The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Hour 2 - Colin's Blazin' Picks

Episode Date: January 24, 2025

Colin gives his best bets for the NFC & AFC Championship games Eric Mangini stops by The Herd to talk about the upcoming NFL championship games and why he disagrees with Colin's picksSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Well, here we are. It is a Friday. The two biggest football games of the NFL season are happening a Sunday, and then there's one more. Three total left. Just had a national championship decided Ohio State, the Natty, the Crown on Monday night over Notre Dame. So as it's customary on this show, I make the big prediction. We came off the 3-0 week last week.

We only have two games. I'm going to give you three picks. That's the way it's going to work. And here we go. That's a hot one. Let's blaze it up. It's Collins Blazoned 5, sponsored by draft kings. Commanders and Eagles.

I like Philadelphia minus 6 and the over 47 and a half. The Eagles have won 14 of 15. games and they're virtually unbeatable when AJ Brown's in the lineup. They averaged an NFL best 193 rushing yards over the second best team in the league, right? That was number one in the league over the last 15 games, okay? They have no giveaways in four straight games. So their rush offense, the last 15 games, yards per game, percentage, attempts a game, this is what they do.

It's not a quarterback-led team. It is a run-game-led team. The Commanders, third straight road playoff game. They allowed in the win 12 big plays versus Detroit. No rookies ever been to a Super Bowl, and their rush defense leaves a lot to be desired 30th. Okay, so you're talking about a team that is road weary, that is outclassed physically.

Their weakness is the Philadelphia strength, is Jaden Daniels capable of. performing magic, a backdoor cover, absolutely. But last week, I wouldn't touch Detroit, Philadelphia. I said, stay away, don't bet it. It worries me because of Detroit's defense. Philadelphia's defense, boy, they hit on draft picks and that's secondary. It's excellent. The Washington commanders are missing their best linemen, an interior lineman against Jalen Carter, potential nightmare. Rams, who had a rookie center, struggled with this at the end of that game. I like Philadelphia to win 34 to 24.

I think it could get a little ugly. I'll take the over as well comfortably. Bills at Chiefs. The wise guys like Kansas City, but I've been on the bills for a month to win the Super Bowl. The winner of this game, in my opinion, hoist the Lombardi Trophy. They have a winning record against the Chiefs, and Sean McDermott has been there. Did you know that in nine meetings? They've won five.

They lead the NFL in turnover differential. This team is different. Like Kansas City, they don't beat themselves. Fewest giveaways, eight in a single season in league history, 12 games this year without a turnover. Their defense also may not be elite, right? You don't think it's elite, but they led the NFL with 35 takeaways because you're usually trailing and have to play catch-up and are kind of predictable.

Josh Allen in his playoff career, do not confuse him with Lamar Jackson. He has been excellent again. Nine games against Mahomes total. He's won five. And Kansas City, I think the gig is up. Even if you go to that Houston game, they only had 212 yards offense. They only averaged four yards of play. Very Travis Kelsey dependent.

I like the bill's receiving core better. I like their running back room better. I like their offensive line better. I think quarterback is a wash. Kansas City's got the better defense. Josh Allen has a way of making great defenses, reducing them to so-so. I'm going to take the bills to win a close game outright. You know it's going to be close.

Drama-filled, 2827. I believe whoever wins this game wins the Super Bowl. Draft King's Sportsbook this week, new customers bet five bucks to get 200 and bonus bets instantly. The promo code is heard at sign-up. And with that, Eric Mangini joining us live. I want to start with Bills and Chiefs. So when you were in New England, there was probably a couple of teams that you were, you know, it could have been the Colts. You face them eight times, it's four and four, but you had a little bit of the magic dust in the playoffs.

