The Herd with Colin Cowherd - HOUR 1 - Mac Jones, Tampa Bay Secondary & Jimmy Johnson

Episode Date: October 4, 2021

In hour 1 of The Herd, Nick Wright gives his take on Belichick and his lack of belief in Mac Jones. Kicking FG was the deterrent... Cowboys look good! Nailing draft picks / Zeke had best game in 3 years. Tampa Bay may be exposed by this season due to injuries plaguing the secondary. Jimmy Johnson then joins the show to talk more on the future of the Cowboys this season. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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heard. For listening to Fox Sports Radio. the herd. Nick Wright in for Colin Cowherd. Colin, if you follow him on Twitter, you know, woke up feeling quite ill this morning. Our thoughts with Colin is he does his best to recuperate. Hopefully he

will be back tomorrow. Massive weekend in the NFL. Both New York teams won, ruining everybody's teasers for the week. We might have a new runaway MVP favorite. The Cowboys, we'll get to them in a moment. To the best the Cowboys have looked

in five years and maybe in 20 years. Jimmy Johnson is going to join us in about 25 minutes to discuss that. Joy Taylor, you had quite the busy weekend out of racetracks doing gambling, I assume. I wished I was where you were. How was your weekend, Ms. Taylor? My weekend was great. It was very busy, and the racetrack was a lot of fun. And I didn't actually did win. I did win. I went a little bit. Nothing like Betting the Pony. Not so much on a... I got to tell you. Nothing like Betting the Pony. Not so much on the NFL picks I had this weekend. Denver to cover, or Denver to win and Carolina to cover.

And you're going to talk about the Cowboys. I should have gone with Cowboys there. Yeah, my favorite bet of the week was Atlanta plus a point in a half. They were up eight on Taylor Heineke late. They were up two on Taylor Heineke very late. I thought I was going to cover even if they lost. I didn't work out. But, hey, those picks didn't work out.

And I also, Joy, would have had Tampa to win by, least six and a half. They of course did not, but they got the win last night. And here's thing, Joy, this morning, sometimes I'm right in line with the mainstream thoughts on things. And sometimes I watch a game and I'm like, oh, okay, everyone's going to agree with me on this. And then I talk with my friends Kevin Wilde and Chris Broussard in the morning and I read Twitter and I'm like, oh, everybody watched a different game than me last night. And we'll talk about Brady, and we'll talk about the very questionable and at this point concerning Buck's secondary. But the takeaway from a lot of people was, what, Mac Jones, 19 straight completions,

looking good of all those rookie quarterbacks. Look at the steady Eddie Mac Jones. And I watched that game and I said, if I'm a Pats fan, I am incredibly depressed that my quarterback, ostensibly for the next decade has a ceiling as high as a one floor house. Nick, that's unfair. He lost to Tom Brady, doink field goal. What do you want from him?

You know how I know the Patriots deep down don't yet trust Mac Jones? Because Bill Belichick told you by making an otherwise indefensible coaching decision. So after the 19 straight

completions, once Tom Brady had driven the bucks down the field to retake the lead. The patch are in a very unique spot. Fourth and three, bless you, less than a minute left, the ball right on the edge of field goal range. And Bill Belichick, the smartest and best coach in NFL history, the best game manager in NFL history. Bill Belichick has a choice to make, And the choice is this. Option A, trust Mac Jones to get three yards, get a shorter field goal for my aging kicker Nick Folk in a driving rainstorm,

and guarantee Tom Brady never touched the ball again. Or option B, do not trust Mac Jones to get three yards, trot out a kicker who was drafted during the Bush administration, who last made a 55-yarder during the Obama administration, hope he can make this outdoors in a driving rainstorm, and then hope my defense can hold on for dear life for the final 50 seconds to prevent the bucks from getting in field goal range. Would I rather do that?

Or trust my quarterback to get three yards? And Bill Belichick said, that's easy. Can't trust the quarterback, kick the field goal. That tells you all you need to know. Folks out here killing Trevor Lawrence for how he played early in the year. Yeah, but then did you watch Thursday night? Made a few really nice passes. Zach Wilson and the four turnovers against the Patriots.

