The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott, Mike Tomlin, & the Herd hierarchy

Episode Date: December 11, 2018

Colin discusses the differences between Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins and Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott winning close games, why Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin is being criticized, and the Herd hierarchy. Guests include Peter King, Greg Jennings, Derwin James, and Trent Dilfer. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Now let's get this party start. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. We are packed on a Tuesday. This is The Herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Live in Los Angeles, High Heart Radio, Fox Sports Radio at FS1, one hour from now. I care too much. It's sort of sad. The Herd hierarchy, top 10 teams in the league.

Joy Taylor joining me as always. Good morning. How are you? I'm great. How are you? Sweater, Weth. It is sweater. We are packed today.

This can be a great show today. I don't think I remember an NFL season. This crazy. This is wild. Ten teams in the NFC have a playoff possibility still. Ten teams. We got a third of the NBA's tanking. One team can win.

We got a whole NFC is wide open in this thing. And so Minnesota's lost last night. It's crazy. For the record, breaking news. John D. Philippo, the offensive coordinator for the Vikings, just got fired. Yeah, it's his fault. Yeah, by the way, Philadelphia. go get him for Carson Wentz.

So this is funny about last night. There's a reason. Last night was classic Kirk Cousins. He lost the game in prime time and ends up with garbage yards at the end. And this is why I say you got to watch the games. Last night I said this to my wife. I said, man, this is, this is boring. Well, why you keep watching it?

I said, because you got to watch the games. Don't pay attention to stats. There have been years that if you didn't watch Andy Dalton, you looked at his box score, you're like, who is a pro bowler. Jacksonville gave Blake Bortles. Oh, Blake. Did you watch Blake Bortles? Last night is the difference between Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins.

Neither played well. In fact, Russell had a terrible interception. Russell Wilson always makes the play in the game. And that was an equally huge game for both teams. Kirk Cousins never makes the play. neither played great, but one made a great play. Russell Wilson scrambles right there, down the sideline. That changed everything.

Quarterbacks don't play well every weekend. Peyton Manning didn't. Brady doesn't. Breeze had a stinker against the Cowboys. But do you make the play? The NBA is littered with guys like Zach Levine, who scored 24 a night, and you won't remember three baskets when he's done. Blake Griffin, 26 a night, an endless highlight reel.

Has he ever hit a big shot? Russell Wilson right now is behind Matt Ryan. He's 11th in fantasy football quarterback points. He's behind Matt Ryan, who's on a five-game losing streak and never makes the play. He's behind Cam Newton, also on a five-game losing streak. I say this. Judge a person on a bad. day. That's who they are.

Every parent's in a good mood when little Johnny hits the game-winning Little League home run. But what about when little Johnny goes 0 for three and the umpire hosed him? How's Dad act then? Because that's who Dad is. Russell Wilson put up a stinker

last night. Had the worst interception of the season. The craziest goofy, awful throw of the year. But he made the play. Kirk Cousins is now 4 and 13 in primetime games. Russell Wilson is 21 and 5. Russell Wilson wins 60% of his road games.

Kirk Cousins wins 36% of them. But if you looked at the box score last night, Kirk Cousins, oh, 20 of 33, over 200 yards, touchdown, no picks, 90 passer rating. If you look at the box score, Russell Wilson, 10 for 20, 72 yards, no TDs, a pick, and a passer rating of 37. Tell my wife, I got to watch these. games. And last night's why you got to watch the games. By the way, Minnesota, I don't want to hear about officiating. You're the only team in the league that through 13 games, you could make

13 a round number. You're 6-6-1. You define average. You've got two world-class receivers, excellent defense, and you couldn't score till garbage time. I don't want to hear about officiating. You got a gift call against the Packers and Clay Matthews earlier this year and true to form. You couldn't even win that game. You tied it. Watch the games. That was a great classic Russell Wilson game because he stunk, had a terrible pick, but unlike cousins, made the play. And let me segue to another guy that a lot of people criticize, myself included, but he oftentimes wins close games, Dak Prescott. So, So I want to remind everybody as we shift the DAC talk that Kirk Cousins was the best free agent quarterback on the market this year, easily, was actually outside of maybe, you know, like a Peyton Manning, the best available quarterback in years.

And Peyton, by the way, would never have left if Andrew Luck was not going to get drafted. If Andrew Luck was not available out of college, the best quarterback out of college since John Elway, the Colts would have kept Peyton Manning. They wouldn't have moved him. Kirk Cousins was the gem of the free agent class. He has two and a half more years than his contract with the Vikings. At 28 million a year, if Minnesota could get out of that contract on the flight home, they would have last night. They'd get out of that thing tomorrow if they could.

And they can't. So if you have any doubts about Dak Prescott, let me remind you, and I have been critical of him. He does give you four things, which are really important things in 2018. Stability at the position. You don't want to be Jacksonville. They've got stability at the position. He's mobile in an era where I do want my quarterbacks.

I like him to move around a little. Number three, he has incredible leadership qualities. And number four, this is weird, but he wins a lot. lot of close games. I think he's limited to. I've said before, if you're going to sign him, it better be 18 to 21 million.

He needs a lot of help. But college football only gives you about one to two quarterbacks a year, and it should be noted. Dallas doesn't have a first round pick next year. DAC has the leverage of scarcity.

there's not many quarterbacks out there. And as I'm watching Kirk Cousins last night, I'm thinking about Dak. And I'm thinking Kirk Cousins, he was the gem of the quarterback-free agent class. He cannot win a close game. He cannot win a primetime game. Jerry Jones was on Dallas radio this morning, and he knows Dak better than all of us. And he said, Dak, you ever notice how often he wins? the big games?

The thing you've got to remember about Dak, he's so well prepared. I don't know. We've had a mini-takes-takes-to-the-practice field. I can't emphasize enough that you hang around and you hang through a mistake on a given play and you're going to have something good happen. And that's the way I feel about Dak. I think that was somebody playing Jerry Jones. It sounded almost too much like Jerry Jones, but he's right.

So in review in my first segment today, Russell Wilson played lousy, but I love him because he makes the play. And Dak Prescott, in my opinion, is an average quarterback talent. But man, he makes plays in big games, offers stability, can move around a little bit, and has incredible leadership qualities. Do not forget.

Kirk Cousins was the gem of the free agent class. Just don't forget that. Is that we can bang on Russell Wilson's interception and performance last night. And the guy like me can come out and say, Dak drives me crazy. And I think he has an incredibly low ceiling.

It's about two inches from the floor. But sports isn't about Blake Griffin average in 26 a night. It's not about Zach Levine average in 24 a night. I don't know what Ray Allen averaged, but I can remember a dozen big shots in his career. I don't know what Dwayne Wade's career average is. I can think of 50 huge plays in his career.

I want guys who make plays, even if they're incredibly flawed. Andy Dalton and Kirk Cousin don't. As long as the number is right with Dak, he does. And Jerry's not getting rid of him. He does. All these games on this five-game winning streak for, Dallas. They're all like one play, one possession games, and they're winning all of them.

Coming up next, I always give credit when a local media member can criticize a local icon that is not easy to do. A columnist in Pittsburgh, it's time to consider firing Mike Tomlin, and he lays out

a very convincing argument for the Steelers head coach. That's coming up next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. When shopping for

car insurance, consider GEICO. Been doing it for 75 years. Keep it simple. Save you money. Geico.com. They know how to do it. Joy Taylor joining me. 45 minutes from now, the herd hierarchy top 10 teams, Peter King, Trent Dilfer, Derwin James of the Chargers who is just, we have so many good

rookies in the NFL this year. We pay attention to quarterbacks. There are so many incredible rookies out of this past draft. It was a great draft. There is just great offensive linemen, great safeties, great corners, great receivers. Here's the thing about the media. The media hates the term fake news, right? They don't like that. It invalidates the media. But there is a bias and agenda, and I see it a lot in the media. And that's why when Trump says fake news, it kind of sticks. Because I read the media, and I see it all the time. I'm like, That's agenda.

That's bias. That's not facts. So I always give credit when a local reporter can come out and take on an icon. Because he's going to get stares. He's going to get death threats and hate mail. Mark Madden's a very talented Pittsburgh radio host and a writer in Pittsburgh. He came out today and they have a column. It's time to consider firing Mike Tomlin.

And for the record, it is. Okay. This is a totally fair column. Mike McCarthy just had a. bad eight-game stretch. He got run out mid-season. Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl. Mike McCarthy rejuvenated

Brett Farve's career. Brett Farv was done. He handled the Farr of Aaron Rogers mess. I got nothing against Mike Tomlin. But Mark Madden lays it out. He says, in the last 11 years, when the Steelers are favored by

nine or more, they're six and five straight up. The rest of the league's 52 and 10. That defines who they are. They play down to the competition. Their special teams now are the worst in the league. That's about coaching. That's why New England always has great special teams. Pittsburgh's now are the league's most penalized. By the way, they lost to a Raiders team Sunday that didn't even play well. Raiders had 13 penalties, 130-yard penalties. And oh, by the way, what really got mad and furious is the way they handle a Big Ben situation. He was ready to play in the second

half and they wouldn't put him in. Tomlin said, I kept Josh Dobbs in because of the flow of the game. Mark Madden said, what does that mean? In the four possessions without Big Ben, who was ready to play, punt turned over on downs, interception punt. What flow? There was no flow. The media, because Mike, and this is why I think the media does this with Tomlin, he's blunt, he's brutally frank, he's bizarrely candid, he's wildly animated, there's a Mike

Ditka quality to him. He's a great quote. He's great at the podium. You can't take your eyes off him. He's a great media coach. Mike Mark. Mike McCart. is grumpy and Tom Coughlin was grumpy and Tom Coughlin people wanted to ride him out of New York and he'd

won two Super Bowls. Tom Coughlin was under heat for five straight years after winning Super Bowls. McCarthy gets ridden out of town. Tomlin's likable and he's animated and he's frank and he's a great quote and he's great at the podium. But this is a, why isn't Tomlin under the same microscope as Mike McCarthy? Is it fair to say this? The longer Tomlin has been the Steelers coach, is it fair for me to say they now underachieve more than achieve. I'm not even asking for overachieve. Just achieve to the level you should with a Hall of Fame quarterback. Now, by the way, I'm tougher on coaches if you have two things.

If you have a Hall of Fame quarterback and ownership stability, I'm going to be tougher on you. That's why I'm tough on Pete Carroll. That's why I'm tough on Mike Tomlin. It's why I always defend Marvin Lewis. bad quarterback and cheap ownership. If you have Aaron Rogers, Big Ben, Brady, Breeze, Philip Rivers, and then you also have with that great ownership, oh, I'm going to ride you.

I'm going to hold you to a higher standard. Ohio State football should win 11 games a year. Kansas State should win about four. There's different standards. Alabama is all in. They should win 11 a year. Every year regardless of coach. Kentucky football should win about four.

Five. So all I'm saying, Green Bay doesn't have Pittsburgh's talent, and McCarthy got ridden out midseason. Tomlin and the Steelers in 2018 are doing once again what they've been doing for years, unraveling, not buttoned up, and underachieving with this roster. Terry Bradshaw came out, said something about a year and a half ago, got major heat for it, and what he said, I thought was accurate. I've had several sources through the years say the same thing, and the media attacked him for saying, I don't know, Terry sort of knows football this. He's really a great cheerleader guy.

I don't know what he does, but I don't think that he's a great coach at all. His name never even pops in my mind when we think about great coaches in the NFL. And I'm saying you have to fire him. But boy, there's a reason fake news, I mean, McCarthy's ridden out of town. Grumpy Mike McCarthy.