Am I guessing it is the Colts if I go back, you know, a while back? But maybe it's the Steelers. But does the psychology, like Buffalo's beaten. them five times. This doesn't feel like Baltimore against Kansas City. It just doesn't. It feels more like Cincinnati against Kansas City, and I like my chances. You tell me

in your career, does that stuff history matter? Yeah, it's interesting. I usually agree with a lot of your Blazing Five, and I disagreed with all of it today, and I disagree with the Buffalo KC take. And here's why, you talked about those games and how Buffalo's been

on the winning side of the matchup overall, but in the key games, the games that matter, the playoff games, Kansas Cities come out undefeated, right? The 3-0 in the playoff games. And to me, the difference is Kansas City goes into this game knowing they can win. Buffalo goes into this game, hoping they can win. They're not really sure, and that is a significant edge. And we've seen the success that Buffalo's had in the regular season, and that's nice. That's positive. That should build confidence, but the success that Kansas City's consistently had, not only in the playoffs, but specifically against the bills, that does matter. And it matters, especially for the key players.

It matters from Holmes. It matters for Kelsey. It matters for Allen. All those key players, they understand how it's come out. So Buffalo's not totally sure whether they can be Kansas City, but Kansas City's absolutely sure they can be Buffalo. I know home field now because of the elevated technology and helmets is like worth a point now. But I always did feel like if Tom Brady was going to Denver, he was going to struggle. Just one of those places. Or if he was going. We did.

Yes. And I just felt like high altitude, whatever it was, I do think if it was in Buffalo, I would really like Buffalo. But there is something the way our mind works is you get to January and it's cold and it's Kansas City, and they're at Arrowhead, that your mind kind of takes you to previous games like that. Did you always feel in New England, Foxborough was worth something? Yeah, absolutely. And there's real value to being at home.

There's value to being able to be in your meeting rooms, to not have to get on a bus and then get on a plane and then get into a hotel, the visiting locker room, all that familiar. familiarity as long as as long as you don't let it be a distraction now sometimes when you're playing at home especially early on when you have success there's so many people coming into town to see the game there's a lot of distractions and teams struggle with that and and a little bit of that happened to us you know after the first super bowl but kansas cities at the point where they've done this so much they're in such a routine of how to deal with with kind of the

home field advantage and some of the distractions that come with that that they've eliminated those and now they've maximized all the advantages. And the crowd noise, all those things are things that you can kind of build off of being the home team. So I want to talk Philadelphia commanders. They've played twice. Phillies average five and a half yards of carry. Go back to your coaching career. When you know you are at a personnel disadvantage, Philadelphia will have success running against Washington.

I watch both games. They're going to have success. The offensive line for Philly is going to overpower at times, various times, unless you stack the box for Washington. When you were a coach and knew you had a unit that was going to be under siege and it was a personal personnel disadvantage, did you coach differently? I could see Washington saying, guys, I want two trick plays on special teams. We got to put in some exotics here.

You can't look at the film this week as a coach in Washington and think you match up well with the Eagles. O line. What do you do as a coach? Well, here's what's deceptive about those numbers in the second game. If you look back at it, Sequin had a ridiculous first quarter, okay? But the majority of his yards were in the first quarter. He only had 41 yards in the second to

the fourth quarter. He carried the ball 22 times in the second to the fourth quarter for a 1.9 yard average. So that's what your coaching off right there. They have had success numerically in terms of total yards in both games. But the great news for Washington is after that first quarter and he hits that 69-yard run, that giant run, which was the bulk of his yards, they settled down and they shut Saquan Barkley down. So they've done it. It's not like they haven't done it. And overall, across the board, that game was about as bad as it could have gone in terms of turnovers for Washington.

Five turnovers. They had three pass interference penalties. on Marshawn Lattimore. A lot of things went wrong, but yet they found a way to win. They found a way to beat Philly and their 10-game winning streak. They've broken through that barrier, and they've broken through the barrier, can we stop Sequin Barclay? So I think the running stats are a little deceptive when you look at what they did in the latter part of that game.

Jaden Daniels, I mean, listen, he just broke through. They're just young guys that are better. And you coach them like, when you go into a game like this, I mean, Bill Romanoowski used to always say, like, every stage you go, it's different. He doesn't remember the first series he played in his first Super Bowl. Like, he goes, I remember a bunch of lights flashing. I don't even remember it. My energy was through the roof.

