The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 01/16/2019

Episode Date: January 16, 2019

Colin says of course the Patriots dynasty has gotten some breaks because all dynasties do.  He loves Andy Reid but even he thinks that this is the year Andy needs to finally get over the hump.  Plus, FS1's Nick Wright talks about the AFC title game and why Luke Walton might be out as Lakers head coach soon.  Presented by Perky Jerky. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

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Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Clivert Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. you just understood. That's how personal it got.

Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to her. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeartRadio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the Best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by search watching herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports Radio.

Ah, here we go. This is the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We are live in Los Angeles and packed today. Wet Los Angeles, rainy Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me as always on a Wednesday. Nick Wright. Derek Johnson, former Kansas City Chief Star,

I'll be joining us in studio. How are you today, Joy? I'm great. Good morning. Good morning, good morning. So I read a headline today. Headline today said, Tom Brady has fewer postseason road wins than Mark Sanchez. Woo! That is amaze balls.

Of course, Tom Brady never plays on the road in the playoffs. That is pretty much the entire story. I hear this a lot, and I understand, fan is short for fanatic. People go to games, pay money, love their team, love their city. But I hear this a lot. Well, I mean, New England has feasted on a lame division.

That's a real break. You are absolutely right. You are absolutely right. But do you realize every current dynasty got a huge break, or they would not be a dynasty? Think about Nick Saban. This is a 10-year dynasty. Tennessee football top 12 program been a disaster.

LSU can't get an elite coach. Either can rival Auburn until recently Georgia was a mess. And Florida just now got the right coach. If Nick Saban was facing an elite coach at any one of those schools annually for the last 10 years, they're not getting out of the SEC. They're probably still winning 10 and 11 games. But Florida has been a dumpster fire. has been a dumpster fire.

LSU, Auburn, can't get a world-class coach. Georgia just got one finally after eight years of Nick kicking their pot. That's not to say Alabama wouldn't be great. You wouldn't have this dynasty. Let's talk about the Golden State dynasty. They got a huge break. Steph Curry got hurt very early in his career. And he signed a skimpy contract, tiny contract.

a good player contract. He instantly, next year, becomes MVP. The contract allows them to fortify their bench, keep Draymond and Clay, and add Kevin Durant. You do realize pre-Durant they lost in the finals. You do not have that dynasty without Steph Curry's injury. The Troy Aitman Jimmy Johnson Cowboy Dynasty. Oh, they don't won games. They'd have been good.

but the New York Giants and Bill Parcells, they were good in that division, better than Dallas. Bill Parcells left. Ray Handley took over. They became one of the worst coach teams in the league. And Joe Gibbs was making Washington a power in the NFL. He retired. They hired Richie Pettybone to Norv Turner.

They've since never recovered. If Bill Parcells and Joe Gibbs are going toe to toe with Jimmy for years, he's not getting out of that division. every year. And if he is, he's beat up. He doesn't have home field. He's losing too many games in division. Look at the Spurs dynasty. There was a big break. Shaq and Kobe, Phil Jackson, you had the two best closers in the league, the best coach, and at the time the Lakers were the number one free agency brand. Tim Duncan and the Spurs do not ever have a dynasty. First three years, they're winning titles.

They get along. Del Harris years. They get along. Then they get a divorce. And then the Spurs dynasty starts with Tim Duncan. When Kobe and Shaq had won three straight, Kobe still had six prime years left. Shack about four. Those are just the prime years. They still had the best coach. They were the number one brand in the NBA for free agents.

Saban, Cowboys, Spurs, those dynasties got huge breaks, or they're just really, really good teams that win a championship like the Seattle Seahawks. Yes, the Patriots have feasted on the Bills, Jets, and the Miami Dolphins dysfunction. And every, every dynasty needs a big break or two. Michael Jordans didn't start until the Pistons got old, until Larry Bird's. leg fell apart. They weren't beating those teams before. I wouldn't consider that a break,

but it should be noted. Michael Jordan's legacy and dynasty elevated when the Pistons and Celtics simply got old. Couldn't beat him before that. Now, I don't classify that as a break like the Spurs got with a Shack Kobe divorce, Sabin with the dysfunction in the SEC,

or Steph Curry rolling his ankle, allowing them to build this monster roster. But before you put too much into the Patriots dynasty just curling up and dying, they would be hosting Kansas