Oh my God, the Jets, what are they doing? Did you see Zach Wilson yesterday? Turns out letting your quarterback play without training wheels. Sometimes they can learn to ride that bike faster than you imagine. And then you have the Patriots. and the dink and dunk and dunk and dunk and screen pass with Mack Jones because they don't trust him to throw the ball 15, let alone 20 yards downfield. He did it once yesterday.

It was caught by the Buccaneers. Have the decision. We can guarantee Tom Brady doesn't touch the ball. We can guarantee that this field goal is shorter than 55 yards. We can do all of that if we believe Mac Jones. can pick up three yards against a secondary that was injured before the game started, suffered another major injury during the game, or a couple of them actually. Winfield goes out, Carlton Davis goes out, Jamel Dean was already not there,

bunting was already not there, Richard Sherman's out there, not looking like he's ready to play in NFL games, need to get three yards. Nope, I'd rather trust Nick Folk, who up to that point in his career was three for eight on 55-yarders or longer, and had not made one since 2015. That's not Nick Wright's opinion on Mack Jones. That's Bill Belichick's. Bill Belichick watched the drive before when the Patriots were down and a field goal took the lead,

but a touchdown obviously made it to where a field goal couldn't beat him. He had a first and goal from the line, nine, incomplete, incomplete, and then a zero-yard gain. And then he watched on that drive where the only significant play was a pass interference. The Patriots, by the way, do have a way to get junk plays. Evidently it involves Jacobi Myers throwing the football. Because that's who they trusted to make the big play on the second and last drive of the game. The numbers are not lying here.

Can we show the worst quarterbacks this season on passes that travel at least 20 yards in the air? All right. So you have Jacob Eason. who's not a starter. Tassum Hill, who's not even a quarterback. By the way, Sean Payton, great job yesterday. Hey, Taysam, go throw a bomb. Okay, that's picked off.

Davis Mills, who is not ready, and then Mac Jones. That's a passer rating of 10 on passes that go at least 20 yards. And he's throwing a bunch, and not a bunch of them, but more than those other guys, by far. So I watched a different game than everyone else if they came away from thinking, oh, Mac Jones. Tough to win in this league.

these days if you can't score 20. And the Patriots have now lost games where they've scored 16, 13, 17. The one game they broke 20 was when Zach Wilson was playing for them. Ah, Nick, he's young. The problem is this. The whole AFC is young. Mahomes, Herbert, Lamar, Josh Allen, Baker, Burrow, Lawrence, throw Zach Wilson in there. That's eight guys all around Mac Jones's age.

Who's he ever going to be better than? Of those eight guys, who will he ever be better than maybe Zach Wilson? Sure. So his best case scenario is he is the exact median in his own conference at quarterback. That was my takeaway from last night. No moral victories here. Patriots, if they could have picked up three yards, win that game. Didn't trust the quarterback pick up three yards. other side of the conference, other side of the league to the NFC, a team whose fans right now should be feeling the best they have felt in at least five years

and maybe 25 years is the Dallas Cowboys. So I think the takeaway for a lot of people is going to be Zeke, wrote them off too early. I might have been one of those people that wrote them off too early. That's the best game Zeke's had in three years. The last year Zeke was a truly excellent running back was 2018, and he had a monster playoff game against Seattle, the last playoff game, the Cowboys have won.

This was the best game he has played since that playoff game against Seattle in 2018 season. But that's not my takeaway. Dak Prescott's four touchdowns. That's not my takeaway. My takeaway for the Cowboys very simple. You hit home runs at the top or near the top of drafts,

you can remake your defense. The Cowboys seem to have hit a home run in Michael Parsons, and Trayvon Diggs is a star. You watch him and you're like, how was this guy a second round pick? He's 6'2, used to play receiver, so as great ball skills, big, strong, physical, athletic, great instincts, everything you want.

He's been the best corner with respect to J.L. Ramsey, he has been the best corner in all of football this year. And I understand it's the Panthers, and even though they were undefeated, we have questions about their offense, especially without McCaffrey. I get that. But this Cowboys' defense doesn't have to be great. Those of us that thought the Cowboys would be good this year, the math was elite passing attack, decent rushing attack,

and a defense that's just not, can it not be bottom 10? What the Cowboys have right now is an elite passing attack, an excellent rushing attack, and a defense that has a chance to be top ten. Not top five, but top ten, particularly once they get DeMarcus Lawrence back. They've got a surplus of linebackers. Parsons is awesome. DeMarcus Lawrence is coming back.

