The Herd - Hour 1 - Some NFL teams might be in trouble

Published Aug 16, 2023, 9:03 PM

Colin has bad news for 3 teams in the NFL that have the potential to see their season fall apart in dramatic fashion this season

He reacts to the second episode of HBO's Hard Knocks and believes the Jets have a talented roster but one fatal flaw that could unravel their high expectations with Aaron Rodgers

He praises Trevor Lawrence for his breakout season and saving the Jaguars franchise. Plus, Super Bowl Champion James Jones joins the show in studio to explain why one young QB in the NFC is already in serious trouble

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Here we go on a Wednesday. What a pleasure it is to be here live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. J McK and Iron a really good mood. Don't want to get into it. He's getting better. Didn't have to go to the er last night. Still very shaky, but he is a gamer.

I'm not as shaky as the Jets offensive line right now in practicing following this. They're practicing right now and it's not looking Aaron Rodgers get beat up.

Well. I wanted to talk about that because there's about three implosions every year in the NFL. And I'm not talking like the Bears going a losing streak. We didn't have high hopes for them. I'm talking about teams that are ascending and talented. Last year, Arizona ascending playoff team implodes. Coach fired, GM fired, quarterback pouting. You know, Denver good franchise, brings Russell Wilson over, gives up a ton of draft capital, implodes. The Rams went from Super Bowl to five and twelve. McVay is going to retire. Stafford may never play at the high level again. Like I'm talking about, you start with pretty high standards, really good organizations. The Bears don't qualify for that, and Green Bay didn't make the playoffs, but they could have it. They won the last game. That's not an implosion. But there are and I'm talking about where there's a physical and emotional and a cultural tire fire where everything just unravels for teams with high hopes. And I do believe there are three teams in the NFL this year that fall into that category where there's a really good roster, really good players. We've seen some success over the years, and there's like a hanging issue or four. Let's start with Sean Payton and Russell Wilson. This thing. Remember, Russell Wilson's major deal doesn't start until next year. He's in the final year of a Seattle contract and the general manager who pulled the deal off is still in the building and there's new owners. If this thing goes sideways fast, Sean Payton is not a patient man, and he wants things done his way. If Russell is just okay, he's going to be somewhat better that general manager who made the deal. He'll probably view as a bit of a roadblock. He's already been outspoken during camp. This thing has the potential because again, Russell Wilson is not your classic pocket passer. He has to move to work. The problem with quarterbacks who move. It could be Michael Vick and his prime. It could be Big Ben in his prime or Cam They age fast quickly. Has Russell Wilson just aged and he's never going to move again like he used to. So this thing is the one that really stands out to me. I have high hopes, but the division's good. Herbert twice a year, AFC Holmes twice a year, Kevin Clark and the Ringer talked about this yesterday.

I trust Sean Payton to fix the Broncos. I don't trust Sean Payton to fix Russell Wilson. It was the biggest decline for Russell Wilson by passer rating in the history of the NFL from a quarterback switching teams, which begs the question is he's still an elite? And then here's another stat he had under the ball too long last year and he didn't have the legs to extend place. Sean Payton is going to want him to have the quick release, run the offense, all that stuff. I just don't know a physican. You talk about timelines not matching up. Sean Payton wants to turn this franchise around. Russell Wilson may not be capable of turning it around himself.

So that's the one with the potential to implode. When Sean Payton took the job, my first gut reaction was, I don't know.

I don't know.

