The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 10/23/2018

Episode Date: October 23, 2018

Colin thinks the Cowboys trading for Amari Cooper is all about finding out if Dak Prescott can be a franchise QB or not. He says the Lakers loss on Monday night was actually encouraging for the team moving forward. Plus, Super Bowl Champion Trent Dilfer tells Colin why he likes the trade the Cowboys made and why every big free agent that leaves the Patriots fails on their next team. Presented by Perky Jerky. 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.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The 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.

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

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to her. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs.

This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the Best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRodio.com

or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowherd on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. This is the herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening, live in Los Angeles. Iheart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Joy Taylor is joining me. If you like sports and you're not into the next two to three weeks, I can't help you.

We got a World Series game one. tonight at Fenway Park with the Dodgers, Yassie El Pueg, Clayton Kershaw, stars Mani Machado against J.D. Martinez, Mookie Betts, Chris Sale. These are the best two teams in baseball. Stars everywhere. I got Russell Wilson later this hour.

Heard hierarchy an hour from now. Trent Dilfer, Peter King. We are packed. Good morning. Good morning. Let's do it. Okay. So I've been talking about this lately

that aggressive is winning in sports. The Golden State Warriors were good. and had a title, they went out and recruited Kevin Durant. Houston was good and had James Hardin, went out and recruited Chris Paul. By the way, the baseball, the Dodgers were already loaded and expensive. They went and got Manny Machado. The Red Sox didn't even need J.D. Martinez. They went out and got him anyway.

The Astros won a World Series. Why? They went out and paid for Justin Verlander. In the NFL, who's being rewarded? The Philadelphia Eagles, hyper-aggressive, fourth down, free-a-old. agents, the L.A. Rams, number one team in the league. Kansas City Chiefs aggressively moved up to get Patrick Mahomes. Look around sports. The Giants couldn't make a move on Eli. How they doing? One in six. Be aggressive. Yesterday, the Dallas Cowboys, and this is their brand through the years, were aggressive. And they traded a number one pick for wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Now, I would prefer they give away a three, a third round pick, but that's not going to happen because other teams offered a second. I would really prefer they offered a second round pick. But they offered a first round pick because other teams offered a second. And so they were a little, little, and they were aggressive, probably gave up a little more than I would want to. But I would have done it in a second for a third rounder. I would have done it in a second for a second rounder. So I had to move to the first. It's a terrible wide receiver draft.

This year in the NFL, it's going to be an incredible pass rushing draft. Oh, they got that covered. It's going to be a great linebacker draft. Cowboys have that covered. It's going to be a great offensive line draft. Cowboys have it covered. It's a lousy wide receiver draft. There's one great player in the country.

He's at Oklahoma and he's hurt. Maybe another receiver at Arizona State. That's it. And they need a wide receiver. But you know what this really was? You know what this move by the Cowboys really was? It was documentation. If you're going to fire somebody in a job, you better have documentation before you do it.

And if you're going to hire somebody for a job, you get documentation to prove he's better, she's better than all the other candidates. This was a documentation move. The Cowboys have an elite left tackle. They have an elite running back. They have an elite front seven defensively. They have a very good slot receiver. They have an all-pro center, though he's hurt now.

and they got offensive coaches. You have to find out in the next 10 games if you're going to pay Dak Prescott or not. And now with Amari Cooper, you're going to have an elite running back, an elite left tackle, an above average offensive line, offensive coaches,

a playmaking perimeter player. Okay, if he can't get 275 yards, then you've answered the big question. He's not the guy. That's what this is about. Jerry Jones is saying, listen, we're going to need a playmaker at wide receiver anyway. And we would have drafted it in the first round. And our gut feeling is, this guy's better than what was out there.

We don't need a defensive lineman. We got those. We don't need pass rushers. We don't need offensive linemen. And we don't need young linebackers. We got all that covered. We need a playmaker at wide receiver. That's what we would have taken.

It's a lousy draft. And, oh, by the way, we got to figure out if DAC is worth $24 million a year. because in the next year, you're going to have to open up the wallet and pay this kid $100 million. And if you make the wrong decision, you are absolutely trapped. And so the Cowboys got aggressive yesterday. And by the way, if Dax's not the guy, then the rookie quarterback gets Amari Cooper and Zekiel Elliott and Tyron Smith and Cole Beasley and offensive coaches. And ask yourself, if you were absolutely sure today. I went on the internet yesterday.

Bandwidth.com. You should try it out. And I saw a lot of this. Oh, boy, John Gruden. Woo! John Gruden, you mopped up. All right, really? Ask yourself, who would you rather be today?