A conference championship game is like the American League Championship Series when it was Red Sox Yankees. It's just different. It's just different. When you have a rookie quarterback or a young quarterback, would you move him slowly into the game, like feel him out a little bit being worried that, okay, this is the biggest game, easily he's ever played in. Yeah, it's the biggest game

he's easily played in across the board, but so was last week, and so was the week before, but yet in both of those moments when you hear Jaden Daniels talk, he just talks about going through the same process that he's always had, of approaching it the same

way, and it doesn't feel like lip service, it doesn't feel like he's trying to talk himself into lowering the pressure. It seems like that's who he is. one of the things that I really liked about Jaden coming out of college is that he had poise. Here's a guy who's so dynamic as a runner. And most of those guys, Colin, as we know, who are dynamic runners.

As soon as there's pressure, they're out of the pocket. They're moving. They're going. That's their answer. With Jaden, he consistently stayed in the pocket, went through his reeds, and then if he had to escape, he used his feet. So you saw that poise coming out of college, and then that's transferred over into pro football. And you saw it last game against Philly the same way.

It's the moments aren't too big and he's finding a way to win. It feels a lot like when we won our first Super Bowl in New England. We were 5 in 5 through 10 games. We went on a winning streak. We went into the playoffs with momentum. And that's how this team is. They're hot. They've got a ton of momentum and they believe in not only Jaden,

but the whole team believes in what they can do. Pete Carroll to the Raiders. We add a little silver to silver and black. I like it. I think he's an adult. I think they need one. This whole idea that once seven is the first number in your age, you're done. Trump's going to be 80 pretty quick, and Warren Buffett can still pick stocks in his 90s.

What does Pete Carroll, from what you know, give the Raiders? Because they're laying concrete here, Coach. They are starting over, rebuilding everything. Yeah, what I don't love about the hire is when you do bring in someone who's Pete's age, what's the long-term answer? Ideally, when you bring in a head coach, you're hoping that you're going to build a foundation and the guy's going to be there for a long time. And look, I know there's ridiculous amounts of turnover every season.

What I do love about this is you do have someone with a depth of experience. He's built multiple programs. And the thing about Pete is he's such a positive human being. Pete's never had a bad day. And that energy that Pete has, it's contagious. And he's constantly preaching competition, competition, competition, and it's all positive. And the Raiders, for years, have been surrounded by sort of a cloud like a lot of bad organizations are.

And Pete, to me, instantaneously infuses experience, infuses the ability to change over an organization. And then that optimism. And look, Pete's the youngest 74-year-old, I'm sure you'll ever meet. just because of his approach to life. And that, to me, is a huge upside in bring him in. Ben Johnson to Chicago. The coach doesn't know the GM. Does that concern you?

Yeah. All of it concerns. You've got a first-time head coach, and he's, you know, been anointed as a genius, like typically coaches are when they've had success, and he's being paid at a very, at a sort of an advanced coach level. So that comes with expectations. and you've got a quarterback who's supposed to be a generational talent who's underachieved

and all the reasons are because of coaching. So now you fuse these two guys together. There should be a lot of success. But the problem is there are a lot of people in Chicago with their hand in the pot. There's a lot of decision makers. And who knows how that's going to unfold? And how much influence has Ben going to have on the defense? Is he going to be a head coach of the whole team?

or is he going to be the head coach who runs the offense? And I think those are very different things. I would say, though, with the expectations he brings in the expectations on Caleb, they should be in the hunt to win that division, and they should, at a minimum, make the playoffs. I don't think that's an unreasonable expectation for him in Chicago with that talent level next year. Finally, let's go back to Bill's Chiefs. If I could say, because the quarterbacks are both great.

I think bills have a better offensive line and a deeper wide receiving core. I like the Bill's offensive personnel. I like the Chief's defensive personnel. If I told you, though, you can have either roster for the next three or four years, because both quarterbacks are great. I think Buffalo's roster has more depth of good players. I think Kansas City at the top with like Creed Humphreys and Mahomes and McDuffey. I think the elite players slight edge Kansas City.

