The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 1 - The Bears have their man

Episode Date: January 21, 2025

Colin gives the Bears credit for landing Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their next head coach Thoughts on Ohio State winning the first 12 team College Football PlayoffSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Brable was the best candidate, in my opinion. He goes to New England, a place he knows well. the Chicago Bears, this big iconic brand, have interviewed 17 people. And so, I mean, they were interviewing baristas, local chefs. They settled on Ben Johnson, but is it a settled or a not? So here's my take is there were two coaches I thought needed to be considered in Chicago. Mike McCarthy, who's had no owner and a meddling owner, I thought he was uniquely qualified for it, or Ben Johnson.

Is he going to be Sean McVeigh or Matt LaFleur, or is he going to be Adam Gase and Brandon Staley? I don't know. Like young quarterbacks, a lot of it is, where do you land? Jane Daniels got a really good O.C. and a veteran coach. Caleb Williams got the Bears. It is a pay, I'm going to tell you, it's a gravel road in Chicago, full of potholes,

throw in some politics. And I thought Vrable and Mike McCarthy were qualified for. for it. They have dealt with that nonsense before. They've gone off-road before. Ben Johnson, well, he knows offense. He's not taking that lion's O-line with him, or that incredible lion's running back room with him, or the great culture builder, Dan Campbell, with him.

Chicago is going to be tough to navigate. Matt Nagy got to the playoffs twice with Mitch Tribesky, and they ran him out of town. It's a noisy city. They run managers out of town. They go after players. It's Boston. It's Philly. It's Chicago. Maybe they're Midwest nice, but they're noisy.

Now, there's two real positives here. Number one is Caleb Williams wanted an offensive coach, and I think generationally age-wise, Caleb Williams was saying, without saying it out loud, I kind of like this Ben Johnson guy. Here's Caleb Williams a week ago. Selfishly, I want an officer-minded guy. So I can bill with him and be with that coach for the next 19, 17, 15 years.

Yeah, so there you go. Ben Johnson is smart. He's clever. He takes risks. He just watched an organization get built up. And smart people by proximity. He looked around and, okay, I'm going to steal some of the things Dan Campbell did. So Caleb got an offensive guy.

And the other thing to think about it, you definitely weakened Detroit, is that Dan Campbell's not known as a scheme guru or a scheme wizard. He's a walk-around guy. He's a culture creator. And Ben Johnson was the scheme to that stacked offensive building. Now, Detroit, because the O-line, Gough, and the running backs, they're going to score. It's going to be a good offense for years.

It's like Philadelphia. There's just too many good players, too good of an offensive line. Even Siriani can't screw it up. But in the end, they won't be as clever or creative. And Ben Johnson is the reason for that. So the question becomes, is he going to be Brandon Staley? Is it going to be Adam Gase? He's got a little bit of a quirky personality.

He doesn't feel like he's got that culture thing, that gravitas of McVeigh. But when Matt LeFleur got to Green Bay, he was kind of quiet, kind of reticent, wasn't a big, you know, big alpha guy. And he's developed. I think Matt LeFleur has developed into a great coach. So I don't know exactly what you get. I always root. I always root for great athletes to find their Spangali, their guru, their wizard. Chicago, I'm not only hoping it happens, I think we could all say a little prayer that it happens.

This is an organization that cannot get quarterback right. I mean, can't get it right at all. They've never had a quarterback throw for over 30 touchdowns. And even if Ben Johnson works, even though he works, because Matt Nagy, by the in large worked. He left for the winning record. Even if he works. Will he be as good as Matt LaFleur, a top five coach?

Will he be as creative as Kevin O'Connell in Minnesota? Will he be able to build a culture like Dan Campbell? Even if he's successful, and Matt Nagy had a winning record, this division, the brainpower, the culture's in this division are something else. So I'm hoping it works.

All these young quarterbacks, where you land matters. And this is a gravel road with politics and potholes. It can work. I'm just not sure if it will. All right. So you watched the game last night. Notre Dame dignified, fighting to the end.