Lousy quote Mike McCarthy. Takes a bullet for the franchise with Aaron Rogers, who's got a lot of drama. Yeah, I know Big Ben's got a lot of drama. But McCarthy was ridden out of town. I think this column is fair. Not saying it's right, but I do think it's fair, and it's something we've been on for a couple years. That's why I defend Marvin Lewis. When you get a big band and you get that ownership, does anybody draft better than the Pittsburgh Steelers?

Does anybody in the league consistently draft as well as the Steelers? God, when's the last time they whiffed on a wide receiver of back? God, it's just like they're always great. O lines are almost always good. Receivers are always loaded. They've always got a star back. They've always got an edge rusher. I mean, it's like they've always got good linebackers.

Ryan Shazier career ends. I've got two other guys. I mean, I always got talent. just think the column's fair. The question is fair. That make it right, but I think it's fair. It's fair for McCarthy. It's fair for Tomlin.

Just because he's funnier, better at a podium, incredibly animated. You know, that part, he's the best in the league by far. By far. Most coaches are the pits. He's like, I mean, he's a combination of, he's like an actor. And like, if you hired a football coach to be good at the podium, you just hire Mike Tomlin. Say it just do like he does.

Mike Tomlin should go into acting when he leaves coaching and play a coach in every movie. Joey Taylor with him. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So the dolphins own the Patriots in December. After what seemed like a perfect game to exercise, the Patriots demons, they somehow managed to lose a 34-33 heartbreaker.

Yeah. It wasn't really a huge surprise to me because I did call that. The loss moved the Patriots to three and four on the road this season, with the other losses coming against the lions, jacks, and Titans. The first three were all by double digits. And the fourth was obviously this historic mistake by Bill Belichick and win by Miami, Miami Miracle. But despite the road record and that brutal loss, Tom Brady says he's confident they can bounce back.

I mean, we lost pretty important games. And I don't know, what's the difference between losing by 14 down there, losing by 50 or losing by one. They all count the same. And mental toughness is mental toughness. you realize that, you know, a lot of things had to go right for them to win, and they did. So it's not like, I don't think we can win on the road. We've won on the road.

We've played well on the road. You know, we've got to close the deal. I don't think this particular game is a reflection of how the Patriots play on the road late in the season or in the playoffs, just because it's just a weird thing. They just can't win Miami in December. But is their fourth ugly loss of the year? So they are, the margins for them are shrinking. They're just simply not as talented as they were four years ago.

Right. Well, they travel to Pittsburgh this weekend. They're three-point road favorites there. And obviously Sunday, the Chiefs beat the Ravens with an 11-and-2 record. New England is 9 and 4. And they don't want to have to travel to Arrowhead and play the Chiefs in the playoffs because nobody's really giving them a chance in that game. And while the Patriots haven't lost in New England in the playoffs since 2012,

AFC championship game, they're just 3 and 4 when playing away in January. So home field advantage is important to the Patriots. Oh, God, yeah. Especially with this particular squad. Yeah, and it's the whole Kansas City Mahomes, Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid and Zeke. I still content. I said it after the game, I still think Kansas City was better than New England. Even after New England beat Kansas City? Yeah, that loss didn't leave me thinking anything different about Kansas City.

I actually thought if you're going to lose a game, that was how. That's how you want to lose, and that's when you want to lose. Because the idea of having to beat New England twice in a season. season is daunting. So lose that early game, make you know, make your adjustments and then play them in Arrowhead. I'll give you a chance. So Baker Mayfield is finally delivering wins in Cleveland, and now he wants Browns fans to hold up their end of the deal. After leading his team to a 2620 win over the Panthers on Sunday, Baker called out Browns fans asking them to show up for their last home game of this season in two weeks. I'm a prideful of playing at home, protecting our own territory.

We'd love to have more fan support. Today was cold, I get it. But, you know, having more people, especially got our last home game coming up. We'd love to have more people in the stands, you know, cheering for us. Because we feed off the energy. You can tell it's very obvious. I don't have to say it, how our defense feeds off the energy in the stadium. And being able to start fast and get that going and put teams in a bind to put pressure on them.

That's fair. I'm not going to bang on them for that. That's fair. That's a good thing to say. I like that. You can't, for whatever you think of Baker, they're winning. and they didn't win any games for several years before he got there. I know.

So you asked for it. You got some wins. You got to go support. And I'm very hard on Cleveland and general, being from Pittsburgh and all. But Browns fans are a fan base that I usually leave alone because they are very loyal. Yeah. And they don't have a lot to cheer for most of the time and have been through a lot. And it is cold there.

And I get it. So they're usually behind their team. They're usually a really good fan base. I have no problem with Baker saying this. Yeah. I mean, listen, Cleveland standards are so low that they talk trash and they're 5, 7, and 1 in third place. Yeah. No other fan base in the league in third place would talk trash.

My Twitter handle every day is all grounds fans. Cleveland fans are very obsessive. And they're 5.7 and 1. Almost no chance to make the playoffs. And they talk trash. No, but they do need to be there. This is the lowest attended game. And another point in Baker's favor, you know, since Hugh Jackson and Todd Haley have left, he is playing significantly.

better. Oh, God, yes. If you compare the numbers with and without Hugh Jackson, I mean, he's a three and two record as a starter. You know what it is? The sacks are, the sacks are staggering. I think Hugh and Todd Haley were so caught up in their personal battle. It was, it was just a mess for, and Baker got caught in the middle of it. And now they got this one guy, Freddie Kitchens, and that's who Baker deals with. He doesn't have Haley, he doesn't have Hugh. You had this like ego coach fight. And Baker sitting there, I'm like, hey, I'm a rookie quarterback. Could you guys get over it? I think that that had a lot to do with it.

It was pretty obvious. Even from Hard Knocks that there was like a major disconnect between the two of them. Finally, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade face each other on an NBA court for the final time last night. The Lakers beat the heat in a great game, 108, 105. And after the game, LeBron

praised his good friends saying he needed D. Wade in order for his own career to grow. You know, what we got together is two championships. We got a lot of memories. We got two gold medals. I mean, me personally, I would have been very successful in this

league without D-Wa but to accomplish what I really wanted to accomplish in this league, and that's winning at the highest level I needed them. And that's why I made the jump. And then I appreciate more than I can express some words what he did for me when I went down to Miami. Yeah, their friendship is really

some legendary stuff. And he is right. When he came to Miami, he did not know how to win. He did not know how to win, and that was Cleveland's fault. That was Cavalier's fault. They did not put an organization around him that, well, knew how to win. They hadn't had a championship. So coming to Miami really solidified him as the king that he was acclaimed to be. Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan never won a title without Pippin. Shaq and Kobe may have hated each other for a while, but their legacies were largely built on that Laker dynasty when they played together.

Nobody can do it on an island. In the NBA in 2018, I mean, Warriors won without KD, but they had Draymond, Steph, and Clay. You need now three legitimate stars to win titles in this league. Well, I mean, it's a star-driven league, but it's still a team sport. Yeah. So you need someone to balance out the mega superstar. And that's why they didn't win their first year in Miami because it was DeWates team. He did have the championship.

It was DeWade City. And there was an balance there that hadn't been reached. So they did need each other for sure. Yeah. D. Wade's a gold standard. Yeah. Gold standard guy in this. League. Joy with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. Let's bring him in. He is now a member of the American media. Tough questions. Big opinions. Former Packer, Super Bowl, Pro Bowl, Greg Jennings. You know, I'm watching

Kirk Cousins last night. Yeah. And you know who I was thinking of? Washington. Yep. Everybody freaked out, but Greg. I was this was this is where Greg was wrong you know you're always pro player and it's like you don't anytime a player gets

the franchise tag once and then you do it again it's like come on man you can't tag them like that Washington knew Washington had this right and applause to the tops in the organization over there because when you look at making an investment like this

28 million a year $28 million a year, you got to win games like they were in last night. Four and 13 in prime time. You cannot. This is why Washington refused to commit long term with Kirk Cousins because they knew this was a, this was kind of a kink in his armor. He hasn't been able to prove that he can win in the primetime games. And make the play.

And make the play. Russell was awful last night. But he made the play. You know, it's interesting about that because somebody told me this years ago in baseball. They say it in cars, the only person that really knows the odometer of the car is the initial owner. That's why you don't buy a used car. You don't know if anybody's toyed with the odometer. You know, and it's the same thing.

When you have a house and you're the first person to move into a house, you know the house. You know the issues. The bathtub doesn't work right. Got a leak over here. And I would say this is that Washington's scouts. outed Kurt Cousins, they had him as a backup. They saw him in the locker room. In the end, when a team lets go of their starting quarterback

as a pretty good indication of what he is now, DAC, this leads us to DAC. Dallas knows all the good and the bad of DAC. Here's the funny thing, and I've been super critical of DAC, but Greg, stability, mobility, leadership, and he wins a lot of close games. He does, Greg. He is in, and these big, all cowboy games are standalone big TV games.

They win a lot of these, and he looks bad in a lot of these. But I got to tell you, what would you pay him? I wouldn't pay him Kurt Cousin's money. No, absolutely not. When you listen to Jerry Jones, he says, Amari Cooper, he's coming for his money. He knows Ezekiel Elliott. I'm going to have to back the Brinks truck up to him. when you look at the Dallas Cowboys,

those guys make Dak Prescott better. Dak Prescott doesn't make them better. Don't get me wrong. He's an important piece to why they're winning. And he does some things well, Greg. He does some things well. But at the quarterback position, this is why I can respect Jerry Jones in this sense

because he's not just paying the position like most teams do. It's a quarterback. Oh, we're kind of in a bind. we're in a corner, let's just pay Kirk Cousins. Nope, we see that our quarterback, can he be good? Absolutely. Is he better if we add pieces around him?

Yes. And so until you get to the point where you make everybody around you better, then you deserve that money. Then we pay the player, which is the quarterback at that position. You know, it's funny. I didn't like Dak out of college. Then I really liked him. And now I've gone back to he drives me nuts.

but I will say this. I've heard people, I had a scout say Dak will only work in this league if he has a great running back. In fairness, at this point, Tom Brady needs a running game. At this point, Drew Breeze needs a running game. Jared Goff needs a running game.

Let's slow down a little on Dak's the only quarterback who needs a great running game. I mean, Carson Wentz, who is a wizard, doesn't have the running game this year. You're not the same guy. Dax ceiling is low. We would both agree with that.

I agree. But most every quarterback, even Aaron Rogers right now, what's his record, it don't have much of a consistent running game. And Dax ceiling is low, but what Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboy Organization sees is they see the future with that growing in him on the incline versus on the decline. At the beginning of a quarterback's career, a running back is most important. and I believe at the end of a quarterback's career, a running back is most important.

Very good point, Greg Jennings. All right, so, you know, it's funny. The Raiders beat the Steelers, and it got glossed over because the Bears, Rams, and the Cowboys won. The Steelers lost to Oakland for everybody watching, and nobody talked about it because there were so many big games over the weekend.

The Steelers lost to the Raiders, okay? The dysfunctional Raiders. And in the game, Big Ben was healthy, and they kept Josh Dobbs in. Once again, the Steelers are sort of unraveling. Is it fair to compare Tomlin and Ben? They got a little McCarthy-Aaron-Rogers thing? Yes. Yes. Yes.

Now, I haven't been in that locker room, so I don't know the ins and outs of that dynamic. But yes, but when you look at who will be on the out, you look at the Green Bay Packers and look who they chose. The quarterback. They chose the quarterback. I'm sticking with the Hall of Famer. The guy who's going to sell these tickets,

when you look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin, as much winning as he's done, so did Mike McCarthy. As much success if they've had together, Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rogers. But if I have to decide on who I'm going to continue to move forward with, I am not parting ways with a Hall of Fame quarterback because that looks bad on us as an organization.