The Raiders with a bunch of draft picks. Or the Cowboys with an elite running back, an elite left tackle, a Pro Bowl center, excellent young pass rushers, tremendously athletic linebackers. You'd rather be the Raiders today with a bunch of, well, we could get that kid at a Mississippi state. You know, I like that guy out of Clemson. That Notre Dame kid's not bad. Or tangible assets, Tyron Smith, Amari Cooper, Zique, pass rushers, you know, Sean Lee. If you all think the Raiders won it because they accumulated a bunch of drafts,

picks, you'd rather be the Raiders today. I want assets. I want players. Yes, I would have rather given up a second round pick. I would have loved to have given up a third round pick. But they couldn't do that because everybody else was offering seconds and good seconds. And Dallas is probably good enough to finish at 8 and 8. I mean, you know, 7 to 9, 8, 8, 9, and 7, that's not going to be a great second round pick. And for all these people that all freak out about giving up a first round pick,

let me give you a couple of teams that gave up stuff. Atlanta Falcons gave up three to four picks to get Julio Jones. Do they regret it today? I don't think they do. Philadelphia Eagles gave up six picks to get Carson Wentz. Do they regret it today? Kansas City Chiefs gave up three picks to get Patrick Mahomes. Do they regret it today?

The LA Rams gave up five or six picks to get Jared Gough. Do they regret it today? Colin those are quarterbacks. Atlanta gave up three or four picks to give up Julio Jones. Do they regret it today? The Cowboys gave up one pick at a position of need that they were going to draft anyway to get a 24-year-old wide receiver who can still play, who's got like seven years left minimum of real game.

and it is documentation to figure out in one year if you pay DAC $100 million or go get the next great young cowboy quarterback. This will document it. You'll have no questions because you'll have the left tackle. You'll have the running back. You'll have the center. You'll have Amari. You got the slot guy in Colby.

You'll have all that now. If Dak can't get you to 270 regularly, you just saved yourself $100 million. Don't ever jump over a $20 bill to get to a $5. Amari Cooper's salary is irrelevant. What's relevant is giving DAC $109 million and you're stuck with him for four years. And he just never pans. This will document whether he's worth the money. Jason Garrett, radio this morning in Dallas talked about the move and why they did it.

We really believe that Amari can be that kind of a guy. Again, he's 24 years old, and we think he has a bright future. And, you know, the value for a player like that at his age, that's really what it costs you. It costs your first round pick. And if we were to get into the draft next spring, you would say, boy, is there any receiver who's as good as a guy like Amari Cooper? He's not 28, 29, 30.

You're not paying for a guy for what he's done for the past 6, 7, 8 years for another team. We feel like he has it in front of him and he can really benefit our team going forward because the ability he has and the kind of person he is. I totally, totally agree with that. Do you guys realize that Amari Cooper is only six months older than Falcon wide receiver rookie Calvin Ridley? He's a baby. Came out early. Young player. Jason Garrett's never sound smarter than that. Completely absolutely agree. And he goes

to an organization that's kind of in disarray and has a lot of fingers crossed on accumulating draft picks to one that's just missing what he is. A game changer at wide receiver. We are packed today.

Jammed. I want to say this. Lakers are 0 and 3. Oh my word. The sky is falling. I'm telling you. right now. I'm selling my season tickets. I'm going to give Johnny Depp my tickets. Leonardo DiCaprio wants my tickets. He can have them.

I am not going to stand for this great moment last night in Laker history. Folks, they lost to a number three seed Portland on the road in the opener in LeBron's first game with new players. Ooh. They lost to the rockets

down by one in the fourth. Ooh. And last night they went to overtime. led and then lost to the Spurs. You know, a dynasty for a decade in the league. Ooh, oh, and three. No, no, what happened last night if you're magic in LeBron, you wake up this morning and you feel good.

In 2018, the NBA is a guard wing league. I grew up, the NBA was a center league. Didn't have them. Didn't win titles. Wilt, Kareem, Shaq. You didn't have a center. You didn't win. Bird Celtics, they needed parish.

Magic Lakers, they needed Kareem. Then Michael Jordan came along and the rules changed. Now it's a guard wing league. It is a guard wing league. The Lakers like their wings, Kuzma, Ingram, and LeBron. What they don't know where they are unsettled is guard. That's why they brought in Rondo. Rondo's not a long-term fit.

Rondo couldn't get along with a game plan sheet. He couldn't get along with a barstool. He couldn't get along with a team tower. He can't get along with himself, six teams, five years. Rondo's not the answer long term. He's the answer for a year. But last night, two Laker guards both drafted last year. Lonzo Ball has now hit seven threes in two games.

