The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 09/12/2019

Episode Date: September 12, 2019

Sam Darnold is sick and Colin says the Jets season is over and the Patriots have already clinched the division before week 2 has even started.  He says the Rams will crush the Saints this weekend because they were the better team last year even without help from the refs and are the better team now.  Plus, Greg Cosell of NFL Films talks about Dak Prescott and Lamar Jackson being tough to evaluate after week 1 because they played against horrible defenses  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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.

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where doping is not only legal but encouraged it's the enhanced games some call it grotesque others say it's unleashing human potential either way the podcast's superhuman documented it all embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the Best of Hurd 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 Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. This is the best of the herd with college. Alan Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a wild Thursday. This is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening live in Los Angeles,

Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. One hour from now, Greg Kosell, as good as any segment we do on this show, our NFL meat sandwich, one hour from now, NFL films 40 years, Greg Kosell. Joy Taylor is joining me, and we've got news. morning, Joy. NFL game tonight, Carolina, Tampa, but news this morning. It's, uh, I would say it's unbelievable, but it's the AFC East, so. It is believable. Yes.

The Patriots have clinched the AFC East. Sam Darnold is out for Monday Night Football against the Browns and Baker-Mainfield. First of all, in a personal note, I'm bummed out. I'm bummed out. I wanted to watch the game. It was, Vegas has it as a two, three-point game. I thought Cleveland would probably win it, but it would be close. It would be fun.

These two guys, you know. I think Baker's good, but he turns me off with all the personal stuff. And Darnold, I love him. I think he's a great kid. Not Mahom's talented, but a great kid. So I wanted to watch this game. Donald's got mono. He's out.

He's not only out now. He's out for several weeks. It's contagious. They don't want him around the team. It's out. And it bums me out personally because I couldn't wait for the game. This was going to be Darnold Baker. I was going to have a huge Tuesday rating because you're all going to come in.

If Baker won and crush me and if Darnold won, I was going to crush you. I was so excited for it. And it's done. Now, I want to say this. Over half the playoff teams last year in the NFL lost week one. So week one, you can lose week one. It doesn't mean anything. So when a team goes 0-1, who cares, right?

Like over half the playoff teams, four division winners last year, lost in week one. But I will tell you the jet season today is over at 0-1. It's over. First of all, their schedule is brutal. Now they're going to a backup. This is a wildly dysfunctional organization to begin with. Seasons over. They will go 1 in 5 or 0-and-6.

over the next get. They're going to lose now. Cleveland's going to crush them. They're going to lose at New England. They're going to lose at Philly. They're going to lose to New England again. It's 0 and 6. 1 in 5 at best. Seasons over for the Jets. When Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield came into this league and Joy as my witness, I said, they're going to have to overcome dysfunction. And Baker, I said, may be undone, unraveled by his organization. Well, Baker's already on his second head coach.

I don't think any of you think Freddie Kitchens is going to be Baker's Belichick. They've already got a GM who gave away their second best offensive linemen, and the Brown's offensive line was overwhelmed in week one against Tennessee. So it looks like Baker's going to have to overcome a rookie head coach who's over his skis and an offensive line that is bottom five in the National Football League. Sam Darnold now is on his second coach and his second. general manager. In the draft, the previous general manager had two jobs, figure out corner and figure out receiver. They didn't address either one of them. Then they whiffed on their third pick,

their first pick in the third round. He's a head case. He's already been cut. They had a really good kicker last year. They released him. They had a wide receiver who couldn't stay healthy. They gave him an extension. He's out for the year. The four highest paid players, MRI for Lavian Bell. The receiver's out for the year. Leonard Williams has a groin issue. Sam Darnold's got mono. They've got to keep them away from the troops for probably 10 to 14 days. Season's over. But ask yourself this.

Of the five quarterbacks taken two years ago in the first round, who's winning games? The last one picked. Lamar Jackson. Why? Part of it's because when you get picked at the end of the first round, you go to a better team. The Patriots, the Ravens, the Steelers, the Red. Lamar Jackson, elite head coach, elite organization, stable GM, stable roster. look at how well the Ravens have put things around Lamar Jackson.

