The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 10/22/2019

Episode Date: October 22, 2019

Colin says the Jets lost to the Patriots before their game even started because the Jets are a poorly run business. He proclaims the AFC is over because the Patriots have separated from the rest of the conference. He ranks his top ten NFL teams in the Herd Hierarchy. Plus, Peter King of NBC Sports talks about the Jets allowing their franchise QB to have a microphone on him during Monday Night Football and if the Bears have an obligation to their players and fans to make a change at QB. 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.

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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 herd 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 SportsRodio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRatres. Radio app by searching Herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowherg on Fox Sports Radio. Oh, we are packed today on a Tuesday. This is The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening.

Live in LA and IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio and FS-Wan, coming up in one hour, our herd hierarchy, changes at the top. Top NFL teams heard hierarchy, and Joy Taylor is joining me. We are packed today. There's so much good sports going on. We got the NBA tonight. We got baseball World Series starts tonight. We got whatever that was last night.

It was a mess. It was not the easiest watch. I'm sure Jets fans did not enjoy too much of that. Well, you know, I want to start with this. And I really believe what I'm about to say. And I've always been a little careful to say this, but New England has really separated from the rest of the National Football League. They've separated, 33-0-0 over the Jets.

But it wasn't about last night. Even the teams in the league think about this, that we think Joy are well-run. Like, we think Philadelphia is well-run. They're 500 since the Super Bowl. And this morning, read the papers in Philadelphia. The franchise is unraveling. Well, the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rogers in his career, the great Aaron Rogers is a 500 road quarterback.

Is Brady? Well, the New Orleans Saints. How many Super Bowls Drew Brees been to? You're comparing them to New England? The Rams are what? Involved with Todd Gurley's contract, now completely limiting what they can do with that position. Even the well-run teams in this league

wake up in the morning at a deficit structurally to New England. They have separated from the league. I mean, think about this last night. That game was over before it started. And I said in the last hour of the show, I kind of predicted what was going to happen. It was worse than I thought, but we predicted what's going to happen. But think about this. This week, the Jets had an offensive lineman that refused to practice because he was injured.

The Jets fined him. It was all over the papers all week. Do you think that would happen with New York before a game with their biggest rival? I'm told, secondly, that Adam Gase never wanted to hire Greg Williams. They have an icy relationship and don't talk much. Can you imagine if I was forced to hire Joy and we had to find. fake it on the air that we hated each other and we hated each other. Yeah, that probably wouldn't be good for the show, right?

Chemistry would probably struggle. Number three is I was told by two GMs last year, the Jets draft was the worst draft they'd ever seen for a rebuilding team. And oh, by the way, they fired the GM right after the draft, knowing they were going to fire him, why let him run the draft? You knew months earlier you were getting rid of him. And then last night, they mic their franchise quarterback and allow a network to play it in real time.

They also did this to Trevor Simeon, but he's a backup. Sam Darnold's your franchise. You're trying to build confidence. You allow a network to not only, and I'll get to it in a few minutes, but not only to mic him, but then in real time, show this during a game. What are you doing against the best secondary of my life? I've said this before. I'm not going to call New England's defense the best ever, although statistically it is.

Secondary, if you don't have receivers that can beat the Patriots in one-on-one coverage, like a Julio Jones guy, then you have no chance to beat them. You have got to have an Odell Beckham. You've got to have a Julio Jones. You've got to have a guy that can literally beat them down the field. Otherwise, it is over. Listen, I'm not here to apologize for Sam Donald. He was horrific.

He was terrified. They were in his head. That's not about, but that game was over before it started. There are teams in this league. There's about seven of them. They are at a complete structural disadvantage to teams like New England. Cleveland. Baker Mayfield has to overcome Freddie Kitchens.

Washington, the Jets, Cincinnati, Oakland, Miami. Those teams lose before the game start. That's why John Wooden never yelled as UCLA's basketball coach. He'd won the thing structurally before the Bruins started games, like back in the 60s and 70s. That thing was over. You got offensive linemen being fined, don't want to play, force to play. The head coach, defensive coordinator can't stand each other.