Maybe I want to broadcast for one more year. I don't know that Dallas job may come open, all right. Two other because we got about three implosions a year. Two others. To keep your eyes on the Cleveland Browns Kevin Stefanski, his wins have declined every year. We have a quarterback and Deshaun Watson hasn't played much in the last two years. And the AFC has gotten very good at quarterback. The owner is impatient star quarterback. Is he a star? He certainly paid like it. Rest of the division Baltimore, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh very good. It's an annual tradition. Cleveland screws things up high, hopes, very good roster, elite people at the right spots. But Deshaun Watson at the end of last year looked rusty. Let's say he dusts the rust off and is just a B plus quarterback that will not do if you look at his contract and the third team. And I know, I know you always think we're picking on you, but we've been right. The Dallas Cowboys, Dak's got more on his plate coming off leading the NFL, and Picks had a rocky camp. Trayvon Diggs talking trash to him. Mike McCarthy now calling plays, brilliant lung, young progressive offensive coordinator Kellen Moore upgraded quarterback went to the Chargers in Herbert. There's a chance there'll be a little regression on defense. I like their defense, but they led the NFL in takeaways back to back years. That usually doesn't last forever. The early schedule for an offense that's still trying to get the O line right, running back room solidified. You've got New England's defense, Jets defense, Giants defense, Chargers defense, San Francisco defense has a lot of potential turbulence with those defensive fronts and that okay Cowboy offensive line. And you have a perceived head coach in waiting with dan Quinn on the staff. And if you ask fans, if they start two and three, if he asks fans, what do you want to do with a coach, they say, get rid of him. Move dan Quinn up. He's got the best unit, the best side of the ball. So the Broncos, I think, could go sideways fast. Cleveland it's what they do, screw things up, impulsive owner, and the Dallas Cowboys. Those three, to me feel like I'm not talking about. If Houston wins four games like the Bears last year, that's not an implosion. We know what they are, young quarterback, rebuild roster, we didn't expect much. But Denver, Cleveland, Dallas have a little bit of implosion, a little bit of Arizona last year in them. All right, so hard knocks continues. The New York Jets didn't want to do it, but they're doing it. And the two stars of the show or Aaron Rodgers, which is predictable, and Robert Sala. I've said, if you were going to do a movie about this Jets team, Sala and Aaron Rodgers look like actors. They're like alpha males, good looking guys. And one of the things, Robert Sala, we have a clip from last night, and this is one of the things why I love the NFL and I love the NBA, but I love the NFL more is because you can be confrontational. You can ask more of players and you won't get fired or have their agent call. Here's Robert Sala after a really choppy inner squad practice, right like with Carolina, here's Sala.

It was our first opportunity to change the stink that's been in this organization for a very long time. On the offensive side of the ball, you can have a Hall of Fame quarterback, you can have two ten million dollar plus receivers, you can have a rating offensive rookie of the Year, you can have all kinds of skill in the running back room. None of it matters until the big boys up front change who the we are. We as coaches, We as an organization can't want it more than you. And I'm watching that tape all night last night, trying to find something to show that we're changing, and it didn't show. And it was our first op.