They got him tight ends. They got him receivers. They got the O line. That's why Lamar's winning. That's nothing against Lamar Jackson. But this is what I said about Baker and Sam Darnold. When you get drafted in the top 10, look what Josh Rosen's already faced. Arizona and Miami.

His career is almost done. He'd not even played really more than a full season yet. So Sam Darnold's out Monday. Jet season's done. Baker will win. good for him one and one. That schedule is rough, though. But remember, Michael Jordan and LeBron James

are the two best basketball players I've ever seen in my life. This is the NBA where over half the teams make the playoffs. This is the NBA where an individual player can carry you between the two best basketball players ever because of the dysfunction they inherited in the NBA, it took a combined five years to even win a playoff series.

This is a league where half the league makes it. LeBron and Michael. Michael, the first three years, struggling, playoff. LeBron didn't even make the playoffs for the first two years because they had to overcome, you know, the bad owner, the bad GM, the bad roster, the wrong coach. And that's in basketball. In football, you can be great, Andrew Luck. What are you going to do with a bad GM, an impulsive owner, the wrong coach, no O line? So Monday's game, which was going to be so much fun for all of us, Cleveland wins.

they're one in one, it'll be a blowout. And the Jets, Sam, darn, I thought Baker was going to have to overcome a lot of dysfunction in Cleveland. Look at what Sam's already having a deal with. It's a mess. I mean, and now Sam's sick. And done, season over for the Jets. And I'm not one of these people that is, oh, my God, because I actually believe a lot of

O and one teams are really pretty good. I think Carolina, lost, didn't hurt him, Chicago, Steelers. It don't matter. Adam Gase this morning. He knows the season's over. Pretty somber making the announcement. And then 14 has mono. It will be out for this game.

So Trevor will be starting. And Luke Falk will get elevated at some point and be the backup. Yeah. Jets, week two, season over. Baker and Sam are both going to have to over. overcome a lot of dysfunction. Lamar Jackson, he's 1-0, made the playoffs last year. They looked like the best team in their division.

We're all vulnerable to what we inherit in life. Story number two, big game this weekend, Rams hosting the Saints. Of course, last year they met in the playoffs, controversial ending. New Orleans hasn't stopped complaining about it. I thought it was very interesting to listen to Sean McVevales. talk about last year's call and then one of his players talk about it. Here's, they play this weekend. Here is Sean McVeigh talking about that call last year and the game coming up.

Obviously, nobody's going to sit here and say that that wasn't a pass interference. And that's why it led to some rules being changed. And I think everybody, even though that plays benefited our team, nobody wants anything but a fair game. And, you know, those clear and obvious plays that we can avoid, we want. want to be able to do that, and that's exactly how we feel as a team too. That's coach speak. But players tend to keep it real. Keep it 100.

So here is my quote of the year from Akeeb Taleb. Here's how he sees last year. That's a New Orleans problem. It's not an L.A. problem. That's a New Orleans problem. That's not an L.A. problem. And here's the other problem. L.A. was the better team last year.

That's why they won. Yeah. Yeah. Did you see the stats last year? Who had more yards in that game? Rams. Who won time of possession? Rams. Who was a better team in overtime? Rams.

Who had more sacks? Rams. Who had more tackles for losses? Rams. Which defensive line was more dominating? Rams. Who had better coaching in overtime? Rams.

I know New Orleans. You still want to whine about that thing? Rams were the better team. The Rams outscored the Saints in the fourth quarter and overtime. I don't know if you paid attention to football the last, I don't know, 100 years. If I outscore you in the fourth quarter and overtime, I'm going to win every single time. And that's what the Rams did. The Rams upgraded after a bad first quarter.

They adapted well. They modified things. They regulated stuff. They were the better coach team. Rams were the better team. regardless of this call. And as Akib Talib said, that's a New Orleans problem.