But five through about 12, like Matt Milano's, those level players, Dionne Dawkins, I really like. James Cook, what roster, what team would you take next three years, roster? Yeah, I'm taking any team that Patrick Mahomes is on. And here's what Josh Allen, yeah, it's really that simple. It's like taking any team that Tom Brady's on. The thing with Josh Allen that he's done so well this year, It's so different than last year is the way he's protected the football. And you saw it even against the Ravens last week when he runs that quarterback-driven run down by the end zone.

And he's thinking about flipping it back, but he doesn't. To me, that's the difference between Josh Allen last year and Josh Allen this year. It's like 24 turnovers last year, and he's like six or eight. The numbers are staggering, and that's why they've been as good as they are. But with Mahomes, he's won. He wins every year. he's won at the highest level. He performs in the biggest moments

and he makes everybody around them better. Where we've seen this one year where Josh has pulled back and done what he's done, is that sustainable. We've seen over time what Patrick has done and we know it's not only sustainable but it also elevates everybody around them.

So I'm starting at the quarterback and I'll take any team that Mahomes is on and bet that that team's going to be really good for a long time. Don't let Nick Wright influence you. I have been fighting Nick Wright for as long as I've been on this show, but when you get to the point where you're about to win a third Super Bowl and make history, it's hard to fight that level of greatness.

No, listen, I remember you of saying this yesterday, Coach. It was about 10 years ago, I was like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Big Ben, and I remember thinking, boy, the AFC, CBS is going to be in trouble. They're never going to replace those guys. guys. And now we got Lamar, we got Joe Burrow, we got Josh Allen, we got Mahomes, and it's like, and I think Jaden Daniels, I said this this week, I think the NFC, last 10 Super Bowls has 10 different quarterbacks. I think Jaden is there Mahomes. I think the pecking order in the NFC for the next decade. I think he's that great. We'll go below Jaden Daniels. Do you think

I'm nuts? I don't know what you, I can't even explain what he does. I hope you're not nuts because I want that great level of quarterback play. And I think when you list the quarterbacks that you did with Big Ben and Payton, you know, and Drew, Drew Brees, there were a lot of other guys that won Super Bowls during Brady's run. Really, it's been, I mean, essentially the Patrick Mahomes show here for as long as we can remember. So I'm looking forward to the time period where these other guys are winning Super Bowls. and I love the idea of Jaden being that guy in the NFC. But remember how much praise C.J. Stroud got last year,

and then there's a little bit of that sophomore slump. So it's exciting. He looks different. But when everybody catches up with him and we're a year removed from now, hopefully we're talking about him in the same light. Eric Mangini. Coach, great. See, and you have fun today on first things first.

Awesome. Thanks, Colin. Talk to soon. You bet. One more heard. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news.

What's the news, name? 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, a 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. Oh, 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, 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. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's chosen kingdom on earth. He felt destined for greatness. So when a swaggering Armenian businessman catapults Jacob into an extraordinary world, he doesn't look back. Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, meeting the people. president of Turkey.

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Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't. don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth

or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. By the way, I just saw this. For all the Tampa Bay Buccaneer fans who were in their fields, I can't believe Leon Cohen lied to us. Bobby Sloick just got Canaan Houston. A year ago, he was the hottest OC in the league.

Strike when the iron is hot. Get out when you can. It's amazing. All of a sudden this year, they had O-line issues. They could never stay healthy. Now Bobby Sloane's a bum. He's out in the offensive line coach is out. So Liam Cohen's sitting there.

Baker's had two great years. Is Baker going to have another great year? I mean, with Michael Pennix is good, and now Atlanta's better. And now New Orleans is going to get a legitimate coach. So, like, you just sometimes in life, not all the time, Ben Johnson waited. Ben Johnson waited. But a lot of times in life,

strike when the iron hot is a term that's been used forever for a reason. Now Bobby's slow. We were talking last year, he was going to be the Ben Johnson. He got canned. So Liam Cohen's like, hey, man, Jacksonville's giving me Trevor Lawrence. You do not get Trevor Lawrence.