I've said this for years. People compare Rogers to Brady. He compares favorably with Ben. Transformational talent. A lot of drama can be a little passive aggressive through the media. I mean, Aaron and Ben, literally, they are the two guys. True. Without saying it, they're constantly saying it.

And I think there's a lot in common. That's why I think the suggestion, that Tomlin, he's run his course, is fair. I'm not saying you have to fire him, but if you're going to fire him McCarthy midseason, after a bad eight, nine game stretch, you can at least consider Tomlin. You can bring it up. It's a fair column.

It's definitely a fair column. And you've always said this, Tomlin gets a pass. He's funny. He's incredibly Anna. He's Mike Ditka. And I think he gets the pass because of the culture of that organization, because they don't turn over coaches. to the Packers really.

The Packers don't either, but when you really look at the Pittsburgh Steelers, they don't revolve that door at all. When it comes to the head coach, they just don't do it. And so they'll put up with more, more, and they'll take the wins. We haven't won the big game in a long time. So now when you look at the windows closing, the opportunity is shrinking. Something has to give. All right, stick around.

I'm going to, a funny situation with a dolphin, with the New England Patriots. And I want your take on this. Because something the New England did this weekend, they're so good at something. And it's so funny. And the Steelers are so bad at something. And I'll have that with Greg Jennings coming back.

Also, Trent Dilfer, Peter King, Derwin James, the remarkable hard-hitting safety for the Chargers, who is a beast. We'll be joining us in the final hour. Welcome back. A couple of things I want to talk with Greg Jennings I'm really interested on. So I, when the Cowboys traded for Amari Cooper, I like the move.

I said, listen, they need a receiver. He's better probably than the guy they would get. And they don't have a first round pick. So they need one. They don't have a pick to the second round if they give up Amari. You know, so the whole thing worked for me. And I liked Amari Cooper. But he now leads the NFL since he arrived in Dallas in touchdowns and yards.

I thought he was worth the pick and I liked the move. But I got to be honest. I didn't think he'd have this influence. Did you? Before I answer this question, you don't like icing, but this icing tastes real good right now. I said this to Chris Carter yesterday.

The NFL, you can't hit a receiver over the middle, and every non-catch is a catch. Receivers, they're more valuable now. They are. Well, and when it comes to Amar Cooper, You just mentioned Chris Carter. I have to definitely give him credit because when I was on first things first, and we talked about this when it first happened,

I was a little questionable about what Amari Cooper was going to do because of what he had done in his recent years with the Raiders, with the drops, with just the down couple seasons after the two high pro bowl caliber seasons. And he was like, Greg, he reminds me a lot of you with his route running, his patience, his ability to create separate. and his run after the catch. What I'm seeing out of Amari Cooper is a very sharp, high IQ football player that is elevating his quarterback in literally exuding confidence in a young quarterback

like typically we see with quarterbacks and young receivers. He's provided that for the Dallas Cowboys and Dak Prescott. And also, really good people get caught in dysfunctional companies. The Raiders are dysfunctional. have been now for two years. I've said this before. One of the reasons I chose Fox, I knew people who worked here. It's a good company. I was at a company that was increasingly dysfunctional. There are a lot of people watching this show. You've been on teams. You went to Miami from Green Bay. You walked into dysfunctional. Yes. And you weren't the same player. Dallas, for all the noise,

is a pretty functional football team with a lot of good players. Oakland's a mess. Amari was a trapped employee in a bad work environment and went to a good work environment and flourished. Agreed. Everybody was saying he doesn't work. Well, he worked in Alabama. He worked his friend. Don't tell me he doesn't have a workout. I think he worked his whole career until he got tired of the Raiders.

Nonsense. Okay. So this is funny to me. Nobody buries the evidence like New England. So New England was situationally horrible Sunday. They were a mess. Gronks on the field late in the game. Brady forgets the timeouts.

Listen to this. So what order do you want to do? Okay. Brady blames a loss on himself. That was that terrible play by me. That should never happen. I just lost it. I thought we had one time out.

We called the one and then we ran a couple plays and I was just not thinking on third down. So it was just a play that should never happen. So Brady takes the blame. Gromks said, no, no, no, no. I take the blame. The way it ended, I mean, it sucked. I mean, never really been a part of anything like that. Got to make that tackle.

Belichick says, no, no, no, no. Let me take the blame. It starts with me. We've got to play a better situation football and work to try to achieve that. Here's the way you end an argument with your wife. My fault, it's completely disarming. New England? ends all the drama.

The Pittsburgh Steelers would have finger pointed for two weeks and turn this into a six-part docu series. This is the difference between the Patriots and the Steelers. How to handle adversity. Am I wrong? No, you're 100% right. And what makes this work

is each individual Tom Brady, Rob Grunkowski, and Coach Belichick, they all meant what they said. They meant when you listen to Tom Brady, it's my, no, it's my fault. And he's being genuinely honest. I forgot.

I thought we had a time out. Then you got Rob Gruncoxka, I got to make that tackle. Come on, man, I got to make. And then Coach Belichick, I got to be better. Like, no, it's on me. So they all, the number one thing that they all have in common, that means more than anything, is winning football games. And I think sometimes, as much as we all say it, we want to win, we want to have success,

we are not willing to take the ownership on ourselves of what it takes to actually keep moving forward. And that's what the New England Patriots do, weekend and week out. That's why I don't see them having a problem moving forward because they own it. It's the way I end every argument with my wife. Honey, it's on me. And she has nowhere to go. Even when I am right, which is usually I just say I'm wrong. But no, but seriously, big Ben will go on Pittsburgh.

radio, he'll blame somebody, and Tomlin won't create clarity, and one of receivers will talk, and media will go crazy, and Pittsburgh's got a Netflix special on a loss in, you know, week 15. And that's so Pittsburgh. And that, by the way, there have been so many opportunities, Greg, for the Patriots to go sideways in the last year, and they just clean them up. They just clean them up. They get quiet. Do you take anything last night? You know, wild card teams, six of them won the Super Bowl.

six, four since 2000. Now the officiating blah, blah, blah, you live in Minnesota, Vikings a whine about it, but when you watched that game last night, can Seattle win the Super Bowl? They can. I think so too. They can.

They have an identity. Yes, when you know who you are and you stick to that. I remember talking, Whitlock was saying that their run game is based on gimmick. No, it's not. It's who they are. You know they're going to bring in an extra tackle. Do you know they're going to run it and punch you in the mouth?

Defensively, they can stop you. They can create stops. They have a Hall of Fame coaching quarterback. They understand who they are, and they don't deviate from that. And when you go into playoff football, you have to know who you are and stick to who you are because that's what's going to come out of you, who you are. You know, this is so true. When I look at football teams, the first thing.

I look at is what's your identity? The bears, I mean, they can drive me crazy, but it's a 60% college offense with surehanded receivers, and they are great on the front seven. Dallas has their limitations. Front seven's great. We run the football, and we do throw over the top occasionally and burn you if you don't trust it, if you don't respect us. You got to have an identity. All right, that's Greg Jennings. That was good stuff today. I don't even consider you a player. You're a member of the media. Absolutely. I'm bringing you icing the next time I sit. this seat. Why don't you? You love it.

You love it. Be nice. I will bring you some icing. Peter King, Trent Dilfer. Heard hierarchy. Fired up next. Hour number two in L.A. This is the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, live in Los Angeles.

Iheart radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. Peter King coming up in 10 minutes. Trent Dilfer and the remarkable rookie of the year candidate for defense. safety, Derwin James of the Chargers, who has been everything the Chargers thought he would be and more. By the way, we had a breaking story today. The Vikings fired their offensive coordinator, John D. Filippo. He was with Carson Wentz. Super Bowl winning Eagles last year.

They fired, and Minnesota had to fire somebody after that egg they laid last night. So they fired John D. Fibolbo. Philadelphia. Go hire him. Josh McDaniels or the Patriots went to the Broncos and got fired. And what did New England do? Got on the phone? Brought him right back.

Go get John D. Filippo. Carson Wentz is an all-time talent. Okay, he's an all-time talent. He's lost offensive linemen this year, running backs, there's injuries to wide receiver. Go get Carson Wentz his guy. You're not going to get Frank Reich back. Go get D. Philippo.

Just make room for him. Okay, Minnesota's got to pay him. You don't even have to pay him. Give him a couple coupons to a local sizzler. You get him. But go get that. guy because let me tell you something. Colts wasted a lot of years not getting the right people to coach Andrew Luck. Now they got the right people coaching him. What do you know? Carson Wentz is Andrew

Luck. This is a 10 year gold bar. All right, here we go. It's the herd hierarchy. I pay way too much attention to this stuff. I've got no social life. Here we go. Heard hierarchy. Time is now. Let's go. The top 10 NFL teams, according to college. Not sure they're one of the best teams, but they're one of the best stories. I'm going to give the Colts number 10. They've won six of seven. Yes, Frank Reich has been great. Yes, Andrew Luck is setting all personal bests. But what is the most remarkable thing about this story is since week seven? They're the best defense in the league, which I don't even know how it's possible. They have Darius Leonard and one corner I like. This team is so cohesive defensively

and plays so hard. And I think this is one of the great stories in the league. Eric Ebron was a bust, I thought. No longer he and Travis Kelsey are tearing the league up. Andrew Lux's on fire. You talk about a culture that's changed in the last several months. They are all headed in the same direction. One of the first teams I turn on every Sunday is the Colts I got him at 10. Number nine. Ravens, again, what's their identity? It's very important for teams to have an identity. They were swimming around until Lamar Jackson took over, And then they said, you know what? We're going to play good defense.

We got the players. And we're going to run the football. And since week 11, they lead the league in rushing. They had all the same players. Lamar Jackson has some limitations. He didn't know, you know, I mean, he's not flacco. I haven't been in this league for a decade. But they figured out we play defense.

They're number one in scoring defense. And we run the football since week 11. They're not glamorous. Don't have lost superstars. But they have figured out what they are. And man, they had every chance. going to Kansas City and win. They had a real shot at that game.

Ravens at 9. Number 8. I like the Seahawks. I just asked Greg Jennings, I believe it. I think this is a wild card team. There's one or two wild card teams every year that I think could win the Super Bowl. Maybe not likely, but could Seattle's it. Again, turnover differential plus 11, second in the league.

Bobby Wagner's, their star defensively, they're very young defensively, but they, again, play cohesively. They're fifth and third down defense, so they get you off the field. and they run the football. Again, you don't have to be graded everything in this league, but you got to know what you are. Nobody in this, I could argue, Baltimore and Seattle have more limitations, but know exactly what they are.

I have the Seahawks at eight. Number seven. Dallas Cowboys. Listen, I love the Amari Cooper trade. I didn't love it this much. I didn't think he was going to lead the NFL and T's in yards since he arrived. He has given them a legitimate number one receiver. I never bought into the stories that Amari Cooper didn't work hard.

I made one call to a college football coach who had Amari Cooper. I said, how is his work ethic? He's like, fantastic, why? I said, because there are stories out there. Amari Cooper doesn't work hard. He's like, you've got to be kidding me. He was the hardest worker we had in the team. High football IQ.

He is elevated DAC. Their front seven's fantastic. They run the football. I do think they're passing game as a lower ceiling. So what? So to Chicago. I like them. Cowboys at 7.

Number six. New England Patriots. Listen, Sunday was a mess. It's Miami. They don't play well in Miami. And they have not been a great road team. Here's what I would say about New England. Do they have the best coach?

Yeah. Do they have the best pre-snap quarterback? Yeah. Are they situationally usually great? Yeah. And they will play a home playoff game. Now, this team, the margins are shrinking. They're two and four this year when they don't rush for 100 yards.