It's real, it's confrontational, it's alpha, and it's honest. If an NBA coach did that, he'd be fired. Agents would be calling you. Hear that all the time in the NBA, Like Damian Lillard's the latest example. Not to pick on him, but like you'll hear hey, if you don't trade him where he wants, players will never go to Portland. Well, I'm not sure players have ever wanted to go to Portland, first of all, and they will if you trade for him or you draft them. You go where you're traded. You don't control the league. Salah comes off as caring, intense, a leader, and brutally honest, and you're allowed to do that in the NFL. And what he's preaching is what we've been saying is the only issue with this team the offensive line. When you get older quarterbacks Brady to Tampa, Stafford to La Russell Wilson to Denver, When you get quarterbacks mid thirties, and up. They get really prickly when the offensive line deteriorates or doesn't give them ample protection. This is also an illustration of how valuable and important the draft is. I mean, the Jets have really good players everywhere, but if Makai Beckton is a whiff and you can't even use him at right tackle, this house comes crumbling down, and Robert Sala knows it and he is addressing it. Listen, you can screw up a house, but as long as the kitchen's good, you can sell it. The backyard can be small, the bathrooms can be a little tight. You know, the family room's weird, a little clunky, but at the kitchen's a disaster. Ah, it doesn't work. And if tackle. Even Patrick Mahomes went into a Super Bowl second tier people at tackle, he got blown out. You gotta get tackle right. Most people in the NFL you talk to, if you say the five most important positions, everybody says quarterback one. Most people say left tackle, two, Edge rusher sometimes is two. Tackle is third. You can have Brock Purdy if he's got Trent Williams protecting his backside and he's not going to get hit. So I like Duwayne Brown. But he becomes thirty eight years old this year. He's had a long physical career for one year. As long as he stays healthy, they should be okay. But tackles get to be high thirties, they miss games. And if Becton's a whiff, not saying he is yet, maybe he recovers, maybe he gets the weight under control, maybe his knees work. Then I could absolutely say this is a Super Bowl bubble team. Absolutely corners, pass rush, intense coach, star quarterback, nice weapons, two running backs, interior, o line more than capable. So I think what Robert sala is telling you is, uh, yeah, we see the problem. You see the problem. I see the problem Jmac. The world sees it. And I love the NFL because you're allowed to be honest and authentic. You don't have to coddle. You can point a finger and say you're the issue fix it. Can't do that in all sports. International soccer, good luck, NBA, good luck all right, And I love international soccer and the NBA, that's the part about it. But sometimes little dicey, little coddily, we got good stuff today. I have good news for J Mac. I think that he'll be happy about and also remember when remember when I was a kid from the Pacific Northwest, that you had the Mariners. So the Mariners were after the Seattle pilots that went away, and then you had the Mariners and they were in the Kingdome and they were bad forever. And then like Ken Griffy comes in, they beat the Yankees, they get to the Indians, lose to the Indians. But there's a lot of people that thought Ken Griffy saved major League Baseball in Seattle. They got rid of the archaic Jurassic Kingdome, they got saved Cofield. A lot of people felt like Ken Griffy saved baseball because it had already been booted. Was it going to get booted a second time? It's geographically further away than any franchise. It's harder to get to. There's an NFL player, I won't give it to you next. There is an NFL player that I think has been under appreciated and really has the Ken Griffy quality. I'm not sure the franchise would exist in five years if he didn't come along, And we'll talk about that.

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Go to Tanklismade symbol dot com, Navvy Andwaterheaters fifteen year limited warranty tankliss madesymbol dot com. So the Athletic ranked according to coaches executives around the league ranked the best players in the NFL, the twenty five best players that were under twenty five years old. And it's a lot of I mean, it's a good ranking, you know, Justin Jefferson, Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, Patrick Sir Tam Jamar Chase. Not a lot of disagreement from me, Justin, Herbert Quinn, Williams, Jalen Hurt, Sauce Gardner, Tristan Wurfs, Jalen Waddell, Andrew Thomas, Dexter Lawrence, CD lamp now Trevor Lawrence at fifteen is interesting. I don't think people understand how valuable this kid is. So if you go to his last nine games last year, remember they were chalying to recovering from Urban Meyer fiasco. He was number two in completion percentage, touchdown to interceptions, and passer rating, ahead of Patrick Mahomes in all of those categories, with no true number one receiver, a middling offensive line that was ranked by PFF nineteenth, new head coach, new system, the expectations of being number one. The kid goes in, throws four picks, trails twenty seven to nothing in a playoff game, comes back great second half in wins. He's unflappable. Trevor Lawrence, I think basically save this franchise. He did a Ken Griffy to the Mariners. Their attendance is always been weak, local TV support and ratings week. If Trevor Lawrence never ends up in Jacksonville after the urban situation, and they miss on the next quarterback and the coach, you think it's really improbable that the NFL would just say, you know what, we want to expand to Germany. NFL is absolutely all about growth. They're going to move a franchise somewhere to Europe. It would be Jacksonville. You're not moving Buffalo, big market New York teams. You're not moving Washington with a new ownership, You're not moving those teams. Carolina doubtful. It's the banking hub of the South. Carolina's got money. You'd move Jacksonville a lot of retirements. Only one really amazing hotel or even legitimate hotel for a Super Bowl. I was there for Super Bowl Week. It's a college football city. They talk about high school in college football more than pro football. Don't kid yourself. Oakland's gonna lose baseball. They just did. San Diego lost the NFL. You don't think Jacksonville could they have an owner who is willing to take big risks. The NFL keeps putting games in Germany and London. There's a reason for it. Growth. I don't think anybody understands all these players, best players under twenty five. The most valuable, literally a save the franchise player is Trevor Lawrence said yesterday I met this kid. He is completely unflappable. He's the opposite of Johnny Manziel, not only in size and talent, but in maturity, all about family, football, faith rock solid. After that urban fiasco. If they didn't have him and they missed on the next quarterback or three, they didn't get Doug Peterson smart higher, what if they go defense? You think in five six years NFL would say this thing ain't working. Go look around sports. We don't have a PAC twelve conference we did two weeks ago. Stuff changes. Trevor Lawrence is the most valuable young player in the NFL. I mean, don't get me wrong, the Boses are great, but if they left sand for Cisco and the Chargers, the franchises would be fine. It's good players on both. This kid is completely different and still to me undervalue. Jmack with the news.