And Trayvon Diggs is a revelation. Second round pick in his second year with five interceptions this year, two more yesterday. If this Cowboys defense is above average throughout the season, particularly when you look at their schedule. It's not just the NFC East, and we can show it to you. It's the other teams, the other divisions they play. It's like, oh, who did we draw this year? Okay, the AFC West, that part's not great, but the rest of it,

who are you playing over the next two months that scares you other than Kansas City? The answer is nobody. You draw the NFC South? which this year appears to have one good team in Tampa. You could say Carolina as well, but they just beat them and beat them convincingly. Final six games of the year, Saints, Washington, Giants, Washington, Arizona stuff, and then Philly. The NFC West is going to beat itself up. Might have the best teams in football, but they got to play each other.

Packers, Bucks, Cowboys are going to, I'm not saying there are three best teams in the NFC, but they are the three teams that are going to be competing for the one seat. And the Packers schedule is a brutality. Got even harder by, hey, your bonus game, you get to go to Arrowhead. So if you're the Cowboys, yeah, that loss to the bucks looms large, particularly when it comes to tiebreakers. But this is the best team you've had since 2016, and 2016 you could have gone to the Super Bowl.

It took one of the greatest throws of Aaron Rogers' career and then an amazing Mason-Crosby field goal to beat you in the playoffs. So the last few years, the Cowboys have been more hyped than production. This year, they weren't hyped nearly as much. Dack looks healthy. The best Zika's looked in three years. And holy moly, Parsons and Diggs.

Blue-chip pass rusher, kind of do it all defensive in linebacker. And right now the best quarterback. corner in the NFL? Trayvon Diggs? You have those two pieces on your defense. It doesn't really much matter who the other nine are. And the other nine, you got some really good linebackers as well. It got to Marcus Lawrence coming back. Cowboys fans should feel the best they have felt in at least five years. We'll talk to Jimmy Johnson about whether they should feel the best they felt in 25 years. Tampa Bay's plan this year was to bring everyone back. Was that the wrong plan?

We'll discuss that next. Jimmy Johnson in about 15 minutes. Nick right in for Colin on The Hurt. Be sure to catch live editions of the HARD weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships 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 and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself.

We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become home, 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.

Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports, and with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. American soccer is about to explode.

The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie. Stewart the Chip. I'm Tom Ramos. I'm Tom Bo. On our podcast, inside American soccer, you'll get the real. storylines. I'm not worried about Policicic. I'm not worried about Balligan. I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look

at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. That's a great Colin Cowherd rant right there. Far better than his Justin Herbert is now the king of the AFC quarterback's rant from last week. My God, was that terrible.

Get better soon, Colin. Feel better. We'll see you tomorrow, hopefully. Jimmy Johnson, by the way, joining us in 10 minutes. We'll see if he agrees with me that this is the best Cowboys team in at least five, years and maybe 25 years. I am so impressed by their young defensive players. You nail the draft and all of a sudden you can remake one side of the ball.

Talk with Jimmy about that in a moment. But I want to go back to Bucks Pats for a second because in the first segment we talked about why I think most people have it wrong with Mack Jones. That I didn't think Mac Jones was that good last night. I don't think he's been that good this season. I think that Bill Belichick didn't trust him to pick up three yards, which would have guaranteed Brady never touches the ball again and given Nick Folk a much more makeable field goal was a massive indictment of him.

Even more so when you consider what was left of the Buck's secondary at that point. So the Buck's secondary went into the game injured and left the game even more injured. So we can show you the list of injuries. They went into the game without Jamel Dean and Sean Murphy bunting. In the game, Carlton Davis gets carted off with a quad. injury looks significant. And then Antoine Winfield Jr. has a concussion, which is, of course, significant because it's a concussion, but you

don't expect that to be something that knocks him out for multiple weeks. But that's your top three corners gone. And now Richard Sherman, when they signed Richard Sherman, the discussion understandably was about should you be signing Richard Sherman after what we saw him do this offseason. But what wasn't discussed because it's not as important in the big picture was this. It was a sign of utter desperation at the position. In a conference where to get to the Super Bowl,

you're going to have to beat a collection of Kyler Murray, and they have four awesome receivers. Kyler Murray plus DeAndre Hopkins, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, and the kid from Purdue. Rondale Moore. They got four receivers there. Aaron Rogers plus Devante Adams and Randall Cobb and MvS, whomever else. Going to have to beat Dak Prescott plus C.D. Lamb and Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. The Rams, Cooper Cup, plus Robert Woods, if they ever start throwing Robert Woods the ball again.