They really need Burkehead, James White, and Sony-Michel. to be healthy. They're not beaten a Kansas City Chiefs or a Chargers if they're dinged up in the backfield. Again, like Dallas, nobody wants to admit this, but there's kind of a certain way New England has to win now. Running backs are healthy.

Little home field would help. I got them at six. Number five. I've been cool on the Rams for over a month. Jared Goff, multiple turnovers in three straight games. I think they miss wide receiver Cooper Cup. I think their defense too often freelances.

with Marcus Peters sometimes doing his own things. Same with Indomacan Su. That was the first game without an offensive touchdown since Sean McVeigh took over. Now, I still like the Rams. I have them at five. I think NFL coaching is really good and people can catch up the tricks.

I think some of the things they do without Cooper Cup, they can't do at the same level. And people, you know, they're not great when they get out of their 72-degree palm tree comfort zone. You put them in New Orleans with noise. You put them in Chicago with cold. Not the same offense. Rams at five.

Number four. Put the bears ahead of them because they beat him and not just beat him. They physically pushed him around. Listen, they're the only team in the NFL. Top five in scoring defense, total defense, takeaways. They're first, by the way, in that. Again, I'm not a Mitch Trubisky fan. I think it's a lot of smoke and mirrors.

I think Matt Nagy is my coach of the year in the NFL. I think he's done an unbelievable job with a very limited quarterback. But I will say this. Again, they know what they are. What's funny about this list, five of the teams on my list are considered high offensive octane teams. Five play defense. Chicago's a defensive story. I have the Bears at four.

Number three. Chargers. They've won nine of their last 10. Again, you think of this team is an offensive juggernaut. And they are loaded at receiver and incredibly deep at running back. But with Joey Bosa back and Derwin James at safety and Ingram, this is a real defense. and they have allowed since week five, 16 points a game. That's first in the NFL.

So don't fall in love with Philip Rivers having a career year. They can go over the top and beat you. But they get you off the field, and they are one of the few teams in the NFL. They'll just bring four guys, no blitzes. They don't blitz much. And they get a tremendous pass rush with four guys and no blitzing. That is a huge edge in the NFL.

Number two. Saints, I'm taking them out of the number one. chair. I still love them. I still think they'll probably end up in the Super Bowl. Is it arm fatigue? Drew has not played well last couple of weeks. It's very possible. Got a little arm fatigue. These are long seasons. You can have emotional fatigue teams. There's different arcs. You know, Rams and Saints felt like about four weeks ago, they peaked. And they're not quite the same. But, but their defense, it's not kid yourself. They play real defense here.

This is a team that's very, very hard to run on. And if you play great run defense and you have to play Dallas, that's going to be a huge edge. If you have to play the Rams again, it's going to be a huge edge. Saints at 2. Number one. I haven't put the Chiefs at number one. I don't think this season.

But I thought the Baltimore win impressed me because you got, coming up, you have the Chargers. And there wasn't a single Kansas City player. And this is a young roster that wasn't looking at that Thursday night game. game and thinking, here come the Chargers. And they beat a Baltimore team, a good team. Go ask Pittsburgh, because Pittsburgh's got New England left next. How did Pittsburgh look against Oakland in the sandwich game?

They looked like crud. This was a very easy game to lose. They've scored 25 points in every game. Mahomes is going to win the MVP. They are a great story. He can be a little erratic. He can make some throws that I win at. but he's got a lot of Carson Wentz in him

that Patrick Mahomes and Carson Wentz do stuff you just can't teach like no look passes. Like you just can't teach a lot of what Patrick Mahomes does and I think Andy Reid's got a real shot to win his first Super Bowl. All right, Peter King, Trent Dilfer, and before you rip the NFL officials, I'll defend him a little.

That's coming up. In sports, a big trade can make or break a season. Take the Dallas Cowboys. The Amari Cooper move got a lot of heat, but it's turned the fortunes of Dallas around. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Thursday night football returns this week for a huge AFC West showdown

as Philip Rivers and the 10-and-3 chargers face off against Patrick Mahomes and the 11 and 2 first place chiefs. It all starts at 730 Eastern on Fox NFL Network, and streaming on Prime Video. By the way, it's the best NFL season I remember in a long time. The parody's incredible. The games are close. Wild finishes.

Offense through the roof. Star quarterbacks having incredible years. Everybody's setting records. And there's also great defensive stories. Seattle, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas. This is the best year I ever remember. I think it's great. Now, the NFL's got a little bit of an issue this year.

By the way, every great business has an issue. The officiating appears to have regressed in the last year. Dean Blandino left. He came over here, Fox. I think they miss him and should hire him back and pay him a lot of money because I think the officiating in big games has not been great. Minnesota last night, two calls went against the Vikings that I didn't like either of them. There was a pass interference call against the Vikings. I thought it was a bogus call. And the block kick, I thought Bobby Wagner jumped over and touched his teammates. Can't do that. And I think it did take a field goal, you know, off the board.

But don't kid yourself, Minnesota. You've had you've had 13 chances this year. here to prove you're a step-up franchise and you're 0 for 13. You're terrible in these big games. You never make the play. You're the only team in the NFL that can turn 13, and this is mathematically impossible. You turn 13 into an even number, 6, 6 and 1. You got a big break against the Packers and Clay Matthews. You couldn't even win that game.

So there's no team in the NFL that would be 11 and 2, but instead they're 7 and 6 because of the officiating. That took a field goal off to board. I thought it was a lousy call, but Seattle has a lot. an identity and you don't offensively. Your offensive lines average. You don't run the ball. You have two great receivers, but you never hit them downfield

and Kirk Cousin stinks in big games. So here, and I'll say this, the NFL does the best job of any sport in America. This is why it's the king of fixing their on-field problems quickly. Catch rule. Turn it around. In fact, they changed the catch rule during

last year's Super Bowl. They were getting so much heat for it that literally the Super Bowl, in season, big as game, most viewers. You know what? We're going to start making those 50-50 calls catches. They did it in the Super Bowl. Philadelphia got two calls. They should have. They earned it. And they won the Super Bowl. And nobody complained about it since that point forward. I mean, the NBA's got real issues. A third of the league is tanking to get Zion Williamson, Zion Williamson from Duke. A third of the league minimum is tanking. The Eastern Conference ratings are down 20 percent because

one player LeBron left. And oh, by the way, I think we already know who's going to win the NBA championship. I mean, seriously. Houston's now a mess. So I don't want to hear about, you know, the officiating, I think has regressed this year. But I don't remember a year. There are 10 teams in the NFC. Are we in week 15, Joy? Is it week 15?

We're in week 15. We have 10 NFC teams with a chance to make the playoffs. And we have two wildcard teams, Chargers and Seahawks, maybe Baltimore, that are capable of winning multiple playoff games. I don't really remember this many teams being legitimate. playoff contenders. In week 15. Right.

It's incredible. Peter King joins us via the Coward Global Satellite Network. As much as we're talking offense, the Ravens are a defensive story. The Bears are a defensive story. The Colts are playing out of their mind in the last month defensively.

Let's talk about the Bears. Matt Nagy would be my coach of the year. Tribisky's got a low ceiling, Peter. You've been covering this league for over three decades. Could you see this Chicago? team, home field early. Is it a Super Bowl team or just a fun playoff story to you? Well, I think if Chicago is going to be a Super Bowl team, okay?

You have to understand that they're going to have to win at least one game and maybe two away from home. I think what the difficult thing for the Bears will be winning away from home is that I can't imagine that on a decent day that the Los Angeles, Rams are going to struggle as much on offense as they did on a 25 degree night in Chicago. And then the other issue is going to be, you know, we haven't even talked about will they be able to go into the Thunderdome in New Orleans potentially and have to win a game there in either, you know, their divisional game or the championship game. So, Colin, it's possible.

but in my opinion, I think that I still don't trust Mitchell Trubisky. I like him. I think he's a good prospect, but he hasn't shown me yet that he can put eight great quarters together in January, and maybe he'll prove us all wrong. We'll see. Mark Madden is a longtime radio and writer in Pittsburgh, and he said today, you know, if McCarthy's going to get run out midseason, because he and his quarterback can't get along, Mike Tomlin, the special teams were a mess.

Sunday, the situationally, we were a mess. We're the only team in the league that's basically 500 in the last seven years when we're a nine-point favorite or more. We play down to our competition. Is it wrong to suggest maybe Mike Tomlin's time is done? Is that unfair to you? Or are there real questions about the Steelers unraveling again late in a year? I think it's unfair.

you know, the Steelers, this is the 50th season where you go Noel Cower Tomlin. So it's almost like, Colin, what do we talk about every December? Oh, well, geez, Mike Brown has to fire Marvin Lewis. You know, Marvin Lewis can't take this team to that next step. They can't even win a playoff game. So, okay, all right. So Marvin Lewis is going to be gone in Cincinnati. Well, the problem is the great unwashed out here, including me and you, we don't make that

decision. Mike Brown does. And I can't tell you whether he's going to fire Marvin Lewis. I doubt he will. But the same thing in Pittsburgh. I will never forget going into Pittsburgh, and I think I'm right in saying this, they go six and ten under Bill Cowher in the next year. They're 15 and one.

and that is all Dan Rooney always used to talk about when he would say, you guys want us to fire a coach. This is about a continuum. We will turn it around. We'll be okay. As for what's going on there right now, I think the biggest issue in Pittsburgh is that if you don't have a running game to accompany Ben Rothersberger, you're in trouble.

Because then they're teeing off on the quarterback and not respecting your running game. Without Bell, without Connor, that is an offense that is in trouble because Ben Rothesberger is going to get a lot of pressure. History shows he gets hit a lot, not necessarily sacked a lot, he gets hit a lot because he just can't get out of the way. You know, I'm watching the Dallas Cowboys, and it's great theater, and it's so good for the league. And I have been all over the map. I didn't like Dak out of college. I thought he was a better T-Boh. And then he goes 13 and 3, and I'm like, okay, kid's special.

and then I don't like him again because they can't throw for over 200 yards in an era where everybody's throwing for 200 yards. But he has leadership. He's a little mobile. He's a tough kid. He always says the right thing. Give me your kind of, I mean, I've been all over the map on DAC, and I've come to this point, that what he does create is stability, mobility, leadership for the biggest brand in American sports. And that is worse something, even if he's limited.

Where are you now on deck? No question. Where are you on DAC? I'd say those are almost exactly my thoughts. Now you take the next step and you ask yourself, okay, are you going to pay Dak Prescott to be your long-term guy? Are you this coming off season going to answer into negotiations to try to make him your quarterback for the next six years? And I think the Dallas Cowboys are. But now the question is,

Do you pay Dak Prescott $29 million a year? Oh, Lord. You know, at some point, at some point, Colin, if you're committing to a guy, you've got to pay him the market rate for what quarterbacks make. You know what? And that seems totally absurd. I get it. But you may have to pay the going rate.

You know what, Peter, I was saying this yesterday. All play DAC's agent. I'm going to say this. I won you the second NFC East in three years. and I'm making less than a DJ in Dallas than a disc jockey. You're the biggest brand in America. You're paying me less than a rock and roll DJ downtown. And I have won you the division twice.

I'm not taking a discount. Peter, I think Dax agent has a lot of leverage here. Well, he does. But any person who is drafted in the fourth round of a draft in a slotting system, your rookie contract is just going to stink, relatively speaking. you play very well. So I don't really think that that is an argument. I mean, sure, they're going to make the argument that, hey, he's been underpaid for his first three years here. That's valid. But at the end of the day, it's all going to come down to your comparisons. If I were Dack Prescott's

agent, I would say, listen, we are going to compare Dack Prescott to Kirk Cousins. Okay, we're going to compare the numbers. We're going to compare the wins. and we're going to compare the value. And we're not even going to ask for the whole contract to be guaranteed. But we think that the base that we're going to have to start talking is $28 million a year. And everybody is going to say, oh, my God, that is ridiculous. It's pathetic. Everything.