This is the herd line news.

That's a great point about moving Jacksonville. They're the first team this year they'll play back to back international games. I don't think that's ever happened.

In they I mean, they just don't. I mean when I was there for the Super Bowl, and I'd spent some time I lived in Tampa, but I was there for the Super Bowl, it was really there was one hotel to stay at. At one point, they were calling in taxis from Orlando and all over the state of Florida. I mean, they just didn't have enough taxis. It is a small, small town. It's not a banking hub like Charlotte. It's not as important in the South as Atlanta. Culturally, it's like a golfing community. It's known for having a great golf course. It's a quiet place to go and hide if you want to retire. It's like this kid, I mean, don't I mean, I'm from the Pacific Northwest. I mean the Mariners failed. It was called the Pilots. Then you had the Kingdom and the Mariners. That thing was falling apart the Kingdom. At one point you had tiles on the roof falling into the field, and it was like you couldn't really gain any public inertia to get taxed up and build a new stadium. Nobody wanted to pay for a new stadium. The Mariners role was terrible. Ken Griffy arrives. You know, they beat the Yankees in the greatest moment in franchise history, and all of a sudden, you've got capital taxes. Everybody's chipping in. Take Trevor Lawrence out of this franchise. I don't think they're here in five or six years.

All right, let's get to Jordan Love. We'll start with your favorite quarterback in the preseason forty six passing yards and a touchdown against the Bengals. David Bachtiari has been impressed with Love in camp and will grade him on a stronger curve, saying definitely a higher standard. He had three years to understand the math of the offense, which is very fortunate for any first round QB to get to watch and see how a first ballot Hall of Famer and generational tech and a guy who borderline changed the quarterback position and how it's played. So yeah, his baseline for me is way higher. I think he's gonna be competitive right out of the gate.

Well competitive, what does that mean. I'm not looking for competitive. You're the Packers. Of course they're gonna They're gonna be competitive. It's the NFC.

It sounds like the green Bay media just asks everybody every day, what about Jordan Love? What about Jordan Love? And it's we're waiting for something and nobody really knows. It's he's just a big black box, if you will. We don't know what, we don't know what's inside.

I don't know, Yeah, no, I just I feel the four point six yards an attempt really tells you how slowly now maybe Green Bay smarter than all of us. And their takeaway is after years of far of an Aaron Rodgers, there is no we have so much equity built into the franchise. We have a new stadium, upgrades. The experience for the fans is we're not gonna lose any cheeseheads. So Green Bay can be smarter than all of us saying, hey, we're gonna go slow on this thing, because I think Green Bay already knows. We don't have Burrow here, we don't have Herbert here. What we want to make sure is it doesn't become Trey Lance. What we want to make sure it's not a first round pick who never gains confidence. So Green Bay could be just saying we're gonna go We're gonna air on the side of conservative, which is pretty easy in the Midwest, more conservative region in the country. We're gonna go conservative. We're not gonna worry about what the coastal elite media says. So they may be smarter than all of us. But when I watch it and he's averaging four point six yards in a temp with a good old line, he faced the least amount of pressure of any quarterback last week in the preseason, all time to throw wide open, Muskrave missed the deep ball, didn't get there on time. Really easy bootleg, can't screw it up plays. It's telling me what they think right now of his progression.