But Ohio State, clearly the better team. And, you know, I was thinking about this. I've been talking about this last couple of weeks with my buddy John Middilkoff, who's on my podcast. And college football not only has a new chance. champion in Ohio State, and they were absolutely the best version of Ohio State. I've seen it a long time. But college football also has a new king, and it's called the Big Ten. Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, USC are wealthy, well-heeled programs.

And the Big Ten is in the footprint of L.A., New York, and Chicago, our three biggest cities in Philadelphia. Philadelphia is full of Penn State grads. The SEC is big in Atlanta. But the game has changed now. The game now in college football is all about NIL and collectives. Alabama, their athletic director, came out three weeks ago. Nick Sabin saw this coming years ago. He got out of there.

Sabin's a smart guy. He got out of there. He saw the Texas money. He saw the Michigan money. Brian Kelly lost a five-star quarterback recruit to Northern Michigan. And Brian Kelly said, I'll give some of my salary. you don't have to do that at Penn State, Ohio State, USC, Oregon with Phil Knight Money. This is not just a one-off.

Michigan won last year, Ohio State won this year, and I'd put big money that Ohio State's going to repeat next year. Texas will be good, but Texas wasn't even part of the SEC year ago. Remember all the SEC fans? Oh, Texas! They are now your life preserver in the NIL. they got big boy money. Texas may in fact have more than anybody

except Phil Knight in Oregon. And so this year, it changed. We have a new king of college football and it's the Big Ten. They were five and one against the SEC this year. Notre Dame is not part of the SEC, but they were clearly better.

I watched when they played Georgia. So you start looking around, college football has never looked and felt more like the NFL. And we know, know what the NFL is about, billionaires. And the money historically in the South stays in the South. SEC grads, they may go to New York, but a lot of them stay in the South.

Big Ten grads from these enormous schools. Ohio State has 66,000 students. They leave. They go to the West Coast, San Francisco, L.A., they go to the East Coast, D.C., Boston, New York. And then they come back, and they got money, and they spend it on the teams they love. I mean, you go look at Michigan State. I have not in the Big Ten. They're two biggest boosters.

One owns the Phoenix Suns. One owns the Cleveland Cavaliers. So I think it's changed. I think the SEC looks a little more boutique, and the Big Ten now feels a little more bushy. I think the SEC has gone from intimidating to kind of charming. There is a new king in college football, and it's not going away. Michigan last year, Ohio State this year, massive universities with massive enrollments,

students flee to the coasts for high-paying jobs, and then they come back and give to their schools. And this is not to say that the SEC doesn't have talent and doesn't have good coaches and doesn't have that parochial, tribal passion that all of us love. But it's different now. The biggest challenges for Ohio State this year were Penn State, Oregon. and Michigan. They steamrolled Tennessee. Steamrolled them.

In Texas, the big dog now in the SEC, they weren't, they didn't look as good as Ohio State. And Ohio State's two best players are coming back, and they will be the two best players, in my opinion, Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs, will be the two best players easily in college football next year. And I mean, and I talk to it, NFL GM this week, He said if those guys were eligible for the draft today,

and one's a freshman, Jeremiah Smith, he goes, they may go one and two. This is not just about Ohio State. The Big Ten officially is the big dog in college football. Hey, the SEC, it was a nice run. I mean, you still go beat up on the Mountain West to the Big 12. Okay, I was just being obnoxious there. I admit I was being a little obnoxious. And the SEC's still great.

I'm not saying that. But the last two years, you've watched the same games I've watched. Ohio State has better players. Michigan last year had better players. Penn State now, they lose a defensive end and a tight end. They're bringing almost everybody back, including a guy that will be a quarterback that gets drafted high next year. Washington and a rebuild.

USC in a rebuild. Michigan. Not going to look like Michigan this year. Much better. It's all changed. It's a collective. It's the NIL. It's more like the NFL.

Here's Ryan Day after the big win. I just can't say enough about our guys and what they've overcome to get to this point. They now have something to show for it. The number one goal is to win. That's where it started for on-offense, defensive special teams, find a way to win the game. And that's what we did here in the playoffs. And now the stories of these guys will be told because they've cemented themselves in Ohio State history. And you know what I love?