And I get it. I totally, totally get it. But if you wipe away all of the emotion, if they finish this year strong, if they win a playoff game, Dak Prescott is going to make probably $28 million a year. He is. He absolutely is. Peter, I don't root for Super Bowls. I really don't.

Now, I've enjoyed watching Tom Brady and Belichick's dynasty. I'm from Seattle. I love Russell Wilson. But if I could say to you, just as a football fan, is there an ideal Super Bowl matchup you would love to see this year? I don't think it's going to happen. I would love to see Mahomes and Andy Reid against the Colts and Andrew Luck in the AFC championship. Is there a team or a matchup that you think is more intriguing this year?

Well, I would really like to see another game between Baltimore and Kansas City in January. I don't know if it's going to happen, but that would be fun. Yeah. The matchup, I think that would be most fun to see in the Super Bowl this year is Kansas City and New Orleans. Yeah. And I say that because, look, you've got basically, you're. You've got a couple of really, really smart veteran coaches who make stuff up even still to this day. Really good, smart guys.

And they got quarterbacks who pull the trigger on exactly what they want to do. Explosive offenses, fun teams to watch. And that would be the one that if I'm sitting here right now and you say, what's your ideal Super Bowl matchup today? I'd love to see Kansas City play New Orleans. NBCSports.com, Peter King. Great stuff on a Tuesday. Thanks, Peter.

Thanks, Colin. Trent Dilford, Derwin James, absolutely loaded. Here is Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. So the Ravens had their winning streak ends at three on Sunday with the 27-24 overtime loss to the Chiefs,

which brought Lamar Jackson to a three-in-one. record as a starting quarterback. Yesterday, John Harbaugh suggested if Joe Flacco is healthy, he would be a part of the game plan next week against the bus. Boy, it's been reversed. Mm-hmm. It's a football decision. Everybody understands, you know, what we're trying to do.

We're trying to put the best football team out there from one play to the next that we can. That's all. I know what we want to do. I have a plan. We have a plan. We talked about it, and we have to talk to the guys about it. And whether we share that publicly, we'll just like, we'll decide. Yeah, I probably wouldn't share that publicly, I don't think.

What is the plan? Well, you can't tell us. It's like, you know what? Football coaching's like Christmas. I'm not going to give you the presents until you unwrap them. I'm not going to tell my kids when I'm getting them for Christmas. I just can't get enthuse about the idea of a quarterback by committee situation. Isn't it weird?

It started the year. It's Flacco's job, and Lamar will put you off at slot receiver. Right. And now it's Lamar's job, and Joe will put you in a series in the red zone. I mean, what does that even mean? I don't know. I just don't believe in that. I think you need to have some consistency in that position,

and you're in a situation where you can't make the playoffs. And I also think it just plants this seed of doubt in your quarterback's mind that at any moment, my job can be taken away. I agree that. And then you play differently when you have that pressure on you. What if I was judged segment to segment, and that if I didn't have a good segment for the next five minutes, I could be replaced and somebody else would interview Trent Dilfer.

I'd be a mess. Colin, you've never had a bad sense. segment. Oh, yes. I had, and back in the 80s. Right. I was kicked a few words, but mostly since then. You're good to go.

So John Gruden's takeover of the Raiders was complete yesterday after the announced the firing of GM Reggie McKenzie. But in his first press conference after the announcement, Gruden tried to create the impression that he won't be hiring McKenzie's replacements and said he stuck, he stuck to the desired qualities that he'd like in McKenzie's replacement. You know, a guy that works hard, that loves football, that loves this organization. That'll scratch and claw and fight with the rest of us.

I think it all starts there. Obviously, expertise and personnel. Great leadership skills. A number of things to go into this job. It's a tough position in this league. I'm not surprised with anything that happens in this league. I've been fired. I've been traded.

It's a horrible part of this business, and I'm very sensitive to it. By the way, McKenzie did get Amari Cooper Derek Carr, I think, and Khalil Mack, so he hit some home runs. Oh, Kalil Mack's no longer there. I know. And Marry Cooper's no longer there. Yeah. And a lot of people feel Derek Carr will no longer be there.

Oakland's been good for teams this year. They just haven't been good for Oakland. For Oakland. And they've been great for the bears and the cowboys. Whoever takes this position, whoever they bring in for this position, has to be on the same page with Gruden. This is where organizations fail up top. For me, when the GM and the owner and

the head coach are not all on the same page, it doesn't matter how talented your team is, they're not going to win. It's too much chaos at the top. You've seen it in so many different organizations and so many different sports. Totally agree. You have to have a solid person in that position. Get it buttoned up upstairs. It's 100%, especially since they're moving.

There's a lot that goes into that position. Finally, as long as football will be played, there will be debates over who is the best, the best teams, the best coaches, the best players. Yeah. Of course, the goat. No quarterback in NFL history has had a strong claim to the goat as Tom Brady, except for Joe Montana. and in a recent appearance on Bleacher Report to Stick the Football Podcast,

Joe was skeptical of the idea that Brady is definitively the goats. Here's his explanation. Everybody wants that title, I think. I think it's really hard to give anyone that title. Tom obviously has had a tremendous career and a lot of respect for what he's done and accomplished. And everybody tries to compare us. There's just no comparison in the way I look at it. I mean, if you go back and try to compare when I played to guys who played long before me,

It can hardly find film on them, but, you know, the game's forever changing. And I'd just say, enjoy everyone for what it's worth. But obviously, Tom, he's putting up stupid numbers. So it's going to be hard for anybody to catch him, I think. By the way, Montana and Brady share something. Neither one had the best arm in their prime. Neither one was the best athlete. Neither one physically was the most impressive.

Although they both have all good qualities, but they both had great coaches. Can we just acknowledge that Andrew Luck's better with the right coach? And Baker Mayfield now got rid of two egos at coach, and he's playing better, and coaching is so valuable. Find all the great quarterbacks. Here's what they all have in common. Terry had Chuck Knoll. Aikman had Jimmy Johnson.

Dan Fouts had Dan Correale. I mean, Don Correale, you can't do it without a great coach. There's been no quarterback with a lousy coach. That's a legend. It doesn't happen. This is going to get clipped off, though, that there's no comparison line. It's just going to get taken right out of that whole context of that statement. Joy with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. By the way, LeBron and the Lakers beat Dwayne Wade in the Miami Heat last night. The Lakers are now rolling. Yes, they've won 15 of their last 20 games. They've won six of seven. They won last night. LeBron took over late.

It's what he does. Made a couple of big shots over Dwayne. Yes, the Lakers are rolling. I've always said LeBron's not just about talent. It's about his IQ. He always chooses the right team. Let me remind you of the teams that wanted LeBron. Philadelphia is now already dysfunctional with Jimmy Butler.

Houston, an ugly 11 and 14 season. They're a mess. San Antonio's irrelevant. And then there was the Lakers, a deep, young roster that played hard but needed a centralized leader, LeBron James. LeBron's always made the right decision. Carmelo Anthony forced to trade. Nicks had no players. Happens all the time.

Russell Westbrook, great guy, doesn't get how great Kevin Durant is. Never the same franchise. Here was LeBron and D. Wade last night, two my favorite guys afterwards. You can do anything he wants. He's shown that. He's proven that.

Not only he's one of the greatest players, one of the greatest people. You know, what he's done on and off the court? Second to none. No one has been able to accomplish is what he's been able to come, he's taking advantage of his opportunities from day one.

And I have no doubt that this team would be in the finals at some point. This guy can play for as long as he won't. And I'll be here to see it. Personally, I would have been very successful in this league without D-WA but to accomplish what I really wanted

to accomplish in this league, and that's winning at the highest level I needed them. And that's why I made the jump. A lot of guys in this league have talent, but to chase money, they want to be the man. Like Mello, they force trades and are left with nothing on their own roster. LeBron makes really good choices.

He left Miami, Wade and Bosch physically eroding. He left Cleveland. They're now a mess. He joins the Lakers. What are they, a game and a half out of first place in the West? It's not just his talent and his passion. He makes really good choices. Trent Dilper's around the corner coming up next.

In L.A., it's the herd. Perfect holiday gift. The original. on Tuckett shirt on Tuggett.com, code heard 20% off on Tucket.com, code H-E-R-D. Played a decade and a half, Super Bowl, Pro-Bowler. Trent Dilfer, be the Coward Global

Satellite Networks joining us. All right, Washington kept franchise tagging Kirk Cousins. Vikings needed a quarterback, said we're going to move off Case Keenham. We're going to bring in Kirk Cousins. I'm watching last night, Trent. Sometimes I think they miss

Case Keenum. What went wrong in this deal? Well, I think a lot went wrong. I think the starting point is that obviously, and I think most people believe this is the time, the Vikings overpaid for Kirk Cousin, but it's what the market was dictated at the time. Kirk had good timing in the whole process. Therefore, he gets overpaid, say, 20, 30 percent. But I think there's a bigger issue going on. It's how when the Vikings were looking at a new quarterback, upgraded quarterback in Minnesota, mis-evaluating who Kirk Cousins was. We know Mike Zimmer is an old school defensive-centric coach.

He's going to want to run the ball at a high volume. He's going to want his quarterback to move the chains on critical downs and obviously finish drives in the red zone. That's not who Kirk Cousins was in Washington. Kirk Cousins is a volume passer. He's a guy that thrived on early downs, not late down. He thrived in the middle of games, not at the end of halves at the end of game. He's a guy that is a stat junkie.

That's not his fault, but he was a product of a lot of early down pass. his schemes that fit his talent level and allowed him to be really successful. The Vikings mis-evaluated the type of player he is, so now you get stuck in the situation where Zimmer is forcing his coordinator of Calmore runs. Therefore, you're going to have more must-pass situations where Tom Brady thrives, Aaron Rogers thrives, the Phillip Rivers thrives, but not where her cousin thrives. So it was really the mis-evaluation of the Vikings, and they overpaid for him, and it's making Kirk look like a shell of what he really is,

whereas if he had a coach that understood who he was, then you'd be more of a volume pass team, which, by the way, they were early. You would highlight your best players on the team, Beeland, Diggs, Rudolph, and you would be a more 65, 35 past run team, but that's not who's ever wants to be, and that's not what Kirk Cousins does well.

Okay, let's shift to Dack. The conversation now, Jerry wants him. What are we going to pay him? Where would you go with Dax? on that money situation? Well, we got another year to figure it out. I would personally internally want to see him do something special on a playoff run.

Doesn't mean win the Super Bowl, but carry a little bit more water for his team like he did in the fourth quarter the other day against the Eagles, where he kind of puts the team on his shoulders in big situations and big moments, especially in January. I think that's one way he can earn a big contract. I still think you need to be having conversations with his agent right now saying, if you think you're going to break the bank, you're not going to. We'll start looking into the draft.

We'll start looking at different options because we're not going to do it. Say the Vikings did. But I think Colin, I think this is something you can build off of here the rest of the season. It's the next season. It builds on a bigger issue. And that's where the salary cap is really flawed when it comes to quarterback. In this next collective bargaining agreement, the players have to fight, take the quarterback salary out of the standard salary cap. and create its own quarterback salary cap because players are getting hurt from it because there's

a lot of players on the cowboys that if they pay DAC, they're not going to be able to pay them. And it seems too easy, excuse me, just to separate the quarterback out of the salary cap, put a separate salary cap on that position so that the rest of the 53 men on, 52 men on the roster can be rewarded as they should. Because right now, when you overpay for a quarterback, you're affecting four to six. other guys that should be getting rewarded for their efforts, and they're really not. I swear to God, I had this conversation with the buddy two nights ago. We had the same conversation is that if you separated the quarterback, I don't like franchise

tags either for quarterbacks. It traps them. Okay. Aaron Rogers, you run the organization tomorrow. What kind of coach do you give him? Do you give him any pull? Should he have a say in the hire? You should not have a say in the hire.