He's your first quarterback. You end up getting a mess or politics. He's got a new GM. He's got Trevor Lawrence. He's got cap space. he's got a wonky division, you figure out a way to get the job. If you have to fudge a little bit to your former employer as the Glazer family. I know the Glazer family.

I like the Glazer family. But in the end, he basically interviewed. He came back. They called and said, get back here. He did. And he took the job. But the Sloic thing is shocking. Like, that is legitimately a whoa.

I know he didn't have a great year. But Colin, C.J. Stroud has to learn a new offense now? After two years where he was really, really good and then less good. I mean, here's the thing. Teams all the time. There's like a running joke in the NFL. If you get a vote of confidence, you're fired. So, I mean, owners have been doing that forever,

where they give you a vote of confidence. It doesn't mean anything. It means nothing. So if a coach interviews and then doesn't like the general manager in Jacksonville, and then literally you fly back and on the flight they fire him, you're probably telling your wife, well, if I'd have known they were going to fire him, would have taken the job.

So I'm going to give Liam Cohen the benefit of the doubt. So you lose to last year who they lose to the Ravens and Lamar Jackson and then this year they lose to the Chiefs. Both of them on the road. Like there's no harm in those losses. I'm stunned at this. Wouldn't you bounce it off your quarterback? I would fire their special teams coach

in Houston. That makes sense. But the OC? Ooh, wow. They had a lot of injuries. J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line. All right, let's start with Pete Carroll going to the Raiders. I like your silver and black line. That was a good one.

He has a three-year deal to be the new head coach, and he joins a stacked AFC West headline by Andy Reed, Jim Harbaugh, and Sean Payton. That is a tough, tough division. It is. Some elder statesmen, shall we say. Carol will be the Raiders' fifth head coach since the team relocated to Oakland in 2020. Relocated from Oakland in 2020. Five coaches in a little time span, Colin, not great.

But you seem to like this higher, huh? Well, I think he gives them proven culture building and stability. Remember, his last two years in Seattle, it did not fall up a cliff. One of them, he made the playoffs with Gino Smith, and we were shocked how viable they were, and the next year he was nine and eight. And for the record, how was Seattle this year with Gino Smith? There's a ceiling there. So if you want to criticize Pete for being overly loyal to Gino Smith,

and in my opinion, a couple of his long-term coaching allies, that is fair. But competency, details, organization, smart, energy, coach building, culture building. Pete gets an A-a-minus and all that stuff. So let's move on to the next big one. How do you settle the quarterback position with the Raiders? Is an option. Or they're drafting six? They're not in a position to get one of the top two guys.

I think they're six, yeah. Okay, I would move up. Even if they're top ten. So you're training? We'll give up Max Crosby to go up and get a quarterback. No. Let me give you a name. All right.

He was benched in Atlanta, Kirk Cousins. He's going to be on the market. He's not going to want to be a backup. They're going to probably let him, hey, Kirk, we'll let you go out there. I do not think that's a bad idea. Remember, Kirk came in out, Aaron and Kirk Cousin. Aaron Rogers, Kirk Cousins, both off that surgery. Yeah.

40-year-old guys, basically. Kirk was excellent until Thanksgiving or around there. Aaron struggled until right around Thanksgiving. Aaron finally got a bounce in his step the last eight weeks. Kirk, who's not as athletic, seemed to wear down in the last six to seven weeks. My take is an entire offseason for Kirk Cousins to get back in shape, rehab again, get stronger. I think Kirk Cousins right now is a value at quarterback. I think a lot of people think he's done.

And when a lot of people, it's beaten down stocks, I think a lot of people are selling all their stock. Buy it. Kirk Cousins for one year. And also, how about this? Kirk Cousins for a year, trade down your pick. You're one of the few teams that has, there's about seven to eight really good players.

You're in line for one. Back up five to six spots and get a second round pick. So you've got a one, a couple, twos, three, four, five. That makes sense. I think that's better. Kirk Couss would be better than trading up for... I agree. It's a one, do a two-year deal, most of the money up front.

I mean, listen, the Broncos got to the playoffs with Bo Nix. Well, I don't see why Kirk Cousins couldn't turn the ship around with the Raiders. I don't know about playoffs, but they could be competitive. Eight, nine, ten wins. You can sell your culture. And a new coach is an adult. The quarterback's absolutely an adult. It would be a grown-up locker room.