Sam Darnold's terrified. He's Mike. They show it in real time. During a team rebuilding during the draft, you knew you were firing the GM, you let him control your draft, and it's the worst draft on a decade. What are you doing? What a mess. You know, we forget, these are businesses.

Because it's sports, we don't think about them in those terms. These are just businesses. Last night, New England's a great, a well-run business. The Jets are a mess. They're a tire fire. He got controversial stuff happening during the week. The head coach can't stand this guy. What are you doing with Donald?

He was terrible. He was terrified. We said yesterday on the show. Jets have injury-riddled offensive line. They have no receivers that can beat New England's corners. Sam's going to try to overcompensate, and I said make two or three egregious throws. How did I know it would be four? I didn't think it would be 33-0, but I think.

thought it was going to be double-digit New England win, but to allow them to be mic your franchise quarterback and use it in real time, what in the hell are you doing, Jets? Here we go. Sorry, sorry, sorry, he really said that? Yeah. Oh, man. That's the boogeing man. It's real.

That's crazy for him to say that. It just, that makes it real, you know what I'm saying? Nobody in the Jets front office, nobody in operation. raised their hands and said, you guys, he has 16 career NFL starts. This is Belichick and the best secondary of our lives on Monday Night Football. We may not want to allow this to be taped. Nobody raised their hand in the building? It's just incredible.

Nobody said, guys, let's do it against Miami. Let's do it on a bi-week if we play the Bengals. Now, let's do it against the best secondary of all time. What a tire fire of an organization. I feel bad for New York fans. Between the Knicks, the Mets, the Jets, and the Giants, you guys are getting hosed. You are getting hosed by your front offices. All right, let's shift gears to this.

NBA season starts tonight. Zion Williamson is out for two months. I'm bummed. I love him. Clay Thompson this morning, out for the year. Katie's out for the year. Everybody keeps telling me they love competitive balance and they love parity. it's kind of hard to focus on competitive balance.

The Clippers. Oh, wait. Paul George is out at least a month and Kauai's on load management, I'm told, won't play more than 65 games. New Orleans. Zion's out for too much. Boston. Well, they lost their star.

It's now a collection of B to B plus to B minus player. Sixers. Well, they lost their most captivating talent. Jimmy Butler, who now went to Miami, who's not a team with a chance to even get to a conference. What about the Warriors? You all told me you hated him. You all kept telling me they were bad for the league.

Yeah, terrible. Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, Clay Thompson, Draymond Green, and the best coach. Just terrible for the league. Does everybody realize there's a reason Avengers has a villain? That all those superhero movies all have a villain written into them? The Warriors were the bad guys. I didn't agree with it, but they were the villain. and the Miami Hedels were the villain.

And of the 20th greatest players of all time, I think 19 have been on dynasties. This league's all about dynasties. Parity is never driven the ratings. Competitive balance is not a legitimate topic. When we talk on this show about MJ and LeBron, I'll get a million and a half Facebook views. You know how many I'd get for a parody topic?

Eight. Since when? Have you ever argued at a lot? a bar with a buddy over parody. I like Denver this year. I like Milwaukee and I think Utah's excellent. Those guys aren't moving the needle as a national talk show host. You know what is?

And I don't apologize for saying this. I'm going to talk a lot of Lakers this year. I don't apologize. I'm not doing it because I live in L.A. I told you last week, they're the most interesting team. Because LeBron gives me a little villain. The Lakers give me a little villain. Anthony Davis bailing on New Orleans gives me a little villain.

and I like it. You keep telling me how you can't wait to watch competitive balance. Dynasties and superstars historically are what we watch. Good guy, bad guy, white hat, black hat, conflict. That's what we love. We love arguing about that stuff. And I'm not going to apologize about it. The Lakers are the most interesting team.

I mean, tonight, think about it. Tonight, the league opens, they have four teams on TV. The Pelicans don't have Zion. on the Raptors lost the heart and soul Kauai. Clippers, Paul George is out. Lakers, they feel the most whole, and I can't wait to watch LeBron and AD, and I don't know you don't like them, but I like talking about the greatest, not the most fair and even.