City this weekend. Because they had the tiebreaker, beat them early in the year. They would be hosting Kansas City and be beating Kansas City this weekend. If not for an incredibly bad break, gronk on the field, on a Hail Mary, and a gronk, of course, is the

NFL's worst safety. If not for that, implaus, plausible, inexplicable finish, the Patriots would be hosting the AFC championship and favored over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. All right, let's shift gears to this. There are four teams left, New England, Kansas City, Ram Saints. If you are an NFL player, and unless you're in these games, the other 28 teams, there is one team you have to root for.

you have to root for the Rams if you're a player. New England has been bad for players. New England rolls their eyes at stars. New England doesn't pay anybody. Even Tom Brady is not a top 8 to 10 paid quarterback. New England is winning with depth, underpaying virtually everybody. They're winning with a system.

That's not good for players. For years and years, journalists didn't make anything. You had the CBS News Division. CNN covers the world. And then Rupert Murdoch created Fox about outspoken individual political commentators. And they beat CNN. And now people like Rachel Maddow can make over 10 million a year. You should send Rupert Murdoch a thank you.

He changed the paradigm. It was no longer about having the beefiest news division. It was about having people with strong opinions left or right that people became huge fans of, and it made a lot of people rich. But the Rams are different. Something happened last year in the NFL. Philadelphia decided, we're going to go big on free agency. and they beat the system, New England.

And what happened? Jay Glazer discusses what happened after Philly won splurging big in free agency. Last couple of years, free agency's been a bad game of fantasy football. Guys whose names are big who are getting overpaid and you just don't win that way. You don't build. And a lot of teams realize that. They're like, we're not doing this. We're not going and throwing a boatload of money than Domagin's,

and all those guys. It's not a huge type of market because it just doesn't work that way. It's you got to build through the draft and you got to, you got to smartly go get an Andrew Whitworth. But then all of a sudden, the Philadelphia Eagles happened last year. And the Eagles went out and they got guys like Alshan Jeffrey and the Chris Longs. And then they traded for J.I.

They almost played this game that has become taboo in free agents. And all of a sudden, Philly had success with it. And that's why I think you see all these teams this year. They have changed their ways. They're like, oh, because it's a whatever you've done for me lately league. Absolutely. So Philadelphia last year went big into free agency and beat the system. The Rams this year went big into free agency.

And in this copycat league, if they beat New Orleans, get to the Super Bowl and win it, great for players. Amari Cooper going to Dallas, winning the division. Great for stars. Kalee Mack going to Chicago, winning a division. great for star defensive players. This is a copycat league. If you're a player, you are rooting for the Rams.

You want to not only sign with a team for four years, but then if you outperform your team, go on the free agent market and the best teams come after you. That's leverage. That drives your price up. NBA's always been about free agency. I've been following the NBA for 40 years. It's always about collecting stars.

The NFL, New England's been, the opposite of that. New England has said stars the silly teams. The teams that aren't prudent, aren't responsible. Miami, Buffalo, Houston, the silly teams go after free agency. Rams win this weekend off the Eagles championship last year. March and April, NFL free agency will be absolutely huge. You should root for your own economy. That's not saying as a player in any sport, you don't want to win championships. You have families, you have legacies,

you got bank accounts. Teams will move off you. Be ready to move off them. Players this weekend, root for the Rams. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app.

Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Kansas City is favored by a field goal at this weekend against New England. And I'm reading stories about, you know, Andy Reid's only two and six against Belichick. It should be noted. Belichick has coached 342 games in the NFL. And seven times he's surrendered 40 points.

Andy Reid's got three of those. Annie Reid's giving him trouble. In Kansas City, he's two and two blowout wins and two very narrow losses, including a game in New England earlier this year. There were moments you thought they were going to win that football game. So he's two and two against Belichick. He's outscored New England and Belichick since he arrived in Kansas City. This is not a coaching disparity.

Andy Reid's, in my opinion, as good a coach as the NFL's ever had that has not won a Super Bowl. In fact, I think he and Don Corrielle, who coached the Chargers for over a decade, are the two great coaches in the NFL, Marve Levy, perhaps, that don't have a Super Bowl. And the gap between what fans and many media think of Andy Reid and what executives in the league do is the great. San Canyon. He along with Sean McVey and Sean Payton are the three best play designers in the NFL. He's got a tremendous eye for personnel. He's considered the best teacher. Every player with Andy Reid gets better. Quarterbacks get better. Quarterbacks play their best. His coaching tree is phenomenal. But in sports, if you don't win a Super Bowl, you get dinged. I get it. Marve Levy got dinged.

