The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 11/05/2018

Episode Date: November 5, 2018

Colin is tired of hearing about Brady being a "system" quarterback because the Patriots do not have a system other than being smarter than everyone. He wants Aaron Rodgers to stop playing the pity card about his lack of help. He admits where he was right and wrong over the weekend. Plus, Super Bowl Champion Trent Dilfer explains why the elaborate TD celebrations are needed in the NFL. 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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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.

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This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, this is the herd on a Monday, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening, live in Los Angeles, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1, one hour from now, where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. It's great to have Joy Taylor in on a Monday. How are you? Good morning. Good morning.

You know, last night I was going to see the great Aaron Rogers and the system quarterback Tom Brady. And I want to talk about that system in New England. It's fascinating. The most fascinating thing about Tom Brady's system quarterback is that, you know, systems get names in basketball, the triangle offense. I mean, by the first championship, they gave it a name. In the NBA, the pick and roll offense. We love getting baseball, money ball, in football, the West Coast offense, the Wildcat offense, the wishbone offense in the 50s, 60s, even defenses get nicknames, Joy.

The 4-6 defense. We love giving nicknames to defenses, offenses, baseball, basketball, and the NBA. But why does a New England system have a nickname? 18 years. been on TV more than any team except the Cowboys. I mean, Joe Montana won with the West Coast offense. And Elway won with Mike Shanahan and offensive coaches zone blocking scheme. It's funny, Belichick's a defensive coach.

Defensive coaches don't have offensive systems, do they? And offensive systems, systems in general, get copied. But how come nobody else in the league looks like New England? You ever notice that? I mean systems, everybody copy the West Coast offense, they still do. Everybody copied the 4-6 defense they still do. People copy the pick and roll, moneyball analytics. The Wildcat for two years was red hot.

But how come nobody copies New England system? It's funny. When the coordinators leave town and they go to new teams, the offense doesn't look like New England. It is so weird. People say a lot of things. Hold them to what they say. Hey, Colin, I'll tell you what the system's called. It's called Belichick.

Oh, get the man of Milwaukee's best. He beat me on that one. Oh, wait, he didn't. You mean the Bill Belichick that had a losing record in Cleveland and was fired before Tom Brady? That system? The system that was 5 and 11, his first year and a half in New England, with the great Drew Bledsoe. That system? I'll tell you what the system is calling.

It's throwing to the tight end. Actually, the last three years, New England's got a better record when Gronk's out. He was last night. They won convincingly. Oh, it's just throwing to slot receivers. Which won? Welker, Dionne Branch, Edelman, Hogan, got to a Super Bowl without Edelman last year. In fact, New England and Tom Brady have gotten to three, gotten to Super Bowls with three different coordinators.

They've made the playoffs three times with no offensive coordinator. In fact, this is fascinating. You could call this the headless system. They don't even need coaches for it. Let me describe New England's system under Tom Brady. They're smarter than you, pre-snap. They're more precise and accurate than you. They're always better in the fourth quarter than you.

They're more prepared than you, more coachable than you, and more committed than you. If you want to call that a system, you can call it whatever you'd like. But we know, in football especially, we love to give nicknames. We don't even call him Terrell Owens. He's T.O. Jacksonville. Overnight became Saxonville. Fastest show on turf. Legion of Boom.

Everybody's got a nickname. Because we give systems nicknames. It's easy. The fans can embed. embrace it, network promos and marketing. But yet, nobody has ever named New England system.

Because it doesn't exist. Tom Brady, my friends, is the system. Belichick couldn't win without him in Cleveland and New England. Gronk is irrelevant, not worth half a point. Either was Welker. He left.

They got better. And even Edelman left and they got to a super. ball. Tom is the system. Unlike the contemporary he played last night, he never complains about what he doesn't have. He just makes the most of what he does. Triangle offense, pick and roll, money ball, Wildcat, West Coast, Zone Reed. We've given every system ever created in any sport a name. There's a reason we've never given New England's one. The system doesn't exist. The name is Tom Brady.