That is not an L.A. problem. And the Rams will be the better team on Sunday and win on Sunday and went again on Sunday. And they're going to win again and again because the Rams are better than the Saints. We have made so much. You live in L.A. So I picked a Patriot in the Super Bowl over L.A. You know, I, you know, I didn't think the Chargers were going to end up in the Super Bowl.

I live in L.A. I don't think the Lakers with LeBron are going to be great this year. I live in L.A. USC football I've been banging on for three years. I live in L.A. I don't think the Dodgers are going to beat Houston or the Yankees in the World Series. I live in L.A. It doesn't matter if I live in L.A.

Rams are better than the Saints, and they were better last year than the Saints. And I can't watch them play on Fox Sunday in the game of the week. Be sure to catch live editions of the game. The HARD weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard 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 athlete 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 beaders 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 in 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, or 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, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hard Way and listen now.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app. or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. 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? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. A rep. My mama want you to wave at her. What?

Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is a strange press conference. Now, the Chicago Bears last year were a very good team. I had predicted, Vegas predicted, I predicted they were going to pull back. They were one of the teams I said, they'll be fine because I like their coach. I love their defense. I think they have a very smart young general manager.

But this is one of the obvious teams. San Francisco is obviously going to be way better. and Chicago is not going to be nearly as good. These were easy predictions to make. I said San Francisco, double their wins, bank it. Chicago, they're going to be closer to 8 and 8 and 9 wins, not 13, not 12. So I'm not taking credit for something. A lot of people saw this.

Every smart person I know in the league said they're coming back down to Earth. All my Vegas guys, my sort, nobody thought Chicago was going to duplicate last year. In fact, that picked Green Bay to win the division. I'm not sure Chicago's a playoff team. I think they'll be close. But this is troubling. And one of my, I think the primary issue I have with Chicago is, I wouldn't have drafted Mitch Trubisky.

I didn't like him in college. I think he's a nice kid. I think he's an alpha. I think he's a guy's guy. He's a good kid. I'm not building my franchise around him. I think he's got a very, very limited upside. But this is troubling.

So they lost in week one to Green Bay. Yesterday they hold a press conference. They bring out a PR person to stand next to him to make sure he doesn't say anything they don't want him to say. Can you walk this through just kind of everything you're evaluating and you're deciding whether to give it or keep it for a thrust? No, I was told not to talk about the last game. Was it Adam amongst other people that were moving on? The Cowboys let Dax say whatever he wants.

Patrick Mahomes, commercials, talk shows, this show, that show, says whatever. he wants. Deshawn Watson, freedom behind the mic, freedom on the field. This is the third year for Mitch Trubisky. It's not a rookie. Like, I get protecting rookies. The Baltimore Ravens protected Lamar Jackson last year, and they'll probably still, to some degree, protect him a little this year. This is year three. You've got to take the training wheels off. I mean, the Dallas Cowboys keep telling you they trust Dak. They put him in commercials, they put him in front of the mic, They give him opinions on the anthem controversy two years ago. They give him he can have opinions on Ezekiel Elliott.

They give him phone numbers for people in the organization. He can call people. He can talk. The Cowboys keep telling you, we trust Dak. The Bears are telling you we don't trust Mitch, on the field or off it. And by the way, I've heard he's a good guy. He's a likable guy. He's a guy's guy's a hell of an athlete.

He can move around. He reminds me a little bit of a poor man's jihad. Jimmy Garoppolo. I think he's more athletic, not the thrower. But teams tell you what they think of their quarterback without saying it. Kirk Cousins threw 10 passes last week. Well, they had a big lead. Tom Brady's had big leads his entire career. He still throws it 29 to 34 times.

The Rams have big leads all the time. Gough throws it 25 times. Kirk Cousins threw the ball 10 times last week. The Vikings are telling you what they think about Kirk Couss. without saying it. And when I watch that press conference, that is the Bears telling you how much they trust Trubisky. Because I watch the games.