I like talking about teams that get under your skin, not about the Denver Nuggets playing really hard and having home court advantage. And I'm not going to apologize for it. You can say this year's going to be great because everybody's more even. I'm talking Lakers. I can't wait to watch them. And I think they're a little too old and I don't like their bench. But I don't buy Clay Thompson out, KD out, Paul George out, load management in, Zion out.

I don't buy. That's great for the league. More stars, have them join, give me a dynasty. I missed the Warriors already. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo SlicLife 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast.

Learn the hard way 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 Hardway 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, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everyone, it's Ryder Strong and Wilfredel from PodMeets World. And now the Pod Meets Twirled podcast. We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV, who now have covered Dancing with the Stars, traitors,

and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of this show. I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some Survivor. I obviously haven't watched enough. Did people not like it?

Yeah. Just because we... Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion in the 50th season. From the final attempts at gameplay to the desperate plea is the finalists to a bunch of... Ha, ooh. Ha, ha, ooh. Again, we are experts.

So make sure to tune into PodMeets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes. Listen to PodMeets Twirled on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So if you didn't hear, Patriots, Acquire Wide Receiver, Muhammad Sanoo from the Falcons. Belichick knows this defense is special and they're going to go for it. Muhammad Sanoo is a big, rangy, wide receiver can play in or out. They tried to draft

in the Patriots did in 2012. He went to Rutgers. You know Belichick loves Rutgers guys. High IQ. They're already on Twitter this morning. LFG. I'll let you figure out what that means. Tom Brady returns. See you soon. He was a star triple option

quarterback. Mohamed Sanoe is your classic patriot. But there should have been eight NFL teams last year. In fact, this morning, there should have been eight AFC teams that watched that game last night, 33-0. Nutting Patriots and said, oh, hell, uh-oh, we got to add something. And we wake up this morning, and it's the Patriots who are very good at collecting draft picks and then using them at the perfect time. It's the Patriots off a 33-0 win that adds something. Folks, New England's weapons now, Julian Edelman, best slot receiver in the league number one target.

Muhammad Sanoo, high IQ, veteran, inner out, big size, you're number two. 2A is Josh Gordon, world-class athlete who tends to get hurt occasionally he currently is. And now Philip Dorset can be what he's meant to be a fourth option. Oh yeah, they've got the best coach. Oh, yeah, they've got the best clutch quarterback. Oh, yeah, they'll play all their playoff games outside of the Super Bowl at home. and oh yeah, they have the deepest running back set in the National Football League and all of them seemingly great wide receivers too.

Folks, I'm going to say something and nobody has heard me say this ever. It's over. The AFC is over. Maybe Aaron Rogers, Drew Breeze, maybe they can beat Newark. The AFC's done. The Kansas City Chiefs, really, they couldn't get Jacoby Brissette off the field. They don't do anything well. on defense. Last year they at least got sacks. Now they don't get those.

Once Andrew Luck retired with that offensive line and that general manager and coach, the only thing left was Kansas City. And now Mahomes is not and will not be 100% the rest of the year and has no defense. And watches more of the game than he plays because of that lack of defense. The AFC is over. Sorry to break your heart. but Andrew Luck and my healthy Mahomes with that defense last year were absolutely threats. Kansas City's defense can't get average quarterbacks off the field and Jacoby Versette's a nice kid, but he's not Andrew Luck. If you go look at the key quarterback statistics, he's about the 17th best quarterback in the league.

That's with the great coach and a great offensive line. And the other thing New England has going for it, they face the three perceived threats left in the AFC. They face the Texans, they face the Chiefs, and they face the Ravens and the Redmond. regular season. So they're going to get a look at Lamar Jackson before they'd have to face Lamar Jackson in Foxborough. They'll get a look at Patrick Mahomes playing at 75% before they'd have to face him in 9 degrees in Foxborough. So they're going to get a practice round against Lamar Jackson and a practice round. And I'm just here to tell you, when New England gets a peak before they have to face you in the big games, you know how it goes. The AFC is over. And

It doesn't please me to say that. I know you think I'm a Patriot Homer, but I like competition. I loved watching Peyton, Manning, and Tom Brady go for it. I grew up on Ali Frazier. I like there being real competition. I've said this. I love college football. You got to give me more than Clemson and Alabama.