Let me shift to this. Yesterday during a game, that Saints Rams game, that was wildly entertaining, was it not? Those are two great teams. Michael Thomas, great player for the Saints, scored a touchdown, and then went and grabbed a flip phone, kind of a schick he'd practiced it. In fact, yesterday I saw Seattle do a touchdown celebration that clearly they'd spent a lot a time on. I went on the internet and saw the Kansas City Chiefs at practice, practicing celebrations. I saw Michael Thomas do his thing. I'm not really a fan of it, but the NFL, it should be noted, is not of a fan of it either. They don't like it. But unlike Major League Baseball, the NFL is

brilliantly run and still wants people in their teens and early 20s to watch their sport. It got a penalty. So that's one of the reasons I don't like it. And one of my life mottos is Celebrate rarely, grind daily. I'm not a big celebration. Rather give out presents than get them at Christmas. That's okay. That's just my personality.

But the NFL makes changes more often than any other league. And they're always right. They change the PAT. The coaches screamed. It's made the game more dramatic. Protect the quarterback. This is killing football.

Funny. Only Garoppolo's hurt. No catch rule is now the catch rule. And even with celebrations, many people don't like it. But you know why they do that? Because the NFL is and has always been the best run league. They want viewers. They see themselves as entertainment and a TV show.

Last night's Rams Saints game and last night's Packers Patriots game will get triple the ratings of the Eastern Conference NBA finals without LeBron. Celtics, Toronto, we'll get a six and a half seven. Those things last night are getting 15s and 16s. The NFL makes rules and we always overreact. Oh, the game's too soft. We're a dress. Nobody's hurt. And every rule change is right. I don't love what Michael Thomas did. I'd prefer players don't have choreographed skits and devices lodged under goal hosts, but let's talk macro here, not micro, big picture, not small picture. The NFL does this for you, because they respect 17-year-olds, not 67-year-olds alone.

It's what baseball continually struggles with, and it's why football will always be king in my broadcasting career. They get it. Adapt, evolve, even if, and the league is mostly run by 50 and 60 year old guys, even if it's a little off their personal sensibility, they don't love this stuff. They really don't. If they did, they wouldn't have changed it. But with the emergence of social media, free clicks,

Facebook, Instagram, this stuff lives and plays forever. I don't love what Michael Thomas did. The league doesn't love it. His coach didn't love it. Drew Brees probably didn't love it. but I don't have to love everything to get that it's right. It's smart. It's good business.

And it's why the NFL remains king. And it's not even close. 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. Great game last night. It was one of our blazing five picks. We said, take New England. Packers, here's the headline today. Packers don't hold up their end of the bargain in the Aaron Rogers, Tom Brady

Short, the showdown. Of course. It's, you know, I mean, it's got to be somebody else's fault. So, you know, I look at the box score after games. I look at stats and let's see. Total plays. Well, they both had 69. And rushing was pretty similar.

They both had a decent running night, both teams. Time of possession. Green Bay had it a little more. Neither team had a defensive or special teams touchdown. But the headline reads that Aaron Rogers had no help. The Packers once again let him down. I don't know. I saw his wide receivers make great catches.

I mean, Marquez Valdez, Gandling, and over 100 yards. I mean, I couldn't have caught those. You couldn't have caught those. Jimmy Graham had a touchdown. Devante Adams. They ran the ball again effectively. Tom Brady did not have Gronk, who will be a first ballot Hall of Famer.

nor does he have his best true running back Sony Michelle. Brady has a wide receiver now playing running back, Corderole Patterson, and yet he dropped 31 points and with two minutes left was kneeling. Tom Brady, it should be noted was sack twice, Aaron only once. Green Bay in the last seven years, all of which has been Aaron Rogers Prime, they have a losing road record. Apparently, I had no idea. Aaron travels on the road by himself.

he gets on the bus and it's the bus driver and Aaron and nobody else. And then he gets on the United Airlines plane to Foxborough and there was nobody else on it. It was just Aaron Rogers. By the way, in those seven years, he's had seven Pro Bowl offensive linemen. Tom Brady's had two. In those seven years, wide receivers, he's had four pro bowlers. Tom Brady's had one. Tom Brady's the one that you could argue gets on a bus and there's nobody there.

Gets on a plane and there's nobody there. You know, I keep saying Rogers isn't Brady. After what I saw on TV, I'm not sure he's Drew Breeze. Drew Breeze dropped 45 points on the Rams. They couldn't stop him. No, I mean, they couldn't stop him. Drew Breeze is going to hold 60 to 70% of all NFD. NFL quarterbacking records when he retires.

