The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 – 49ers are overusing their stars, USC is right to ditch Notre Dame

Episode Date: December 23, 2025

Colin discusses the 49ers' win over the Colts and his reservations on San Francisco’s playoff chances because of how they’re handling Christian McCaffrey and their top players. The USC-Notre Dame series is off for a while, and Colin is on the side of USC – and Notre Dame’s schedule in those years is revealed to be a joke.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas.

We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you.

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This season on Dear Chelsea, with me, Chelsea Handler, we have some fantastic guests like Amelia Clark. When like young people come up to me and they want to be an actor or whatever. My first thing is always, can you think of anything else that you can do? Rather be disappointed in. Do that. David O'Yellow-O. I love this podcast, whether it's therapy or relationships or religion or sex or addiction or you just go straight for the guts. Dennis Leary, Gait and Moderato from Stranger Things, Tiana Monjou, Camilla Morone, Carrie Kenny Silver, and more.

Listen to these episodes of Dear Chelsea on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on 5. Sports Radio in noon to three eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day in the Iheart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, it is a Tuesday, and it is a good, good Tuesday. Heard hierarchy, one hour from now and Nick Wright joins us too. We are live or in Chicago.

seasons, greetings, perfect. Holiday weather here, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Thanks for making us part of your day. Jemak, that looked like a seven-on-seven summer camp drill for Brock Purdy last night. He was slinging it. The 49ers have not punted since November, so they are humming.

We both love San Francisco last night. Let's talk about it. Here's what drives me nuts. I could spend the next five minutes saying, ah, they beat Indy. It's one of the easiest bets on the board. Christian McCaffrey had 27 touches. Six catches, 21 carries.

Seventh time this year, he's had 27 plus touches. No other player in the league's had more than three, and he's a 29-year-old with an injury history. The game was out of reach. They already have two fewer days to prepare for a very good team, Chicago. And that game means something for the Niners.

Christian McCaffrey next week will blow through Sequin Barclay's touches of last year, which if you've watched Sequin this year, he feels like a bit of a shot fighter. In fact, if you look at most touches among teams in playoff positions, McCaffrey not only leads the league, he's a mile ahead of number two James Cook.

So, congrats to Brock Purdy, best game as a pro, the last two games for Bertie, and he deserves credit. He finally looks healthy. Now, Mack Jones was good, Garoppolo's good. This is a very quarterback-friendly offense, but Brock last night was spinning it, and he deserves credit. He can move now. The other thing is, congrats on beating 44-year-old Philip Rivers. We can all laugh at that. But I love watching Philip Rivers play, and way to go.

And congrats to me because I went 4-0-1 in my blazing five picks, and I had the Niners as my second favorite bet. But if you noticed how the Rams now are using Blake Coram at running back with Kyron Williams, they're shuttling them back. Have you noticed the bears using both running backs? Have you noticed the Patriots? using two running backs. And yet the Niners, in a blowout, are giving the ball to Christian McCaffrey 27 times.

In the Niners, four losses this year, they have all been games in which the week before, McCaffrey had at least 27 touches. The next week, they go 0 and 4. He's the third best running back I've ever seen, but they're overusing it. Again, congrats on beaten Philip Rivers. But now George Kittle is hurt. And if you don't think Kittle matters, listen to this. The last two years, Kyle Shanahan has a losing record when George Kittle doesn't play.

In fact, if you take out quarterbacks in the NFL, I will make the argument that George Kittle, because of his incredible blocking ability, is the most valuable player in this league that is not a quarterback. They score seven points more a game when George Kittle play. That is incredible. I don't care how good gronk was. Tony Gonzalez. There's never been a tight end worth a touchdown,

except George Kittle in Kyle Shanahan's offense. So listen, the Colts were missing their top two corners. We said it yesterday on the show. The Niners were going to eat. They haven't punted since November. Brock, it was a seven-on-seven summer drill. When he moves like he's moving now, he's a handful. But this is why I'm reluctant to embrace San Francisco.

Francisco. This team falls apart early and late. And I look at them last night and I'm like, I love McCaffrey. There is, I know his dad. I love him. He's one of my favorite players in league history. Walter Payton's the best back I've ever seen. Second is Barry Sanders on a short list, McCaffrey's third.