And Josh Hart is way better than everybody thought. Here's a play last night from Lonzo Ball, who now, off and off-season he couldn't play because of a surgery looks like they got a dude. And they finally do. Double-teamed in trouble. Passes up, Lanzo. Here comes.

Folks, every night this year is an audition. They're in the discovery phase. Who can play with LeBron? That's what this season is. It's not about the title. They're auditioning players. Who can fit with LeBron? Lance Stevenson's not here in three years.

He may not be here last next year. Rondo's not here in three years. Javeo McGee's not here in two years. Michael Beasley's probably not here by the trading deadline. I'm not sure if Rondo will be. This is about auditioning with LeBron. And they know Kuzman last night, big night.

They know Ingram can play. Lakers know they got forwards that can play with LeBron. Where they're unsettled is guard. And Rondo's out. And Lanzo came in. And Lanzo's hitting threes. Seven and two games. leads the team.

They got to wake up this morning and love that. And Josh Hart, everybody whiffed on him. Everybody in the league, wiffed on him. So LeBron's got two young guards that can play, only getting better. Two forwards, Kuzma last night, forced into duty because of Ingram scored, what, 36? You wake up this morning. These are good auditions. You're doing a Broadway play.

You just found actors. You got guys who can play. Who cares they lost the number three seed? Portland and Portland. Who cares they lost in overtime to San Antonio? Who cares they were down one to Houston and lost? They should lose to those teams. LeBron said, chill, process. We good here. I know what I got myself into. It's a process. I get it. And we'll be fine. So, you know, I didn't come here thinking we were going to be, you know,

blazing storms, you know, right out the gate. It's a process. And I understand that. So, you know, the game is, you know, frustrating not to get the win. I've showered and I'm good now. He's showered, by the way. LeBron has showered. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. All right, so I'm watching the Giants last night.

By the way, Blazing 5 went 4 and 1. Not that you care, but I told you take the Giants and the points. So we were 4 and 1 in Blazing 5. Eli Manning had a pretty good stat line and blah, blah, blah. They lost. Stats are overrated. I didn't think Eli was great. But at 2018, you can put up big numbers.

Here's what jumped out to me. Left tackle Nate Soldier. Patriots had him, let him go. That's become a turnstile. Cornerback Malcolm Butler, according to a story in recent weeks, is statistically the worst corner in the NFL so far. I'm not going to sit here and bash Eli Manning. It's over.

He steps into pockets. He steps into sacks. He literally has lost his pocket awareness. It's over for Eli. I'm not going to sit here and beat up on him. He's a nice kid. but I'm watching New England's offense right now. Danny M. Andola let him go.

Dionne Lewis let him go. Those two have combined for two touchdowns all year. Nate Solder let him go. He's a revolving door at left tackle. Also, by the way, New England gets a compensatory third round pick for Nate Solter since he left him. So there's that. I mean, I'm out of words to discuss how New England manipulates this league.

It is amazing. Everybody in the NFL overpays for Belichick's players. If I was sitting in my office in the NFL and I saw the phone ring and the secretary said, Bill Belichick's on the line. I'd be like, tell him I'm vacationing in Guam for the next year. I'm not taking the call. I mean, outside of Wes Welker, who leaves and does well? And that was Welker going to Peyton Manning.

So, you know, you would expect a receiver with Payton. Peyton Manning to do well for a couple years. But when New England says, hey, we're done with a guy, don't take their phone calls. When New England's done with a guy, the guy is done. Now, Jimmy Garapolo, obviously, that's well documented. Belichick wanted to keep him. So don't use Garapolo, the outlier of a guy that left. Chandler Jones has done pretty well, but he's not helping Arizona win.

And New England didn't want to pay him a fortune. but I mean Yeah The free agents that leave New England They bomb Like all the time Like it's just It's just the reality of it

Malcolm Butler can't play Belichick was right Nate Solder overvalued Belichick was right And Dion Lewis Not worth the money Belichick was right And Nanny O Mandova

Not worth the money Belichick was right I mean if New England's calling you And it's a free agent situation Do not answer the phone just don't. Because when New England's done with them, they're done. What about Brandon Cooks?

What about him? He's like the fifth to seventh most valuable ram offensive player. And that was a trade. They got something, you know, for him. But when it comes to free agents, just don't answer the phone. Nate, we can bang Eli this morning, but Nate's older, turnstile, left tackle.

