The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Colin Cowherd’s Instant Reaction - Week 11 Chiefs/Chargers SNF, Jets/Patriots, Bengals/Steelers

Episode Date: November 21, 2022

Colin gives his instant reaction to Week 11 action, including Patrick Mahomes out dueling Justin Herbert with an effortless game-winning SNF drive to beat the Chargers, if it’s too soon to call Jets QB Zach Wilson a bust, the silver lining in the Steelers loss to the Bengals, and if Chargers HC Brandon Staley is cracking under mounting pressure.  Follow Colin and The Volume on Twitter for the latest content and updates, check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action, and visit Cuts for the latest Fall fits! #Herd #VolumeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer,

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Three games overall. Let's start with a game between two great quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert. So the Chargers play the Chiefs really well. And I think one of the reasons is, if you're going to play Kansas City well, Cincinnati beat them last year, Buffalo plays them well, Chargers play them well, it helps to have somebody who can deliver over the top, big plays. You know, that's always been sort of Kansas City's greatest strength is the ability to play from behind, play with a lead. The score is irrelevant. Well, the Chargers and Herbert down late, went over the top to Keenan Allen, a wonderful throw and catch.

So you have to be able to instill a little fear in a boxer with a great punch. You have to make Mike Tyson back off. Burrow can do it, Josh Allen can do it, and Justin Herbert can do it against Mahomes and the Chief. So they play them very well. At times, Derwin James has also, at times, situationally played pretty well against Travis Kelsey. But as you saw tonight, Kelsey O's eventually gets open and gets his way. best tied-in in football, arguably the best offensive tight-end ever, certainly in a very, very small class with Tony Gonzalez, Grong, Shannon Sharp. But I think what separates Kansas City from the Chargers in their matchups and why one has multiple trips to conference championships and Super Bowls, and one doesn't, is because I believe that Mahomes always has a little more support than Herbert.

He's got an offensive coach who is also a great play designer. I think it's an incredibly nimble franchise. They've rebuilt the chiefs have their defense, their O-line, and their receiving core. Three different units in four years. And a lot of that credit, frankly, goes to Andy Reed, who's in his mid to late 60s. He's been around this game for 40 years. And he is like a lot of industries. He's just a little sharper.

He's the 1% or the 5% of his industry. And so Andy Reed just gives you some flexibility and the ability to maneuver and change and rebuild very quickly. I mean, they bring in Tony from the New York Giants and, you know, a couple weeks later, he ended up having a touchdown catch against the Jags. So that's really the difference in the franchise. Herbert's a remarkable arm talent. His final touchdown pass where he's backpedaling. He has the arm strength to just wait an extra beat for the chiefs lineman to get in his face. backpedaling, throws a strike to the end zone.

You know, that's one of those classic great athlete, makes a difficult play look really, really easy. So that was a battle of two great quarterbacks. I think my final prediction was 31.30. Chiefs would beat the Chargers on my Blazing Five, which had a good week, four and one. That was my final prediction that the Chiefs and the Chargers would be very competitive, but I think I sat on the air. Mahomes will just figure out a way to win the game.

He got last serve. He won. But he also has a much better, more consistent support system. Now I want to talk about two quarterbacks, neither one being great, Mac Jones, against Zach Wilson, Patriots and the Jets. So, and I kind of believe that I'm much tougher on quarterbacks now than I was 10, 15 years ago. You know, there was an understanding that you had to give a quarterback three full years. That's what Bill Polians always said. Three full years to figure out if you got the right guy or not.

Took Eli Manning three full years to go, okay, we got the right guy. But because of the seven-on-seven camps, because young quarterbacks now that come out of college, it's generationally very different. They're much more prepared. The college game and the professional game are married now. The coaching is very similar. So to me, you don't get 30 years. What you get now is Thanksgiving of your second year.

I think by Thanksgiving of your second year, people inside the organization kind of have a sense, do we have the guy or do we not have the guy? It didn't take long to figure out Burrough, Mahomes, Herbert. It doesn't take a long time. Lamar Jackson, it doesn't take a long time. but we are nearing now Thanksgiving of year two for Zach Wilson to the Jets. And there's three or four problems. This is not like a singular event or a singular issue. He's smaller than average.

He's been hurt a couple times. Secondly, he is, and this was my fear, he is Johnny Mansell with a better arm. He's not disciplined. He doesn't appear to read the field. He thinks he's a little better athlete than he is. And he's not that likable. both Mansell and Zach Wilson grew up with money lots and lots of money and it changes kids and it changes people there's a report that Zach Wilson in the locker room after the game didn't understand it wasn't playing well with teammates that you know he didn't understand he is the reason they lost you know Robert Sala came out on the volume with our reporter Mike Silver and defended Zach Wilson and said that anybody that didn't see the growth,

you know, just didn't know what they were talking about. Well, I do think he's better than last year, but it's still not close to good enough. There's just too many reasons I don't like Zach Wilson. He threw for, he completed nine passes for what, 77 yards? I think that's what it was. It's just not good enough. So it would be different if he was a little stockier and bigger

and hadn't been injured twice. It would be a little different if he was more likable and coachable and agreeable. But he kind of comes off with a chip on his shoulder. You know, I've said this for years, that quarterback's different. It's just different. That's why I always talk about the hat on backwards. You're pushing and projecting an image out to the locker room. And reportedly, Zach Wilson, the image in the locker room tonight was lousy.