In my opinion, I think he could play wide receiver, slot receiver in this league. 27 touches? When you're already playing late Monday on the road, now you've got to go back home, the Bears played Saturday. And you're 0 and 4 this year, games after McCaffrey's had 27 touches. So the offense is, you know, McCaffrey's putting up huge numbers.

He's a great teammate, a great player. But in the second half, I'm like, eight of McCaffrey's touches came in the fourth quarter. What are we doing here? I don't get it. Shannon's brilliant. What are we doing? Here's Christian after.

When we can not pun, and continue to move the ball and finish with touchdowns instead of field goals. You know, I think it's, you know, it's a big deal. And just, again, I think I give all the credit to those guys up front and Brock doing his job and receivers getting open. You know, I think that's really when that's rolling and Brock's doing his thing and the O-line is doing what they're doing, it's a fun offense to be a part of because we have the staff that can scheme things up.

No question. Kyle Shanahan, Robert Sala, the coach. job of the year in the NFL. So when Nick Saban was dominating college football, he never got caught up in sentimentality. He didn't care about rivalries. He figured out very quickly at Alabama, greatest run in college football history,

that he was not going to play out-of-conference games that were tough on the road. Either came to Tuscaloosa or it was neutral field. He figured that out after a couple years. He kept the thing the thing. people are criticizing USC and Lincoln Riley because they were willing to play Notre Dame but on their terms.

So since about March on this show, I have said to the dismay of many Trojan fans who earlier loved me, they should consider getting out of the Notre Dame game. But play it on your terms. I said, I'd keep it. Let's play September. only warm weather.

So you can blame USC or Notre Dame. But the reason in March, one of the reasons in March I started talking about this is because an article came out, I think Pete Tamil, great writer New York Times, college football guy wrote it, where it noted that Notre Dame

had a side deal with a college football playoff. That if they were ranked 12th, they automatically got in. What? So Notre Dame has a side deal to get into the playoffs. they're already not a full conference member so they have a weaker schedule and can manipulate their schedule, which SEC teams can't, which Big Ten teams can't.

So they're in a weaker conference. They are not a full member. They can put buys in front of big games. And USC's like, okay, well, play you, but not in the middle of the Big Ten season. you think I'm crazy. Go look at Texas's schedule this year. It's insane. It's harder than the Saints schedule or the Jets.

So Notre Dame won't join a conference, has a side deal. I'm going to show you, they want to be high-minded on this. We are Notre Dame. Look at Notre Dame schedule. I want you to look at Notre Dame schedule. One game, I'm not going to read all of them, it's pathetic.

Basically, if this was your class load in college, you'd be taking home at three times, gym class twice, and would shop four times. It's brutal. Now look at USC's schedule, where they have to play Oregon, Washington, Ohio State, at Penn State, at Indiana, now a power, and their rival at UCLA. If that was your course load, that would be trigonometry, physics, and chemistry twice. So USC goes to Notre Dame and says, okay, okay, okay. We'd love to play it, but since our class load, we have a trigonometry and a chemistry final, we want to play it before the class load, since you'll be taking homeback and gym for the third time. You'll have to do burpees. We have to have a trigonometry final.

And Notre Dame's like, no, we stand on principle. It's like a trust fund kid saying, I can't believe you have a son. summer job, I'll be in Turks and Caicos. Look at Notre Dame's schedule. It's nonsense. And Marcus Freeman knows it. Notre Dame knows it. The school knows it. So, Notre Dame's got side deals. USC doesn't. Alabama doesn't. Georgia doesn't.

LSU doesn't. Ohio State doesn't. Michigan doesn't. Notre Dame's got a side deal. Notre Dame has the weakest schedule of any top 10 program. Even their toughest game, Miami's at home. Miami warm weather going to South Bend. a tough game. They'll be favored in every single game. And you're upset at USC. Give me a break. The SEC was always tough. Then they threw it in Oklahoma and Texas. And the Big Ten was always really good. Now they threw an Oregon, Washington, USC, and UCLA. And USC's like, we'll play you. But our class load is brutal. You're taking gym class.