You know, and I love college football, but you've got to give me something. And again, I'm in the dynasties, but I like them to be challenged. I like them to have to go to a game six or a game seven. AFC is officially over. Closed for business. New England. High Patriot fans, lived amongst you for 10 years. I'll see you down in Miami.

February 2nd. 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. By the way, the Jets are now responding to the criticism that they allowed their young quarterback to be miced against the best secondary ever on Monday night football.

Adam Gase came out and said, we're going to have to reevaluate our relationship with that network. I'm not blaming the network, by the way. Networks should be asking for as much access as they can. I'm not blaming the network, the place I used to work. That's not on them. Networks, you know, we ask all the time to do things and companies go, you know, no, you're not going to be allowed to do that.

This is on the jets. Re-evaluate your decision-making. Yeah, it's terrible. By the way, I know all you think I love. I love Darnold, I hate Baker. Baker has created his own stuff. I feel dangerous, the police video. Donald is like, doesn't drink on his birthday. Donald's not a public figure. Donald hides from this stuff. This is one of these Jets officials that came up to him and said, hey, put this on. Do you think Donald really wanted to worry about that crap? That's so, I mean, it's just a

second-tier organization. And unfortunately, structurally, there's about six teams in this league, and the quarterbacks asked Josh Rosen in Miami. Baker's now dealing with Freddie Kitchens, who's learning how to be a coach on the job. I mean, this is Washington. What a mess. They let Jay Gruden leave, Sean McBay leave, Matt LaFleur leave, and Kyle Shanahan.

Four really good offensive coaches. You had them in the door, you let them all go. What are you doing? It's an offensive league. You can't let four of those guys go. You've got to keep a couple of them, right? What are you doing? Jets.

Okay. So, you know, listen. We just talked about Muhammad Sunu and how he'll fit in New England, because is he the fastest guy, the strongest guy? No, he's a grown-up. He's an adult. And New England's got a very complex offensive system.

What do you know, Odell Beckham find 14 grand for not wearing pants that cover his knees. Companies have a right to dress codes. Okay. So now we've had a watch, a visor, a necklace, and pants. Pay attention to me. Pay attention to me. Again, this organization. has four players I would build around.

I would call it my foundation four. And if you're not into the team and you're into you over the team, you're not one of them. Those four players are Nick Chubb, Baker Mayfield, Miles Garrett, Jarvis, Landry. That's who I'm building around. And if one of those guys becomes more about them,

and I think Baker's in it for the Browns, I do, and I have my issues with Baker, but you drafted him, he's your guy, protect him. Give him help. give him a legitimate head coach and a real offensive line. That's your foundational for. If you are into you, watch, visor, look at me, pants. That's just to get Instagram followers.

That's just because once he left New York, buy an Orange Bentley. He wants to get Instagram followers and, you know, keep his Google trend numbers up. And this site, a lot of you were like, oh, it's no big deal because he went out to his Instagram and said, oh yeah, like this is going to get me hurt. That's not the point. It's called a uniform, you know, i.e. uniformity. If a Delta pilot said, why can't I untuck my shirt as a pilot? I mean, it's not going to make the plane crash. That's not the point. You're trying to send a message with your dress code that you're an organization that's buttoned up because when you get on a plane, you think about safety. And you don't want some guy to have hat on backwards tie-dye shirt.

out of his pants. Uniformity equals, this is what leagues do. NBA, by the way, has got, you know, all sorts of rules. I mean, you can't, by the way, you've got to stand for the anthem in the NBA. NFL's not that rigid compared to the NBA. NBA at one point had a dress code. And that was after games. That weren't even on the floor.

That was after games. So the NFL's like, yes, you can't have your, if you looked at his knee pads, they were up, you know, around his thigh. You're not allowed to do that. But, you know, this is a classic. Let me stay in the news. Let me get attention. This is the Orange Bentley.