Van Jefferson, can you win multiple playoff games in the NFC this year if the biggest weak point of your team is the secondary. The Bucks have to be, despite the win, highly concerned about that. Yes, they held the Patriots to 17 points, but part of that's because the Patriots just have no way to hurt you all, no explosive playmakers and a quarterback who can't throw the ball down the field. And the thing for the Bucks is, I think this is an obvious weakness. I think it's a glaring weakness, and I don't think teams are going to be able to exploit it.

because look at who the Bucks play this year, what they have the rest of the way. What's the next team they play? You're like, oh, they have an elite passing attack. Well, not Miami, obviously. Philly does one thing really well that's short to the right passing game, and they beat up the Cheaps with it, so maybe they'll be able to do it. But Philly's defense is so bad. I don't think anybody thinks Philly's going to give the Bucks problems.

Obviously not the Bears. Obviously not the Saints. Not Washington, not the Giants, not the Colts. The Falcons, maybe the Falcons did it to them once earlier, the bills definitely, and then nobody the rest of the way. So there's one, maybe two times the rest of the year. The Bucks really poor as secondary is going to bite them. I think they are still probably the favorites for the one seed because of that schedule

and because the thing they do poorly, they don't play any of the teams that could take advantage of it, aside from Buffalo and maybe Atlanta. But that to me is a huge red flag. The fact that they were desperate enough to sign Sherman, Sherman doesn't look like he's ready to help anybody yet. You give him time, but he wasn't good last year either, and he was hurt. That secondary was injured before last night, got more injured last night. And the run defense is so good.

You almost wonder, Joy, if they're just going to, teams are going to say, all right, we can't run on them. New England at eight carries for negative one yards, and we can easily throw on them. If everyone will have New England's game plan, throw the ball 50 times, see what happens. So I don't think you're going to be able to see it in real time given their upcoming schedule.

But that buck's secondary, given who they have to go through in the conference, it's a huge problem. Here's Joy with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Nick, we were all looking forward to that reunion last night. Were you excited about seeing just the drama and the reception of Tom Brady there?

Because I know how you feel about Tom Brady because you still decide to torture yourself with hating him. But were you excited to see that? First of all, I don't hate Tom Brady. Hate is not the word. We don't like to use the word hate. That's a very unfair representation. Okay.

I'm annoyed by him. I am perpetually irritated by him. I'll be honest. I'm not as into the pomp and circumstance as other people. People like, oh, you know why college football is better than the NFL? The pageantry. And I'm like, the pageantry is this homecoming? Like, I'm not really into that stuff.

Now, what I will say is thanks to the Brady Belichick reunion, I discovered Adele, who's just delightful, wonderful music. I was very unaware. No one told me. And we don't have to get into it right here. But that hello song, I had never heard it. But evidently it was the biggest song in the world like five years ago. And then I listened to it.

You'd have never heard of Adele? No, I had obviously heard of Adele, but I was not familiar with any of her music post-rolling in the deep. And I had just missed it, I guess, too much time listening to podcasts, I guess. And so I listened to... She was still obviously a massive artist, but, like, it's not one of the world. Well, listen, I understand. And there is some, you know, there is some clutch connection.

connections there as well. I feel like I should have known about this. You should have. I didn't. So that was that was the big takeaway of the Brady Belichick thing is I discovered that song, hello, which is just marvelous, by the way. Someone should have told me about it. She's a masterful artist. She's incredible. So go ahead. Sorry, let's get back on track. Yeah, congrats on a whole new genre of music that you've just walked into. Welcome to the party. Yes. Well, I am into the pageantry and the pomp and circumstance. I would form a pageant girl myself. And I also like the story of all of it. So I was very interested to see how it would go.

But he did get the victory in his return to New England. And he also broke Drew Breeze's record, which we all assumed was going to happen, unless he had a disaster of a game, which he obviously did not. So he passed Drew Breeze for most career passing yards. And after the game, he thanked all the receivers who helped him hit this milestone. He said nothing in this sport can be accomplished without incredible teammates and coaches. A quarterback can't do anything if the guys don't catch the ball. And guys did a great job catching for me for the last 22 years.