You know, Carson Wentz, I liked him more than everybody else. teammates didn't like him. And so there's a likeability issue, a coaching issue, doesn't see the field issue, kind of small issue, not disciplined issue, doesn't understand that he's kind of a, he's a good athlete, he's not a great athlete. I think the Jets deep down know he's holding him back. Now I want to talk about a game with one really good quarterback and one not yet a good quarterback, Cincinnati in Pittsburgh. So I said it was going to be difficult for Steeler fans to wrap their arms around this growth process is that they needed to play Kenny Pickett from game one. This was not a college kid who was playing 3,000 miles from home.

It was not a college kid with one year of starting college experience. You know, he was a three, four year starter at Pitt, same stadium from the area. He was familiar. Get him out there and let's see what you have. So they start the year with Trubisky, but they eventually move on to Kenny Pickett. And, you know, yesterday is a great example, is that this is the growing process, and it's okay. You are not going to win that game. The better quarterback Joe Burrow, off a buy, was eventually going to beat Kenny Pickett on an average week of prep.

Yes, that's what happens, but that's okay. Because really what you're trying to figure out with Kenny Pickett is, what do we have? And there's something there. He doesn't look overwhelmed. He doesn't look lost. You know, he's a little bit like a really poor man's Herbert. He's big enough, but not as big and strong as Justin. He moves okay, not quite as good as Justin.

His arm's okay, not as good as Justin Herbert. But when I watch him, he's got a little juice. There's a little something there. But Mike Tomlin's never had a losing season. And so it's hard, I think, organizationally, to come to terms with, yeah, this is what it should look like. You're going to lose a game to Joe Burrow with an extra week of prep. Yep. But you're going to know, by the end of the season, A, he's going to get valuable reps, is Kenny Pickett, and B, what do we got?

What do we got here? Now, it's not a great offensive line. I like Naji Harris. I like their tight end. I like their receivers. Pickens is remarkable. virtually impossible to cover, have to double team him, length, size, speed, hands, everything. But it's not an ideal team.

But that's okay. Because that offensive line, you're going to see what Kenny Pickett is like under duress with a real pass rush. He's not driving a Mercedes. It's like a Lexus. It's nice. But it's not a Mercedes. Okay. So this is not a perfect offense.

It's not a perfect coordinator. It's not a perfect offensive line. But I'm seeing enough to think, he's something. He's something. Growing pains, this is how it operates in the National Football League. So let's go back to two great quarterbacks, Mahomes and Herbert. I said at the beginning of this year that Justin Herbert is too good to not make the playoffs in back-to-back years. So there's a lot of pressure on Brandon Staley, the coach.

One of my knocks and one of the things I look for with a young head coach is, do you master your side of the ball? Robert Sala with a Jets, year two. The defense is fantastic. That's Robert Sala's side of the ball. You probably have a coach that's going to fit. Brian Dable has really done about as much as you can do with a below-average. offensive unit with the Giants.

He's getting his side of the ball right. You know, when McVeigh got Jared Goff, instantly, he figured out that side. That's the key. Brandon Staley's a defensive coach. Not that great of a defense. Why didn't they have a spy on Mahomes on that last drive?

I mean, Mahomes is way above average mobility and loves to, in these late-game situations, loves to use his mobility to burn you, especially obviously in man-to-man coverage. Or occasionally, you know, D.Bs turn their back. So Brandon Staley is a defensive coach. Where's the spy?

The other thing that's very obvious is that Staley, who was Mr. Analytics, Mr. Go for it and Fourth Down, on a couple of different occasions in this game, did not go for it. And I was surprised he didn't on that fourth and two near the goal line. That is the classic opportunity to go for it. You got a star quarterback. You're at home.

If you fail, the chiefs get the ball at the, you know, one and a half yard line. That's when you go for it. Last year he goes forward against the Raiders. Completely nonsensical play call. Even if you get the first down, you have to get five more to even be in field goal range. If you don't get it, you give the ball to Derek Carr, who you're virtually guaranteeing with his weapons is going to get at least a field goal. Made no sense. Tonight, is he a little gun-shy?

Has the front office had a talking to Brandon Staley? But Mr. Analytics, Mr. GoFort had a couple of different fourth downs, and that's one. I mean, the other thing to just, we're all clear on this, you kind of go for touchdowns against Mahomes, right? Field goals aren't going to eventually, the math isn't going to work out. So that was one of those where I thought, hmm, last year he would go for it on fourth and whatever it was against the Raiders. In a place on the field, I wouldn't consider it. this year against Mahomes at home near the goal line on a fourth and two, he didn't go for it?

Is he getting a little tight? Is he hearing from upstairs? What's the messaging he's sending now to the players? Mr. GoFort on Fourth and now Mr. Reluctant. That's mixed messages. Don't love it for Brandon Staley. And again, the big difference between Mahomes and Herbert, They're both A talents.

They're both really good. I just feel Mahomes gets a lot more support from his guy. Andy Reid. Instant reaction. See you tomorrow on FS1. IHeart Radio. Fun Sunday. Football season's underway.

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Visit 1-800-gambler. In West Virginia. 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, SNL's Mikey Day and headwriter Streeters 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.