His franchise was a mess when he arrived. Rogers was handed a championship team. Green Bay and New England, once again, tied entering the fourth. From that point forward, Tom Brady, look it up. Six for six, 104 yards, a perfect passer rating. Aaron two of seven, 15 yards of 39.6 passer rating. Again, I must have missed the point where the Packer players got on the

bus an hour early. And the worst part is, and I do think Aaron's great, he's now milking it. Oh, no, no, no, no. The eye rolls, the exasperation. You can read it on his face. I saw six great quarterbacks

yesterday. Six great quarterback. I watched Russell Wilson, Philip Rivers, Drew Breeze, Jared Gough, Tom Brady, and Aaron Rogers. I watched all of them yesterday, and they're all fantastic. They're all amazing. I'm lucky to have all of them as my quarterbacks in my life.

But only one constantly in the offseason takes the passive-aggressive shots at his organization is exasperated on every incompletion down the field. There was a moment for Russell Wilson yesterday where he could have been exasperated. He threw a perfect ball that would have tied the game against the Chargers. It was typical Russell Wilson, rolling, brilliant. violently fired a laser to the back of the end zone at home to tie the game with the chargers. And the ball was dropped.

And what did Russell Wilson do? Looked upset for about half a second, then instantly realized, I'm the quarterback. I lead the franchise. No drama, no finger pointing. And he was back to being what makes Russell Wilson special. No drama, no exasperation, no pointing fingers, no passive aggressive. Rogers is great, but he has become predictably exasperated, predictably dramatic, predictably woe is me. Watch the body language.

It's becoming a tired act. You're not on that bus to the stadium alone, nor are you on that airlines to Foxborough alone. Here's Aaron after. Not being on the same page too many times. Whether I'm missing a throw or we're not in the spot I think we're going to be at, just it's happening in the worst times you know when we have to play our best in those crunch times we haven't been playing our best not saying it's all his fault isn't 20 25 percent maybe his fault r ely x he's constantly telling us we're not on the same page and when i watch him on the sidelines

why would he be he's off by himself brady's not be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Yesterday in the NFL was separation Sunday. We're halfway through. And let me just, let's just talk about the AFC for a second. The AFC this morning is perfectly clear. The Steelers and the Chargers establish themselves as playoff teams. So let's look at the divisions right now.

I think it's really clear what we have. The Chiefs, the Patriots, the Steelers, and the Texans lead their division, and they are clearly the best teams in their division. The Chargers, by beating Seattle, are a flawed team in special teams, but they're really good. So, folks, yesterday was Separation Sunday. We had our questions about the Steelers. They figured it out. Levian Bell, not here.

Not a problem. Pass rush. one of the best in football. Defense on the back end pretty much solved it. L.A. Chargers, went on the road, tough environment. They need a new field goal kicker,

but dominated Seattle. We are halfway home. It's week nine in the NFL and the AFC is decided with one exception. New England's winning their division. Pittsburgh's won in their division.

The Texans have a two and a half game lead if Tennessee loses tonight. They're winning their division and the Chiefs are winning theirs. The Chargers are now officially in as an AFC wildcard team. How do I know that? Well, I don't know. Look at the Chargers last 15 games. They've only lost to the Rams, the Chiefs at Jacksonville, at New England. The one opening that appears to be available in the AFC is a wildcard spot. Again, Patriots, Texans, Steelers, Kansas City, the gap between those guys and the team in their division are huge except for Kansas City's small gap over the Chargers. I'll say this now, I'll put it out there. The only playoff spot available in the AFC is a wild card, and I don't

buy into Cincinnati, and I don't buy into Baltimore anymore. I'm going to take the three and five Indianapolis Colts for four reasons to make a run and get to the playoffs. Number one is their schedule is easily, easily the more swerkable of everybody in the NFL. Jags, Titans, Dolphins, Jags, Texans, Cowboys, Giants, Titans. The Colts have the easiest schedule of any team in the NFL left. Number two is Andrew Luck. Oh, he's healthy. Yeah, he's really good like we need to be reminded.

of that. The fact he still has detractors means there's a lot of people who just don't know football. Number three is, I'm not saying they have an offensive line that's elite, but Chris Ballard, in the last two years, has really done an incredible job to solve Andrew Luck's protection. Their center is currently a pro bowler at the midway point. Their left guard just won AFC rookie of the month. Their tackles are good enough. They also, reason number four, appear to have a decent running game with Marlon Mack, another good draft pick.