I sure as hell can't catch anything. Everyone has seen that drop against the Eagles in the Super Bowl, but I can throw it a little bit, and I'm glad I got so many great guys that can catch it. See, that's the good thing about Tom, you know? He knows how to thank everybody and be a little self-deprecating, you know, keep it, keep it real. It's such a strange lifestyle choice.

I did think, Joy. It's such a strange lifestyle choice that you choose to be annoyed by Tom Brady. It's not a choice. It's somewhere deep inside of me. It's intrinsic. I did actually feel a little badly for him that the rest of him, that the ref seemingly kind of screwed up the spotting of that ball. So there was there, we didn't know, did he break the record?

Did he tie the record? Is there going to be a thing? And then there was, you know, Brady, me, me, me, Brady calls time out, waiting for the ceremony. I don't know, you know, people, America's afraid to report the truth on this. He gets the record waiting for the ceremony, no ceremony. Calls time out. It's like, hey, guys, where's my ceremony?

Still no ceremony. When Breeze broke the record, the game stopped. It was a huge deal. Now that was in the Superdome. Yeah, it was at home in front of his home fans and his family was down on the field. I mean, this is Foxborough. Well, they did say they weren't going to stop the game for it. They said that they weren't going to stop the game for it.

They said that they weren't going to stop the game for it, which is the right thing to do. He plays for the other team. If it was, you know, if he was playing for the Patriots and did it, we would have had an intermission and a band on the field. But obviously that was the right way to handle it. So he passed it in front of Brie's, which was cool. And, of course, if you're going to, you know, have your record beat by anyone, Brady's not a bad one to have a beat by.

So the Cardinals are still undefeated. I was apparently extremely wrong about the Cardinals. I didn't think they were going to be a bad team, but I did not have them undefeated. They are 4-0 and handled the Rams yesterday. Kyler, MVP-level performance, 268 yards, two touchdowns. Offense put up 465 total yards on L.A.'s defense, which is the most that they've allowed all season.

Arizona is off to their best start since 2012, and are the only remaining unbeaten team in the NFC. And right now, it's now, now that we're a quarter of the way through the season, or the 7th, 4 17th of the way through the season, I think it's okay to at least have like an MVP rankings. Yeah. Kyler is running, like right if it ended today, he'd be unanimous. His team's undefeated.

I don't think Cliff Kingsbury's that good of a coach. Doesn't seem to matter. They score 30 every single week. Yep. And now, Kyler, you know, he does have a bit of, like, reverse PTSD from the Hail Mary's last year, which is, I think he takes Hail Mary shots like mid-first quarter of games. But sometimes they get picked, sometimes they don't. But you feel like it doesn't even matter when this offense makes mistakes.

And I listed it earlier, Joy, Newk, A.J. Green, Christian Kirk, and Ron Dale Moore. Ron Dale Moore, the kid from Purdue, is awesome. Those are four legitimate threats on any given play. you've got to be really impressed by the Cardinals. That was a statement win to go to Los Angeles and beat them down that way. That was, I'm trying to go over the list in my head, maybe the most impressive win any team has had in the NFL all season.

Absolutely. Like I think going to Los Angeles beating the Rams like that was as good of a win as anybody's had all year. Absolutely. And they're the best watch in the NFL, with all due respect. They are just an electric team to watch. And while we're talking about how great Kyler has been and he has been incredible.

Their defense is doing a great job as well. So they are a complete team. It's not like this is just an offensive team that's putting up so many points and nobody can keep up. Their defense is doing an excellent job. So they are a real contender. They're going to be a problem.

And he's the MVP favorite on Fox Bet as he should be. So let's talk about your chiefs for a second. They did turn things around against the Eagles, which I predicted they would do. I know there's a lot of doom and gloom. Everyone was terrified. They got a big 42-30 win over the Eagles. Andy Reid got his 100th,

win as a head coach in Kansas City, which makes him the first head coach to win 100 games, including the playoffs with two different franchises because he won 140 games with the Eagles. Mahomes had a big game, five touchdowns, one interceptions, 278 yards. Did you feel better about your Kansas City Chiefs, or you just knew this was going to happen? Oh, Joy, I never felt bad about the Chiefs. Listen, at this point, you know, you've got to try to find things within a season to, you know, go for. and I thought, you know, while it was upsetting in real time, they obviously threw those two games

so Reed could get his milestone win in Philly. Like now that I think about it, I'm like, oh, obvious, that's what happens. Yeah. Now, the defense was leaky again, didn't force a punt. But the most interesting thing to me about this game was, the last two weeks, teams have bracketed Tyree kill the whole game, and everyone else has gone crazy on the Chiefs offense, but Hill has done very little.