Remember what the Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said when Notre Dame got left out of the playoff? Do you remember this? You hate to eliminate anybody. But I do think that when you have a criteria of where you're going to select a team, everybody should be in that same criteria. So, and I'm going to make Notre Dame mad, but being a conference and you're in the playoffs. Maybe they're in the ACC, they're in the playoffs.

That's right. I'm tired of the special treatment, and I'm not anti-Noderm. I've been pro-Nodame forever. I love Marcus Freeman. I love the university. I wish I could have been accepted in it. It's unbelievable. But you got a side deal that nobody else has in the Big Ten or the SEC.

You got a side deal. You're not a full member. You have the weakest schedule. And by the way, when you play a schedule like yours, you can stay healthier. It's a little harder to be Ohio State when you're playing Oregon one week and USC the next in Michigan. You get beat up. You're missing starters. So USC's like, yeah, our class load's brutal.

If we're going to play, we're going to do it before the class load in October and November. And Notre Dame said, we stand on principle. Give me a break. The other thing is, and this is so. embarrassing, so discouraging, it's hardly worth mentioning. But when I hear all these USC people say, well, Lincoln, Riley is not a Trojan. That's embarrassing. Was Pete Carroll a great Trojan before the run? I didn't know Nick Saban was a defensive back for Bama. Was Dan Lanning an Oregon guy in the 70s, 80s, 90s? Bob Stoops and Oklahoma guy. Hell, Davos-Sweeney at Clemson's

a Bama guy. Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame's in Ohio State. That is so embarrassing. I don't even want to mention the people who mentioned it, and there were dozens. Stop, you just hire the best guy available. When Lincoln got the job, it was a great high. It was overwhelmingly thought of as an upgrade. Nobody went, whoa, they missed on that. He's not a USC guy.

Nobody said that. No reasonable person said that. But this idea that you got a side deal, weaker conference. I can't believe Notre Dame didn't. add baking to their class schedule. God, brutal. And I'm a Notre, I like Notre Dame. I really do.

I think it's a great university. But, you know, stuff, folks, the world changes. When Saban ran his dynasty, two things mattered, and he knew it. He didn't get sentimental. Win the SEC championship and hoist a trophy.

Two things, that's it. All that matters in college football today, the only two things that matter, qualify for the tournament and win the tournament for the big dog programs. That's it. Not games that used to be cool. Games that used to be legendary.

Some of you live in the rearview mirror. That's fine. You've got to qualify for this puppy. And if I got Oregon, Washington, and I'm looking at Ohio State in a week, I don't need another trigonometry class. So there you go. Sorry, J. Mack.

I get worked up about that. I mean, college football has always been a great movie with a weird ending. So, I mean, I love it. I think it's the first sport I'd probably baseball and that fell in love with. But, you know, all this standing on principal stuff, it's a little much for me. I do love these college football rants out of nowhere. That was pretty passionate.

Colin, it's funny on social media I put this week that college football is becoming the NBA where the subplots and the side stories and the schedules and the transfer portal and the coaching moves. It all supersedes the games. The games haven't been amazing. The storylines in college football. are off the hook right now. It's just a sport that in chaos.

I love that. 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. Pauly Fusco here with Tony Fuscoe. Yo, as everybody knows, we're the host of the award-winning Pauley and Tony Fuscoe show. Yeah. But instead of us telling you how great we are, here's how Dan Patrick described us when he came on our show.

Quick, knowledgeable, and funny, opinionated. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing? You're interrupting our promo. Yeah. He wasn't talking about you. You took those clips totally out of context. Oh yeah?

Well, after this promo, I'm going to take you out and beat you. Let me put this into context. Shut up. Yeah. Anyway, just listen to the Folly and Tony Fusco show on IHard Radio, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. Yeah. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers. And guess what?

We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast. Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there.

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I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 Letter help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown

call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happens. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves.