So when I look at the AFC, the division winners, three are not in doubt. Patriots, Steelers, Texans are not in doubt. The Chiefs is only in doubt because of the Chargers. But I think the Colts will take, and right now the record doesn't indicate they'll take it. Baltimore and Cincinnati. But when I look at the four advantages the Colts have, Schedule, Luck, O-line,

and a running game's been improved dramatically. My vote is the Colts sneak in in the AFC. Top of the hour are blazing five. Drew Bledso, Michael Vic, Chris Broussard, and Trent Dilfer all join us today. I will say, let me go back to the Patriots for a second. And it's pretty remarkable when I watch that game.

So yesterday morning, I make my son pancakes. and you know pancakes have i i go online to make them from scratch and pancakes haven't changed in a hundred years now they're adding blueberries to them and a pumpkin pancake the texture's the same they look the same they mostly taste the same you can change a few things but a pancake's a pancake and i'm sitting there watching new england last night and it cracks me up this 18 years the only time this dynasty has looked different than now, was for about a year and a half, Randy Moss. Other than that, I swear to God,

20 years from now, you're going to give me a tape of New England's dynasty, and I'm not going to tell what year it is. I mean, Brady still looks like he did seven years ago. Brady still looks physically like he did nine years ago, 12 years ago. Every year is the same. They start slow in September, this year they lost of the Lions. The media says the dynasty's always.

then they get red hot in October and November and then there's a big Sunday night football game in Foxborough against another Super Bowl contender and they pull away in the fourth even that trick play last night looked like the trick play they used last year in the year before and the year before second half tight game they need a pop and they go to a trick play I swear to God 20 years from now you're going to give me a tape. I'm going to be watching highlights of the Patriots, and it'll all mesh together. I'll be like, I can't tell what year it is. How do I know?

They all look the same. Even their trick plays look the same. I mean, they are the pancakes I made yesterday. 1970 pancakes, 1990 pancakes, yesterday's pancakes. Can't tell what era they're from unless the plates changed. The only time they've ever looked different in New England is that Randy Moss 18. Remember that one two-year stretch where they had this wild fireworks show deep? That's it. Other than that,

it's just Edelman, Welker, Hogan, Dion Branch. It looks the same. The protection's the same. Brady looks the same. Brady wasn't one of these really mobile early in his career. Less mobile. He looks the exact same. Precision, accurate. So basically you're saying pancakes are the greatest breakfast food of all time. Well, they are at our house, especially when dad makes them and the kids get to sit there and eat them. You don't put any extra Colin Coward Flare on your pancakes? No, I really don't.

I don't do anything. I just, I sat there watching it. I'm like, you could have shown me a tape. If I didn't watch this game, I was sick yesterday. I slept all day. And you said, okay, here's what the game looked like and showed me highlights. I'd be like, okay. I mean, that looks like three years ago.

Because they all looked the same. Here was Brady after the game on sitting seven and two. Anytime you beat a good football team, it feels good. So seven and two is a long ways from one and two where we were. We strung together a lot of wins playing good football. And we got to keep it going. We've got another big one this week. By the way, all the Alabama teams until two look the same,

all the Yukon women's basketball champion team looks the same. Why is that? Because success is patterns and habits. It's sustainable patterns and habits. That's why Bama teams before Tua all look the same. Yukon Women's Basketball always looks the same. And the Patriots, outside of the Moss years, it all looks the same. In fact, last six years through nine games, they've been seven and two, seven and two, seven and two, nine and no, seven and two, seven and two, it's the same team.

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. So we do it every week at this time on Mondays, where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong in the last week, here we go. Where Colin was right? Another winning week for the Blazing Five. Chargers, we liked him on the road. Vikings, Patriots, we liked him at home.

60% plus this year. And it was a rough week. By the way, we have the Titans plus the points tonight. Dallas wins, but we'll take the five, five and a half with Tennessee. I told the staff going in, this was the least confident I was all. year. There was a lot of wild line movement. I struggled until Friday morning to figure out who I liked in these games, but we're three and one winning a game heading into the Titans plus the points tonight. Where Colin was wrong. Cam Newton, I didn't think he was coachable at this point

in his career. He had the money, the fame, the commercials, the MVP. He has been incredibly coachable. He's not the MVP. He's the MVP. He's the MVP. He's the MVP. the most valuable cam. Precision and accuracy have never been better. Only four picks, 67% completion rate. Listen, he's a guy that has always sort of done his own thing and sometimes to the peril of the rest of his teammates. But at this point in his career, with a pile of money and an MVP in this division,

which is really good, to step back, take the coaching, and elevate his game to another level is really, really impressive. They are fun to watch. Where Colin was right? Well, in September, there were still many media members making Jim Harbaugh Brady Hope comparisons. And I said, what are you doing?