Once you come to terms with sports isn't perfect, what I love about college football this year is that Ohio State was allowed to make mistakes, just like the NFL, was allowed to lose a late season home game, is that not everybody grows at the same speed. This Ohio State team had to get punched in the forehead by Michigan at home to really galvanize the locker room and become a force that looked like they were somewhere between college and pro. I mean, Notre Dame is a really good defense, and there were times they felt helpless last night.

So, listen, everybody has their run. LeBron used to dominate the NBA. So did Michael. So did the SEC. This idea, though, this is just a couple. This is just a blip on the radar. No, it's not. No, it is not.

J-MAC, well, the good news is our network's got a relationship with the Big Ten, so we're in the winning camp. Look at you. Doling out jabs early in the show, just prodding. Well, I mean, listen, you're right. You're not wrong. We're watching the same games. I watched the last couple years.

I've watched these games, and Michigan last year had more good NFL players. And look at the top of the draft this year. You could argue Mason, Graham and Will Johnson are two of the four best players. And then there's two Colorado guys. I mean, look at the top players in college football. this year. It's two Colorado guys. It's two Michigan guys. I mean, there'll be a lot of Alabama-Georgia guys taken.

But you have to be honest about this. The northern universities are massive and incredibly well-heeled, well-capitalized organizations. And now you bring the L.A. market in. You bring the Seattle market in. You already have Philadelphia. You already have Chicago. It feels like

it is the tide has turned. Yeah, this stuff is cyclical. I saw a report that there could be like 15 Buckeye drafted, which could rival the number that Georgia set the record. Like, Ohio State's roster is insane. Listen, here's what you should be worried about. Ohio State suffered multiple O-line injuries this year. They were to the very end, you know, they were moving pieces all up and down that O-line.

And Will Howard's a good quarterback, but he's not like transformational. I mean, their perimeter players are frighteningly good. But this was not an Ohio State team that didn't have some holes, and they still dismantled everybody. It's funny. I'm curious, this Will Howard stuff. A lot of people excited about him in the draft suddenly. You watch a couple of playoff games as they roll people.

Oh, no, no, no, no. Let's slow down. I mean, he can get drafted. Yeah, yeah, he'll be drafted. Riley Leonard, keep your eye on old Riley Leonard. Put up some good stats at garbage time last night, down 31-7. Yeah. Listen, sometimes that's the only time.

time you can move the ball in Ohio State's garbage time. How about him vomiting after one drive on the sideline? Yeah, that's what the Buckeyes do to. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and

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Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout 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. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... 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,

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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,

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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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. You know, I was perusing the internet today, and I saw this. For the radio audience, it won't land as well. Basically, they put Peyton Manning and Lamar Jackson after Lamar had a disappointing weekend,

and they compared them through seven years in the playoffs. And what you have is identical quarterbacks. They'd played eight games. Both were three and five. They both completed 60% of their throws. Passer rating, Peyton's a little higher. Touchdown interceptions, very similar. It's a very fair comparison.

But we just, and it's maybe it's the iPhone. It's our society, the volume of media. We don't let anything marinate or bake anymore. Tom Brady did not beat. Just beat Tom Brady. Peyton Manning did not beat Tom. Brady in the playoffs until he was in his 30s. Peyton Manning didn't win a Super Bowl.

Until he was in his 30s. Lamar Jackson just turned 28. John Elway did not win a Super Bowl. The legend of John Elway did not win a Super Bowl. Think about this. Until he was 37. Matt Stafford did not win a playoff game until year 13. LeBron, the best overall basketball player of all time.

LeBron James, in a sport driven by one or two stars. did not want a title for nine years. Where do you land? What help do you have? You know, I was thinking two things. Lamar Jackson and Peyton Manning, obviously, they're both transformational players. But here's the second thing, is Lamar's never really given credit for this? The Ravens don't do receivers particularly well. They do everything else well.

Their own, their run, their quarterbacks, the O-line, the D-line, the pass-rushers, the linebackers, the running backs. They don't do receivers well. Even this weekend. Mark Andrews, worst game as a pro. Zay Flowers, not available. He was using Bateman and his go-to guy and a tight end. He never has great weapons. But I've always felt this.