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But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy, but I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong and what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? that is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever

because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is, getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier. than it is. Getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering

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We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit season two on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Well, the old guy quarterback tour in the league is quite something. Philip Rivers through for 280 yards. last night. Kirk Cousins had 107 passer rating a couple of Thursdays ago against Tampa. Drew Breeze at 40 led the NFL in completion percentage. Tom Brady at 44 through for 5,000 yards led the NFL in touchdown passes. Matt Stafford this year has been the most efficient quarterback in the league. 42-year-old Aaron Rogers leads the division one three straight. And I think it's pretty instructive that about 70 to 75 percent of this sport for

quarterbacks is above the shoulders. It is. How fast do you process information? And then when you get that information and process it, do you make the right decision? And these old guys are really good at it. And listen, we all want our quarterbacks to be able to move, at least in the pocket. Philip Rivers was the most unathletic quarterback in the league in his prime. So that's not what he is. The deliveries not look good. And I have always been a big fan of young quarterbacks running while they're learning to read a defense. I think the Broncos should run Bo Nicks more. Honestly, Caleb Williams, bro, you just keep moving.

I am four young guys running. I think the strictly pocket guys for young guys is tough. But here's the thing with college. College football doesn't really ask you to develop a lot. Because the great coaches like a Lincoln Riley, they're telling you kind of, you know, seven on seven summer. drills, go out of the shotgun, progression reads. I don't think there's a ton for college quarterbacks when they get like

Orion Day, there's an area you're throwing it. And I mean, Jim Harbaugh with J.J. McCarthy, well, I'm not asking you to read the entire field very often. So I think when you see Philip and Brady and old breeze, and I think it's incredibly entertaining. I love watching it. And I think he's having a blast as well. But here's Kyle Shanahan on knowing what it was.

would be like to face Philip Rivers? I see, I mean, he is a little bit older. So might not quite be as fast. Might not quite be able to throw at the same distance that he used to, but you don't know that for sure because you don't get to see it exactly on tape. But I see a guy who knows how to play the position as good as anyone. I think he had 27 throws in that game and every ball goes to the exact right spot. He tacked their coverage is great. He played against a very good pass rush and was able to get rid of the ball. It's one of the best quarterbacks. I've ever watched. Yeah, a couple times.

Remember when Anthony Richardson, was it last year, went back to pass, did not see the oncoming blitzer and got decked? You don't see that with an old Drew Breeze. Did you see J.J. McCarthy this weekend? Similarly, it goes back to pass and gets hammered by Brian Burns. And I feel terrible for those quarterbacks. It hurts watching it on TV. You don't see a lot of that with old Brady.

And that's knowing where the blitz is coming from. You can play the game or you can think it. And so I am four young quarterbacks, and it usually takes two full seasons to catch up to the speed and catch up to the defenses. But it's hard even for veteran quarterbacks, for Matt Ryan in the end. But you can see the value.

Philip Rivers is, he's closer to an old tight end athletically than he is any other position, like an old interior offensive lineman. But I love watching him. play. J-Mac with a news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

All right, let's start with the NFL suspending D.K. Metcalfe of the Pittsburgh Steelers for two games for this grab and shove altercation with a Lions fan on Sunday. Obviously, not a smart move by Metcalf. He will regret it, not only because of the suspension, which he plans to appeal,

but Colin, unfortunately, because he's been suspended for conduct detrimental, he's looking at getting his $45 million worth of guarantees voided. Now, that's worst case scenario. That's worst case scenario. Yeah. So even if they reduce the suspension from two games to one, the Steelers can still go back and void some of those guarantees. So bottom line, this moment that he will surely regret could end up costing him 10 figures

for sure. I mean, this was a dumb move by Metcalf. We agree. I don't care what this guy says. You can't do that. Yeah, well, I mean, it's, and I think for NBA players, when fans are right on top of you, it feels hostile and, like, inappropriate when fans are barking stuff. Not if it's a slur, just inappropriately aggressive.

I don't like it at all. I've sat next to people like that. I don't like it. In the NFL, you're wearing a helmet. You're removed from the fans. They're way up in the stands most times. You can avoid doing this. You just got to, I always say, when you're running on the,

field and you're running off the field in the NFL. Don't walk. Get in, get out. Don't let, you know, the instigators have their say. Keep your helmet on. Don't listen. Have some pods on in pregame. Run in, run out. So you just can't put yourself in that spot. I think, I hope he doesn't lose his money. That is brutal. Well, I'll say this, the Philadelphia Eagles, you know, they have a big, Dom or whatever his name is. Listen, maybe the Steelers need to go hire one of those guys to keep as a buffer between players and fans, right? Final note, Colin, I just put together a quick list of wide receivers who the Steelers have had in recent years.