All right. That's what that... We're helping out. Pete Carroll, are you watching? There you go. This is a couple years. Next stuff is the AFC championship game Sunday. Alan Mahomes.

Oh, boy, it's a heavyweight battle. And now Bill Cower, the former Steelers coach, has shined in giving advice to Josh Allen. The biggest thing is to fight the temptation to try to think about what you're doing in regards to the other quarterback. This is your team. Stay in your zone. Okay. Mahomes has been one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history. Look at the record 16 and 3.

I mean, 47 touchdowns, eight picks. Josh Allen has not been chopped liver either. He's been very good in his playoff career. But, you know, there is... Look at this. Josh Allen and Patrick playoff numbers. I think there's this belief that Josh Allen's been an average playoff quarterback. He's been sensational.

He just can't beat Mahomes. Yeah, he can beat him in the regular season. Lamar has come down a grade in the playoffs. He's not as bad as everybody says, but Lamar is an A quarterback who's a B, playoff quarterback. Josh is A, A, A, across the board. He just can't beat Patrick. It's weird. I don't think this is Allen versus Mahomes. I don't either. This is McDermott versus Mahom. I think you're a defensive guy. Your defense is kind of sort of gotten carved up lately. Can you stop Mahomes a few times? Because you know Josh Allen's going to get his. I'm not worried.

He's the least of my concerns for the bills. But that defense, Colin, I'm going to wait for the injury report. Should be coming out here in about 30 minutes. You know, it sounds like Benford's going to go quickly back from the concussion. That would be. be huge. There is some speculation online. Hey, boy, concussion protocol a lot looser in the playoffs. Guys coming back quickly. We'll see what the official verdict is, but obviously Sunday, great

matchup, excited for that. Final story is uh-oh. L.A. Rams, Matt Stafford. This seems to be, this is second year in a row. We're hearing Stafford future. We don't know. He said he's going to take some time to think about it, but added that he feels like he has a lot left. McVeigh hopes to find clarity on the situation quickly.

I know he's playing really good football. Obviously, I love him, love working with him. What he's meant to our football team has been immeasurable in a positive way. That'll be one of the first topics kind of on your to do list to be able to talk about. And then hopefully that'll give us the opportunity to be able to move towards, you know, clarity in regards to how that affects his status and what we're doing, you know, with what we know is an incredibly important position for our football team. forward. If I ran the Rams, I would get to have three six-round picks. I'd go get somebody like

Jackson Dard in the six-round as a backup, because they have a starting quarterback issue and a backup quarterback. Garapolo, they're not going to pay him. So my take is get one more year out of Stafford, go to Matt and say, listen, we're going to get you another back, another receiver, a better left tackle, make this an offensive draft. There's a lot of people that think they're going to take a tight end, Michigan's tied in with the first pick. Loveland, yes, I had that in my mock. So you go to Stafford and say, well, listen, we're, we're going to take. We're We're going to give you, we're about two players to three players away from the Super Bowl. A corner, another elite tight end, an offensive tackle.

You make this the offensive draft. The last two have been defense. You pick up a Jackson dart, six-round, something like that. He might go earlier than the six-brought. Maybe, but you have three six-round picks. But your first, you have a first, two-thirds, a fourth, help him out, and then next year, get your backup quarterback figured out this year late, and then go get your starter. But I would go to Matt and say, you've got two years in the contract.

We think if we can get you four players, O tackle, another receiver, an elite tight end, and a corner. And I believe this too. We can go toe to toe with anybody, especially if we're playing not in the snow. I got to ask about the Cooper Cup Matt Stafford relationship. They are famously tight, work together all the time. Families are friendly. They won a Super Bowl together. There's a lot of Cooper Cup speculation.

Do they move off of them? Do they trade them? Do they cut them? A lot of dead cat money. Well, and he's tight with Stafford. Remember, Stafford's wife was the one who said Matt can't relate to guys on the team because they're all young kids. I think they have to be careful with this Cooper Cup.