This game, the Eagles were like, we're not going to let Kelsey beat us. Kelsey had one of the least productive games he's had in two years, and Hill went nuts. Targeted 12 times, 11 catches, 185 yards, three touchdowns, would have been four, but had one called back at the inch line. So you really, it is, I know it's cliche, but it is pick your poison. You take one of them away, the other guy is going to kill you, and now it sets up what will be a better Sunday night football game as far as quality of the game than the one we got. this Sunday, Bill's Chiefs. Bill's Chiefs in Arrowhead, Bills, three straight just teeth kickings of their opposition against the Chiefs that, you know, the AFC Championship game, of course, not competitive at all. Chiefs outscored him, I think 38 to 6 at one point.

Hopefully the bills play a little bit better. There's Joy Taylor with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurdline News. We'll talk a bit more about those bills and Josh Allen at the top of the hour. Top of the hour, we'll go through some of the biggest games that weren't the biggest games in the league this week and give you our thoughts on them. However, coming up next, is this the best Cowboys team in five years? Is it the best Cowboys team in 25 years? Jimmy Johnson answers that and talks Bucks Patts with us next. Nick right in for Colin on the herd.

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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds.

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships 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 and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity,

peace, and self-mastery. in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. 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. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Kunky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 podcast.

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Listen to Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tab Ramos on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcast. It is The Herd. Nick Wright in for Colin Cowherd. Colin not feeling so well today. He'll hopefully be back. tomorrow. But let's get right to it. Hall of Famer, Gold Jacket, our head coach, the great Jimmy Johnson brought to by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing.

All right, coach, I want to dive right into, we'll get to Bucks Pats in a moment, and thank you so much for taking the time. But I want to dive right into the Cowboys. Because I feel like the last few years, the Cowboys have been a lot of sizzle, not as much steak to torture a cliche. you knew they could be explosive, but even before DAT got hurt, the defense was going to kill them.

This year, all of a sudden, seems like they have a blue chipper in Micah Parsons, and Trayvon Diggs has been a revelation. It's been the best corner in football so far this year. If those two guys keep up this level of production, is this Cowboys team a true, not NFC East contender, but NFC contender this year, in your opinion? Yeah, Nick.

I think, without question, they'll run away with the NFC East as weak as it is. But I think the Cowboys have done a couple of things that's going to make them a contender for the NFC championship. You look at it. Offensively, of course, you know the great weapons they have at receiver. Dax's playing extremely well, playing actually better than what we expected, better than he played a year ago. He's protecting the ball better. On top of that, Mike McCarthy's rotating the backs. Tony Pollard has come in rushing for over seven yards of carry,

and that's helped Ezekiel, and I think he'll keep them fresh toward the end of the season. Now, defensively, they've got some outstanding pass rushes. DeMarcus Lawrence is out right now, but with Parsons, with digs, with some of the playmakers they've got on defense, if they can still continue to get the takeaways, teams are going to have to play catch-up against them because you know the Cowboys are going to score points.

Well, when they play catch up, you're going to be rushing the pass there. And I think it plays right into their hand. Hey, coach. We're having some technical difficulties there. Sorry, we lost Nick. He's in New York and calls out today. So I'm going to pick it up until Nick gets back on. So he's asking about the Cowboys there.

What have you seen from Dak so far? We were a little nervous about him coming into the season, how he was going to look, not having the preseason. And I'm a big fan of Dak. And I think he's just commanding this team on top of how to. great that they've looked on the defensive side. Yeah, he's actually playing better than I expected. You know, we were all concerned how he was going to play coming off of that injury.

And he hasn't missed a beat. In fact, he's playing better. You know, he's had a problem in the past with some turnovers. But that has not been a problem this year because, you know, they've got a solid running game. Of course, they've got the spectacular, you know, receivers. I think the defense, you know, the weakness of the defense could be people running the football on them. But I don't think anybody's going to be satisfied running the football on the Cowboys because they're going to have to score points to try to catch up, you know, with that outstanding offense in the Cowboys.