Jim Harbaugh is now 4-4, San Diego, Stanford, 49ers to the Super Bowl, Michigan. They are easily the best team in the Big Ten. By the way, Nick Saban's fourth year at Alabama, he had a title, but he lost three games and should have lost four. These turnaround jobs at traditional powers are not easy. They're not easy. And he took over a losing culture, and they didn't have great defensive talent. And right now, defensively, they're in the Clemson class. They're in the Bama class.

Now, I don't think they're as good as those two teams. but once again, the media went bananas in September bailing on Harbaugh, and we doubled down on him, and we were right. Where Colin was wrong. The Lakers forward, Brandon Ingram. It's year three, dude. This is the step-up year. I thought we would be able to see very quickly he was LeBron's number two.

His points are down. He's got no dog in him. He's a great tease. A good quarter followed by. a bad one, he's shooting three point percentages down, and I can tell you the Lakers are frustrated. He feels like, in fact, the

odd man out. Kyle Kuzma, a much less heralded draft pick and player, is more offensively explosive and more dependable. He has simply not been what I project that he would be. Now, it's early, but he

just disappears. He looks like the odd man out. Where Colin was right? didn't buy into Matt Patricia as a head coach in the NFL. I said he's one of those guys that's really smart, but he looks, sounds, and acts like an assistant.

And last week, as his team now appears to have just mailed it in, they weren't competitive this weekend, they weren't competitive at home last week against Seattle. He spent last week lecturing the media on posture. Give me a favor. Just kind of sit up and just like have a little respect for the process. Every day you come and ask me questions, and you just kind of like, you know, give me this.

But, I mean, just to be a little respectful. I'm asking just to be a little respectful in this whole process, okay? So ask me a question professionally, and I'll answer it for you. I don't think he should be lecturing people on professional. I mean, this is a guy that wore his hat on backwards. His first coaching game, Monday night football at home, three and five, locker room looks lost. He is what we thought he was. Where Colin was wrong.

Todd Bowles and Sam Darnold love them both. They have regressed badly. Listen, the offensive line with the Jets, they can't snap the ball consistently. It's a bad team. All their best players are on defense. But Darnold's regressed. His accuracy is getting worse. Bowls, who I've said is the best coach with a losing record in the NFL,

either doesn't trust Darnold or doesn't have a clever offensive bone in his body because Miami was there for the taking yesterday. We've moved past Brock Tober to Brock Vember, and he wasn't good. And Adam Gase was on the sideline during the games trying to figure out a play that will work for Miami. Darnold struggled. He looked lost, and the Jets are a mess. Where Colin was right. Said from day one, Chargers may, outside a field goal kicker,

they may have a better roster than the Rams. And after yesterday, I'll stay with that. First of all, their pass rush is better than the Rams. Their wide receiving core, believe it or not, is better than the Rams. I think it's the best in football. Their running back, Melvin Gordon is the best running back in the AFC. And unlike the Rams, they actually have a shutdown corner. Outside a field goal kicker, this may be the best roster in the league.

They're 15 and 5 since Week 5 last year with their losses at Jacksonville, at the Rams, at New England, at Kansas City. and they can't beat the Chiefs. They are, oh, by the way, they just cut their kicker, Caleb Sturgis. If you watch that game yesterday, that is the least surprising thing in the NFL. The Chargers just cut their kicker, which is the only weakness that football team has. People say, well, you just like them because you're in Los Angeles. Watch the Vegas lines.

They went on the road and dominated Seattle for three and a half hours. Forget that score. It was not that close. Where Colin was wrong. I never buy into the We the North thing for the Raptors, but they've already beaten the Celtics. They're 7-0 with Kauai Leonard. Last night they didn't play them,

and they took a 41 to 10 lead on a Laker team that had been in every game. Listen, man, they're deep, they're physical, they grind. I got to give them credit. When they beat the Celtics earlier this year, I was like, well, I watched them play the Sixers the other night. Wasn't close.

was not competitive. Toronto, I don't know how they're going to do in June, but they have not missed a beat. In fact, with Kauai, they look better than last year. Where Colin was right? John Gruden's now 1 and 7, and it appeared on Thursday night they quit. It appears they quit.

