Jalen Hurts, there are times c J. Stroud's falling off. Jared Goff is the best pure pocket guy arguably. I just think if you're a football fan, you have to look at the quarter I'm watching that game last night and I'm thinking, I get Michael Pennix for a decade and Jayde and Daniels for a decade.
How good is that? And then you're getting the.
Rebirth of Darnold and Baker Mayfield, and then you get the stars on top of that. Joe Burrow is the one great quarterback that, as of this morning, the one great elite quarterback that is not in the playoffs. And I've said before this is not picking on him. We have a Bengals fan on the staff here. If you look at those five great quarterbacks, four of them have support. And I'm not like fire Zach Taylor guy. I think he's fine. I don't love his clock management. J Mack wishes he, you know, was on the next train out of Cincinnati. I think he's fine. I think all coaches outside of Belichick struggle with clock management, even Andy Reid before he got Mahomes. People to complain about that, but I the defense is bad, non existent run game. They can only win by shootout. The offensive line protection some of that. Burrow likes to hold the ball to the last second, like some of that is Darnold's the same way. But here's Burrow after the win over Denver they almost gave it away. Here's here's Burrow.
I think we're the.
Best offense in the league.
You know, we've We've had our moments, just like every offense does, where you know, you stall out a little bit. But you know, we've been so consistent this whole year and guys stepping up in big spots and making big plays for us, and guys go down. Somebody else has to step up and make plays, and we've just consistently done that.
Yeah, it's okay.
Let me let me give a not all young quarterbacks have support. Keep your eye on Drake May and New England. He's a really good player. They got nothing to work with. They got shelled by the Chargers. He's got a first time coach, girod Mao who when they hired him, I thought it felt too old school. It felt way too rearview mirror for me. I think Drake May's really good. Now, if you go to the draft order, J McK and I have gone back and forth on this. If you're New England, I mean people are speculating you could draft Shador Sanders, trade Drake May, Keep Drake May.
He's good.
They don't have enough elite athleticism. Gonzales the corners really good. But Belichick gave Jacoby Myers away. I didn't get that. I don't don't. I mean you tell me I would move down. I think they need a tight end, two receivers, another back. I think they need six more top first second round guys. Unfortunately, it's not a great draft. I would trade down if I was New England because somebody's gonna go for Shador. The closer you get to a draft, all these gms and owners, you know, you know how it works. The closer you get to the draft, all the quarterbacks wartz disappear. I'm New England, I get out of the number one spot.
What say you?
So?
Yeah, ideally you would be able to trade down.
But Colin, we talk about it on this show during the season, how much the trenches matter. Remember when the Lions went penay sewel over. Was that Jamar Chase and everybody freaked out. It's kind of worked out good for the Detroit Lions. Their offensive line is unbelievable. We need to remember, like Travis Hunter is one of those shiny objects. He's gonna run like a four to four at the Underwear Olympics in Indy.
Oh my god, you've got to take Travis Hunter for like people will do that. Let's just calm down and remember the trenches win in the NFL.
There's only four to five players this year that are can't miss. I think Travis Hunter is going to be a really good NFL player.
Well, it's a long process. We got to go through.
Some of these offensive linemen don't get the shine during college football.
But I will add Colin.
When you look at the New England Patriots offensive line, I believe they have the most offensive line musical chairs this season, with like ten different starting Yes, that doesn't work.
And Drake Mean's getting I think he had maybe two concussions.
When you have a young quarterback, the NFL is very simple, in a weird way, get once you have the right coach, get the quarterback number one, protect the quarterback number two, and then get guys who make the other quarterback uncomfortable.
So right now New England doesn't have either.
They let Judon go, so they don't have quarterback pursuers or quarterback protectors. So to me, it is a good offensive tackle draft. There's like three or four. It's not sexy, but it wins. Yeah, that's how you build in the NFL. I think you could trade down to four or five and get Kelvin Banks from Texas. You good, he's not a number one, he's probably not a number two three, But if you got him at six or seven or five, and then you've got your left tackle, you've got your quarterback, and people are speculating.
I mean in Boston.
I was reading the Boston papers yesterday and all the online stuff. Oh they want, they want Vrabel and McDaniels period.
That would be a home run.
I will say, you know, looking at what Herbert's doing with the Chargers weapons, Like if you name the guys, you're like, who are who's he's throwing the guys you don't know? Like if you can do that with a great offensive line, that's the move for Drake may Like he doesn't have great weapons, but Hunter Henry's okay, He's not worse than the Chargers tight ends.
Disley is he like?
No good?
I think Patriots have something with Drake bay Man. I think you're right, he's good.
Greg bay or bow Nicks, Well, his comp was justin Herbert, but less polished. And that's what I see. That's what I see our three. Michael Urban