You know, he's got the headset. He's getting every play. They're telling him, don't audible. Matt calls the plays. Listen to Matt. Which I get for rookie quarterbacks, young quarterbacks. But that's not. Watch what the Cowboys allow Dak Prescott to do and say.

That tells you what they think about Dak Prescott. They trust that. This team doesn't trust Trubisky. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Big Ben sent something. The Steelers got humiliated in week one, right? They got humiliated at New England, not the end of the world, right? Big Ben in the locker room said, listen, let's chill out.

No big deal. Here's Big Ben. It's not like all of a sudden we have to go back to the drawing board and start, you know, doing this, just, you know, scratching everything, crossing everything out. Where do we go from here? It's just we all need to start. with myself, play better. And it's nothing drastic on anybody's plate.

It's just little things here, little things there. Now, four division winners last year, four, half lost in week one. But if you go 0 and 2, the numbers drop dramatically that you're in trouble and will miss the playoffs. Big gap from one loss to two losses. So we're going to play a game called something or nothing. Little something or nothing. We're going to take the six teams that either have an elite roster, an elite

coach or an elite quarterback, was their week one lost something or nothing? Let's start with Chicago. To me, it was something. Now their own one, they face their former defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, who knows everything Mitch Trubisky can and can't do. Denver, since the merger, at home in weeks one and two, is 51, 8, and 2. It's the hardest game to win in the league since the merger at Denver altitude weeks one and two. Mitch Trubisky's last two starts offensively. Limited. And oh, by the way, the NFC North, Minnesota's good, Green Bay's good, Chicago's good.

This is now arguably the best, most competitive division in the NFL. That loss, it's something. Carolina, that's nothing. They're going to trounce Tampa tonight. They lost to the Rams. The Rams won the NFC and have the best young coach in football. By the way, Cam wasn't 100%. He made some very nice plays in that game.

They were in it until the end. And again, next week, they play Arizona with extra rest because they're playing tonight. So if they lost them in 0 and 2, they'll be 1 and 2. And oh, by the way, their division, New Orleans, Atlanta, Tampa. Nah. Number three is Cleveland. Their loss. it was something, 18 penalties?

Listen, when they traded away their second best offensive linemen to the Giants that didn't like it, and their offensive line was overwhelmed by Tennessee. That's not something that's going to go from that to great anytime this year. They've got to address it in the offseason. Good offensive linemen just don't become available. By the way, 18 penalties, rookie head coach. I don't blame that on Baker. I could have easily hammered Baker, and he had three picks,

one pick six. Their schedule, they'll beat the Jets, gets very tough after the Jets, so that loss was a little something. Atlanta. It was something. And I like Atlanta, but let's be honest about this. Have you seen their schedule coming up?

Philly Titans at Houston, Rams, Seattle, at Saints. That schedule's brutal. And by the way, Mike Zimmer's a very good coach for Minnesota. He's 5 and 1 in openers. But their offensive line got worked. They didn't look ready to play.

And if they lose this week, Dan Quinn will be on a major hot seat. So you'll have to deal with that distraction. That loss is a little something. Pittsburgh. It's nothing. They lost to Brady. They almost always lose to Brady. It was in Foxborough.

Listen, every time they play Brady, it seems like, They don't only lose, they just look bad. They're also working on two young receivers, Juju Smith-Schuster and James Washington. It's not going to be developed overnight. It should also be noted. They play a West Coast team with an early start. Seattle has never been good, going east early starts.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have, over the last 10 years, had some really bad Sundays. I mean, they've had, they're not in a new one. England consistent. They have had bad Sundays. They almost always bounced back from them. They still have the best offensive line in the AFC. I don't think it was anything.