Still a little surprised they're dogs to justin fields in the open.

That's two to have.

Well, it just it almost feels like a trap Chicago, but he loves Chicago. Now, I guess this show started the Chicago run. Everybody's on the Bears.

Down, well, not everybody's on the bear. I like you. You are a higher on the Bears than a lot of people. You're you like Cleveland more than me.

Well, I don't understand why Cleveland is liked. I don't, It's just it's puzzling. Anyways, let's get to to a tongue by Loa. He had a good year, but he had multiple concussions. He's been working hard this offseason to avoid missing any time this year. Dolphin's safety Brandon Jones sees the fire in his eyes. He has that it factor and we need that. He was balling last year and I can see it in his eyes now that the vengeance of unfinished business. He's coming back with a vengeance.

Hmm okay, all right, yeah, I just want him to be.

Going back with some jiu jitsu as well.

I don't know what it is, just could he be as long as he's upright, they're a good team. They're a good team, like their coach like it. Yeah, there's not There's not much I don't like about him. I'm just worried about If you told me he'd never had a concussion, I would picked them to get to the playoffs over the Jets. And I do it with conviction.

Super Bowl sleeper.

Absolutely, absolutely a Super Bowl sleeper if there wasn't the concussion issue. Because the concussion is not any injury you bang your knee up. Nobody in the media, the fans, the medical community aren't gonna bang on you if you play twelve days later. If he gets anything resembling a concussion, you can't play him for a month. Well, on that division, a month is the season.

So they got Mike White back up. All right. Final story, Joe Burrow and Mahomes are one of the NFL's best new rivalries after the back to back AFC Championship Game clashes and now NFL MVP odds have been released and Burrow is a slight favorite, yeah over Mahomes despite the CAF injury. You see the odds here plus six hundred for Burrow plus six fifty Mahomes. Josh Allen who was the favorite last year's third. Justin Herbert is fourth, Jalen Hurts is tied with him.

I don't, I don't. This is probably the order I would go in. I don't. I don't. You know, Mahomes doesn't have a true number one receiver, and so much of that Burrow does, Alan does, Herbert does, Hurtz does, so a lot of his yards.

Borough could split part of the vote with a guy like Jamar Chase on his own team, who's putting up and put Mike insane numbers.

Again, Yeah, these are I'm not really an Awards guy, but I think this, This feels right. I think you and I both agree. The Philadelphia is going to pull back a little, schedules harder than what it was last year. Nothing here, nothing here surprises me.

That's who I It's hard to tie up your money on NFL MVP odds for like five months. You know, it's just not a market you want to bet into with a ton of confidence.

And I also feel like so much of like I feel like this in the NBA, Like when when when certain players get m vps like embiid it was really an anti Jokich vote more than it was a pro EMBIID vote. That was just the media decided they were over Yokic. Yeah, and and like when Westbrook, when Kadie bailed on Westbrook, Not that Russell didn't have good numbers, but it was a bit of a hey, it's a sympathy vote. This guy got dragged by k D. Which it's mobility, it's not anything. But I feel like, you know the mv P in sports, once media gets involved, they're rooting for better stories. It's not like Yo kich is clearly right now the most valuable player for any team. M B can't win a second. I mean we've seen it year after year. He's not healthy, he misses games, he doesn't get along with all teammates, he doesn't deliver in may, Jo Kich is the best player, but they voted anti Jokis more than pro MB.

So what if your buddy says Colin, I found one hundred dollars on the ground and I have to bet it on someone to win the MVP. Who would you take a Burrow?