Eric Correel's not considered a Don Shula because he could not got close, could not win a Super Bowl, and Andy gets dinged. I will say this, though. And I love Andy. He's got to win this weekend. There's five advantages for Kansas City going in. Number one, they're at home. Go look the last five years in the NFL.

Home matters a ton at this point in the season. Number two, they've got an MVP at quarterback playing his butt off. He is not at a debit to Tom Brady. Number three, they have a significantly better offensive roster in an offensive league. They had seven players make the Pro Bowl for all pros, which is the real list. The other thing that I think are advantages for Kansas City is number four is the Patriots are coming off virtually a perfect performance. You almost never see it in the NFL. In fact, one of my rules when I do my Blazing Five is, who was great last weekend?

They generally come down to Earth. Who was terrible last weekend? they usually go back to their normal spot. New England played the best football game I've seen them play ever in their dynasty against a talented team. They did everything perfectly. New England was perfect. You don't duplicate that in the NFL. And number five is they have an extra day of rest and preparation.

You don't think buys matter an extra day for Andy Reed and that staff to find some tells, to, you throw in a couple more play designs. It's an advantage. Perhaps not huge, but there's five advantages. And here's the thing to come full circle. There are people that I have supported Jim Harbaugh, for instance. I've supported Jim Harbaugh. And I've said Ohio State's a better football program historically than Michigan.

Michigan's a great university that has football. Ohio State's a great football program that has a university. Ohio State's a better football program. Okay. Bottom line here is Jim Harbaugh has to win now because Urban Meyer retired. This year, I'm going to be rough on Jim Harbaugh. He's got to win the Big Ten. You can't have Ryan Day beat you.

Yannis, I've been hearing for six years how great Yonis is. LeBron left the east. You now have to win multiple playoff series and get to the Eastern Conference Finals. If 60 Minutes is going to do pieces on Yonis being the next great star in the league, LeBron's out of the east. You have to get to the Eastern Conference Finals, and you probably need to win it. Sorry if you can't beat Victorola Depot in the Pacers. Al Horford and the Celtics.

LeBron did by himself. You have good players in Milwaukee, a legit coach, good GM, win the East. And the third is Andy Reid. At home, MVP quarterback, superior personnel, New England coming off a game you cannot duplicate in this league. It doesn't happen. And you have an extra day. And he's got to win this weekend. And I've never felt that.

never been a, I think there's a lot of big games. But this is one, if Andy loses, I can't come on the air Monday and go, I mean, come on. These critics, it'll be like, all right, they looked a little tight. All right, they blew it. For the record, Patriots have 12 draft picks and are in a much weaker division than Kansas City. Okay. So Kansas City is not going 14 and 2 and 13 and 3 the rest of the way.

At some point, they've got to pay some of these guys. And secondly, their division's really good. Their division... New England's going to win 12 games next year. You do get that, right? Sam Donald may knock him off once with Adam Gase, Greg Williams, great special teams coach, but they're going to win 13 games, 12 games again next year.

And he's got to win this weekend. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations. with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff.

Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Ms. Parker.

Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? This Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast, Point game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nasree. He has to guard Julius R.

Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're a Patriot fan this morning, I, of course, am not a fan. I am a judge impartial.

The audience is... You're impartial to us on Brady. I am completely impartial. But you would have to feel great if you're a New England fan. You're playing with House Money. You're an underdog. You've been a great cold weather team. If you are a fan of Kansas City or lean emotionally toward the Chiefs, it has to be a nerve-wracking time.

And with that, Kansas City resident for a long time grew up there via the cowardice. Global Satellite Network. Nick Wright, first thing's first co-host. All right, let me guess. Let me guess. I want to hear you. I broke it down brilliantly in the opening segment, which is every dynasty. Oh, you did.

Every dynasty needs a break. Nick Sabin's faced a bunch of powers in the SEC who can't get coach right. Shaq and Kobe get a divorce allowing Duncan to dominate. And Steph signs a tainty contract after he hurts his ankle, which allows them to fortify their bench, get Kevin Durant. And New England, yes, has had a little bit of a break in a dysfunctional division. but you are not by any stretch overconfident this week. Are you with New England?