Eventually, the Elways and the Farves and the Aaron Rogers and the Peyton Mannings and the Lamar Jackson, and I would even throw in Matt Stafford. They're just too damn talented not to break through. The one quarterback I worry about is Joe Burrow. Because Joe Burrow has one of the poorest owners, if not the poorest owner. They had to sell the naming rights. the stadium to pay for his contract. The general manager in Cincinnati,

it's run by the Brown family. He's virtually powerless. They're the opposite of the Eagles. They take no big swings, no big risks. It's like the Eagles and Bengals are using two separate salary caps and banks. Joe Burroughs the guy I worry

about. I mean, because every great quarterback outside of Dan Marino and Dan got to one, but outside of Dan, they all break through. They all get one. So I don't worry about, I don't worry about him. And I also think is there's too many boxes that he checks. Commitment, passion, leadership, work ethic. Maybe I'm a Lamar Jackson apologist, but the kid is an all-time talent. Joe Burrell is the one I worry about. Because it does

take, let's be honest, as great as Matt Stafford is, you don't have the right owner, the right coach, you will eventually hit your head on that low ceiling. And here's one of Lamar's teammates, Patrick Ricard, on Lamar. He thinks he'll eventually break through. It's inevitable. He's going to win a Super Bowl, and I want to be a part of it. It just sucks as it happened yet, you know? But, you know, I personally feel bad for him because he deserves it

just because of how great of a player he is. He deserves to be considered one of the best quarterbacks. He already is, but I know everyone considers championships as the standard. And, you know, he'll get it one day. He will. For some Jaden Daniels, everything falls in place really early. For some Joe Flacco, you got to, for some Lamar Jackson, you wait for Joe Flacco, and you're in your prime as Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen are not only in their prime,

they're in your conference. Where do you land? Who is your coach? Who's the ownership group? Who's your primary rival? I've argued for years. Phil Mickelson has another six majors without Tiger Woods. But he won a lot of tournaments. And Lamar wins a lot of games. And he'll eventually break through.

J. Mack with a news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline News. You know who may not break through is the Detroit Lions, Colin. They lose Ben Johnson to Chicago, and multiple reports this morning claim that Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator who could not stop Jaden Daniels on Saturday night, maybe on his way to my New York Jets.

And a lot of people, including myself, are wondering, is Detroit's Super Bowl window closing? Don't tell that to Dan Campbell. That core group is still intact, and some of these guys are now, you know, we've signed some back, some are up on contracts, and that'll be ongoing. But yeah, we absolutely do, you know. And I think the most important thing is you want to know you got your culture, you've got your identity, and you got players. And that fit into that. And we've got that.

Like, we've got players in every pivotal position you can ask for to have success. And those guys are made the right way. So absolutely our window is open. Now, I have a belief that the Rams and the Chiefs are doing it the right way. spend your money on offense, keep drafting defense and keep it cheap, as the league is pivoted. So if you look at Kansas City, there is a theory in the league right now that you pay, I think the smart teams are doing this, you pay one defensive player huge money, and he has to be up front.

The Rams will pay Jaredverse. They already know. That guys are Lawrence Taylor. Chris Jones in Kansas City. Philadelphia will pay Jalen Carter. then you pay your quarterback, you pay your left tackle, you pay a weapon, you may have to pay your center. Defense, you keep it Kansas City. You let go of good corners.

You let go of an occasional pass rusher. You keep drafting defense, keep it young and cheap because defensive players get hurt more than offensive guys. So Detroit is paying Amaran St. Brown, Jared Gough, Paneu, they're doing it the right way. They're going to have to pay hutch. but I think what Detroit has to realize you have to make choices in this league and I think if I was the Lions this draft I would go all defense

for depth and frugality easier said than done I mean you know Aaron Glenn's doing multiple job interviews nobody's interviewing Spagnolo right he's not like in demand because he's an old guy and so not only have the chiefs hit on everything