I want Instagram followers. I'm not into it. I think there's four guys I'd build around. Everybody else walks. This is what New England's done for years. Brady's not, the McCordy's aren't going anywhere. Tom Brady's not going anywhere. Everybody else, I mean, for a long time, they had an offensive lineman named Logan Mankins.

I felt like for about six years, he wasn't going to. anywhere. But, you know, New England moves off people. They pick three or four guys. They think they're good leaders about the team, not about money, not about fame. They want to win. I think Julian Edelman feels like one of those guys, but I even think Edelman's probably got a year left, and they'll start looking for the next guy. So you've got to build around foundational guys, and foundational guys can't be about their Instagram followers. They've got to be about the team. And that's nothing against Oda, but you got to find guys that are, by the way, there are certain people, you know, Tony Gonzalez, Hall of

fame or set it on our show. Three percent of this league is all in, totally committed, into the team, about winning. It's not about the money. They all want to get paid. I get that. I want to be paid. You want to be paid. I get that. But this is just watch, visor. This is look at me, pay attention to me. I'm not into that stuff. I said it before. Protect Baker Mayfield. Get a left tackle. You can talk about your receivers all you want. Baker Mayfield against New England could get hurt. That offensive line against that pass rush. You saw Donald last night. you got to give Baker help up front. By the way, Jacoby Brissette's not a world-class talent.

Jacobi Brissette looks pretty good because he got four seconds to throw. Baker Mayfield's a better thrower of the football, I would argue, than Jacoby Berset, right now in their career. By the way, look at Baltimore. Lamar Jackson struggles to throw it. They're winning. Why? Support, foundation, O-line, running game, big tied ends. These young quarterbacks need help.

They don't need Instagram followers. They need help, support them, especially if they have New England coming up. What's up, everybody? John Middlok from the Three and Out podcast. That's me. That's the show. Go subscribe if you like football because that's all I talk. Football, football, and more football.

Coming up on this show, Brady Belichick running circles around the league, Cowboys Eagles, the Saints. Are they really the league's best team? Lamar Jackson is what he's doing, sustainable, and Mitch Trubisky. Is he officially a problem now? Again, three and out podcast with me, John Middlokoff, go subscribe. hierarchy. Time is now, let's go. The top 10 NFL teams, according to college, number 10. I got to tell you something, Baltimore Ravens are fascinating. Does everybody realize they held

Russell Wilson to 48% completion percentage? Like, that doesn't happen in a 65 passer rating. Russell Wilson doesn't give you many of those. They're also second highest scoring team in the league. This is what's funny about them. You know, everybody's like, well, they got limitations. and they do, they're not a great vertical team. They're second in the league in scoring, folks, and I really like what I saw with their defense in the second half. Shut down the Seahawks completely. That tells me they're also well-coached.

Maybe their ceiling is higher than I give them credit for, but boy, did I like what I saw in the second half. Now you add Marcus Peters, who solves, at least for the time being, their one dilemma, which is they're not very good at corner, Baltimore 10. Number nine. I think the second smartest team, the league is Indianapolis. I think New England and Indianapolis, first of all,

second in, you know, total penalties. They don't get penalized. They don't give up any sacks. They can control the ball. They don't have great running backs, but between Brissette doesn't make dumb throws. This is just a well-coached team. Now, again, why do I have them this low? Don't overreact

to the win over Houston. It was one of the easier picks on the board. They were off a buy and they were much healthier than Houston and well-coached teams off a buy do very, very well. But I will say this. Last 16 games, they've won 13 of 16. This is a team with a brilliant GM,

a great scouting department, a grown-up at quarterback, and the best young offensive line in football. And I would argue, Darius Leonard, maybe the best young defensive player in the league, not on the 49ers. That kid is a stud.

Number eight. Houston Texans. Now, I know they lost Indianapolis, but they were banged up on the road and the Colts were off a buy. Neutral fielder in Houston, I think Houston's a better team. First of all, they have a higher ceiling. The Texans have forced a turnover in 20 straight games, a longest active streak in the NFL. They're also fourth in total offense and fourth on third down offense, which is a huge stat for me. They have an offensive line that is young and getting better by the week. Again, they had opportunities in this game, but you had a fresh, healthy Indianapolis squad. I think Houston's still going to win that division.