Okay, because he has two good receivers. They went and spent money on a left tackle offensive coach. They have running backs, but they're not run reliant. My only concern with Burrow is the Steelers defense twice is and Miles Garrett and the Browns defense twice. So, I mean their schedule has I mean, you're just not going to score that many points off Pittsburgh. There's just no TJ. Watts unblockable you just I mean, I literally think they went and upgradeed left tackle just for TJ. Watt and Miles Garrett, like in their division. That's four games. I would say TJ. White Miles Garrett, those are the two best pass rushers in football. So if you're wondering why they spent that money in the left tackle, it's like those two players, that's why. And they're both, by the way, in their prime. So J Mack with a news.

Well that's the news, and thanks for stopping by the Herd Line News.

You know I was talking. I started the show saying I think Denver, Cleveland, and Dallas and I'm not saying they will, but they do have the feeling that they could unravel very quickly. There's just situations there. A lot of it's centered around the quarterback or expectations. Do you have a team one team and again I'm not talking about a team, that's bad. If Houston wins five games, that's not imploding. Chicago last year, that's not imploding. It's who they are. Is there a team that we really feel like, not like I have a feeling it's Buffalo for you, it's not because I think we're over dramatizing Buffalo's erosion.

So here's the only thing you say imploding. Denver didn't make the playoffs last year.

Well, and it was the first game. They couldn't run the clock. They had to hire a coach just to run the clock.

So can a five what were they five wins? Can a five win team implode further?

Well? I think it has to do with good roster, high expectations. You got a Hall of Fame coach and potentially a Hall of Fame quarterback that your expectations with Sean Payton are to be significantly what's there over? Under nine? People think they're a ten win team.

I don't want to beat up on the Giants, but are they in the mix? They could only go down, They're not going getting better than they.

Yeah, they're hard to say because don't we feel basically, I mean, if we're totally honest about the Giants they got in because of the Vikings. I mean they got in because I mean, if you take the Viking games out, what's the season. I mean Daniel Jones had two great games against the Vikings.

I mean remember their season opener. I think Mark Sanchez was here, He's going to call the game. I'm like, I like the Giants. And then you watch that game and the Giants get super lucky. Remember they went for I think they went for two or so. There was some like late game called Brian Dable made the right decision. Yeah, I got a little bit lucky and like three of those wins. I'm talking major luck. So the Giants would be at the top of my list for implosion. I think the Minnesota Vikings might be second.

Well, you pointed out something on the Vikings that I thought was interesting, and I just read something yesterday or the day before. Somebody else had your feeling. They probably got it from you that you made the point that the Dalvin Cook move is really the organization saying this is the last year of Kirk Cousins.

Yeah, it feels like they're getting their salary cap in order. The new GM last year, the new coach, and they want to like put their imprint on the team, and like, you're not getting fired if you one how many games thirteen wins last year.

Yeah, no, he's sad.

They're fine. They're not going to get fired if you know, they win seven games and miss the play So I can see Minnesota pulling back saying, Okay, Kirk Cousins, thank you for your time. We're gonna move on.

It won't be a drama fueled implosion. It will be more of an erosion that the team is privately, you know, Like I've said this about the Dodgers this year. What's amazing about the Dodgers. It's not their most talented team, but the chemistry they've gotten all these guys at the trade deadline, they've over delivered, but you could see they pulled back, let Cody Bellinger go, let a couple guys go, because they're saving money for show. Heyo Tani. So like the Dodgers are doing what the Vikings are like, we want to win games and go to the playoffs, but we pulled back on some salaries with an eye on the future. And the Dodgers are, you know, typical of the Dodgers delivering in the regular season. It's what they do. They've got everything in that organization's great, But I think Minnesota could do the same thing, Like we want to win the division, but we're really setting the table for next year.

The other one would be the New England Patriots. Now you talked about Belichick hot seat grasping its straws with Zeke Elliott. I mean, once he's at plotting for two point three yards per carry and the media is killing him in Boston, it just feels like that could unravel. Colin from Mac Jones and Bill Belloch I agree.