but they've retained much of their staff I know they lost BN and me but many people people didn't think. Well, some, I mean, let's be honest. Andy Reed has lost multiple offensive coordinators. McVeigh has run through coordinators, Shanahan. Some coaches. But he's offensive. Well, and also, what is interesting is Andy Reed, Shanahan and McVeigh are scheme guys. Dan Campbell, yeah, Dan Campbell's a culture guy. So he is a little more beholden. So is Nick Sariani. Sariani's the face of the Eagles. He's not the scheme. of it. Campbell's the face of the Lions. He's not the scheme of it. So losing a really clever

offensive coordinator and a sharp defensive coordinator, remember when Philadelphia, with his stack roster, when Siriani, a walk-around culture guy lost his two best coordinators. They went into the tank. So these hires by the Lions are crucial. Let's just start here. They're not winning 15 games. They're not sniffing that. You know, the division just got tougher with If Ben Johnson, going plus Caleb Williams, like they're going to be tough. Packers probably going to be very good again. And I think the Vikings, if you had to ask me who's winning the division next year, I'd say J.J. McCarthy and Kevin O'Connell are going to win that division next year.

That would be my guess. I don't think the Lions pullback that much are still 10-11 wins. I think they're an 11-win team. They're not a 15-win team. I don't think you can lose arguably the two best coordinators in the sport. Philadelphia did. And they were – and Philadelphia is Ross – I'll say two of the best quarter.

Aaron Glenn's not the best defensive coordinator. No, no, no, but I mean, young hireable defensive coordinator, he's way up there. Yeah, I mean, it's not super inspiring for Jets fans. But anyways, how about this stat that I saw? So the NFC North was the best division of football this season, right? The three playoff teams, I saw some insane numbers. They steamrolled non-division teams. They went 0 and 3 in the playoffs.

That was a bit of a shocker. Love, Goff, and Darnold all were kind of poopy. But weren't those teams known for more offense? And who advanced? Eagles defense. Chief's defense. I mean, I would say the NFC North was very clever and very offensive-oriented, but no great defense.

Bears have the best defense, in my opinion, in that division. Well, a Viking. Vikings with Flores. It's funny. If I told you, hey, the Lakers are going to make 23s and the Clippers are going to make 10, I'll tell you the Lakers are going to win. Whoever makes more threes than the NBA is going to win. Whoever turned the ball over this weekend, they just lost the games. It's that easy.

It's that easy to break down NFL games. Just tell me who's going to turn the ball over more, right? Next up, Colin, is Aaron Glenn. And multiple reports claim he's got his second interview with the Jets today, and according to Ian Rappaport, they hope to not let Aaron Glenn leave the building. Now, I will say Aaron Glenn, for Jets fans, was a stud quarterback. I believe in, like, the 90s with the Jets. Now, who's his office?

Offensive coordinator, hi. TBD. Now, his GM, allegedly, is going to be this fellow Newmark, who was going to go with Ben Johnson. Newark spent like 26 years or 26 seasons in Detroit. Then he was with the commanders. But it seems like he may be going to the Jets with Aaron Glenn. No word on the offensive coordinator yet. Defensive guy, another one for the Jets.

Well, let me spin it positively. Go, please do, please. I think Aaron's very respected. Yes. I think their best personnel is on defense. I think when they had Robert Sala on defense, this team was in every game. When they lost Sala, they got blown out. So I think their defense will rebound and get like Sala like.

I think it'll be a very forceful team defensively. I like, honestly, if they had a younger, cheaper quarterback, I'd like him. This is not a shot at Aaron, but you watch J. I mean, watch the quarterbacks this weekend, even see J. Stroud. You know, it's a young quarterback league now. Mobile quarterback. Yeah, and so I think, but I'm not going to write this off as a bad hire. I think you don't like it.

No, no, wait, hold on. It's just uninspiring. Let's see what it transpires next. Let's see what goes down next. Maybe he runs off Aaron Rogers, and I'm now the biggest Aaron Glenn fan in the world. I will be rooting for him. I don't worry about Aaron Glenn. I worry about those surrounding Aaron Glenn.