And myself included, I'm like, wow. Brady's old, left tackle. What are you doing? Actually, they again made the right call. What's up, everybody? This John Middlecalf on a three-and-out podcast brought to you by Colin Coward's podcast network. If you like Colin's show, you will like mine. I talk a ton of football. Tonight, today, whenever you're listening, I'm talking about Eli Manning. He's washed up via Mari Cooper trade from John Groot to Jerry Jones. You know that's spicy. He got a lot of opinions on that. You can listen to me wherever you find your podcast. Again, John Middlecock, the three-and-out podcast.

Baseball's got 162 games. And so a manager can come up after a game, say something, and it disappears into the ether. Game the next day. NBA, hockey, 82 games. We don't micro-analyze what coaches say. But in football, it's different. In football, there's one game a week, college and pro.

So when you go to the microphone, that comment, is going to live for a week. That's going to be your moment for a week for guys like me, people like Joy to Microanalysis. In baseball, hell is a game the next day. Basketball hockey game in two days. But you've got to have a plan when you go to the podium in the NFL. Doug Peterson,

and rambling doesn't sum it up, went to the podium, Eagles coach, and did not have a plan. Yeah, there's probably the pressure should be off. We shouldn't have any pressure going into football games, even though, listen, every game, don't misunderstand. There's pressure with every football game, okay? Pressure to win. There's all of that. Sometimes, sometimes players, coaches, teams put pressure on themselves when they don't have to.

You know what I mean? To make a play. When you win games? Now, he should have stopped right about there. Oh, but he's not done talking. That was a good 17-second soundbite, but he's got more to talk about. So now we're going to sit here and scrutin. every little thing

when these things were not being, you know, we were actually making these plays a year ago. You know what I'm saying? You could have stopped right there. So now we're going to sit here. Again, you could stop right there. I got two great sound bites.

This guy is still talking and still just talking. Yeah, we can go back and use that as fuel, as emotion, but it's a different team, different year. We're in this situation. We've kind of dug ourselves in a little bit of a hole. And the great thing about where we... Cut! Cut! Doug! Stop talking! Oh, he's not done.

...vision ahead of us. And we got, what, nine games? Okay, just, I can't take it anymore. He did not have a plan. Okay, you got a plan on Sunday. Got to have a plan on Monday. And Chris Carter talked about this this morning on first things first. You got to be...

That puppy's going to live in Philadelphia. That's going to be micro-analyzed for a week. he reminds me of a coach who you listen to the press conferences and he says some crazy stuff and it was Rex Ryan. He didn't have the Super Bowl resume though. Now imagine some of the sound bites that came out. I used to be like, I know that guy knows football. Now, I know Doug Peterson knows football. But what a lot of these guys don't know, they don't know how to be a head coach.

And there's a reason why Bill Belichick has the most simple answers at the press conference. The reason he has a plan. He has a plan when he goes into the press conference. That is a coach that did not have a plan going into the press conference. No, he did not. That's why when you don't have a plan and you're not composed, you become history. Networks like Fox Sports, FS1, the place I used to work. We just put it on a reel and bring it up all the time.

Here's some coaches that didn't have a plan. We don't even have anything that compares to this in baseball, hockey or basketball. Playoffs, don't talk about it. Playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? I just hope we can win a game. This is what the greatest thing about sports is. You play to win the game. Hello? You play to win the game. You don't play to just play it. There's three quarterbacks on this football team. Whichever one starts, whichever one's don't will back him up. Period. Cut and drive. It's nobody's because. concern but ours. Nobody's. Next. Mike, why are you in such a bad move? What do you care? The bears are who we thought they were. That's why we took the damn field. Now, if you want to

crown them, then crown their ass. But they are who we thought they were, and we let them off the hook. Come after me. I'm a man. I'm 40. Who's the kid here? Are you kidding me? That's all I got to say. It makes me want to puke. that called us a fraud. Ask Alabama for a fraud. Was his name Colin Coward? Ask him, I don't know, I don't know him. Ask him if we're Alabama for a fraud. Ask Ohio State if we're a fraud. Ask Oklahoma if we're a fraud. The only fraud is that guy. Because he didn't do his homework. I hope y'all print that. See, that's what happens if you don't have a plan. You start rambling, incoherently rambling, just making silly stuff up. But, yeah, I mean, that thing with Doug

Peterson, that's going to last in Philly for. a week. I told you about Doug Peterson yesterday. He's just talking. He's just talking. I'm just getting mad because they're asking why he's not running the ball. He's got to get better at the podium. All right, here we go. It's a top 10 teams. Heard hierarchy. I don't know why I put so much

time into this, but I do. I care. Here we go. Heard hierarchy. Time is now. Let's go. The top 10 NFL teams, according to college. Number 10. I was so blown away by Carolina's come from behind when in Philadelphia. and Cam Newton now has two touchdown passes, two plus in five straight games.