So we got to see Tom Brady back in New England yesterday against the Patriots. And I thought it was going to be a close game. I thought there was a lot of emotion going into that game that everyone wasn't necessarily. considering because Tom is the best. He never gets too high. He never gets too low. So what did you think of just the homecoming of Tom Brady back in New England yesterday? I was actually surprised.

I thought Tampa would score more points than what they did. I thought Tom was, he was a little bit off on some of his deep throws. And I thought the Patriots had an excellent defensive game plan. they had an excellent plan. Here they're playing a rookie quarterback, and even though they turned the ball over a couple of times, they still had a chance to win. I'm concerned about Tampa as far as how they're going to win their division,

it looks like, but how they're going to be once they get in the playoffs because they've had all these injuries back in the secondary, and people can throw the football on them. So, you know, it's going to be a little bit iffy, as far as them repeating as champions. But it was an entertaining game, both of them going back and forth as far as the lead. And I thought it was a well-coached team by both teams.

Well, you know a little something about how hard it is to repeat winning a Super Bowl. There's a lot that goes into winning a championship throughout the year. What did you think of Mac Jones? Were you impressed with him last night, even though it was a loss? Yeah, we're considering. he's a rookie. I mean, really, how many rookies are you going to expect to go out and play, you know, toe to toe to with Tom Brady? And with a rebuilt team there in New England,

that team's going to be a lot better here in a few weeks and in a month or so. They get Stephen Gilmore back defensively, so they should be strong defensively. And Mac Jones is, you know, he's going to get better. I think right now you just don't. Mac Jones, the rookie to get you beat. And he's doing that. He is conservative, but that's going to be what Belichick's going to play to because he's got a good defensive team. And he doesn't want to put them in a bad position to where they can't stop the other team.

So it's going to be interesting to see this New England team as we go forward. So I'm a big fan of rookies starting right away. I don't really like the bubble wrap situation. But I do think that the 49ers is a unique situation because Jimmy G is played in a Super Bowl. They have a contending team this year. So if they have good quarterback play, they can be in it. And it's a luxury to have Jimmy G in a spot

where Trey Lance was a little bit raw coming into the season. But obviously, he got out there yesterday. So should he be the starter moving forward? Well, obviously, you know, the coaches and the personnel people, you know, there in. San Francisco, they weren't happy with Jimmy G. Or else they wouldn't have spent all the picks to move up to get Lance. And so I think the writing's on the wall as far as what they won't done.

And I agree, the only way a young player is going to get better is putting him on the field. You're going to have to take your lumps with him because these rookies are going to make mistakes. But for the future, him playing. is the best way to go for the 49ers. I'm so glad you said that, coach, because I say that all the time and everyone thinks I'm crazy. You know, I think you have to learn on the field.

There is some value to, you know, learning how to be a pro. There's a lot that obviously goes into being a starting quarterback in the NFL, a lot of pressure, things that we, you know, people who don't play football don't know anything about, a lot of nuance to the situation. But as far as actually playing football,

I don't really think you get better from watching someone else do that. Yeah. or you get better, it takes a long time to get better that way. But you can get better in a hurry being out on the field. And, you know, the thing with Lance, he's going to be able to give you some plays with his athletic ability. So he'll obviously, he'll make some mistakes. But Jimmy G. is going to make some mistakes.

Right. So I think if you live with the rookie, you understand he's going to give you some plays with his athletic ability. He's going to make a few mistakes. but as time goes on, he'll get better. And he'll help your team maybe become a champion if he's what you think he's going to be. So Nick and I were just talking about this team, a team that I was apparently very wrong about.