Finally, Houston. Houston, nothing. Listen, they outplayed the Saints. They led into the final second against the Saints. This week, they play the Jags backup quarterback. Their division,

Nick Foles, no more Andrew Luck, Marcus Marriota. Deshawn Watson is easily the best quarterback in the division. Laramie Tunzel left tackle. Listen, their offensive line did not look great. He's a great start and he's going to get better. Houston's loss means nothing to me. I think that the best team, best quarterback. I think they have potentially the best left tackle in the division.

They have the best receiver in the division. Bill O'Brien's fine. They don't have a GM. They're not buttoned up organizationally. So in review, Carolina's loss doesn't mean anything to me. Pittsburgh's loss doesn't mean anything to me. And Houston's loss doesn't really mean anything to me. Chicago, Atlanta, Cleveland, don't feel great.

Something or nothing. 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. Let's go to Greg CoSell. 40 years now, NFL films. Somebody I rely on. We called our NFL meat sandwich. He is the most objective guy in the business.

We ask questions. He gives us answers. So let's start with this. I mean, listen, Dallas, the offense was quick. It was rhythmic. It was fast. And I know we can say, well, well, I mean, it's week one. But Greg, on film, it did look more rhythmic. Dak did look more comfortable. Did he not?

I would say he looked comfortable without question. I would also say that performance by the Giants defense was a ton of open receivers. He made a couple of really good throws, but I don't know what to say, Colin, beyond that. You know, I think we've reached the point, and I'm sure we're going to get to this with Lamar Jackson as well, where when NFL quarterbacks make throws that every NFL quarterback should make, if it's a quarterback that we've not thought of as a great passer, we then say, oh, my God, these are unbelievable throws. I don't know where to go with that.

You know, when he hits Blake Jarwin, who's wide open, and he hits Randall Cobb, who's wide open, and there's no defender within 10 yards of either player, you know, I'm being honest. I'm just trying to be honest, because I've been watching tape since 1991. I've seen an awful lot. You know, now with social media, you get a lot of young. kids who are 28, 29, who are writing, and they see things, and they go, oh, my God, I've never seen that before.

And then I watch their Twitter feed. I go, I've been seeing this for 30 years. So I don't know what to say in response to quarterback hitting wide open receivers. Well, I guess, so let's go to Lamar Jackson. So, I mean, obviously Miami's bad. Was there something you saw with Lamar where you saw growth, or was it just bad defense overmatch personnel? Tell.

He hit to Brown was an RPO in which the post safety totally abandoned the middle of the field, which he should never do. And he hit him on a quick flant, which any quarterback could make that throw. And he ran 47 yards for a touchdown. The long one was an example where they rush three with what's called a mush rush because they're obviously concerned about him running. So there's that factor in his game without question. It was actually a pretty cool concept because they put four receivers to the boundary side of the field,

the short side of the field. But Minker Fitzpatrick totally squatted, and Brown just ran right by him, and he hit him a wide open receiver on a long pass. So, he'll mean. And by the way, what I'm saying is not a knock on back Prescott-A-Lamar Jackson. I'm just trying to figure out when quarterbacks hit open receivers if that's an indication that they're great throwers at the NFL level. Let's go to Kyler Murray, really ugly early. got into some rhythm late. I thought Detroit looked a little gasped late because they played temple offense. What did you make of the performance early and late? You know, I'm fascinated more by

what they did tactically because they lined up a lot with what we call 10 personnel, meaning one back and four wide receivers. And I think that's going to be a foundation personnel package, which you don't see very often in the NFL. And obviously they line up in shotgun. At times they have David Johnson in the backfield. At times, he split in an empty set with no one in the backfield. And, you know, Matt Patricia chose to play a lot of nickel, five D.Bs against four wide receivers. And I think it'll be interesting as the year progresses to see how teams defend that, because I don't think teams will defend it with five DBS going forward.

So we'll see. But, I mean, that to me was the most fascinating thing about what they did. And then he do a lot of those misdirection concepts with Kyler, who certainly can run, that it'll present a challenge until teams, I think, figure it out, and then Cliff Kingsbury will then have to respond. That's the chess match at work, and I love that part of the game. Let's go to the Green Bay Packers. You know, it's funny.