But as an organization, you should understand Aaron well enough now. over time to know what kind of coach will fit his personality, will get the most from him. You can never empower one player that much. I guarantee you Bill Belichick is not consulted with Tom Brady on very many the decision. Team big global decisions. You don't ever want to give a player that type of status.

It will separate him from the rest of the team and will alienate him from the rest of the team because now the team's wondering, did he have a say in my being here or not? So it breaks that trust. For Aaron, it's pretty simple. I said this, I think a week or two, and we talked about it. It's a guy that's going to demand a ton from Aaron. That's going to come in day one and say, listen, you're already one of the greatest ever,

but I'm going to push you to tap into every single thing that's in your soul to bring out even more in you. I'm going to challenge you every single day to be better, and I'm going to coach you hard, and I'm going to be honest with you when you mess up. And I will hold you to the same standard as I hold everybody else on this team to. you give Aaron that type of guy and he's going to respond. Why do I know that? Because that's what Jeff Tedford did for him at Cal and that's what Mike McCarthy did, his first years in Green Bay.

But over time, Aaron began to get treated differently and Aaron began to have a little more say than maybe he deserves to have. And what happens are there's erode your team and erodes the trust level. So a strong person that can come in there and have that conversation with Aaron, I think Aaron will respond great to, and I think you'll see him have multiple MVP seasons if they find that guy. Mike McCarthy got run midseason after a bad year. Mike Tomlin, Steelers are unraveling again and underachieving. Is it fair to say, Mike Tomlin should feel heat?

I mean, should Mike Tomlin be retained, or should he, like McCarthy, should there be rumors swirling? Is it time to make a move? No, I think it's fair. I think when you underachieve. which definitely the Steelers are, it is fair. I think when drama comes out of your quarterback's mouth or your head coach's mouth, it's fair to be critical of it. I always say this.

When you see the quarterback and the head coach having conflict in the media, or more, let's say it this way, contradicting each other in the media, telling different sides of the same event, you know there's issues. We saw this, again, a reference back five years. ago at the old place, me and you talking about Aaron and McCarthy about when it started. You saw it because they started contradicting each other in the media. Therefore, you can start piecing it together. The same thing's happening with Ben and Coach Tomlin, that they're contradicting each other

when something comes up, drama comes up after a game. Therefore, there's room to criticize Coach Tomlin. I've always felt that he gets a little bit of a hall path on certain situations. And now's about time. People dig in. Why are they underachieving? Hey, do you have a team you want to see in the Super Bowl? I kind of like to see Andy Reed and Mahomes in the Super Bowl.

I think it would be fun, not that I'm bored with the Patriots, but there is a little fatigue going on. Is there a team you'd like to see in the Super Bowl? Yeah, I want to see the Chiefs, not because I don't like the other teams, but I want to see a team throw their way to a championship. It really has never been done where it's spread out, take huge risks, be aggressive all the time, playmaking up and down the yard because that's who the chiefs are. I would like to see a team throw their way all the way of the championship game. They're on the center TV every week. It's must-see TV and I want to see it all the way through the first weekend of February.

Yeah, I like that call and it wouldn't break my heart to see Drew Breeze win another Super Bowl. That wouldn't break my heart either. Agreed. And I think if the Saints do it, they won't throw their way to the Super Bowl. And I'm not taking any way from Drew. But I think that team is the most dangerous because they have such great balance, because their offensive line play. That's the thing that this time of year can't be talked about enough is offensive line

play and the Saints have it. And that's why I would say they're probably the favorite because they'll have balance in this race to the finish. Good stuff today. Trent Dilfer, God, I love having you on the show. Trent, thanks so much, bud. Thanks, brother. Yeah, how good would Kansas City and the Saints be?

You get the drama of Drew Brees winning his second. Drew Brees is a beloved player in this league. He's a needle mover. And then you'd have this wild, crazy, Brett Farvey sort of Patrick Mahomes thing, and Andy Reid's been great but never won. This has been the best NFL season I ever remember. I said this. It's the best NFL season I ever remember.

The only bummer to me was when Jimmy Garapolo got hurt early, I was like, ah, bummer. I want to watch him play. But compared to last year's injuries? Oh, God. Last year you had all sorts of controversies and politics. This is like, Monday. Monday games, Sunday games,

late games, the one o'clock window. It's been unbelievable. The Thursday night games have been great. Oh, yeah, they have. Good point. Derwin James last hour. Ah, this is the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening,

live in Los Angeles, I heart radio, Fox Sports Radio and FS-Wan. Derwin James, a remarkable safety for the Chargers. It's made that defense, which was good. Now it's really, really, really, really good. Their best defense right now in the last like seven or eight weeks in the NFL. He's going to be coming on our show. I got to read something, Joy Taylor.

Okay. I'm behind on spots, as they say. You know it's cold and flu season? I do know that. It's very chilly out. Right now, Vic Synex nasal spray. It works up to 12 hours, but use only as directed. I was very smooth, I thought.

I was a professional broadcaster there. 30 minutes, L.A. Chargers, electric rookie safety. Durwin James. In my best for last, the nicest thing I've ever said about Baker Mayfield, I swear to God. Well, the Vikings have fired, though. They're offensive coordinator today, but I want to talk about their quarterback. Last night was classic Kirk Cousins. He lost the game in prime time and ends up with garbage yards at the end. And this is why I say, you've got to watch the games. Last night, I said this to my wife. I said, man, this is, this is, this is boring. Well, why you keep watching it?

I said, because you got to watch the games. Don't pay attention to stats. There have been years that if you didn't watch Andy Dalton, you looked at his box score, you're like, ooh, it's a pro bowler. Jacksonville gave Blake Bortles. Oh, Blake. Did you watch Blake Bortles? Last night is the difference between Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins.

Neither played well. In fact, Russell had a terrible interception. But Russell Wilson always makes the play in the game. The game. And that was an equally huge game for both teams. Kirk Cousins never makes the play. Neither played great, but one made a great play. Russell Wilson scrambles right there, down the sideline.

That changed everything. Quarterbacks don't play well every weekend. Peyton Manning didn't. Brady doesn't. Breeze had a stinker against the Cowboys. But do you make the play? The NBA is littered with guys like Zach Levine, who score 24 a night, and you won't remember three baskets when he's done.

Blake Griffin, 26 a night, an endless highlight reel. Has he ever hit a big shot? Russell Wilson right now is behind Matt Ryan. He's 11th in fantasy football quarterback points. He's behind Matt Ryan, who's on a five-game losing streak and never makes the play. he's behind Cam Newton also on a five-game losing streak. I say this. Judge a person on a bad day.

That's who they are. Every parent's in a good mood when little Johnny hits the game-winning little league home run. But what about when little Johnny goes 0 for three and the umpire hosed him? How's dad act then? Because that's who dad is. Russell Wilson put up a stinker last night. Had the worst interception of the season.

The crazy is go. awful throw of the year. But he made the play. Kirk Cousins is now 4 and 13 in primetime games. Russell Wilson is 21 and 5. Russell Wilson wins 60% of his road games. Kirk Cousins wins 36% of them. But if you looked at the box score last night,

Kirk Cousins, oh, 20 or 33, over 200 yards, touchdown, no picks, 90 passer rating. If you look at the box score, Russell Wilson, 10 for 20s. 72 yards, no TDs, a pick, and a pass a rating of 37. Tell my wife, I got to watch these games. And last night's why you got to watch the games. By the way, Minnesota, I don't want to hear about officiating. You're the only team in the league that through 13 games,

you could make 13 a round number. You're 6, 6.6 and 1. You define average. You got two world-class receivers, excellent defense, and you couldn't score until garbage time. I don't want to hear about officiating. You got a gift call against the Packers and Clay Matthews earlier this year. And true to form, you couldn't even win that game. You tied it.

Watch the games. That was a great classic Russell Wilson game because he stunk, had a terrible pick, but unlike cousins, made the play. And let me segue to another guy that... A lot of people criticize, myself included, but he oftentimes wins close games, Dak Prescott. So I want to remind everybody as we shift the DAC talk that Kirk Cousins was the best free agent quarterback on the market this year. He has two and a half more years on his contract with the Vikings.

At 28 million a year, if Minnesota could get out of that contract on the flight home, they would have last night. They'd get out of that thing tomorrow if they could, and they can't. So if you have any doubts about Dak Prescott, let me remind you, and I have been critical of him. He does give you four things, which are really important things in 2018. Stability at the position, you don't want to be Jacksonville. They've got stability at the position. He's mobile in an era where I do want my quarterbacks.

I like him to move around a little. Number three, he has incredible leadership qualities. And number four, this is weird, but he wins a lot of close games. I think he's limited to. I've said before, if you're going to sign him, it better be 18 to 21 million. He needs a lot of help. but college football only gives you about one to two quarterbacks a year, and it should be noted.

Dallas doesn't have a first round pick next year. DAC has the leverage of scarcity. There's not many quarterbacks out there. And as I'm watching Kirk Cousins last night, I'm thinking about Dak. And I'm thinking Kirk Cousins, he was the gem of the quarterback-free agent class. He cannot win a close game.

He cannot win a primetime game. Jerry Jones was on Dallas radio this morning, and he knows Dak better than all of us, and he said, Dak, you ever notice how often he wins big games? The thing you've got to remember about Dak, he's so well prepared. I don't know.

We've had a classroom. He takes to the practice field. I can't emphasize enough that you hang around and you hang through a mistake on a given play and you're going to have something good happen. And that's the way I feel about Dak. I think that was somebody playing Jerry Jones. It sounded almost too much like Jerry Jones, but he's right. Russell Wilson played lousy, but I love him because he makes the play.

And Dak Prescott, in my opinion, is an average quarterback talent. but man, he makes plays in big games, offers stability, can move around a little bit, and has incredible leadership qualities. Do not forget. Kirk Cousins was the gem of the free agent class. Just don't forget that. Is that we can bang on Russell Wilson's interception and performance last night.

And a guy like me can come out and say, Dak drives me crazy. And I think he has an incredibly low ceiling. It's about two inches from the floor. But sports isn't about Blake Griffin average in 26 a night. It's not about Zach Levine average in 24 a night. I don't know what Ray Allen averaged, but I can remember a dozen big shots in his career.

I don't know what Dwayne Wade's career average is. I can think of 50 huge plays in his career. I want guys who make plays, even if they're incredibly flawed. Andy Dalton and Kirk Cousins don't. As long as the number is right with Dak, he does. Coming up next, thoughts on Aaron Rogers next coach,

the Pittsburgh situation, Derwin James, and thoughts on Baker Mayfield as well. One more herd? 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.

Looking for the perfect holiday gift on tucket shirts. The original untuck shirt. Design to be worn untuck.com code herd, H-E-R-D for 20% off. Good to have you in today. I just thinking, you know, this whole Aaron Rogers situation needs a new football coach, good game against Atlanta. Think about what Aaron Rogers was watching this weekend. Mitch Trubisky was awful.