I don't think Stafford's going to retire because they lose Cup, but you want to keep your horse happy. Well, I think Cooper Cup doesn't have much of a market, so I think you'd keep him around for locker room stuff. They would love to move off him and move off the contract, but I don't think there's a market. Well, this is a veteran. He's a come in.

Let me let's tail guy. Let me throw a team at you. I'm not letting go a Cooper Cup if I don't have to. Let me throw a team at you. Seattle's getting awfully tired of D.K. Metcalfe. Oh, I was unaware of that. Metcalfe goes to the Chargers. Ram sent Cooper Cup back to Seattle because he's from Washington State, Yakima area.

Cooper Cup, homecoming back to his family area. Oh, yes. Now, he's not D.K. Metcalfe, but he's a veteran. Seattle's got, you know, a couple young receivers up there. JSN's amazing. Yeah, very good. To Young Seattle team, how about a leader in the clubhouse? That's not bad.

D.K. Metcalf, you know, he's been on the show, and he's a large individual. But I'm not going to be negative. They had some issues. D.K. is tired of Seattle. Well, if he doesn't get the ball, he's ticked off, you know. And by the way, D.K. METCA, they're not, I mean, D.K. METCAF. Because I think the chargers are going to move off a couple that are more expensive. I think Bosa could be moved.

Chargers moving off Bosa? I think they're going to keep... You got some intel on that? I'm just saying, Khalil Mack, is a locker room leader. Bosa gets banged up. Mac's better in the locker room. That's just my take.

Look at you. Hot take happy hour. Coming up here, ladies and gentlemen. Hot take happy hour. We're moving chess pieces here, baby. Carson Palmer's going to be joining us last hour. Obviously, his college coach, part of the time, was Pete Carroll.

Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. I got some good stuff. I haven't even delivered some of the good salvos today. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app.

Hey, it's 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?

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 Kavino and Rich Live on Fox Sports Radio and the IHeart Radio app from 5 to 7 p.m. Eastern, 2 to 4 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, new? 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? to 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, 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 Smigel 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get started. so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses steve burns dustin ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust i want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood,

pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. 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 controversy, 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, wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Manager Ryan Poles admitted steps were skipped

during Caleb Williams' rookie season. I think there's three things that we learned about quarterbacks this NFL season. Number one, it does appear that Josh Allen and Mahomes have separated from the industry. They're just

better. Number two is Jaden Daniels is going to be a superstar. His clutch numbers, getting the commanders this roster, this whole line to the Super Bowl, potentially to the Super Bowl, one step from the Super Bowl, is insane.

And number three, good God, did the Bears mangled Caleb Williams. Do we understand how bad it was? I mean, really, go back and remember, first of all, they didn't hire his college quarterback coach, Cliff Kingsbury, who would have taken the job? They didn't hire him.

They had to be on hard knock. because they were so inept. The inept teams have to be at hard knocks. They lost a Hail Mary game where one of their defensive players was taunting the opposing fans. Remember that? And it took him about three weeks to recover from that.

His passing game coordinator became his head coach over a three-week period. I mean, there's more, but you know, why rub it in? Reportedly, it should be noted. they were going to bench him. So, I mean, listen, we learned something new about quarterback every year. If you look at this from the rearview mirror, they couldn't get it right.

And yet, there was a 12-game stretch in this season where Caleb Williams had 17 touchdown passes and one pick, or 17 total touchdowns and one pick. So here's what I know when people ask me, will Ben Johnson work? My response is, it'll be better. Will it be great? I don't know if the Bears are capable of that. It will absolutely be better. My safest prediction in the NFL next year, beyond Buffalo and Kansas City,

if Mahomes and Josh Allen are upright, will be playoff teams, is Ben Johnson will do a better job and the Bears will be more offensively viable and less chaotic than last year. Here is Ryan Poles on how things got off to a turbulent start with the USC rookie. This game, the playbook is a completely different animal. The responsibilities of a quarterback in the pros is different. And that takes a lot of adjusting to. So how you set up the foundation is really, really important.