People go, well, they were a little choppy, but I would argue this is Green Bay's new reality. Mike Zimmer's an excellent defensive coach. The Bears have excellent defensive personnel. First six, seven years in the league, Minnesota couldn't find the right coach or quarterback. The Bears were dysfunctional. The Bears, I think, are more functional. I think Minnesota now has the right coach. So I think Aaron's new reality is, you know, the seven years of blowout wins and MVP stats,

I mean, if you're playing Chicago twice a year and Minnesota twice a year, that's 25% of your schedule. I think that win Thursday for Green Bay, I think a lot of his wins going forward may end up looking like that, which is Aaron made one or two great plays. The games were close. They were in doubt late. Or did you see something with Green Bay that did concern you at all? Well, I'm not sure yet exactly what they're going to be. on offense. It was a preseason game. Rogers

had not played yet, so it had the feel of a preseason game. You know, I think watching the tape, I wasn't sure exactly what they were trying to get done. I'm sure if Matt LaFleur was on the other line, he'd tell me exactly what they were trying to get done. You know, I'd like to see them involve

the run game a little more. They started do some of that in the second half. Maybe that's something to build on. You're right, they're going to play some really good defenses. You know, I'm just not sure yet what they are. You know, I think this feeling that Aaron Rogers is just every week is just going to, you know, bail you out, I'm not sure that's going to be the case anymore. So, again,

it's week one. I'm not sure yet. So I watched the entire Rams Carolina game. Gurley was very good late. Cam had his moments, but I've never loved his mechanics. The clearly the Carolina Panthers are making McCaffrey, a big centerpiece of that offense. He is getting his carries. Any takeaways from Cam, Carolina, the Rams. I thought it was a very interesting game that could have gone either way. Well, here's my takeaway. My takeaway was really, I think when you play the Rams, there's two things from a Cliff Notes version. You've got to take away the outside zone run game and all the in-breaking routes. Okay, the Patriots did it one way in the Super Bowl.

Carolina did it another way, week one. You know, kind of overlooked in all this as Jared Goff in the Super Bowl and week one did not throw for many yards. And I'm going to be very curious to see how Sean McVeigh responds to this because Carolina did a total differently than the Patriots did it because there's many ways to do things in this league. Right. But they're taking away what they do, what their offense is sort of founded on. And I think now that the burden is a little bit on Sean to figure out how he wants to respond to this. Yeah.

Well, obviously, the Pittsburgh does not match up with Tom Brady particularly well. And I know some people are suggesting it's because Pittsburgh just goes into his own. Tom Brady eats it alive. It's simplistic coverage. I don't have an answer for it. I just know that when you put the precision of Brady up against the Steelers' emotional defenses through the years, I don't know what it is, but he just picks him apart. I mean, that was what did you make of it?

I think the takeaway from that game to me was the number of snaps to steal a tight end on the field. The Patriots played more snaps in that game without a tight end on the field than they played all of the 2018 season. Now, that may be specific to that game, or it may be something they're going to. going to do. And I guess if Antonio Brown is able to play, we'll see how all this plays out. I mean, they theoretically, you know, we talked about the Cardinals playing with four wide. If Antonio Brown is able to play and there's no off-the-field issues and, you know, everything works, they have four wide receivers they could put out there with a back, like a Burkett or a white who are excellent receiving backs, and that's a tough deal for a defense.

And with Brady's, you know, internal clock and sense of timing, he's not a guy who holds the ball in the pocket. So that's something to me that will be fascinating to watch. Let's get to the big play of the week. It's a Tom Brady play to Julian Edelman, take it away. This is something that they do exceptionally well. And let's just see the play first as we run it. Here they do they do have a tight end on the field, by the way. So what do they do? They go play Edelman and, you know, he looks, he's wide open. This is a staple. This is an identity play for them. They line up in 21 personnel, two backs, the eye formation, straight off. Now, Devlin here, he's actually, well, let's start with Edelman as well.