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Good to have you in on a Wednesday. So do we have I haven't looked at the schedule this week for preseason games. So last week it started on Thursday, then Friday, and I spent a ton of time watching really bad football, mostly really bad offensive lines. But there's some storylines that e merge. And so this is the second week. Remember we've cut the preseason down in a three games instead of four, so a couple of weeks left, a couple of games left, and then we are ready to go. You know, I was thinking about this this morning when Zeke signed with New England.

Is that.

Belichick? Apparently, according to James White, who was such a nice I think he went to Wisconsin. Such a nice player for New England, great hands out of the backfield. His prime days were in New England. He's talking about Bellichick and Zeke, and apparently Bill always loves Zeke.

He's a proven veteran. No, he may not have the fifteen hundred and sixteen hundred reussing yards like he was having his first few years, you know, in the league with that Dallas offensive line. But he can be a very productive back. And I know Bill Belichick has always had, you know, a great time talking about some of the best backs in the league and Zeke. I know he's a big fan of Zeke. Whenever we would compete against those guys, he would always talk him up. So to have him on his roster, I know he's loving that.

Zeke, Cam Newton, Reggie Wayne, o, Jo Sinko, Mohammed Sanu. Bill romanticizes football constantly. Unfortunately he does it in personnel. We need an intervention here. We were talking about this this morning as we prepped for the show, that if the coach of the Patriots and the GM of the Patriots were two different people in Boston, they would demand the GM get fired. I mean this past draft, they're a slow offense. They drafted two kickers in three guards. Bill's constantly romanticizing the past. He should be a baseball manager. He can't do personnel. Zeke's past his prime. Cam was passed his prime, Chad Johnson passed his prime, but he quote loved those guys, yet won't put his arm around Mac Jones you know, it's like he's become close to retirement. Guy that becomes infatuated with classic cars. Unfortunately, we're trying to win an F one race here. Okay, there's a place for classic car guy. It's not the Monaco Grand Prix. And that's what the AFC is. You can be two things, a legend and then sort of over your skis as cultural changes happen. Greg Popovich could never put his arms around the three point shot, and Belichick is completely toned off to offensive personnel.

It's bad.