Because for the record, Robert Sal is now interviewing for several jobs. Around the league, the Niners are like, we'll take him back. The Jags might hire him. The smart people in the league. The Niners won him back. He's interviewed for two or three jobs. It wasn't a Sala issue as much as everybody in New York media wanted to preach. It was a Jets issue.

Sala. They were 7 and 10 with Zach Wilson two years ago. Yeah. So I think Aaron Glenn's interesting. I'm not going to just label this as uninspiring. I think it's an interesting hire. I like the Jets. I've said of all the teams looking for a coach,

the best roster is the Jet. I like their roster. I really do. We'll see how the offseason goes. Final story. Another lion story. And that's kind of pegged to this idea that Ben Johnson was going to the Raiders. A lot of people thought that, including me.

And then he goes to the Bears, which is a surprise. Leaving Las Vegas kind of, oh, boy, what are the Raiders going to do? And the Athletic is now reporting that Pete Carroll is the top option for the Las Vegas Raiders. I don't have a problem with that. I really don't. I have, I do not have a problem with that. Pete Carroll, I have talked to several players, including Greg Olson, who say Pete is organizationally elite.

He's an inspiring guy. He's got great energy. He's won at college and pro. I mean, if you go look at the Patriots situation, it wasn't like he was a losing coach. He followed Parcells, arguably a top three coach. He won a lot of games there. He's also done, if you look at his career, he's done very well with young quarterbacks. he did great with college quarterbacks.

He did well with Russell Wilson. I have no problem Pete Carroll getting the Raiders job at all. And he ran off Russell Wilson. And by the way, you got a division full of offensive guys. Throw a defensive guy in there. I do think my knock on Pete, he tends to be loyal to average coaches. His staffs, he'll be really loyal, and I guess it's a good quality to have. He tends to be a little loyal to some coaches I haven't loved.

but in terms of knowing what he's doing, building a culture, inspiring players, I think Pete's a good choice. What if I told you that, and this is, I'm just throwing a name out there, all of a sudden the Raiders call up Kenny Dillingham from Arizona State and wanted to interview him. When that kind of, oh, okay, Kenny, I don't know what he's, he was good with Arizona State this year. They were picked to finish last. No, I think Dilley. They rise up. Like, that's the kind of inspiring stuff I'm talking about. New fresh face.

No disrespect to Pete Carroll. He's 73. He's been around the block. But you're, it's 73 today isn't 73 15 years ago. It's just not. People, I mean, I'm watching Nick Saban on TV. If I would guess, I'd say it's 58 years old. On TV.

Well, I mean, he's just... Well, I mean, you don't think if Nick was in college football today, tomorrow he just decided, you know, I want a big time job. You don't think Nick Saban would win? He would do what he did at Alabama. Hire smart people around him and have 27 staff members. Well, I mean, Pete Carroll knows everybody. He'll hire a smart staff.

He wants to hire the Rams tight-end coach, and he may hire Scott Turner as his O.C. A tight end coach. Well, I mean, he's already building his staff. He's poaching McVeigh already. That's what they need, a tight end coach for Brock Bowers. I'm just telling you, man. You're very cynical.

Well, also, one of our producers is a big Raiders guy, and he's just like, oh, geez. I mean, listen, I don't know. We'll see. Beat Carol, Aaron Glenn. I don't know. Where's Marcus Freeman? Now, I don't know why Marcus Freeman tried to kick a field goal last night. Down 16.

You guys. What are you doing, man? You guys. You're down 16. All this, people that sit and watch these coaches, he may have been thinking, listen, I got to have a good vibe in this game. My team's getting a, you know what, kicked out of him. Let's just get points.

Let our players walk off the field producing points. They were down 16 with like 9, 10 minutes left. Maybe it was like 10 minutes left. Get a 13? Let's make a 2-score game. A 2-score game. Like, Colin. That was the only knock on Marcus Freeman all the season.

I love him. If he's a Jets coach tomorrow, I'm doing cartwheels. on this show. He's not going anywhere. He's going to get a big extension. Another one. J-Mac with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lye News. All right, top of the hour, Nick Wright, and our final herd hierarchy of the year. Coming up next, folks, there's a story out there this morning, and I can't believe it's true.