Look at how tight to the formation Edelman is. That's really an important part of this play. This is going to be an ISO-lead look. Now, what you're going to do is you see the tight end cross the formation. That's something they do often. Actually, Devlin's going to try to work up to the linebacker, not to the defensive alignment. So he's going to block the linebacker. But look at the two linebackers.

Look how they react to the ISO lead run action. They go at it hard, and all Edelman does is run right behind them. They do this every week against every team in the league, and Edelman is normally the recipient of this. Gronk was the recipient for years, but play for the Patriots. They do it out of ISO lead run action, identity play for them. Yeah, through your years, 40 years, Greg Coasell, week one, half the teams, over half the teams that made the playoffs lost in week one. Is there anything you see in a week one, a particular game that was, you know, I mean, obviously, Miami's personnel's bad. What do you take from week one?

I think you have to be careful about any major takeaways, unless it's an identity thing. But in other words, if you're talking about an individual player, either good or bad, you have to be careful. But, like for instance, we know Minnesota, that's the way they want to play. Now, Kirk Cousins won't throw 10 balls every week, but they're establishing the identity by which they want to play. You know, we know that Kyla Murray and Cliff Kingsbury, that's the way they want to play. But as far as individual players, I think you have to be careful, good and bad. It's one week. Teams are not defined yet.

And to make bold definitive judgments about what teams or players are after one week, I think is really problematic. To me, doing this for as long as I have. One more, one thing that did jump out to me, the Giants made a, excuse me, the Browns made a trade because they wanted another pass rusher to get Olivier Vern. they gave up one of their better offensive linemen to the Giants to get that. I thought it was a little bit of a risk because I think Baker's a guy that is not as athletic as people think. When I watched Tennessee's defensive front kind of manhandle the Brown's offensive front in portions of that game, that felt problematic.

Can you solve an offensive line in the middle of a season? Did you take anything away from the Brown's 18 penalties offensive line overwhelmed? Well, I do think the offensive line could potentially be an issue. It's not a really strong unit. And offensive lines tend to get better as the season progresses. So I think you have to take that into account. Now, we'll see. You know, I think that was a game where Dean P's the de-coordinator

who's been doing this for a really long problem for a young inexperienced quarterback like Baker Mayfield. And I like Baker Mayfield a lot. but you have to understand how many starts he's at. Right. You know, we're so quick to annoyant, and hey, maybe I fall into that category too, but I think you just have to be a little careful, you know, about anointing guys, and they'll learn.

They'll learn from this game. And don't forget, Freddie Kitchens is... Yeah, no, and Tennessee's got players. They've been nine and seven, three straight years. They have a very good offensive line. They added some pieces on the perimeter. I have my questions about, you know, Marcus Mariotta, but let's not just talk Cleveland. Tennessee's got real players, Greg.

It's a coordinator I thought did a really good job. They understand Marcus Mariot's strength. They understand his limitations. You know, when you call a shot play on your first series and it works, that's obviously something that's a real positive because they called the shot play and they hit A.J. Brown for, I think, 51 yards. You know, when you hit Derek Henry on a throwback screen, the same play they tried earlier in the game that didn't work and they came back to it,

you know, that's really, that's great. You know, so I think they understand the two Walker touchdowns were brilliantly schemed. Yes. You know, those were schemed one-reed throws. Now, look, that's what offensive coordinators are supposed to do. I mean, there's a lot of quarterbacks over the years. Great quarterbacks who have been schemed really well. The throws are defined, and they make them.

And that's what coaching is supposed to times in games where, you know, if a quarterback is to be great, where he's going to have to make tough, tight window throws that can't always be schemed. Good stuff, Greg CoSell, NFL films. Good talking to you. All right, Colin. Thanks. 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 athlete 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. 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.

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Learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard 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 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, 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, 42. Hey, ref, Mom, I'm a mom. want you to weigh better. What?

Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. So for years, I've been doing Blazing Five and loved doing it. And I used to pick college games. And then Fox Sports Bet came and is part of our family now. And I said, let's do three great college games every weekend. And I'll try to pick games. I went and looked through all the regions of the country.

I have an SEC game, a Big 10 game, and a big 12 game, and I really feel strongly about my picks. Now, college football is kind of hard to figure out in the first couple of weeks because we're all getting introduced to new 18 and 19-year-olds. Whereas in the NFL, we had a winning week. I kind of kind of know who I'm getting. I knew the dolphins wouldn't be great. Some players, Lamar Jackson, are better than I think,

but you kind of know in the NFL mostly what you're going to get. The coaches, the quarterbacks. But college football, now I really. really feel like I've got my guys. So we call this every Thursday at this time to end our show, my three college bets. We call it Marquis 3, and here we go. Ready to make some sweet cash, Colin's going to give you his three sure bets for the college football weekend.

It's time for the Fox Bet Marquis 3, Arizona State and Michigan State. I'm taking Michigan State to win and cover minus 14. Arizona State starting a freshman quarterback. They'll be bumps. They were not good on the road last year. The story of this game, though, Michigan State just had their best offensive performance in five years. They're always about defense. They led the Big Ten last year in every defensive category that mattered.

Brian Leworky is the quarterback. They played great and have this year on offense. Now, their defense allows only 12 points a game this year, minus three yards rushing per game. I never worry about their defense. They're one of the best coach defensive teams in the country. Scoring is an issue for them. This is a revenge game last year. Arizona State, Herm Edwards, remember it?

Shocked Michigan State. I think they go on and win and cover. I'll take Sparty 33 to 17. Iowa and Iowa State. Upset, I'm taking Iowa State plus two and a half. They've won their last seven games at home. and they have a young quarterback that a lot of people like. The last 10 games he's played, Iowa State, always good at home, is 8 and 2.

His name is Brock Purdy. Now, he did not play against Iowa last year. Since he has played, they're averaging 31 points a game and 409 yards of offense. Here, this game's always close, by the way. So I love the points, and I love where Iowa State's going with their staff and Brock Purdy. Iowa, of course, Iowa, the big state school, they'll be missing their best offensive linemen who will be out for this game. I'm going to go Iowa State with an upset. Take the points, 30 to 24.

Florida and Kentucky. Love Florida. Like it, I love it. Okay, Florida's got the right coach, Dan Mullen. They finally got the right coach, and their offense is humming. They've had 500 yards have the Gators in four of their last. six games with Felipe Franks. In fact, as a quarterback in the last six games,

70% completion percentage, 12 touchdowns, two picks. That's Dan Mullen. Dan Mullen's a great offensive coach. Here's the other thing I like about Florida. Have you seen their pass rush? Yikes, it is SEC pass rush all the way. First in the country in Sacks and Kentucky quarterback

Terry Wilson, who won at Florida last year, got hurt, and the kid that backs him up, Sawyer Smith, is not mobile. He is going to struggle with his pass. rush. Now it is in Kentucky. It's your classic SEC game with a big crowd, so Florida won't play its best football game of the year, but I'm going to take them in that pass rush to give the backup quarterback fits 33-23-23 Gators. All of our odds brought to you by Fox Bet. I think John, guys, may go 3-0 this week. Don't want to brag, but I got a good feeling about that thing.

Very good feeling. Take Michigan State to win in cover. Iowa State upset. win and Florida Gators to win and cover. Florida thing, that Florida game could get out of hand. Florida may roll them, but I think Kentucky will probably play well at home. They're well coach, good first half. But it's nice to see the Gators finally got the quarterback right and the coach right because that program, I've covered it before. When they get rolling, watch out.

There's a lot of talent for a state school in Florida. 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, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline.

And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy,

Guy not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, 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. Hey, it was good, y'all. You're listening to and learn the heart. way with your favorite therapist and host Keir Games. This space is

about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability

that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast, guaranteed human.