Not that I didn't think that they were going to have a good season, but certainly not undefeated the last NFC undefeated team in the league. How serious do we need to take the Cardinals? Yeah, I think, you know, I said yesterday on Fox NFL Sunday that I thought they were very good. said no, if they were good enough to beat the Rams. Now, the Rams, you know, probably had a little bit of a letdown. You know, they put a lot into the type of game the week before. But the Cardinals are for real. I think they're doing a couple of things that really helps. You know, they've started

running the football more with Edmonds and Connor. You know, they're over 100 yards rushing between the two of them so far this year. That's the help Kyler Murray. The other thing is they've got some playmakers on defense. You look at it with Buda Baker and you know, Watt, you know, and, you know, Chandler Jones, they've got some guys on defense that can stop a drive. Now, teams

are going to figure out a little bit of how to play Kyler Murray. And in fact, the Patriots did it last year. You've got to keep him contained. The Rams didn't keep him contained yesterday. You've got to have wide rushers on both sides. Got to keep him in the pocket. And then live with them running

the football up on the interior. But if you let him get outside like what he did against the Rams yesterday, you've got no shot. What do you think of Cliff Kingsbury? Because there seems to be a lot of questions about his coaching ability still and they're winning. Yeah, Cliff's doing an excellent job. Cliff came down when he was coaching at Texas Tech. And we spent some time together, went out fishing, talking football. Obviously, he's an offensively oriented head coach.

And so it's important for him to have a good supporting cast on his staff as far as the defensive coaches and special team coaches. But he's into Kyle or Murray, and I think they've got a good relationship, and he knows how to get the best out of him. They're my favorite watch in the NFL right now. Not my favorite watch, even though I am a Pittsburgh girl, so it's killing me, is the Pittsburgh Steelers. And there was a lot of talk about what Ben was going to look like coming into the season. He looked great in the preseason. He's in the best shape of his life. And obviously they chose to run it back with him.

And they don't seem to have a predecessor in-house. But is this looking like Big Ben's last season in the NFL? Well, you look at it. And he's showing his age. And I think that's what everybody's concerned about. But there's kind of a rule of thumb that I have for any franchise. you don't get rid of somebody until you find somebody better. And so even though Ben is not, you know, not what he used to be.

And he'll have some games that he'll be outstanding. But consistency is not going to be, you know, Ben Ralthusberger. So, you know, until you get somebody better, Ben's probably the best way to go. They also cannot run the ball at all, though. I think, you know, there's a commitment. there and I don't know that there's truly a commitment on running the football you know they they are so into throwing the little dink and dunk passes and you know letting Ben do you know whatever he's capable of doing and yeah it

goes into you know a football team that you know say hey we are going to run the football we're gonna practice that way we're gonna stick with it there's gonna be times that there we're gonna get stuffed at the line of scrimmage but we're gonna run the football and I don't don't know that they have the commitment to run the football right now. So next week's Bill's Chiefs' AFC title game rematch, who has the edge in that game? Because the bills have been stomping everybody, but obviously the Chiefs got back on the roll this weekend against the Eagles. Well, when you got Patrick Mahomes, I mean, you're going to be in any ball game.

And then you look the way Buffalo's playing right now, you know, they're playing about as good as anybody. should be an exciting ball game. And like I said, you know, with Mahomes on one side and with the receivers that they have with Hill and Kelsey, there'll be some points scored in this ball game. And I think Buffalo will give them a little bit better game than what they did the last time. Well, Coach, thanks for hanging out with us today. Thanks for rolling with the bunches here. Okay, Joy.

We're doing modern technology. Well, Nick went back under the rock because he's been living under a rock if he doesn't know hello by a day. Well. Coach. Coach, what is this? It's Adele. Here he is. It's a greacherous.

I'm back just to get roasted. I get back here just to get roasted. That's what you do. I'm here plugging stuff in, dealing with internet stuff. Got a Hall of Fame or mocking me. My wife's mad at me. Just a disaster for me. Nick, I've got to tell you, hello by Adele, maybe one of my favorite songs of all time.

And so you've got to listen to it a couple of times. Me too. Now that I've heard it, I'm not anti the song. I just, I spend too much time listening to Jimmy Johnson podcast that I've missed out on 20 years of popular music. Thank you, Coach. You're welcome, Nick, and Joy. Okay.

Talk to you all later. This is, Joy, this is my life. This is what happens. I, you know, when you grow up and you just listen to Colin Coward and Jim Rome and Ron Barr in Sports Overnight America and you just listen to podcasts all day, you miss out on some, you know, a few years of popular music.

Yeah, you got to sprinkle in some culture in there. It's a couple drops. Yeah, by the way, my wife during that segment, text me, this is so embarrassing. Stop telling people you didn't know Adele. We go through the biggest upsets in the league yesterday. That's next. 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. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered conversations from night sweats to futas to scheduling sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes? They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try.

So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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, 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, wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying.

You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come into you, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.