In fact, I know I'm right when people on the street now are coming up to me every day at the gas station or at restaurants saying, Man, you were right about John Gruden. Listen, it was fairly easy. How can you be out of anything for 10 years just on the periphery of it and not like erode? Football changes too much. It's like, you know, I always compare it to Silicon Valley.

Every two years, it switches. I don't think he relates to players. I don't think he understands the power now of players. And frankly, Jack Del Rio, and you can't even argue this, got. the best out of Derek Carr. Derek Carr doesn't look this thing. The fact that people are saying they should trade Derek Carr, are you kidding me? Derek Carr two years ago with Del Rio, we were saying it was a top 10 quarterback.

Where Colin was wrong. This Josh Gordon, New England thing, is working, and I didn't buy into it at all. I said, listen, he's not a trustable guy. I know he's talented, but there have been four wide receivers traded so far in the NFL Joy. New England got the best one and gave out the least. He had 10 targets yesterday, and that's the key. With Brady, it's not just the connections.

How often is Tom Brady targeting you? And in the biggest game of the year on Sunday night football, he was looking regularly for Josh Gordon downfield. That tells you that Brady's trust level is through the roof with him. And Josh, we always do we had talent. this has been way more productive than I would have predicted. Where Colin was right? Finally, Nick Saban against LSU, rinse and repeat.

As predicted, they all look the same. 29-0. LSU, which has NFL bodies everywhere, is never as well coached as Alabama. They can't score because they can't get the quarterback position right. I think LSU's been shut out four times. in the last decade by one team. Alabama. When these two teams play, I said it Friday,

two touchdowns or more, Alabama will pull away. It will look competitive for a half because LSU is an NFL factory. That defense has nothing but Sunday guys. But in the end, Sabin and Ors are on. It is a complete and utter coaching mismatch. Alabama, no trouble.

The last hour and a half of that football game, with LSU. 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. Decade and a half in the NFL, a Super Bowl and a Pro Bowl. His name is Trent Delfare via the Coward, Global,

satellite network. All right, I've been yamming, yammering him at this all day about the system, system, system. I'm tired of hearing about the system, system, because generally, if it is a great system, like the triangle offense or West Coast offense, we give it a name can you explain to me what the system in New England is?

Well, I think what they've done over, what is it, 18 years better than anybody else, has evolved week to week. They're a game plan system. They put together a game plan that attacks your weaknesses, allows their own players to do what they do best most often. Now, that's an easy way of saying about what's the foundation? The foundation of that is teaching and learning. They have great teachers as their coaches.

They have players that are willing to learn ball every week. they have discipline they have work ethic they have precision they have poise they have all those that's the foundation for which you can build a game plan system off of so yeah i agree with you that a lot of times we can put how people play in a box with the patrons they never look the same that's what that's what makes them so hard to defend now i understand your argument that tom brady is the system well you probably couldn't do that unless tom brady's your quarterback the burden that he has to carry each week to continue to learn even at this stage of his career to teach the other players to maintain the work ethic in the in the film room in the weight room on the

practice field I heard what drew but Bledso said earlier in the show how the real genius is what he does Tuesday through Saturday and I agree with that but that's all all that stuff is what allows them to have a system that evolves and changes every week now I'm going to say something you tell me if this is unfair is that increasingly when Aaron loses big games it feels like to me more and more I hear excuses he's got some nice

offensive pieces and they've drafted some good players I watched it last night for three quarters in Foxborough that puppy was even I do feel like in the last couple of years we're lining up too many excuses now people will say I'm anti-Aaron When I say that, am I over the top? How's that land for you?

Well, no, I don't think it's unfair. And I'm the most pro-Aren guy there is. I've known him since he was in college. And it's been a lot of time with Aaron. And in fact, back when you're old place, when we first started doing a segment together, I was the one of convinced you there and Rogers was going to be good. Yeah. When it was a backup front farm.