No, I'm not nearly as confident that the Chiefs are going to beat the Pats as I was certain they would beat your beloved Indianapolis Colts. I mean, wake me when Andrew Luck plays a good playoff game on the road and wake me when he plays a competent playoff game outdoors. But I guess that's neither here nor there. That's a discussion for next year when it's someone's fault other than his. But the chiefs are the better team. The chiefs do have the better offense.

They do have the better quarterback. They do have a home field advantage. And speaking of the home field advantage, Colin, if I'm not mistaken, Kansas City is the only big city in America you've never been to. That's true. That's actually right. That's the only top 30 city in the country I've not been to. Yeah. Yeah, I know this.

I've done my research, sir. So let me just help you out a little bit because I heard you yesterday say that evidently the folks in Kansas City must be used to some tropical climes because they're going to be too cold to cheer. Yeah. The only people that found that more absurd than I did evidently are the Kansas City Chiefs because about eight minutes ago they tweeted out a clip of you saying that just with LOL from the official team account. So that makes for the FS1 staff, you and I won a piece. The Eagles tweeting out a clip of me saying they can't win the Super Bowl right before their parade for winning the Super Bowl. And the Chiefs tweeting out a clip of you saying the fans are going to be too cold. Colin, I know you've never been there, man.

It gets cold in Kansas City, bruh. There's a lot of cold weather games these Chiefs fans have been the two, and they have cheered their way through. So the Chiefs should win. Now, is it possible the Patriots win? Of course it's, there it is. That right there. There's your beautiful face. Is it possible that Patriots win?

Of course it is. And are the Chiefs, is the line right? Yeah, they should be about a three-point favorite. But they are the better team. And one last note, you said you're the impartial judge, right? Yes. Well, listen, if I was, if I had any trial involving the New York Jets, I think I'd get it thrown out on appeal. because I think I just saw the impartial judge fistpump

when he heard Greg Williams was the D-Coronators. I just, if the court will allow, but go ahead. Okay, well, I do think the chief should be favored. And I do think there, this is a moment for Andy Reid. Like Jim Harbaugh next year, okay, Urban's gone. I'm not defending you. Go win the Big Ten. LeBron's gone, Janus.

You got to get to the Eastern Conference finals. There's no excuse. Good coach, good players. I do feel with Andy Reid, who I love, though, you would acknowledge this is one of those Andy has to win. There is a little pressure here on Andy, a little. Oh, 100%. It's the only thing missing from his resume is a Super Bowl, a Super Bowl win, and you're not going to be better positioned than you are right now. You might be as well positioned, but you are playing, instead of playing a team in the Chargers who has

been to that building in one. You're playing a team that's been awful on the road, a team that you have enormous success against as far as scoring points. And Colin, I'm going to throw a stat at you that might blow your mind. The chiefs have not allowed 30 points at home, this is per the action network, in 34 consecutive games. The second longest in the NFL is 16. So you have a defense that has actually been good at home over the last four plus years, and you know the offense is getting to 30. The offense stopped trying after halftime against your overrated cults last week and got the 31.

They couldn't do anything in the first half in New England the first time around and got to 40. They have a quarterback who's having one of the five greatest seasons any quarterback has ever had in NFL history, so the Pat's going to have to get to at least 32 points to win this football. game. I don't know if they can. I want to segue to the NBA. I said yesterday, the people I trust in the NBA and scouts and executives I've leaned on for years said, hey, there's a lot of talk in the NBA with Luke Walton right now. They couldn't beat the Cavs. Caves are awful. Couldn't

beat the Knicks. Three and seven before last night without LeBron. The offense has plummeted. And, you know, Magic and Rob Polinka didn't hire Luke Walton, although. I think they like him. And LeBron can be restless to be diplomatic with coaches. My takeaway is this is a perfect year to be patient if you're a Laker fan or an executive because it's a warrior's title to lose. What say you on Luke Walton, LeBron James, going forward, patience, no patience. Where do you land on that?