He's never done that. I've always liked their defense. Front seven, it's now getting healthy. They're fourth in rushing and their fourth and third down defense. But to go on the road and to overcome a deficit, when Philadelphia knows you've got to throw the ball, I thought Cam showed leadership, I thought the Eagles got tight,

and give Carolina the number 10 spot. Number nine. I don't think Washington's a top 10 team, but I've got to tip my cap to Alex Smith. Alex Smith goes to San Francisco. Harbaugh shows up and he wins a bunch of games and they replace him. And he goes to Kansas City and wins a bunch of games and they replace it. And now he goes to Washington and they leave the division by a couple of games.

And they probably want to replace him in the draft. I mean, listen, they only have five turnovers all year, second in the NFL. That's directly attributed to Alex Smith is that the fact that Washington, with a lack of brand new quarterback, lost Sean McVeigh a couple years, go lost our receivers, dealing with injuries, tough division, and they have now beaten Aaron Rogers, Carson Wentz, and Cam Newton this year. I'm putting them in my top 10, number nine. Number eight.

Watch out for Minnesota. Uh-oh. Uh-oh, they're playing defense again. They now have the best third-down defense in the NFL, giving the ball back to Kirk Cousins, Stefan Diggs, stealing. Watch out. during their three-game winning streak, they're only allowing 18 points a game.

I may not love Kirk Cousins, but I like Kirk Cousins, and Case Keenham won 13 with his talent, and Kirk's better than Case Keenum. Here come the Vikings number eight. Number seven. Love Baltimore, still love them. Still think it's a potential Super Bowl team.

Despite the loss, they're still number one in sacks, number one in total defense. They're number one in points per game, They've allowed fewer than 25 points in six of their seven games. They don't have a road game in November, baby. They don't have to grab a suitcase now. In November, it gets cold. It is loud in Baltimore.

In November, I got the Ravens at seven. Number six. Steelers one slot ahead of them, and Labian Bell is going to show up. You do get that, right? It's going to happen here in about two weeks. The one thing they do, they're second in the NFL and Saturday. If you get to the quarterback in 2018, and you've got a good quarterback with weapons in 2018, you can win the Super Bowl. Now, they also lead the NFL in penalty yards, and they're a little noisy, and they're a little dysfunctional.

But I'm going to get Labium Bell back, and this is a guy that can carry the rock 250 times, catch it 80 times, and they've already got weapons, and they're going to get that weapon added. I got the Steelers at six. Number five. L.A. Chargers, you're not watching them. I mean, I know only 25,000 people go to their games. They played over in London. Joey Bosa, this defense is now rolling, and that's without Joey Bosa. And he's expected to return after the buy week.

And they have tremendous, tremendous perimeter receivers. Philip Rivers has time. In their four-game winning streak, they're allowing 17 and a half points a game. And again, their best defensive player, Joey Bosa, isn't playing now. watch out for the Chargers. Number four. Kansas City. I still don't love this defense. Now they're going to get Eric Berry back, and that's a big deal.

Most safeties I don't give a rip about, they are getting Eric Barry back, and they are number one in points. They are number two in point differential. They're number three in total offense, and they have one of the great game play designers in football. There's a lot to like about Kansas City. But I got to see this defense make plays, because that game in Foxborough, that's playoff football.

Like, you're going to face the best coaches and the best quarterbacks once you get to January, and that Foxborough loss, and the ease in which New England moved the ball up and down the field is a concern. Number three. New England, you could put them at one. I'll put them at three. I still don't love their pass rush. And I think that's going to be their undoing later in the year at some point. But they're the first team to score 35 plus points in four straight games since the 2014 Cowboys.

In their last four games, they are a machine. 39 a game, 4 and 0, number one in the league in first downs, six yards, eight yards, five yards, six yards. And I'll tell you this, Josh Gordon acquisition is really, really interesting. Because they're good up the scene with Gronk. They're good Edelman. They're good James White to catch. Okay, they've solidified their left tackle. The question is, Brady's had very few dependable deep threats.

I'm telling you, Josh Gordon made a play this weekend, caught it, broke tackle, and, and, HECLs, head down. Keep your eye on Josh Gordon. He is a difference maker if he can stay clean. Number two. Saints. Okay, they lost in week one at home to Tampa, and we kind of bailed on them,

and then they struggle with Cleveland. They've only got one loss. And by the way, going to Baltimore and winning that game was really, really impressive. And here's the other thing. Through the years, when you think of the Saints, you think of offense, they're number one right now in past defense.