We have double and triple-checked it. Things are worse. for the Cowboys than people think. Holy Crow! Talk about that coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, Steve Kavino. And I'm Rich Davis.

And together we're Kavino and Rich on Fox Sports Radio. You can catch us weekdays from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and of course the IHeart Radio app. Why should you listen to Kavino and Rich? We talk about everything, life, sports, relationships, what's going on in the world? world. We have a lot of fun talking about the stories behind the stories in the world of sports and pop culture. Stories that, well, other shows don't seem to have the time to discuss. And the fact that we've been friends for the last 20 years and still work together, I mean, that says something, right?

So check us out. We like to get you involved too. Take your phone calls, chop it up as they say. I'd say the most interactive show on Fox Sports Radio. Maybe the most interactive show on Planet Earth. Be sure to check out Covino and Rich live on Fox Sports Radio and the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, two to four Pacific. And if you miss any of the live show, just search Covino and Rich, wherever you get your podcast and of course on social media. That's Covino and Rich. 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... We're the first people to do podcasts.

Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up? with the name Hey Jonas, guys. I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, 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 IHeart 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 Slicelife. 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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.

So now that the formerly sad-sac Detroit Lions have risen from the ashes, now that the regrettable ownership of Dan Snyder has ended, and the commanders are in the NFC championship. When you look at the NFC now, it's the Dallas Cowboys that are getting sad. They have not made the NFC championship since night. 1995. That is a long time ago. I saw a story this morning, and I thought it was a fake account. Ian Rappaport is reporting that Brian Schottenheimer is the lead candidate.

Forget about the Cowboys window closing. It's getting boarded up. I got nothing against Brian Schottenheimer. He's never been a head coach. This is a hard job. It's not very talented. In his last two jobs, Seattle and Jacksonville, he got pushed out the door. So is this another case of Jerry Jones hiring somebody that needs him? Again, his dad was a great coach. I got nothing against him. But it feels DefCon won to me. I mean, you had Dan Quinn in the building.

He's now crushing it in Washington. You had Kellan Moore in the building. He's now crushing it in Philadelphia. So the Chicago Bears, I don't believe, interviewed Brian Schottenheimer. And again, they were interviewing local movie critics and baristas. They interviewed everybody. So I, the Dallas Cowboys, I'm serious, it's like an intervention. Like somebody has to take away the helicopter keys from Grandpa.

This is weird. Like, like they messed up on the coaching search so they couldn't even, weren't even allowed to interview Aaron, Glenn, and Ben Johnson. They didn't interview Mike Vrable. This, this is, I mean, I'm looking at the cowboy head coaching search right now. Wow is all I can say at the odds. This is crazy. I mean, you can say what you want about the Bears, but Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson and that defensive personnel is pretty promising.

You start looking at the NFC. You know, there's always two or three franchises at the bottom of the league. Like for years it was Carolina. And now you're watching Bryce Young with that good offensive coach and you're like, oh, they're going to be kind of interesting in that wonky. division next year. For years, it was Houston Texans. Oh, Domingo and C.J. Stroud are pretty special.

You say what you want about Cleveland, they're just Cleveland. They'll always be near the bottom. But at least they have the right head coach and GM. But right now with Dallas, honest question, ownership, front office, head coach, quarterback, where are they elite? Like even Cleveland, I love Stefansky, and I think they draft really well.

Carolina, Bryce Young still doesn't caution anything, and that offensive head coach seemed to fix him. By the end of this year, there were Sundays Bryce Young looked better than C.J. Stroud. He may not be, but he looked better in a couple Sundays. So, I mean, again, you can say what you want about Chicago, but Caleb and Ben Johnson and those DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, Roma, Dunzee, Swift out of the backfield.