You tell me if there's anything in common with these guys. D.K. Metcalfe. George Pickens. Deontay Johnson. Antonio Brown. Are you sensing a trend? The Steelers... Or even Chase Claypool a little bit.

Yeah, I mean, they tend to be... What are we doing? They tend to be very tolerant of guys that have some red flags coming out of college, like Pickens had red flags. But Mike Tom. Tomlin's theory is. They're talented. I mean, Philadelphia rolled the dice on Jalen Carter,

and there were some red flags on Jalen Carter. Some teams are very comfortable taking guys. I mean, Dallas took Des Bryant. There were red flags. I talked to somebody, you know, before the draft. There's always about a dozen players that are good. All conference level guys somewhere. They come with like character red flags made mistakes.

And most GMs feel like this. Didn't I make mistakes at 18? and now guys have money at 18 or 19. So I think you ought to be careful about, you know, being too hard on kids that make mistakes. I make mistakes and I'm in my 40s and 50s. If it's violence against somebody else multiple times, I'm out. Is Metcalf, by the way, a kid?

I mean, he's in his late 20s at least. Listen, the thing about this, there's an argument the guy up in Seattle is the best GM, personnel guy in the league, John Snyder. He moved off him. And moved off. him without a clear number one. Now he probably knew and the guys knew JSN was a one, but they moved off him and our big question when Seattle did that was, who's their number

one wide receiver? So I like D.K. I mean, if the Steelers didn't have him, look at that receiving core. Now, you did mention Jalen Carter. I'll just say like, he helped you win a Super Bowl. I think we would agree, D.K. Metcalfe ain't leading in Pittsburgh to no Super Bowl. He's not even being a complimenter. But that's not necessarily on him. There's reasons for Yeah, no, that's for sure. All right, let's go to the Eagles, actually, Colin. They have been in a bit of a groove the last two weeks. Now, sure, they've destroyed the Raiders and Washington,

but still, Philadelphia's been tinkering with some empty sets, if you've noticed, Jalen Hertz is cooking in those empty sets last two games. And according to Hertz, hey, listen, they're taking things on a game-by-game basis. We find a ways to win. I think we'll find a ways to win. but it takes a component of complementary football as all, and that's always the name of the game, and being able to, you know, be efficient.

I'm having fish of runs, stay ahead of the sticks, be intentional about what we're doing, set up things, sequence it the way it's supposed to be sequenced, and ultimately be able to adjust where every game is different. Yeah. Well, you know, I will say that teams have been flexing against the Dallas and the Washington defense this year. So you've got to be careful about overreacting to the win over Washington,

but it is a division rival, and Saquan had a huge, a game like last year. So I think Philadelphia, I've got them in my top five. I do. I don't know what I get with Buffalo. I was disappointed in Denver. I got Philadelphia as a top five team. Interesting. So they go to Buffalo, Markey Games Sunday.

There's only two games in the 4 p.m. window. One is the Toilet Bowl, Raiders versus Giants. I like Philadelphia. Do you? So do I. I like Philadelphia in this game. I don't know how the bills are favored here. I'll just say this, because I had some fantasy implications in that Bill's Browns game.

After Josh Allen got hurt in the second half, he was not even close to the same thing. Oh, the offense did nothing. I don't know how serious it is, but getting X-rays at halftime means it must be serious. And one final note, it looks like Lane Johnson could return. for Philadelphia this week. He is instrumental on that offensive line. You pick that up. Very good little sharp wager there.

Yes. All right. Final story, Colin. Listen, two days in a row, we're talking about the Jags? Yes, it's true. The Jags. Listen, when Liam Cohen talks trash, we've got to do it. Now, remember, he made the comment about,

hey, a small market team coming in, which was a jab at Sean Payton, who started it. You know what I like to say when someone tells me, someone talks trash to me, hey, don't start something. You can't finish. Oh, that's right. So Sean Payton responded to Liam Cohen yesterday.