Three interceptions. 110 passing yards, 53% completions, and he won because he has good enough players around it. Think of what Aaron Rogers is watching in his own division. Matt Stafford had 101 yards, no touchdowns, and a passer rating of 74, but had enough around him to win. And then watching Kirk Cousins last night with two superstar wide receivers and can't score a point until the fourth quarter. And Aaron Rogers is relegated to third place and a half. game out of the seller in his own division. Yes, Aaron Rogers, at times, has a right to be frustrated because of the lack of what they put

around him. Green Bay's ownership to me is the Ouija board of the NFL. Who's really controlling this place? They don't have an owner. That's unique. They fired Ted Thompson, but just moved him down to a different cubicle. That's rare. they needed a new general manager

and instead of looking elsewhere, they hired a guy in the building. That's typical. And Aaron Rogers apparently has the power to get Mike McCarthy fired, but didn't Aaron Rogers also say this before the season started? I think it's pretty clear that players play and coaches, coach and personnel people make their decision. That's the way they want. A lot of confusion, lack of clarity. The Ouija board.

Who's running this? Who's moving things here? There's no owner. Aaron Rogers has power. Nobody's got no power. You know, I had Winston Moss on, a Packer coach for a long time who just got fired. And, you know, I said, you don't pay for players. You don't pay for stars.

But you didn't pay for him even when you weren't paying Aaron Rogers a fortune. And I'm questioning, is it fair for me to question? Who's running this place and how you're building it? Ted Thompson has a draft plan. He has a way of going about his whole draft process. Now you have to question whether that draft process is putting the players on the field that is given A-Rod and the rest of the Green Bay Packers the best chance to win. Should you have gotten Khalil, Mike? Yes.

Yeah. I mean, but there is kind of a quality here where I like, I always liked a strong boss. Give me sort of give me clarity. Okay, who do I have to answer to? What's my assignment? Let's go. And I find with Green Bay no owner, you fire the GM, but he's still down the hall. You needed a GM. You just elevated a guy. Aaron's got power. None. Some. Zero. What's their identity? They don't consistently have great defenses. they finally have a running back I like, but they didn't use him enough. What is your offense? It's not clever. Like, you've got to create something here.

It's not Aaron Rogers' responsibility to create the direction. His job is to be the quarterback. Pete Carroll, not Russell Wilson, this offseason, said, I'm going to hire a new offensive line coach. I'm going to draft another running back. We're going to become a power running team with an upgraded O line. So Pete created the direction and Russell Wilson's job is to, okay, that's where we're going. Rally around us, guys, all lead us on the field.

It's not the quarterback's job to create the direction. Belichick does that, and then it's Tom Brady's job to go out inefficiently over a three-and-a-half-hour period, deliver on the direction. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no. on the news. This is the herd line news. Oh, the Patriots. You just can't handle those

dolphins in December. I know. It's a tough place walking into hard hard rock stadium like that. Well, they lost Miami Miracle, 34 to 33 and a heartbreaker. And that loss moved the Patriots to 3 and 4 on the road this season, the other losses coming against the Lions, Jags, and Titans. And the first three were all by double digits.

And the fourth was obviously that historical mistake that Bill Belichick teams rarely make. But despite the but road record and the brutal loss, Tom Brady is confident they can bounce back. I mean, we lost pretty important games, and I don't know, what's the difference between losing by 14 down there, losing by 50, or losing by 1. They all count the same, and mental toughness is mental toughness. And you realize that, you know, a lot of things had to go right for them to win, and they did. So it's not like, I don't think we can win on the road.

We won on the road. We played well on the road. You know, we just got to close the deal. Yeah, I didn't recognize that little subtle jab at the dolphins there right in the end. A lot of things had to go right for them. No question. Yeah, they did, Mr. Brady. I don't like that. Anyway, the Patriots travel to Pittsburgh this weekend.

They are a three-point favorites. Oh, they are. So New England is a field goal favorite on the road at Pittsburgh. Yes. You know, it is interesting. Somebody said this earlier. It was either Trent or Peter King. May have been Peter King.

Let's be honest about Pittsburgh. Lavian Bell. you thought you were going to have them, you don't. James Connor has hurt. Pittsburgh has a football problem right now. Most certainly. They're throwing the ball 70% of the time. Like they have become completely unbalanced.

By the way, New England, more than any time I can remember, has their running back situation all set up. So you know New England's going to do what Pittsburgh can't this weekend. Run the football. You know, looking at the Steelers and the windows that you have to win championship, with the Patriots being kind of vulnerable this year, maybe Payne and Levion wasn't the worst idea. It's kind of looking that way now.

No, I mean, there's... You couldn't have predicted James Connor getting injured, but they're on the third and fourth string running back. You know what, Joy, I had a source tell me that the thing with Levian Bell was, they thought he was too much noise. But the funny thing is, since he's left, they've been noisier than ever.

What does that even mean? So my point is the idea that Lavian was the problem with all the noise is just simply not true. Ben is the drama king here. And he has been from day. Now, Tomlin adds to it. I don't even know if it's, I don't even know if it's Ben necessarily. Like, Ben is noisy, but I just think it's just the environment there that Mike Tomlin allows. I'm cool with you letting players be vocal and be personalities, but there's got to be one common thread and goal about speaking out.

I mean, when Antonio Brown went live on Facebook, like, could you imagine anyone in the Patriots locker room doing that? No. It's just, it's just unimaginable. Like, it's that type of stuff has never gone away. So Leveon certainly wasn't the source of that noise. Baker Mayfield is finally delivering wins for Cleveland. And now he would like Brown's fans to hold up their end of the deal. He did lead his team to a 2620 win over the Panthers on Sunday in front of the smallest home crowd so far this year.

So he called out Brown's fans asking them to show up for their last home game in. two weeks. I'm a prideful of playing at home, protecting our own territory. We'd love to have more fan support. Today was cold, I get it. But, you know, having more people, especially got our last home game coming up. We'd love to have more people in the stands, you know, cheering for us because we feed off the energy.

You can tell. It's very obvious. I don't have to say it, how our defense feeds off the energy in the stadium and being able to start fast and get that going and put teams, you know, in a bind to put pressure on them. By the way, people are like Colin. What about giving credit to Baker Mayfield this weekend? By the way, Lamar Jackson, I didn't talk a ton about Lamar Jackson when he went out three-game winning streak.

Sam Donald had a great second half of the Jets. I haven't talked about him yet. And Baker had a nice game. Baker's not the only rookie quarterback that's had good moments this year. Baker has better players than most of the other kids. But it should be noted. Lamar Jackson went 3-0 in his first starts and almost beat Kansas City because he has good people around him. you think I'm anti-Baker.

I don't like his nonsense, but I compliment Baker all the time. I'm going to compliment him in Best for Lans. You did say he was undraftable. For me, I didn't say, I said I wouldn't draft him because I don't want to be tied to his personality for a decade. But I also said he can play in this league.

No, you did. And to be fair, you were critical of Lamar Jackson. You didn't think Lamar Jackson was ready to play this year either. At all. But I think all these guys. He's not Baker, so that didn't get the attention. By the way, I didn't like Trebisky. He's been better than I thought.

Mahomes I didn't think would be this good. I got to be honest with you. And I said with Darnold, I said he's going to lead all rookie quarterbacks and interceptions. He's reckless. They've all been better than I thought in moments. All of them, all the young quarterbacks have it. Yeah, and the quarterbacks like Josh Rosen and Josh Allen, I think, have been in

tough situations this year. So I wouldn't even really judge them, you know, a comparison to, say, Baker or Lamar. And finally, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade faced each other on NBA court for the very last time last night. The Lakers beat the heat in a exciting game. game 108-105 and after the game LeBron praised his good friends saying he needed D-Waid in order for his own career to grow. You know, what we got together is two championships and we got a lot of memories. We got two

gold medals. I mean, me personally, I would have been very successful in this league without D-Wade but to accomplish what I really wanted to accomplish in this league and that's winning at the highest level I needed and that's why I made the jump. And then I appreciate more than I can express in words what he did for me when I went down to Miami. I love Duane Wade and I love LeBron James. Love them both. Two of my favorite guys in the league ever. They really were kind of the genesis of this buddy, buddy.

Yeah. You know, the big three. Guys used to hate each other. Playing together. They were really the start of that. But I think they don't get enough credit for the work that they did to make that particular team into a championship team. Me, you and Chris Brasar were arguing about whether, those Miami teams were ever all-time great teams.

And I argued that the 2013 Miami Heat Team could go down as an all-time great team. But they think of Miami as just this era where he just walked in kind of the way that KD did. And that wasn't the situation at all. And they lost their first year in an embarrassing fashion. And they had to work together and put those pieces together. And Wade was a big part of turning that team over to LeBron

and teaching him what it takes to win a championship and be consistent. Totally agree. Joy Taylor with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd line news. Do you know the number one defense in the NFL were in week 15 here since week five is the LA Chargers? And the player that leads them in tackles isn't one of their pro bowlers.

It's a rookie, Derwin James, Florida State, who has played every position for them this year except nose tackle and middle linebacker. He is an all-time rookie talent. and via the Coward Global Satellite Network, Derwin James is joining us. By the way, you played six positions in high school. You quarterbacked, you played corner, you played defensive,

and why didn't you just be a quarterback because you would have been glamorous and you would have, you know, why did you not stay at quarterback because you're clearly good enough to do anything you want? I mean, that position, I mean, that's one of the hardest positions on the field. I mean, I don't want to deal with that right there. Okay. I can't throw that good.

Derwin, are you surprised? I watched you in college. You lead the team in tackles. You've played nine positions on the field. Are even you a little surprised how great your rookie year has been? I'm not really surprised, you know, because I got great coaches around me and teammates that push me every day. And, you know, my preparation for every game and every practice, you know, is to get better. So I feel like I'm taking a step every step every day.

every day by getting better, like I say, and it's showing on Sundays. Patrick Mahomes is a guy you're going to face in just a couple of days. He is crazy good. When you watch film of Patrick Mahomes, what do you see? What worries you? Nothing of them worry me, because like I say, you can't play this game with worry. Worry about nothing going on the field. But like I say, he's a great quarterback.

Makes all the throws. When you think the play is over, it's not over. He's throwing his side arm. He's throwing no look. He's doing it all. So he's a heck of a player. Would you rather have a pick or a tackle? Because you're known as a big-time hitter.

For a guy like you who plays in the secondary, what's better? Lighting a guy up, jarring the ball out of him, or intercepting a ball? What's better for you and why? I like the interception, honestly, because like I say, the offense is coming on the field. You know, it's all about the ball to me.

So I just say the takeaway, getting my hands on the ball, trying to score. If I don't score, getting the ball to our offense. Do you feel like the Chargers are overlooked in town because you play in the same town as the Rams? Do you guys ever talk about that? No, man, we just go out and play ball. Nothing matters like that.

We don't get into all that. We just go line up every Sunday and play ball. So we don't really, all that matters. When you look at this Charger team, it's got a lot of stars, and it's a lot of young guys. It's a weird season, Derwin, because you have kind of a weird home field situation.

You're waiting for the stadium to get built. Sometimes you guys have almost played better on the road this year. What is the locker room like these guys this year for you? It's like a brotherhood. It's like no other locker room I've ever been in. The guys is really genuine appreciation around here. And everybody's excited to come to work every day. and I'm excited to come to work every day with these guys

and just continue to just get better and play for each other and fight for each other on Sundays. It's an unbelievable locker room that we have. Philip Rivers, probably going to be a Hall of Famer. You face him in practice every day. Derwin, what is it like? What have you learned from Philip Rivers? What does he teach you over the last three, four months?

He teaches me a lot just with me doing so much, some of my tendencies. Just making sure I'm on top of everything. Like I say, it's a great guy having a guy like that in the locker room, you know, that's going to be a first ballot Hall of Famer. And everything matters, all the little details of everything matters with him. And I'm happy he's on my team. Do you watch a lot of film?

I mean, does Philip Rivers bark at you? If you make a mistake, is he there? I mean, what is it like to play with him? He's a competitor. He's a dog. He's going to be one of the loudest ones out there. And like I said, when he take the field, you know, it's about business. And he wants the best from all his teammates and everybody's out there as you should.