Like, there's some dudes there. Chicago's got dudes. It's not a great defensive division. Wow. So I was thinking about this, Nick Wright, top of the hour, hurt hierarchy. The college football, you know, in the media we tend to be cynical and negative. It wasn't perfect. The playoff wasn't perfect, but it netted out what we really wanted. The top eight or nine teams, Notre Dame, Georgia, Texas, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon, fought to the end. and then we got a couple really cool stories like SMU,

Arizona State was awesome, almost beat Texas and Boise State. And then Ohio State was our perfect champion. The most talented team, crazy talented, but had a horrible loss at home was a three touchdown favorite to Michigan. So that added a layer of pressure and drama. And they also, Ohio State, let's be fair, they got the toughest draw. Tennessee, Oregon, right out. Then Texas, and yet they went on to clobber four teams in a row.

And last night, the score is not indicative of what it was. I mean, at one point, what was it like 24 to 7 or something like that in the third? It was, they ran roughshout over Notre Dame. So here's the things we have to understand and be cool with. Sports isn't perfect. It's not perfect. So you've got to get over that. And the playoff can be better, and they'll tweak it.

But right now in Major League Baseball, Everybody's furious because Rob Manfred is allowing deferred payments by the Dodgers. By the way, your billionaire could afford those players too. It's not a cheat code. Anybody could use it. Right now, I mean, NHL fans have been complaining about Gary Bettman's lack of marketing ideas forever. In the NFL this weekend, we complained about officiating, and the NBA has got a host of problems. The players are rich, but they don't often want to plan the biggest games.

there are no perfect sports. Okay? And I think Ryan Day put it perfectly on what this playoff now allows. And I think that this playoff system allowed our team to learn and grow and build, and there was a lot of pressure put on our players.

But that's nothing new at Ohio State. I think the difference is that, you know, we finished the season the right way. And we grew, we built, and we responded to tough times. And man, isn't that what life's all about? Yeah, and I also think in the history of college football, a team finishing third like Ohio State in their conference would have never been given a chance before.

But in the NFL, wild card teams can win a Super Bowl, so why can't they in college? I am 100% for a sport that follows more closely the model of the NFL. You know, by far and away, the most popular sport in America and a great model that's always tweaking. College football is going to tweak. The NFL is constantly tweaking. If you have to follow one model in America for sports, I'm going to go with the NFL is a good one. And also next year, in Columbus, Ohio, the opening game,

Texas Longhorns against the Ohio State Buckeyes, and the winner will be on top of the world, and the loser will still have a chance to host a 12- or 14-team playoff game at home. That's the way it should be. It shouldn't be about when on the calendar you lose. It won't be. Texas and Ohio State. one of those teams could get blown out

and they'll be disappointed and like Notre Dame they'll have to find their way or like Ohio State that lost by three touchdown lost to Michigan three touchdown favorite you'll have to find your way and navigate it and that'll create strength and resilience but I don't want my calendar

deciding my national champion I don't want that great teams lose big games in December it should not automatically disqualify them from playing for a national champion. And I also believe, and I said this for years, college football has always had one shortage, a great game shortage. On any given weekend, any given Saturday, there's like two big games.

Because teams have always been terrified to schedule a Texas, Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, because if you get rolled, you're out. Ohio State, first year of the playoff proving, you can not only lose, you can lose as a three-time touchdown favorite at home at the very end of the year and we'll still let you in if you had marque wins and they did like Penn State throughout the season. So I'm all fired up. I thought Ohio State was the perfect first year of the playoff champion. Horrible loss, impressive team, stumbled, questioned, layered drama.

But in the end, best players, great coaching staff. Yes, I said it. Ryan Day, Chip Kelly. That's a really good coaching staff. I thought that game plan last night had Chip Kelly written all over it. Get the ball to the playmakers early. Get confidence in Will Howard. Some easy throws. I thought it had Chip Kelly and Ryan Day all over it. Where to go, Buckeyes. Nick Wright, Heard Hierarchy, our final hierarchy of the year in Hour 2. Live in L.A., it's the Herd. 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. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. on Humor Me with Robert Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman 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 IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not. what you thought it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Danny Shapiro, and these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets. He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move, and he went out the front door,

and he jumped in a car and drove off, and that was the last time I saw him. Listen to Season 14 of Family Secrets 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. I'm Akela Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 is about both of those things.

As I was watching these statues come down, I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority black city in which there were more homages to enslavers than there were to enslave people. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human