My press conference, and it was very complimentary, and those guys were playing outstanding football. And so that topic came up strictly because, hey, not enough the country has seen how good these guys are playing. Listen, that was a good job by Liam. He's looking for a rallying cry. But obviously, if you're listening to the press conference, the intentions were strictly.

Hey, quietly, these guys are sitting here. right near the top of the AFC ready to win their division and look I spent 16 years in a small market so it was just a way for a coach to take it and use it to his advantage

yeah by the way the AFC South and the NFC South are almost college football is more popular in those regions than the NFL I mean I remember going to a Super Bowl in Jacksonville and the Friday before the game

they had the top 50 high school football players, where are they going to college? They had some recruiting story on the front page next to the Super Bowl preview. And so nothing against Jacksonville, it's a great place to live, great beaches, great golf. But it's kind of a college market. It's a Florida gator market. You know, and it's the same with the NFC South. When I was in Tampa, it's Gator Seminole territory.

They love their box. I'm not saying that. But when I say New Orleans, as many people think LSU football as they do Saints. And so what Sean's way basically saying is, you know, nobody pays attention to that division much. And nobody pays attention to Jacksonville. And he's right. It's a small market. It's kind of a college market.

And I didn't know that until I went there. Nice people. Biggest county in the country, I believe. That's a little trivia. County. Yeah. Okay. If you say so.

Who's more dangerous in the AFC playoffs? Jacksonville or Denver? I'd still. rather face Liam Cohen than Sean Payton in a playoff game. And Liam's great, but I... Which quarterback would you rather face in a playoff game? Boat Knicks or Trevor Lawrence?

I think they're both capable of winning a playoff game. I like them both. I love Trevor Lawrence. Better wide receivers. Broncos or Jags? Probably Jags right now. Better running back. Broncos or Jags? Jags. Okay. You look at the defensive front. And again,

Josh Heinz Allen and company, they're getting after. Trayvon Walker. Well, I mean, listen, This is a lot closer than people think. I know that Jacksonville, you know, Waffle House territory, whatever you want to call it. This is a dangerous team. Just low that. They're going to be chucking and ducking in the playoffs, Colin.

There is nothing wrong with Waffle House. I got engaged in a Waffle House. Somebody once told me when I had never been to Tampa. And I said, I didn't know the Tampa area when I was younger. And I said, you know, how do you get to Tampa? He said, fly to Atlanta and just follow the waffle houses. Listen, Tampa is the strip club capital of the East Coast. Yeah, we don't need to.

Yeah, I'm aware. That's a fact. I mean, Tampa, it's a big time. The oldest people in the country live in Tampa. Their grandparents live in St. Petersburg. Wow. Florida jokes. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. I've got my Florida jokes down, Pat, there. So I read a, this is a topic. that's very mathy, but it's worth three minutes of your time. So I saw a headline today that they said, are the Bears capable of getting to a Super Bowl? I don't know.

I think they're capable of getting to a conference championship. But here's the topic that's not real sexy, but Caleb Williams, for all his talent, is 26th in quarterback cap hit. Meaning what percentage of the team cap does the quarterback eat up with his salary? You want to know who else is in his range? Aaron Rogers, Sam Darnold, Bo Nix, Drake May, Brock Purdy, and C.J. Stroud.

Yeah, you're a playoff quarterback so far. So it's one of the things nobody talks about. Eight of the current eight division leaders have a quarterback cap hit of 16th or lower. Look at it right now. Put it up. The division leading quarterbacks. Drake May, 29th biggest cap hit. Aaron Rogers, who by the way, could have been much greedier.

He was holding the Steelers over a barrel, and because he didn't take more money, they could afford, you know, the running back from Philadelphia and D.K. Metcalfe. Trevor Lawrence, 17th, Boe, Nix 35th, Jalen Hurts, 16th, Caleb Williams 26th, Bryce Young 22nd, Sam Darnold 20th. So I love Ben Johnson. And I think Caleb's unbelievable. but I've been saying this all year with the Bears. Look at their offensive roster. PFF has them as the third best offensive line, number one rush game,

excellent tight end, Loveland and Colquamette, DJ Moore, Roma Dunce hasn't even been healthy, Luther Burden. So Chicago, the story of Chicago, yeah, we love the coach. But when you have a quarterback cap hit, 16, 17, or below, the only big cap hit, right now that's on a great team is Matt Stafford. Stafford's a top five cap hit. That's the only big quarterback cap hit on an elite team.