Or in run defense, excuse me. So the number one in the NFL and run defense, That's why they just acquired Eli Apple from the Giants today. Because they know that the only way to attack them, the flaw in this team is past defense. And because they're so good offensively, teams trail and have to catch up throwing the ball. That's why the Saints went out and got Eli Apple today. You can't run on them and they can run on you and they can pass on you. They are better cornerback away from being the best team in football Saints at number two.

Number one. Listen, what do you want me to say here? Rams are 7 and 0, number one in the league and point differential. They don't have any elite, consistent pass rush, but kicker, punter, quarterback, left tackle, center, receivers, interior defense, corners, safety, coach, coordinator. They're just really good. By the way, this is an interesting stat. You know who leads the NFL in Sacks? Aaron Donald. He's an interior defensive lineman. It's not Kalee Mack. It's not Von Miller. an interior defensive lineman. Well, he's earning that contract. I mean, Aaron Donald's going to finish with like 18 sacks or 20 sacks.

It's like, what? That's not the way it works in the NFL. It's supposed to be the outside guys. It's going to change now, though. That's going to be the trend moving forward. Well, they got it done. Interior linemen are going to get to the quarterback more quickly because the quarterbacks are trying to get it out more quickly.

There's my herd hierarchy. By the way, I have Ciox at 11 and bears at 12. and, you know, this week was tough. I felt I had to give the Redskins credit. I got to get Alex Smith credit. He won in San Francisco, they bail. He went in Kansas City, they bail. He goes to Washington, they leave the division.

I mean, at some point, we're going to look up in about seven years and look at Alex Smith's numbers. How come everybody kept trading him? All he does is win everywhere he goes. 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. half the NFL a guy rely on often for his expertise in these situations of the Amari Cooper deal. Okay, let's say you're the coach of the GM of the Dallas Cowboys.

Let's look at it, Trent, from the Cowboys perspective first. What do you make of the trade? I love it. I liked all the reasons Coach Garrett explained it. I like your take on it. I don't think you can properly evaluate Dak Prescott and decide to pay him possibly $25 million as early as next year. until you find out what he can do. And the only way you're going to find out what he can do

is by surrounding him with the right people. He needed an alpha playmaking wide receiver. They went and got him for a first round fifth. A guy has experience. He's still young. He's been productive. He's been a game changer. And now they add him to an already pretty talented roster.

And I think if you take just a Dak Prescott look at this, I've been hearing for like the last four or five weeks, all the things Dak can't do. He can't do this. He can't do that. Maybe the coaches don't trust them because he can. Well, we don't know what he can do. Because you haven't given him a chance.

I mean, Gallup's showing some promise. They've made some big plays down the field. But we don't really know what that can do. And now we're going to be able to see it for the rest of this season if he truly is a top-tier quarterback. I believe he can be now with the people around them. And like you said, they got a very good offensive line that now they have a number one right receiver. They've developed a really good number two in Gallup.

up. They have Bull Beasley to get up the middle of the field. They have one of the top backs in NFL and Zika Elliott. The pressure is truly now on DAC to show us that he can be a dominant passer in this league. Take it from the Raiders angle. What do you think of it? I'm unsure. My mind is blowing a little bit how you can let go of the premier pass rush for the National Football League. And now, let's say arguably one of the top 10 receivers in the NFL. I think people are making too much of the picked. I think this is about money. I think John Gruden's always been most successful when he has a veteran-laced team with today the way the salary cap works. Once you pay a couple players, now the rest of your team is really under, under-experienced, underpaid rookie guys or

guys on the rookie contract. I think John wants the cap space to be able to go out and attack free agency, fill the bulk of his roster, your core players with experienced vets, guys that are true pros. I think he'll go. He'll get a lot of guys that other teams just can't afford to pay and they'll be able to pay them. And they'll have the draft picks to go draft future difference makers that will then play on rookie contracts, which aren't that expensive. That's my take on it. I'm very curious to see what they do with Derek Carr. I'm from the school that I've seen John say too many glowing things about Derek. I like Derek as a player, but I wouldn't be surprise if Derek is next.