Number seven. Carolina Panthers. Once again, Ron Rivera's done it, built a great defense. Let's take our eyes off Christian McCaffrey for a second, and let's pay attention to Ron Rivera. Who has the most sacks in the NFL? Not the Bears, Carolina. Who has the second most takeaways in the NFL? Not the Bears.

Not the Patriot. Carolina. This is what Ron Rivera does. Now, Christian McCaffrey's great. And Kyle Allen, it's one of the four undefeated quarterbacks in the NFL. But this, once again, goes to one of my primary arguments. This is one of the best coach teams in the NFL that consistently has a top eight defense. Stop talking about Cam.

This team's been winning with running games, coaching, and defense for years. Carolina 7. Number six. Buffalo. Now, I've said this all year. Ceilings low for me, but here's an interesting staff. What have I been bragging about with the bills all year? The coaching.

They are now 3-0 off a buy with Sean McDermott. Very Belichekian. Very Sean Payton, Andy Reed. Bies matter more to well-coached teams. They have an 18-game streak of not allowing 400 yards. Tom Brady looked absolutely awful against them. Now, there are some limitations offensively, but I will say this. When they get into the red zone, they give you sevens, not threes, Buffalo at six.

Number five, Minnesota. Here's the reality of Minnesota. If they play a great defense, Kurt Cousin struggles. If they play an average defense, Kirk Cousins is Peyton Manning. But their overall roster is loaded. Receivers A, tight end, A, running back, Delvin Cook. It leads the NFL in scrimmage yards and rushing yards per game. He's great.

They get sacks. They get after you. Their offensive lines okay. It's not a liability. It's okay. But this comes down to me. Now, be careful now. They have been five and two in four of the last five years.

So they tend to start real hot here. Let's give them about three or four more weeks. But in terms of total roster, front office has built a little bit of a juggernaut. Number four. Green Bay Packers. Again, you finally gave Aaron something to work with. Preston Smith and Zadaria Smith are the only duo in the NFL, each ranking top 10 in sacks. You got two great free agent linebackers.

Didn't have to pay a fortune for him. You went and got a safety from the Bears and drafted one. You got to give Aaron Rogers accessories. Okay? You can't make Aaron Rogers feel like when he drives the Lambo. If he doesn't have a perfect passer rating, they lose. I think it's made Aaron a more comfortable quarterback, a happier quarterback, a guy that doesn't feel he has to add lib as much, meaning he'll get rid of the ball quicker. By the way, they're one of three NFL teams, top 10 red zone offense and top 10 red zone defense.

That's a very New England Patriot stat, Packers at 4. Number three. 49ers defensive front is frightening. It's just first rounders everywhere. They lead the NFC in time of possession. What does that mean? You can't sustain drives against the 49ers defense. Only the Ravens and their ball control offense have more time of possession.

I mean, listen to this stat. The Niners have sacked opposing quarterbacks on nearly 11% of their dropbacks. What? What is this like a college stat? That doesn't even make sense. It's the best defensive front in the NFL, and the defense's age? The average age is 25. So this defense is going to be salty for years.

Number two. Talent IQ coaching New Orleans Saints. By the way, Teddy Bridgewater, Drew Brees, as predicted, no huge drop-off, although I do think Drew is better. They don't turn the ball over. Five giveaways all season. How many teams go to a backup and they're just as efficient? You can win games, but you're never just as efficient.

Five giveaways, you know, NFL low, one-off the NFL low. since Teddy Bridgewater took over his passer rating, excellent fourth in time of possession. So now I don't think you can keep Teddy Bridgewater after this year. You can't, because he's going to go to the free agent market and get $18 million somewhere, Chicago. But it's a great story.

I'm happy for Teddy, and they got a lot of smart players, a nice mix of young and old and the great coach. Number one. It's not just off last night. They're putting up numbers now that are cartoonish. despite their so-called offensive struggles, they lead the NFL in points per game. They added Mohamed Sanu.