So I'm very pro-Aren, but I agree with you. I sense that everybody has already built in an excuse for Aaron when they don't win. I feel like when they do win and he plays great, he's the reason they win. And when they don't win, he's never the reason they lost. It's always something else. I think they're plenty talented. I don't think he needs more weapons. My biggest thing that I wish I could see with Aaron Rogers is for him to build a play in a system,

an offense that's as innovative is the Chiefs or the Saints or the Rams or the Rams. or the Patriots, where there's multiple sets, there's multiple motions, there's 10 freebies a game, as I call them, where each quarterback starts the game with 10 completions because the coach out schemes, the defense. It seems like Aaron has to work harder in game because of how static his offense is than the other great quarterback. But I don't think it's unfair.

It does seem like there's a pity party around Aaron Rogers anytime they don't win. and the national media has just kind of gone to a default mode where, oh, they lost, it wasn't Aaron's fault. Oh, they won. Aaron was the greatest player on the planet. And last night, by the way, last night he did not play very well. Tom Brady didn't play great either. That game last night was more about the other 88 guys on the field than the two quarterbacks. I didn't think either quarterback, and I bet you they would both tell you that.

It felt like they're as sharp. They were as sharp as they needed to be. Now, Drew Breeze was sharp. Do you see it? And I say, you know, everybody. always tells me Rogers is better than Brady and I'm like I'm not sure he's better than Breeze. Breeze is so great to me and I see comparisons. When you look at Rogers and Breeze, let's go to Drew. Is he completely polar opposite of Aaron? Compare the two. Yeah, they're hard to

compare because they're very different players and again, different offenses. I think Drew at this point of his career is as precise as he's ever been. He's always been one of the most precise guys in the league playing the position. But he's a completion first guy. He's working place. not usually, meaning low to high. He's a guy that's going to try to get the ball out of his hand as fast as he can to a great athlete, let him get those yards after the catch numbers. Where Aaron has that in his game, and when they're playing really well, that's how they attack you. But Aaron also likes to improvise.

He likes to look to kind of bring the machete out and get you with one shot. So they're very different players. I think if Aaron played, that's why he said that earlier, if Aaron played in a death by a thousand cut system like Drew Brees does, where you're just nicking away, Knicking away, Knicking away, nicking away, waiting for the defense to make mistakes, then strike, I think he'd be far more successful than he's been.

He's already been one of the great players in our league. So they're very hard to compare just because of how they play the game very differently. Okay, Cowboys tonight, this is a huge win because the NFC is wide open. and Amari Cooper comes to town. So 10 days, maybe nine practices, haven't played a game together. Do you expect him to click tonight? I mean, what do you expect to see?

How comfortable will they be? Go back to your career. How many practices do you need? How many, I mean, what am I going to see tonight with Amari and Dak? Well, to truly feel that to master the offense is going to take them probably a month. but it's very important that he plays well tonight.

It's very important, in my opinion, that the Cowboys showcase him tonight. There are plenty of ways to get him involved in the game that don't take a month of reps to get comfortable with. You can identify stuff that he mastered in Oakland and implement that stuff into your system in Dallas. Look what Houston did with Maris Thomas yesterday. They immediately got him involved with a spring, with a wide receiver screen. they got him running a dig route, which he did a ton of in Denver. So they found two things that DeMarius Thomas did very well in Denver and utilized it, his first time playing in Houston.

The Cowboys have to do the same thing with Amari Cooper. He has to be showcased tonight. I think for the NFC East is a toss-up. And for the Cowboys, one, they have to win this game, but two, they have to win in a certain way that creates that excitement, creates that buzz, around that trade and around this Cowboys team. And the reality of it is that your show, every other show is going to talk about the cowboys more than any other team.

So when they are on prime time, the coaching staff and the players have to be aware, it's not just about winning, but it's about how we look while we win, too. Because we want the narratives around our team to be exciting and forward thinking and to create a real buzz around this Cowboys team. And I think the way they do that is to get Amari Cooper involved early and often. You know, it's interesting. I'm watching the Chargers, and they're so loaded. They just cut their field goal kickers today, which was not unsurprising.

But they don't have a home field, really. And they're kind of the second, clearly the second banana in the town they're in, and they just moved. When I look at their talent, you said this last week, the best running back in L.A. may not be Todd Gurley. Maybe, you know, the Charger running back. Melvin Gordon, yeah. Melvin Gordon, but here's what I wonder.

They don't have a home field. They're kind of, their history. Their history is they blow it. Does that stuff matter? Like, media guys like me, but I look at the chargers and I'm like, God, I just can't trust them after Thanksgiving. And I love their personnel. Do you think players in that locker room think about that stuff too?