Listen, I think the easy conversation that people in L.A. want to have, I'm going to talk about you. I'm talking about the people. fans of the Lakers is, should we fire the coach? Firing the coach or keeping the coach is not going to right now fix the major concern with the Lakers. And by the way, LeBron's not going to be back these next two games. He's not going to be back the next three games. When he comes back, the earliest he'll be back is the Timberwolves game. When he comes back, they'll be at best in 10th place. But that is not on Luke Walton. I agree with you, they should be patient. It's that Brandon Ingram and Lanzo Ball are the

exact same players they were last year. Where has, who isn't, I want to know who with the Lakers is in charge of player development and why do players not develop? Why did DeAngelo Russell not develop until he left? Why did Julius Randall blossom into the best player he's been the moment he left? Why is Brandon Ingram statistically the exact same player just slightly less efficient year two to three. Why is Lonzo Ball the exact same player year one to two? The point of blue chips is that they evolve. Who is in charge of player development and why is it not occurring?

Whomever that person is the person that needs to be held accountable. Maybe that is Luke Walton. I'll be honest, I'm not certain who it is, but it's not occurring. So either you're drafting players who have no growth potential, I don't believe that's the case, or the team. team is not developing its talent. That's the concern. By the way, finally, I don't know if you have you given your picks yet, you like Kansas City clearly. If you talked to NFC, if I said to you this morning, Super Bowl this year will be Nick Wright? My pick from before the playoffs, Saints Chiefs, and so that's the one that I would go with. And I know you're probably going to hold off on your picks because you're going to be moving lines. America's waiting. You're 8-0 straight up.

You're 6-1-1 against the spread. Listen, I'm aware. I already know where this is. is going. I am going to present you an offer, though. Okay. Okay? And I think it's totally fair. The chiefs are three-point favorites, right? Yeah. I'm going to give you a half point. So I'm going to tilt it way in your favor. I'll take Kansas City minus three and a half. And I feel like this is a totally even bet. We'll just go one of my paychecks against one of your paychecks. Listen, let's not get in. I think betting is, really, if you really dig deep, it's immoral. I don't believe in betting. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

Weren't you wearing literally an all-money suit this weekend? It was a prop. Of course, that's not how I truly believe or dress. Uh-huh. And didn't you, didn't you tweet to me on Sunday when I tweeted you about this game that you've already made your wager with a money bag emoji? Didn't that happen? Yes.

I actually, this weekend I am breaking some personal rules and morals and values. I am betting both these games this weekend. All right. Well, listen, like I said, I feel like it's totally fair. I can't imagine there's a major I mean, I don't know what you make, but I assume it's the same as me. So let's just go paycheck to paycheck, brother.

You appear to be breaking up. We're losing Nick, right? The satellite is breaking up. Great talking to you, buddy. Nick Wright, first things first. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. All right, so let's go back one year ago to today.

Jacksonville was getting ready to face New England and Minnesota was getting ready to face Philadelphia. Two of those four teams imploded this year, disappeared, eroded significantly. Jacksonville badly, Minnesota, clearly. This is not strange. The NFC has not had one team that has made the playoffs three straight years. The NFC will not be the same next year.

And outside of New England, chances are either will the A.F. C. Success outside of the Patriots is not guaranteed. In fact, listen to this. The last three final fours, 12 teams total, right? Or 12 teams. Six didn't make the playoffs. Half didn't make the playoffs the following year. But it goes more than 50 percent because New England was obviously in that final four every year. You lose your best coordinators, Philadelphia. You lose free agents. Case Keenham left the Vikings. You lose top assistance.

You have a tougher schedule following year. You have a worse draft pick. And frankly, egos. Teams get this far. Guys want to get paid. It is really hard. It is 50% on average of the teams that get here disappear. And there are four teams this year.

Two of them, I know. know we'll still be good next year. New England's got the best coach in football. That won't change. It is still mostly a dysfunctional division. That won't change. And they have 12 draft picks. Also, they're getting their top pick last year.

Back he got hurt. So it's like 13. New England's going to be fine. Brady, say what you want on almost every Sunday goes into a game and is the best quarterback. Almost every Sunday. New England's going to be fine. Kansas City.

they're going to be fine too. Now, their division's tougher. But they have one of the best coaches in football. That's not going to change. Patrick Mahomes may not be MVP, but he's a real deal. And they've got like seven star players. They're going to franchise D. Ford. They're all coming back.

They're all coming back. Kansas City and New England are going to be good next year. Now, I'm not saying they're going to get to here, but they're going to be real good. No drop off. No chance of that. They're going to be really good teams. Kansas City's division is harder. Still the best team.