And I really think at some point there are some steps skipped to get in the game day. Yeah, it'll be better. I was thinking about this with Patrick Mahomes, who went to Texas Tech, did not have a winning record, was not the first pick. Josh Allen, who went to Wyoming, had a winning record, but not the first pick. Neither one was the first quarterback taken, so they have some similarities. Weren't dominating college quarterbacks, didn't go to powerhouses, overlooked at a high school. you know, we knew they were talented, kind of, but it was mostly on rumor because we didn't watch them much in college.

But even for first-round quarterbacks, they're similar to, like, contestants on, like, music shows, like America's Got Talent or The Voice or American Idol. You can see the talent in about 10 to 15 seconds, but that doesn't mean America's going to buy the album. Are you coachable? Or are you conceded? Are you dedicated?

Are you mentally tough? And a lot of guys aren't. Mahomes and Alan actually, and I felt this with Tom, Brady and Peyton Manning, about mid-career. They become the same guy. One guy's just getting more of the trophies. But with Manning and Brady and with Mahomes and Allen, as they age, a lot of upside without much of the downside. They win 70% of their games. they can give you a 350-yard passing performance,

or they can just death by a thousand cuts, good on third down, be hyper-efficient. The difference is Brady, especially early, got most of the trophies, and that's it with Mahomes. I think there is this belief that Mahomes has been great in the postseason and Alan So-So, so. But if you put the numbers on the screen for our TV audience, I won't go through them.

Actually, you start looking at the playoffs. Mahomes has eight touchdowns, no picks. Josh Allen's seven touchdowns one pick. In the regular season, actually, I would argue Allen's outplayed him. Now, some of those playoff games have been in Kansas City, it's harder to be great on the road. But there is a formula with success.

I felt this with Kobe and MJ. I was just watching the same guy. MJ was slightly better. I feel like Brady Manning, I was watching the same guy. Brady slightly better. and I feel Mahomes and big spots has been slightly better than Josh Allen.

But here's Patrick this week talking about Josh. I think you just have to know you're not to play your best football. I mean, I've played against Josh enough times and know that he's going to come out there and play great football, especially in those big moments. And so for me, I have to play my best football whenever I get the opportunity to

and try to put our team in the best position to succeed. And if that's limiting turnover, if that's changing the field position, whatever that is, You have to find a way that day to win. And when you go up against a great quarterback, it takes your best as well. This will be the highest rated football game of the year, not name the Super Bowl. I like Buffalo 2827.

J-MAC is hoping Buffalo wins. The show after us largely is a red team team. I think it's time for Buffalo. I think this is the best offense Josh has had. I think Buffalo's got much better offensive personnel. I think Kansas City has better defensive personnel, coach Kansas City, home Kansas City. Quarterbacks a draw to me. I know, it's a draw.

I'm taking Buffalo, their momentum. The teams that have beaten them this year, like the Rams played nearly perfect football. And I watched Kansas City play Houston last week, and it was just to me, it was mostly Travis Kelsey and an uninspiring effort. So I like Buffalo to win. I know. Don't bet against Mahal. All the wise guys like Kansas City, I'm going bills. Is that one of your picks?

Considering it was only two games, I'm thinking that's one of your picks. We'll talk about it next hour, but Patrick Pahombs just doesn't lose this game. He just doesn't. He just doesn't. Arrowhead at home. Ryan Tannenhill beat Brady when people said Brady doesn't lose that game. Remember Brady's last game in Foxborough? Old Ryan.

Stop it. It wasn't Ryan. Derek Henry game and a Brable defense game? Ryan Tannehill. Get out of here. This is going to be a Matt Milano game. Hopefully. James Cook game. Listen, we're on the same side.

I just, I think betting against Mahomes straight up is hazardous to your health. Yes. Just put a warning label on the side of the game. This could be hazardous to your health betting against the red team. All right, Jordan Schultz, Eric Manjini. Thanks so much for stopping by Carson Palmer around the corner hour three. 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.

Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests. from Bob Odenk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,

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

I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. a Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud.

But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHart 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, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, in every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlic on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.