You know, it's interesting. I was talking to an NFL exec last week, and he said, if he was running a team, it was a guy that used to be in that spot. He said, I would draft my defense, make it a simple concept so they can come in and play, and they're inexpensive, and I would pay for my offense because now the rules are all about

offense. Maybe Gruden's going to do that, Trent, draft his defense and go pay for veterans on offense. That's kind of what you're saying. Yeah, exactly. And we can't really judge John until next year. And so we see what he does with these picks and what he does with this cap space. So it's really easy right now to step on John Gruden's throat and just say, hey, you got rid of a great receiver, got rid of a great linebacker.

There's something bigger going on that we're not going to know until after free agency next year and after the draft. And we may not even know then. It may be a year after that. When you have a tenure contract, you've got a long leash. You can make some bold decisions and you can be looking. three, four, five years out and not be as concerned with right now. And I think when John sits there for 10 years and does TV and re-evaluates what he did while

he was a coach in the game, I'm sure he had a very distinct plan on how he was going to handle this. And I'm not being an apologist for John Gruden, but I'm going to give him enough of a leash to say, I'm going to see this out for 12 to 18 months before I put full judgment on it. You know, I'm watching that Giants game last night, and I'm not going to bang on Ely. You watch the whole thing, huh? Yeah. But I'll tell you my takeaway.

Once again, somebody pays for a Bill Belichick player, Nate Solder, and it looks like, I mean, the minute New England's done with a guy, the guy is done. I mean, my takeaway last night was what happened to Nate Solder? I mean, what did you make of it? So I looked at a little bit differently. I've always said that the Patriots are the best at understanding themselves better than emails. They understand their program. They understand what they're expecting out of players and they understand their player. So when a player is a great player for a Patriot, he's a great player because of that fit.

They've identified the things that player can do. They build a system around what they can do, not what they can't do. And then that player looks good doing it. I think the indictment is on the teams to go get ex-patriot players and say, oh, he's going to play for us as well as he played for the Patriots. Well, that's not true because they're going to ask him to do different things. I think Nate Solzer is a great example of that. He was a great patriot. And it's not that he's not a good player, but he did exactly what he was supposed to do as a patriot as well as any patriot not named Tom Brady.

So what the Giants said was they went and they paid him a bunch of money to go be something a little. bit different than he was in New England because he wasn't asked to be put on an island and flocked for three seconds very often against with Tom Brady's as quarterback. Tom Brady gets the ball in 2.2 seconds on the average as fast as anybody in the National Football League. Tom Brady changes to the protection at the line of scrimmage anytime he sees a mismatch. Tom Brady audibles out of plays where his players are at a disadvantage. So Nate Soldier fit that perfectly. He was the perfect Patriot fit. It doesn't mean he's going to be a great fit anywhere you go. And you're going to see this happen as long as Bill Belichick is

the head coach for the New England Patriots. That the Patriot Way gets the most out of that player because they focus on what that player can do. Other teams are going to watch tape and go, oh, okay, he's a really good player. Let's pay him a bunch of money and ask him to do something else. It's an indictment on those teams that sign ex-patriot players. Speaking of ex-players, who's going to be a player, Levian Bell, he's not going to report before Tuesday at 4 Eastern because then you could trade him. So he's going to report at some point after next Tuesday at 4 and before week 10. And he's going to have no miles on those legs. He's going to be the freshest guy in a room. And I could make an argument. They're adding a star

to a star stood at offense. Do you see it that way? Yeah, I don't disagree, but I still, no matter what happens, I still think lay around Bell's a big loser in this thing. The one thing about the NFL is they will move on from you. No matter who you want. are. No matter how much of a legend you are, no matter how talented you are. They will move on. Their job is to win a game the next week.

And the Steelers have done that. They've eliminated the drama. They've moved on. They found a nice little runner Connor in his place. He's not as good as Leveon Bell. I don't think anybody would make that argument, but they built their system around them. And I think Leveon's lost a lot of money in this holdout.

I think he'll hurt himself from free agency. And he'll come back. And he will be a good player for him. And they will maximize his talents and get some usage out of him, but you go back and there's only one loser in this whole thing, it's Levyon Bell. What do you make of Patrick Peterson complaining in Arizona, or is he complaining? His brother's talking or a cousin.

Yeah. What do you make of that? He's a great player. Yeah, my thoughts on this or this. I think this might be this generation of NFL athletes' way of forcing a team's hand. A player has very little power, and I'm not saying I agree with any of this. And I would not have done this in a player, and I don't like when players do it. But when they realize they're in a situation where they feel hopeless, now they can start making demands.