You know, coach, quarterback, owner, all that stuff. All right. Let's go to now, New Orleans. Their division is a little flakier than we think. Tampa Bay is kind of flaky. Cam Newton, I think we've seen the best of him. Atlanta is a good organization. But year to year, a little bit of a coin flip.

Well run, yes. Successful every year. Me. I think New Orleans, Drew Breeze, Peyton, a lot of young players, still on rookie deals, a tremendous defensive line talent, underrated offensive line, tremendous home field advantage. Again, kind of a flaky division. I think me real good.

Keep your eye on the Rams. Keep your eye on the Rams. A lot of things in Los Angeles. Think about this. They only have five draft picks. Five. They gave up a second rounder. They gave up a third rounder because this was.

about winning this year. They're building the stadium, getting PSLs, wanted to sell tickets. Only have five draft picks. Number two, their offensive line, they need five picks for that. It's old. Andrew Whitworths 37. If they won a Super Bowl, how do you know he just doesn't retire? Got a lot of money, good dude, big family. John Sullivan's the center. Old, little creaky, 33. That offensive line's getting old, and they only have one really high-end offensive lineman, young guy they love. Number three is they keep losing really good assistance. This is what happens when you become the hot team. Atlanta a couple years ago dealt with this.

Your assistants start getting head coaching jobs. That's just the reality of Sean McVeigh. The Sean McVeigh effect. People are going to poach this staff. They already have. Number four is, I think we saw it this year about November. Todd Gurley, man, you can only pitch a guy 250 innings so many times. You can only give Todd Gurley so many carries.

we're starting to see some wear and tear on Todd Gurley. Number five is this division's not getting worse. Kyle Shanahan's getting Jimmy Garoppolo back. They got a lot of money to spend in San Francisco, and they got a lot of draft picks. San Francisco is going to be a pain in the butt. And by the way, as long as Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson are together, Seattle's a tough out.

That division's getting better, not worse. And it's not dysfunctional, though Arizona has proven it can. can be. And finally, they're a year away from paying Jared Gough. So they're thin now. They're top heavy now. What happens in 12 months when they pay Jared Gough? The Rams are a very interesting team. Now, they'll still have Sean McVeigh, and I like not love Jared Gough, but I see wear and tear with Gurley. They got a draft, they got five draft picks. They could do worse than taking two of those on the offensive line.

And we got a Sean McVeigh effect. This staff's getting poached like crazy. They just had their quarterback coach hired, you'll find this out in a couple of weeks, to coach an NFL team, Cincinnati. The quarterback coach. Forget coordinator. Forget play caller, their quarterback coach.

One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand when ever you'd like. All right, four or five years, we were on this big thing. For four or five years, I kept hearing this argument. Aaron Rogers, goat, Brady second. Or Brady won, Rogers, Two, greatest all time.

Apparently, Joe Montana, John Elway never existed. Peyton Manning never existed. I always said, you do get that, like, Tom Brady, got a ruminous house full of trophies. They're not, that's a stupid argument. And then I had something, I said something during the middle of this year. And I said, and it was perceived as a hot take. I said, the eight best quarterbacks I've ever seen in my life.

It's not just about Super Bowls. This is about talent, playoffs, records, your impact to the league, your impact in the city. What did you overcome? What did you play with? The eight best quarterbacks I've seen. And again, there's a lot of different. It's Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Terry Bradshaw, John Elway, Dan Marino, Aikman, and Breeze.

Now people said, well, you're just saying Troy Akeman. No, no, no, no, no. Leadership, playing hurt, toughness, dominating a great division when Washington, giant and Dallas were power. Those are eight best quarterbacks. But the one that got people worked up is Drew Breeze. It was a hot take. Was Aaron Rogers?

And I said, he's right on the outside, right next to Brett Favre and Steve Young, and maybe Dan Fouts. And isn't it interesting? I'm crazy hot take, right? I was, whoa, you're just, and I said, no, let's talk about impact to a city. Whereas Aaron Rogers was given a championship roster, a championship level head coach, and championship momentum in front office, Drew Brees was given the Cleveland Browns with a port, Katrina, Bounty Gate. One guy was given the laughing stock of the league that had one playoff win in the history of their franchise.