The only Pro bowler he's had in recent years that you know he drafted is Mac Jones, and I swear to god, it's almost trying to implode the situation. He doesn't want him to have too much power. In fact, it is almost impressive when you consider their recent drafts, that Belichick has gone five hundred without Tom Brady. It's sort of impressive. So I saw a story this morning apparently the Patriots rookie Malik Cunningham is generating buzz at quarterback. Is he any good or does he just look dynamic because the team is so slow? Where did he get drafted? Did he get drafted? I mean, he's a nice college quarterback and he's kind of fun to watch play. But again, Bailey Zappi, Malik Cunningham, Cam Newton, can we put our arms around mac Jones? So yeah, it's just you know, when you were young, do you ever remember this? You'd go to grandma's house and it smelled weird and there was a lot of antiques and you didn't want to bump into anything because you'd break it. Most of the stuff wouldn't go for much money at a garage shale. Like it's like, that's that's sort of where New England's becoming. It's grandma's house, doesn't right smell right, It's a lot of stuff that's not worth anything. They've overpaid for some items, Hunter Henry and you're not getting a ton out of it. Nelson Aguilar, Like, does everybody get here that if there were two separate people with the Patriots coach GM, you'd want the GM fired. But we do this in sports, We kind of put our arms around the past. The one thing of always loved about the NFL. They don't, they don't, they don't do when rearview mirror stuff. Baseball is paralyzed by its history, just paralyzed by it, and football's not. They're always evolving, changing rules. I mean, we were all clamoring, and I'm a casual baseball fan. I mean, how long were people saying, get rid of the defensive shift, let's speed the game up pitch clock. I mean like that, it was twenty years of people saying, now the game is too slow. Baseball now has to cut the number of games. Never will greedy owners. There's no urgency with baseball. The ratings are up a little this year, but in the end can't have one hundred and sixty two games doubled the NBA season. So I think Belichick's almost got sort of a baseball field. I think he's buddies with Tony Laruss. He's got a baseball field. He really loves the past. He romanticizes that he has these players that he likes. He always likes Chad Johnson, he loved Cam he loves Zeke, Reggie Wayne. It's like they got nothing left. It's the end of their careers. If he'd loved him seven years ago when they weren't cheap. So I and I'm not saying Zeke doesn't have some value. He's always been a good pass blocker, but the Patriots O line is never a real issue. Mac Jones has time to throw. What they need isn't a running back that blocks. What they need is a home run hitter, and they don't have one. And zek Is I think we showed the numbers earlier. If you go to Zeke, maybe it's the style of play. His rushing yards per game have gone from one o eight ninety eight, ninety five, eighty four, sixty five, fifty eight. I mean it's it's he's average. The last couple of years four yards are rush and last year three point eight yards. So I don't know. I understand people can can like the move because he is he can catch the ball and he can block, and there's value in that. But when you combine that with Devonte Parker, Jujus Ms Schuster, Cam Chad, Reggie Wayne, you feel like we need an intervention here. It's just not good enough. Albert Brier top of Next Hour. You know, I was saying, you know, we were talking. I was thinking about this, So we talked about this, j Mac. So people, you know, they they struggle with change. You and I don't. For whatever reasons. I think we both moved around the kind. But people, by and large, they struggle with change. That's okay, but think about this. Oakland is losing the A's, Seattle lost the Sonics. Kansas City and Vancouver lost NBA teams. Okay, San Diego lost the NFL, and LA didn't have an pro football team for twenty years, LA when the Pac twelve imploded. Does everybody understand very few things in life have a lifetime guarantee. And so right now, I read a story this morning that, like Callen, Stanford can't find a home. Maybe Cal is not really a pla. It's an academic power, but like sometimes you felt they liked rugby more than football. And so if you don't commit the football, I mean, really commit, don't tell me about they got new facilities. That's the baseline to compete for recruiting, just upgrading facilities. Stanford tried to win, had Bill Walsh as a coach that Jim Harbaugh, Stanford's tried to win, has committed to winning. Cal football doesn't. I've had some good quarterbacks, but you don't keep a program alive. I got nothing against Cal. I think Oregon State wants to win in football, but has some limitations. Cow's got rich alumni. It's in one of the techiest places in the country, and I look at all this stuff in sports, and folks, I'm a West Coast guy. The PAC twelve, in an era when there's a million new TV channels on cable and streaming, could not get a content deal. Everybody pickleballs on the air, slap fighting league, pillow fighting. Everybody is dying for content. And the PAC twelve could not get a TV contract. Why because their perceived value isn't the market value. They were arrogant about it. So when you combine their arrogance and the fact that they didn't commit like the Big Ten, the ACC, the Big twelve, the SEC, maybe it was just time for the PAC twelve to end. I was saying this morning to a friend. Cal's an academic power, arguably the best public university in the country. What if they just downgraded Andy and they don't win the Sears Cup like Stanford or UCLA does, where they're great in other sports, they're fine. What if Cal just doesn't that football? Well, the A's are losing baseball, San Diego lost football, Seattle lost the NBA. Kansas City when I grew up had good NBA teams I'm not saying Cal has to give up football. And I know they've put some NFL quarterbacks in the league. I mean Villanova put Howie Long in the league. I mean it's but when I look at all this stuff, there aren't very few lifetime guarantees. I mean, balls are going away, CDs, landlines, DVDs, stuff goes. And you know, I've argued this for years. You could chop off four pro teams in every league in America. Nobody would miss them. You could go to the NHL, lop off four teams, NBA, NFL, I could go. We could do that as a segment someday. So a college football programmer three just doesn't do football anymore? Or is it a tiny conference? People miss stuff that truly matters. How much of that stuff mattered. You can't find a home now. Maybe it's to you problem

The Herd with Colin Cowherd

The Herd with Colin Cowherd is a thought-provoking, opinionated, and topic-driven journey through th 
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