And part of that is the Rams have drafted so insanely well. I mean, they've gone three years in a row and nailed every defensive draft pick in the first, second, third, fourth round that they've gotten away with it. but it's i know it's mathy but dk matcalf is not a stealer uh Kenny gainwell is not a stealer perhaps if aaron says give me 20 million more this year and he had the steelers over a barrel the untold story of the stealers is Aaron wanted to win games not by another house i mean seriously Aaron's willingness to say you know what this isn't about money i'm going to have a blast in Pittsburgh is undervalued. That's why the Steelers roster has a couple extra guys on it.

Here's Ben Johnson this week on trying to hit their goals for the season. There's never been an 11-win team to not make it. And so we felt pretty good about that being the number going in the season. That was step one. Step two is we want to win this division. We want to have at least one home playoff game. And then step three would be clinching number one seat. So there's a lot of things still out there to play for.

Our guys know that. Arguably the game of the week next week is the Chicago Bears go west take on San Francisco. They played Saturday. Okay. And the Niners played last night. And the Niners played a road game and a late road game. So it's a big advantage. McCaffrey, 27 touches almost 30.

They targeted him a couple times and he didn't touch the ball. So heavy workload for CMC. we'll see if it's punitive against the bears. To me, what is really the game of the week next week. 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. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news.

What's the news, huge news? We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a podcast. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range. podcast we're out there.

But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. We were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers.

This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say, hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast.

But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down,

give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicalif 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Keith Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy.

But I felt so desperate. that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong and what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad

has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever. because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is. Getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is.

Getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of race. of remembering the Civil War. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard. Get to the grocery store, I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit season two goes deep on both of those things. The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House

that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. We contain essence. We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

There's some more great football coming your way in the Trust and Will Holiday Bowl. Noah Fafita and Arizona take on SMU. Don't miss a perennial barn burner January 2nd at 730 Eastern on Fox. Okay. So new information can often lead to new opinion. Not all the time, but, you know, we get up, we prep for the show, we're looking for new information. So with a lot of these young quarterbacks like Jackson Dart, Bo Necks, Jaden Daniels, Caleb Williams, young Lamar Jackson, they are highly mobile. And I have said for years, use it until you can figure out the offense.

Beau Nix made the playoffs as a rookie. Caleb now with a real coach, could be the number one or two seed. Jaden Daniels was the greatest rookie ever and Lamar Jackson's MVP. So it takes a while for defensive coordinators to figure out who are you? Like, what do you do? So Jackson Hart Dart, his third start was on a Thursday night football game. Remember that? And he played the Eagles.

The Eagles had no idea what he was. He ran the ball 13 times. He had a touchdown, 60 yards. He looked unbelievable. And they just, they didn't know what to prepare for. It's like, what is he going to do? Well, if you notice something, if you look at Jackson Darts, first six starts, kind of magical, 15 touchdowns, four picks, pass a rating mid-90s. Whoa!

Have you noticed his last four? Really one-dimensional. 82 passer rating. No wins. People have a book on him. So, flashy, cool, fun, new, creative. Now, you could say, well, Lamar Jackson, this year is the first time we've said,

yeah, he doesn't escape like he used to. Bo Nix still gets yards whenever he wants to with his feet. So does Caleb. Jaden Daniels, little thinner. But Jaden Daniels, his entire rookie year, was magical. So my take with Jackson Dart, by his seventh start,

people had a book on him and it doesn't look the same. That's what the numbers are telling me. He and Scataboo were a dynamic duo. Scataboo leaves, they still run the ball pretty well. But here's Mike Kofka, the interim coach, saying, I don't see anything.

I don't see that as a regression for Jackson. Maybe the numbers are what they had been the past, but I think he's playing well. He's playing at a high level. There's certainly things that he can continue to improve on, and we've talked through those as a group, too. But when I look back at it, it's really, this is an 11-man operation on offense. So it's not about one person's production, or it's about the whole group. We're full throttle ahead.