Okay, so you play can. Great guy to play with, though. You play Kansas City Thursday. They have the fastest player in the league, Tyreek Hill. Nobody runs as fast. Will there be moments in this game when you have to cover him? Are you going to worry more about Travis Kelsey, the tight end? Where are you going to be Thursday?

Where am I going to see you? I'm going to be all over. I'm going to be all over the field. Like I say, come Thursday night, you'll see me somewhere everywhere. It's going to be fun. By the way, San Diego doesn't blitzel. San Diego, the Chargers don't blitz a lot. You've got some of the best pass rushers in football.

What has Joey Bosa done? You didn't have him for a long stretch. Now you have him. What does he do for your defense? He does a lot. Not just pass rushing. I mean, he's getting a sack of game. almost every game. But he's also great. He's a great teammate. He's good against the run.

And like I said, he has a motor. You feed off his energy. He brings it every play. And I'm happy to have him on my team also. By the way, three picks leads the Chargers in tackles with 88. Derwin James, you're having an absolutely remarkable rookie season. Good luck to you and the Chargers on Thursday. Thanks, bud. All right. Thank you, man. You know, what's interesting about this, I was thinking about this the other day with rookies. There's been a couple of NBA rookies that have been very good, very quick. And then you watch what is happening to the NFL. It's remarkable, Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, darn old great second half.

I didn't think Josh Allen at Buffalo was close to playing. What is happening in the NBA is happening in the NFL is that as both of these leagues have loosened everything up to be offensive. NBA now is all about offense. You can't hand check. You can't bump guys. NBA is all about offense. The NFL has done the same thing. You can't grab guys at the line.

It's all about offense. What it's allowed in both the NBA and the NFL, young, fresh legs, fresh body, young players to come into this game and be able to hit it initially. You know, it was always in the NBA. A Kai came out of college, and he just wasn't physically quite ready to play. You get pushed around a lot. The NBA was incredibly physical for most of my adult life.

And like college kids came in to the NBA. A lot of times you just weren't ready for it. The NBA now is a cardio league. Are you in shape? It's just a run up and down the floor spacing league. The NFL used to be college guys were physically, receivers didn't want to go over the middle. The game now, it's simpler.

There's no huddles. It's played faster. There's more ad-libbing. It's more about offense. It's not trying to constantly physically intimidate you. If you can just bring talent into these sports now out of college, you can play really quickly. I mean, the NBA right now, can you shoot from the perimeter? If the answer is yes, you're playing. It doesn't matter if you're 18, 19, or 20. If you can shoot in the NBA, you're on

the floor. And in the NFL, can you run? Are you fast? You're on the field. Because the game now, there's no huddles. Let's go. It's fast. It's quick. You walk to the line. I've talked to so many coaches in the last couple of years are like the game. We're simplifying it. It's played much faster. 75 snaps. We want salary cap, young, fast, cheap. And Derwin James has played every position but nose tackle and middle linebacker. He is all over the field. The Colts have two offensive linemen both starting. One could be arguably the best rookie offensive lineman in a decade. The 49ers rookie offensive right tackle could be a pro bowler. I don't think I don't remember a when young guys are coming into the league and starring,

Patrick Mahomes going the MVP. He's a baby. Baker's winning. Lamar Jackson first start. Darnold end of games. Rookies are all over the NBA and NFL crushing it. It's all offense now. You can score.

You're in. Coming up next, Baker Mayfield, I'm going to officially pay him a compliment. That's coming up next. Twin brothers defend their titles in a huge. huge night of championship fights on Fox. Jamar Jamal Charlo takes on Willie Monroe Jr. while Jamar Charlo

defends his belt against Tony Harrison. PBC, December 22nd, only on Fox and the Fox Sports app. Those twins are cousins are 20 brothers, right? They're 28. Twin brothers. Twin brothers. Twin brothers are 58 no. One's a welterweight champ, super welterweight champ. One's a middleweight champ. They're 58 no. God, can you imagine those kids in like the

fourth grade, just battling in the basement? Beating everybody up. 58, no. Would they have beaten up a little Colin Cowherd? Of course. There were wolves. I was a sheep. Yeah, I was just a nice little kid.

Don't forget holiday gift this year. DNA genetic testing kits, 23 and me, 23andMe.com slash the herd. What's best for last time? Let's go. After almost three hours, Colin apparently hasn't gotten to the point yet. Quit holding out on us, cowherd. It's the best for last. So, you know, we always do on Tuesday.

the hurt hierarchy. But, you know, it's interesting. I think people forget, and I'm watching two teams last night, the Seahawks and the Vikings, they're going to be wild card teams. They're not going to win their division. Six wild card teams in the NFL have won the Super Bowl, six. And four since 2000. And right now we have 18 teams.

I haven't think about that. Competing for wild card spots. Now, I'm not talking about division leaders. We got eight of those. We have 18 teams still in the wildcard race. So I thought I would rank them based on, I'll go opposite of hurt hierarchy. I won't go 10 to 1. I'll go 1 to 10.

Teams that I think can win the most games of, I'll give you my top 10. I'm not going to, because I don't think most of these wildcard teams, eight of them can't win a game. I think you'll be surprised by one or two that I think can win a game. Number one, I think they can win the Super Bowl, the Chargers. Nine to ten, Philip Rivers' career year, three running backs, two pass rushers, Derwin James, best rookie defender in the league with Darius Leonard of the Colts. I actually think this is the best wild card team in several years. So I would make the Chargers the number one wildcard team.

Number two. Number two is the Seahawks. Now, I do think Doug Baldwin was not healthy last night. If Doug Baldwin's not healthy, they're not doing anything. They become very one-dimensional. When Doug Baldwin plays with Lockett and their running game, I think they can win the Super Bowl. They're not the Chargers good, but they are good. And they've proven this year with their style of play, they can win on the road.

I put the Seahawks at the second best wild card team. Number three. I picked the Ravens to be a dark horse Super Bowl team before the season. And they didn't look like it for about eight, ten weeks. They look like it now. they're currently the best defense in the NFL. They have figured out an identity running the football. They're currently a six seed in the AFC.

So I would say Baltimore, I don't think they can win a Super Bowl with a rookie quarterback, but I do think they can win a playoff game. Number four. Colts. First of all, shockingly good on defense. Shockingly good. They need a number two receiver. They got a bunch of running backs.

like Marlon Mack, you've never heard of. Andrew Luck's having a career year. They're really a coaching story. They're a front office, a coaching story. Somebody told me years ago. If you can get, you know, the owner, the GM, the coach, and the quarterback, right, you're in good spot. And now they've got the GM, the coach, and the quarterback right, not my favorite owner,

a little impulsive Jim Mersay. But I'll say this about the Colts. Mahomes will win the MVP, but Andrew Luck is second in the NFL and passing touchdowns and doesn't have near, the town around him that Patrick Mahomes does. Number five. I'd say Denver's probably the fifth wildcard team. Here's something about Denver nobody's mentioning.

They have the second toughest schedule in the NFL this year, and they've won a lot of these games. They beat the Chargers in L.A. And they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers, currently a 10 seed. I think they're good enough to win a playoff game. I think they're limited with Case Keenham, but the remaining schedule, Browns and at the Raiders. And they get a host of Chargers.

So I would put them of my top 10 wildcard teams, I'd put Denver squarely at number five. Number six. The Dolphins. It's a weird team. Here's something nobody is talking about this. When Adam Gase is coaching and Ryan Tannahill is quarterbacking, this offense is pretty good. Tannahill right now is the sixth best pass rating in the NFL. I don't love Tana Hill.

But Adam Gase coaching, Ryan starting, they're not bad. and their remaining schedule has got the awful jags, Buffalo's not going anywhere, and Minnesota, keep your eye on the Miami Dolphins. Number seven. The Titans. They drive me not.

They've been a great coach for them. They have the fewest penalties in the NFL, so they've kind of cleaned up their act. They've always been kind of a just messy, lose-close games, ton of talent. You know, it's funny about, Tennessee. They pass the eye test. Their running backs are big. You know, they're, they're,

receivers, Corey Davis. They're a big physically imposing football team, currently a nine seed in the AFC. But remember, they pushed around the Cowboys. I mean, pushed the Dallas Cowboys all over the field and pushed the New England Patriots in a route for both all over the field. If it was a tug of war, they may be one of the strongest teams in the league physically. Big and strong Titans at 7. Number 8. I think Carson Wentz is still good. I think the receivers are okay.

Their secondary is a mess. I'm not counting out Carson Wentz. Their schedules workable around the stretch. By the way, Carson Wentz, for all the drama, has a higher passer rating than last year. Now, some of that's just because the rules have changed. But do I think Philadelphia could get into the playoffs? Yes. Do I think they could win a playoff game? I think on Carson Wentz, if they brought John D. Philippo in who got fired today, if they brought him back, I do.

Number nine. Packers on Aaron Rogers. We're not winning two playoff games, but let's not kid ourselves here. 34 points on Sunday. McCarthy's gone. Aaron Rogers was making a point Sunday by playing his best most focused game of the year. If you don't think Aaron Rogers would go on a little winning streak, kind of solidify all the problems are now out the door. Aaron's good enough to win a game by himself. He's not good enough to win a Super Bowl by himself to go in a long playoff run by himself. But I do think Aaron Jones is a really good young running back. Aaron Jones, Devonte Adam, Aaron Rogers,

good enough to win a playoff game. Number 10. Believe it or not, Cleveland Browns, they've won three of four. I think Baker Mayfield feels good about himself right now. Again, this team's not went in multiple playoff games, but they are still mathematically in the playoffs. That's so nice of you, Colin. I think, you know what? John Dorsey, they got players. They've got two running backs. Nick Chubb, they've got an elite corner.

Miles Garrett, they've got players here. And as long as you give Baker time in the pocket, he delivers accurately the football down the field. So by the way, you think I hit Baker-Mayfield and the Browns. I got them at 10. I didn't include the Vikings, the Panthers, the Redskins, the Bengals, the Bucks, the Giants, the Lions, the Falcons. All, believe it or not, are still mathematically playoff teams, and I don't think those eight can win a playoff game. Cleveland could win a playoff game.

Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Green Bay could win a playoff game close if things went right. They're not winning multi. Now, I think the Chargers could win the Super Bowl. The Seahawks and the Ravens are close. to win in the Super Bowl. They could win multiple games. I think the Colts could win one. Denver could win one.

I love the Colts. First team now I watch. On Sunday, I get choices, right? You do love the Colts. The first, like, I have, I do a Red Zone 1 channel, then I go back and forth on two live games. The first game every weekend, I put into my Direc TV,

the first thing I do every weekend, DirecTV, is the Colts game. And then I find the second game I want to go back and forth, then I turn on the Red Zone. I think the Colts are a great story. they don't have much of a pass rush and they really need T.Y. Hilton to have a big day.

They have to have things sort of go right. But this past week, T.Y. Hilton was right and defense was good enough. Defense actually played great against the Sean Watson. Nick Wright will be on the show tomorrow. I want to thank Greg Jennings, Peter King, Derwin James, and Trent Dilfer for stopping by the show. Lakers won last night for all you LeBron haters.

The last 20 games are 15 and 5. You notice that, Joy? I did notice that. 15 and 5 in their last 20 games. Now that Houston's a mess, and they are, and Boston's okay, but they're not as pass-oriented as previous years, I'm telling you, take out the Warriors,

and you want me to believe in Milwaukee and Toronto, and OKC, I'm telling you. Toronto is a different team this year. I'm telling you that. You've been telling me that for a long time. I'm going to stick with it. See you tomorrow in L.A. Ben the Hurt.

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 Sports Slice 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.

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