The other player was given, arguably, the most iconic franchise in the NFL, with championship level players, great momentum, terrific front office, very good head coach. So that's not close. Also, let's go through four or five things. If Drew Breeze wins this weekend and goes to the Super Bowl, and they are favored and, you know, most people like the Saints. If Drew Breeze gets to the Super Bowl, and if he does against Kansas City or New England,

that again's going to be a field goal game. If Drew Breeze wins the Super Bowl, and again, they're favored at home this weekend to get this. there. Super Bowl titles against Aaron? Check Breeze. NFL records, not close. Check Breeze. Impact on a franchise. Drew Breeze, folks, is the Saints. Aaron Rogers is arguably not the Packers' best quarterback ever. Impact on a franchise is not close. Leadership qualities. Well, I don't know. One guy has former teammates constantly calling him out. one guy is revered

where 300 pound offensive linemen literally do we have the piece of tape? This is what happened when an offensive lineman Zach Streif retired recently. For the past eight years I've played in front of the most prolific pastor in NFL history.

Drew Brees has been the single greatest motivation for me as a player. My greatest drive as a player was not to let you down. You're the greatest leader I've ever been around. and I admire you so much as a player but more as a person. I will miss being around you on a daily basis. Thank you for everything that you've done and continue to do.

Leadership, check, Breeze. By the way, I'll just throw this one out here. On his way to a Super Bowl, do you remember that year? Drew Breeze beat Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, Hall of Famer Brett Farve, and Peyton Manning. Roger Super Bowl run beat Michael Vic, Matt Ryan, and Caleb Haney before beating Big Ben. You thought six, eight, ten weeks ago that was a hot take.

The hot take today, if Breeze gets to another Super Bowl is Aaron Rogers is all time better than Drew Breeze. Does impact to a franchise matter? Does leadership matter? Does Super Bowl titles matter? regular season. Records matter. Gang, it ain't close. It ain't close.

It is a hot take to say the opposite of Drew Breeze will elevate above Aaron Rogers. Slam dunk. I will have my picks Friday. We are 8 and 0 straight up. It's a very good feeling. I'm not going to lie. So you're feeling confident because you're 8 and 0?

MVP. I'm good. Mm-hmm. Hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Oh, wait. Time out. Oh, wait.

Time out. We got an update. John, we have breaking news. Breaking news. Okay, what's the breaking news? I don't think the Arctic blast will be as Arctic as originally anticipated. What are they saying? What are they saying?

It's like probably going to be in the teens at game time. Oh, well, hell, that the whole thing doesn't matter. There's some wins, so maybe a little lower than that. It's going to be in the teens? Not, not. It's not going to be in the teens. be negative 15. So they went from Arctic Blast to La Jolla in a week.

The wind chill is it going to be lower? No, I don't think it'll be that. It'll still be cold, but it won't be that bad. That's really what it is. It's cold and then the wind chill is what drops it. There's a high of 21 that day and the low of 16. It's a night game, so it'll be... I mean, that's like basically paradise.

This is why meteorologists should be seen and not heard. One day they go from worst weather in the world to bring Burmese. That's kind of their job to make sure that they keep it updated. That's why when the weather comes... They'd be bad meteorologists as if they were like, yeah, that's the prediction.

We'll see what happens. You want to know the sound you hear at my house when the weather guy comes on? Click. We live in California. This is like the longest it's rained ever in the history of the world in California. One day in the weather changed. Yes, that's what weather does. Can you imagine being a sports guy going on and giving all the scores wrong?

A weather guy locally goes on. Arctic Blast hour later. That's not how it works. We should be a pretty. that they've updated it. This is this should change how we feel about the outcome of the game. I followed seven weather guys on Twitter. I'm unfollowing all of them. That was an overreaction. They're making crap up. Oh, coldest day ever. Just kidding. It'd be 28.

I'll admit it was a drastic swing, but maybe that weatherfront is moving out. From Arctic Blast to wear a polo shirt. You're all good. I mean, it's not that much. It's still going to be cold. Teen's 18's nothing. 18's nothing. It's kind of reasonable. What do the wise guys wear? I get asked that from time to time. The answer is the new gear from theherdnow.com merchandise store.

We are now officially open for business. We have all the apparel, diehard herd ferns, need to represent the show. Go to theherdnow.com. If you don't, that's a you problem. And that's a you problem is one of our shirts. Check it out. Theherdnow.com. Theherdnow.com store is open for business today.

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