Jackson's run the ship. That's, yeah, no question about that. Okay, so HBO has this mid-season hard knocks. And Dan Quinn, a defensive head coach, for Washington. Did you see Dan Quinn on the most recent episode? I'll read you the quote. He said the last piece, guys, this quarterback when he's out there, he's a running back first. That's what he said. He's a running back first. This hit by the Patriots, he's not looking to go down and get the slide. We got to go out there hitting fellas. He's a running back first. So I think he does throw a decent ball. But it is interesting. His first six starts. and its last four, it's like two different quarterbacks.

So whereas these other highly mobile quarterbacks will give you a couple of years before, you know, there's a book on him, does the NFL have a book on him? Not saying they do, and it's just something when I see the headline, has he regressed, you look at the numbers, you'd say, yeah, yes. Now, you know, I was talking about Notre Dame earlier. Marcus Freeman is, I mean, if I had to start a college football program and I could pick any coach to start it collegiately,

I think Marcus Freeman is way at the top of the list. There's about five guys. The look, the energy, the recruiting, the smarts, the in-game changing. He's really good. Half-time adjustments. I like everything about it. It's not his fault. Notre Dame schedule is ridiculous.

But there's a story today that he is leading on the list of New York giant coaching candidates. And this is an interesting thing. I don't know Marcus Freeman personally. I've had him on a show a couple times, huge fan. but what matters to him if he seeks control and a high winning percentage and comfort stay in college. But I was saying this to the staff this morning. Look at Notre Dame schedule. Take out the Miami game.

Take just the Miami game out. Wisconsin's now bad. Rice, Purdue, Belichick's mess, Navy, BC, SMU, Syracuse, Stanford. Not much of a challenge. I mean, you could do vanilla schemes and go 10 and 2. So I don't know him well enough, and maybe that's my job to know him better, what matters to him? If you want to challenge yourself, this isn't it. Now, you could say, well, what about Nick Saban?

Nick Saban tried the NFL. He went from LSU, crushed, and he's like, I'm going to try it. Jim Harbaugh, he went back to the NFL. I think a lot of these guys get bored. Is that if you get to a blue blood, I mean, hell, Harbaugh won at Stanford. So there's no question. Notre Dame's NIL is good. The recruiting is great. Their roster's excellent. A lot of people thought they should have been in the playoff. And Notre Dame's got the money. They're not going to get... I mean, here was Notre Dame's AD last week.

He knows how great an attractive Freeman is as a candidate. Everybody has eyes on Marcus. College has eyes on Marcus. NFL has eyes on Marcus. I bet Hollywood has eyes on Marcus, right? I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the next, you know, Leo DiCaprio movie with Marcus Borsese. I view his contract, although a multi-year contract is a living, breathing document, that we will revise every year as need be to make sure he's where he deserves to be. He knows he has that commitment from me and more importantly from the university. Yeah, that's smart. That's the way it should be handled. He really is top of the food chain in terms of I'm looking for a young, dynamic, aggressive, smart, ethical recruiter.

Boy, he checks every box. but it is interesting when you look at the Notre Dame schedule and Notre Dame is not an easy job I mean Brian Kelly used to say that now Brian Kelly's wound pretty tight and he got you know he he wanted to golf by the end of it you know and the Notre Dame and LSU I think Brian wanted to

he wanted to golf that's been reported not just an opinion but when you look at that schedule and now USC is like we're not really interested well how many games are there how many how many SEC and Big Ten teams I mean, you guys all think USC bailed on Notre Dame.

Well, what top team, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Bama, Georgia, LSU? Why would just schedule Notre Dame? You're fully committed members of a conference. Great conferences, the Big Ten of the SEC. So, I mean, that's what the schedule is mostly going to look like. Now you can talk to yourself in it. Well, if we make the tournament. But, I mean, the only game on that schedule that's super challenging personnel-wise,

The Miami game in South Bend. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen.

care where you hear it. 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 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. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to iHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Remember, stick to the fight. When your hardest hit, it's when things seem worst that you must not quit. Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. The story I told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast Deeply Well with Debbie Brown.

If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to Deeply Well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope From a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant,

and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.