And basically the message they're sending to the organization is, do you want to disgruntled me, a guy that's not going to be all in, a guy that may not play to the level I've played at before because I'm not all in and I don't believe in what we're doing? Or do you want to go out and get some picks for me? And we've seen it happen now in the last few years where the player is winning this battle, when he comes out and starts being a disgruntled guy. I don't like it, but I got to admit that it is really the only ammunition a player like Patrick Peterson has if indeed he wants the heck out of dodge. Yeah, the NBA, Chris Broussard had a line last week. He said, in the NFL you hold out, in the NBA, you act out.

But what you're seeing is some NFL guys acting out and holding out. And, no, to your point, I've got to tell you, I've been critical of Cam Newton. And that's why I was so interested in seeing how Norv Turner worked with Cam. So I watched every snap of the Eagles Carolina game. It was wildly entertaining. And the Cam I saw in the fourth quarter, engineering a great comeback, was about as good as I've ever seen Cam. Accuracy. You know, he still throws off his back foot.

He's still too much arm, not enough legs. But I was blown away Sunday in that fourth quarter. What was your takeaway? First of all, this is what Norv does. At some point, not as a head coach, but his assistant coach, he's one of the greatest of all time. And he's done this with a bunch of different quarterbacks, gotten the most out of them. What Norv does, I played Premier in San Francisco as the backup.

I saw what he did with Alex Smith, is again, he does a lot like what the Patriots do. He identifies what you can do. What makes you tick? What is your natural DNA? And then he builds the entire offense around that. And what Norv is done for Cam Newton, he says, Cam, I'm not going to ask you to be a surgeon. I'm not going to ask you to be precise. I want you to be a flipping butcher. Pull out your machete, chop some stuff up and give me a roast beef sandwich.

I'm not going to ask you to be a 68% guy. I'm not going to ask you to make a ton of decisions that the Brady's and breezes and those guys are doing it. I'm not going to ask you to be something you're not. Here's what you are. You're a freak of nature. You're a great leader. You are tough. You have a huge arm and you're a big play waiting to happen. So we're going to let you go be a big play waiting to happen. And when you go 0 for seven and overthrow some guys and make a bad decision, don't worry about it. I'm going to keep battling them up so you can make big plays. And that's kind of what you're seeing with Cam. Norv is letting Cam be Cam, and I think it's brilliant. I think Cam is now back in the conversation of one of the more dominant players

in this league because he is so physically gifted. He does things that nobody else could do, and Norv isn't sequestering that. He's allowing it to happen. And finally, I didn't think Baker played very well. He got four turnovers and had 120 yards in the first three quarters, but I'm told that you are about ready to bring the hammer on me. I wasn't blown away. Now, I've said with all these guys, it's a roller coaster ride. They're rookies.

They're all over the map. Donald's good. Donald's as good as his running game. When he doesn't have a running game, Donald's struggling. When he has one, he looks great. What did you make a Baker this week? I don't disagree with you that they didn't play great. I disagree that he doesn't have the chance to be great.

I think Baker has a chance to be a great player in this league. And I've said this. I think every week we've done their show and talked about Baker, it all comes down to two things. Does Baker decide to be Drew Breeze or something that he's not a playmaker? Baker has a great opportunity to be one of the most precise players, passers in this league. He has to play that way. Now, to play that way, he needs his team, the Cleveland Browns,

to build the system around him as the Saints did with Drew Brees, strong from the center, center guard area. So there's no middle pocket push. And offense is about quick decisions and precision, not about chunk plays. If Todd Helley and Hugh Jackson are building this offense, like for a Ben Rothosberger type player, then they're wrong. The whole thing needs to be built around Baker's precision. When you watch him throw a football, when you watch him the subtle little movements he can make in the pocket, great time and space. When you see his versatility build a throw off platform, the things he can do at all layers of the field, he can be special, but you have to build the whole offense around those unique

trades and not just call play. This ain't spitball now. You don't put a spitball and throw it against the wall and say, that's the one we're running because Ben Rathesberger made that one run in, made that one work. Every play has to have a specific purpose that emphasizes. and brings out what Baker does great. That's my take on Baker. What happened the other day was when they were calling

the precision game, he was really good. The end of the game, when it was about completions and moving the ball, he was really good. But when they're trying to call these specials and these chunk plays and attack defenses in ways that Baker can't do yet, he looks very average at best. And I think that's going to be the conversation

around Baker as we move forward. Ah, just get smarter. Love this. I got to see a Super Bowl trophy over Trent Delfar's head. I get all this expertise on stuff. Even when he defends Baker Mayfield, I liked all that right there. What shiny are my head or the trophy behind me? They're both pretty shiny, to be honest with you.

It's a draw. Good seeing you, buddy. All right, pal. 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.

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