I think that it's a danger lurking if they listen to it. And when things start going bad, the dangers that people start believing those narratives. I do think when you have a leader like Philip Rivers, when you have veterans on that team that have been there and done it, that they're not going to allow that stuff to takeover. In fact, I think not having a home field and playing second fiddle to the Rams in L.A. And all the things, all the doubting that goes on around their team because of past experiences can really become a rallying pride for you and develop a chip on your shoulder. and team chemistry, team dynamics are so important and they're so hard to explain sometimes.

They're intangible. They're very hard to put your finger on. But great teams with great leaders typically can use that other stuff to develop a chip on their shoulders, like I said, and a rallying pride for their team. Hey, you're going to respect us with how we play, even if you don't respect us at every other level. By the way, is there, you know, I watch the Panthers. This is the best I've ever seen, Cam. They don't have a great component over the top.

It's a lot of running. He's more precise. I don't know if I put him in that Super Bowl bubble yet or not. What do you make of Carolina? I think that whole, I think they're very physical. They're one of the more physical teams in league, both offensively and defensively. They're hard to defend. They're hard to prepare for because of the quarterback-driven runs with Cam.

because Norve is a great innovator, North Turner, their offensive coordinator. They do a lot offensively, so they're hard to prepare for. And they have nice pieces. They have pieces that fit who they are. They have explosive qualities. They're just not necessarily out on the perimeter. Their explosive qualities are their quarterback, their runner.

They integrated the Samuel kid yesterday from Ohio State. He looks like he's got some explosive qualities. And then Greg Olson is, is and has been one of the best tight ends this league. seen. He's a guy that is a sneaky big play guy and as you saw by the great catch yesterday and just his career in general has always been a guy that's been able to

really strike you. So they're a dangerous football team and I think they're one of the few teams right now in the league that can play really good defense when they need to. Yeah. They play a different style. I think you said it early. Their tape looks different than everybody else's tape and if you're not ready for it, you can get dogged.

Finally, I'm not a big celebration guy. I never want be old cranky yelling at the cloud guy. But I'm not a big celebration. Guy's my DNA. Joy is more into it. I get why the NFL allows it. I really absolutely do. And I think it's really smart. Social, you know, Instagram and all this stuff. It stuff lives forever and it gets clicks. Should we do celebrate? Are they going overboard? What do you make of it? No, I'm with you. I don't love it, but I think it's cool that they do it now. I think athletes like to express themselves to. And the work week

your NFL is hard and your body hurts and there's not a lot of fun that goes on. I think it adds levity to the week when you have these teams practicing what they're going to do. It's not taking away from their preparation. I think it allows athletes, it's hard to get the end zone. It allows them to celebrate a little bit. I agree

with you. It's good that the league's allowed it because it relates to a younger crowd. People like this stuff. I giggle sometimes. I think it, to me it's just not a big issue. It doesn't make me want to watch football or make me not want to watch football. I'm glad they're allowing more of it.

I hope it doesn't cross a line where it becomes disrespect or inappropriate. To this point, I haven't seen that happen. And I think that's why they'll still keep their finger on a little bit, still penalized because they don't want it to go over for it. It becomes something that can be an embarrassment. You know what? I think you really nailed it. Football practice is hard.

It's hard. It is. I mean, listen, I was a quarterback. back a crappy one, but I didn't even have to hit people. I hated football practice. And you were in Tampa for a lot of your years. Then you were in Cleveland, so you were either in suffocating heat or you're in brutal, windy cold. And I think you kind of nailed it. To keep a locker room a little light, celebrations are, it's nothing wrong six minutes a day after practice doing this. One of the most important things you can do in an NFL locker room is

find ways to add levity to the work week. Because again, the whole thing, hard. I think the biggest thing is your body hurts. And anybody that's ever dealt with chronic pain, you're sitting on your couch right now watching the show and you got a knee replacement or you have arthritis or whatever it is. Chronic pain makes you miserable. And NFL players live with chronic pain. Every single day, their bodies hurt from the Sunday before. And then they have a lot pushed on them on high expectations when they go into the work week.

And you have to find creative ways as coaches, as leaders on the team to kind of soft. off in the week, let guys have some fun. And like I said, just give them a break from the monotony and the grind of what is an NFL work week. Trent, love having you on, buddy. Great talking again. Thanks, partner. Last night, a blown call changed a game.

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