Four games this year with at least four takeaways. And again, it's a punitive defense. There are defenses that are very good, but they don't punish you. These guys just take them all away. So Tom Brady now is getting a shorter field. He is getting their offensive lines, really their only issue,

but it's not an issue when you don't have to sustain. 78-yard drives and your drives are 38 and 48 yards. They allow a passer rating of 35.6 this year, which doesn't make any sense. And again, they don't have a singular elite pass rusher, but they provide on a weekly basis a very good pass rush, ask Sam Darnold, who was seeing ghost last night. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart 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. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast. Learn the hard way 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

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growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway 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, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everyone, it's Rider Strong and Will Ferdell from PodMeets World. And now the Pod Meets Twirled podcast.

We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV, who now have covered Dancing with the Stars, traitors, and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of this show. I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some Survivor.

I obviously haven't watched enough. Did people not like it? Yeah. Just because we... Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion in the 50th season from the final attempts at gameplay

to the desperate pleas of finalists to a bunch of... Ha, who. Ha, ha, ooh. Again, we are experts. So make sure to tune into PodMeets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes. Listen to PodMeets Twirl

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Let's go to Peter King, three-time sports writer of the year nationally, NBCSports.com, Peter King, via the Coward Global Satellite Network. Before I get to the Darnold thing, which I just thought was really not what you want to do with your franchise quarterback, let's first talk about Muhammad Sanoo. So now you've got Edelman, Josh Gordon, Muhammad Sanoo, Brady, Belichick.

You've got the best core of running backs who can catch in the league in this defense is absurd. Peter, I don't like saying this. I don't make proclamations like this very often. But I do feel like once Andrew Luck retired, Kansas City was the obstacle. I think the AFC is over this morning. I don't think Kansas City can, I don't think they can get New England off the field. I feel like Mohamed Sanoo is something and it decides the AFC. Am I nuts?

Well, they might have been able to win the AFC without them, but I think you're missing one team and that's the Baltimore Ravens. I think the performance they put on in Seattle on Sunday shows. that they're going to be a tough out for any team come January. And Colin, we'll see in 12 days, New England at Baltimore. You know, it seems like we've seen New England and Baltimore play 65 times. And all 65 have been in Foxborough. Right. And so now, let's see what happens when they actually play in a different place,

you know, in downtown Baltimore. That is so funny. But again, I just, I agree with you. I agree with you. I think the Patriots are heavy favorites to come out of the AFC. But I just remind you that every year mentally Bill Belichick does not prepare for October 22nd. He prepares for January 22nd. And so we'll see where all these teams are. We'll see what happens with injuries.

We'll see if the Ravens can play on an equal footing with them when they play a week from Sunday. I want to show the sound last night. The Jets allowed their franchise quarterback, facing the best defense he'll face perhaps on his career to be miced. Let me roll the tape first. Same goes. Let's put this ball in the end zone. Okay.

You get the ball in the second night. That's right. So listen, we got to reset right now. You know what to do. You know what to do. Yeah. I didn't like a mic in them. I think that's, I don't like that.

I'm not, if Donald's not seeking publicity, that's not who he is. What did you make of that? Well, first of all, I probably wouldn't have miced my quarterback with a terrible offensive line going against the best defense that anybody has seen in years. I mean, look, if in the 8% chance that the Jets would have won that game, how great would that have been and how wonderful would it have been for the Jets franchise? but I think when you do something like that, A, you have to be pretty sure that you're going to have control

over what gets out and be, uh, if, if you're, if, if it isn't going to be in your control, I, I wouldn't have a mic'd either.

So that's the whole thing. I think you have to have control over those situations. And you have to make sure that you got a pretty good chance of looking good when you do it. I'm a fan of player mobility. I have defended LeBron Lee. in Kevin Durant. I've left multiple times in my career. I always side with a professional athlete that can move. And it's one of the reasons I think the free agency period in the NBA is better than the regular season. It's fascinating. Jalen Ramsey, it felt a little NBA-ish.

What do you make of it? Is the NFL becoming more of a players league? Well, Kevin Demoff, for the Rams, the COO, who I'm sure you know, I sat with him in Les Sneed in a bar in Atlanta, Saturday night, and Kevin Demmoff said the NBA is coming to the NFL. And this obviously is a good example. Jalen Ramsey held the Jacksonville Jaguars hostage. They blinked. They took two ones for him and a four, and they let him go. And I can tell you that the Jaguars thought that Ramsey was going to play for him last week.

and when he didn't play for him, when he had the injury that wasn't an injury, and that lasted into a third week, it was then that they decided, okay, we're going to take the best deal. And I believe that the Rams' willingness to give two ones trumped the Eagles' willingness to give a one and a two, which Adam Schefter reported on ESPN Sunday. And I think that they were the last two teams standing who wanted Jalen Ramsey. and now we'll see if it pays off. You're only guaranteed to have Jalen Ramsey on your roster for the next year and a half.

So that's a heavy, heavy price to pay if you're the Rams. You know, something that I joked yesterday, the hardest thing for men to do is not lift weights, jump out of planes. It's to admit we're wrong. I think sometimes in the NFL, Arizona's like Josh Rosen's not going to work. We're moving on. And I applaud that. is it time that Chicago said, we've got 31 starts here. This roster is good.

We made a mistake on Trubisky. It's not working. We're last in key categories. That's with a very clever head coach. The general manager, Ryan Pace, has done a great job assembling talent. They whiffed on Trubisky. I don't think that's unfair. I mean, don't you have to at some point acknowledge they made a mistake here?

I wrote on Monday that, you know, after watching snippets of that game, I certainly didn't watch it all. But after watching snippets and then the Turbisky low lights, you know, after on Sunday night, I said it's, you know, I think Matt Nagy owes it to his franchise and owes it to the other 52 guys in the locker room to basically play the guys who give them the best chance to win this Sunday against the Chargers. That's what he owes his team. and look, I'm not in any way saying that Chase Daniel is a guy who, you know, I'd want to, you know, I'd want to base my whole season on or risk my whole season on either. But I just don't think, especially Colin, at Soldier Field, what's going to happen when

Mitchell Trubisky runs out of the tunnel and they see him warming up ready to start another game, a game that is absolutely must win for the Chicago Bears. What are they going to do? You can't tell fans don't boo. And I think Mitcha Turbisky will, if he goes out to play on Sunday, I think he gets booed before he throws his first pass. You know, I threw this out. Joey and I talked about this.

In the NFL, you can't pay your quarterback position 40 million bucks. I would go and I would get Teddy Bridgewater. I mean, it's a great story. But once Drew comes back, you can't pay Teddy. he deserves to be a starting quarterback in this league. I'm Chicago and I look at my defense and Peter, I roll the dice two years, three years on Teddy Bridgewater. I know what I'm getting. High IQ, coachable, accurate, pass-for rating's been great.

Am I nuts on that? No, not at all. I think it would be a good move. And you wouldn't have to necessarily cut Mitchell Tribisky right now. He hangs around. maybe he's salvageable. You don't know. Maybe he's salvageable.

And if so, then you get him to take a deep breath and to learn behind a pro and learn with a pro. I think the one other team, though, Colin, will not be surprised if the Denver Broncos make a play for him. Because obviously you saw Flacco. I mean, have you ever heard of a former quarterback and a current high profile analyst kind of laugh at the quarterback? because it sounded to me in the fourth quarter. Troy Aikman was certainly laughing at the Denver offense. I mean, I think he might well have been laughing at Joe Flacco. I mean, that was as embarrassing and offensive performance,

as much because, as Aikman said, there's no sense of urgency. Where's the hurry? They've got to score three or four times now. Let's go. Let's go. And it was all like an August preseason game. Yeah.

So to me, I think you're right. Chicago would be a great. place for Bridgewater, but watch out for John Elway. I don't think Elway wants to cast his lot with a rookie who might or might not win. That's just my gut feeling. He brings in Bridgewater and he gets to have time to see if Drew Locke can be a long-term guy. Yeah, NBCSports.com. Peter Greene, King, great talking to you. Peter. Thank you so much. Thank you, Colin. 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 sports slice comes in. I'm Timbo. In 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 podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 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 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to learn the hard way. with your favorite therapist and host, Kear 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're 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.