The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Best of The Herd

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

Colin observes the Packers dominating win over the Saints to secure a playoff spot and why a weakness of Green Bay has become a strength in today's NFL. He talks to Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman about their 1st round win over Indiana and preparing for Georgia. Plus, he ranks his top 10 teams in the NFL after week 16. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was crying. You just understood.

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

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Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. Thanks for listening to the best of the herd podcast. Here we go. live in Los Angeles, probably a little warmer, just a little warmer than where many of you are at. It's the herd. Thanks for making us part of your day.

Hurt hierarchy one hour from now. Green Bay will bolt up our hierarchy. Marcus Freeman, the Notre Dame football coach, is joining us later this hour. Mark Sanchez, Nick Wright. So we're off tomorrow, J-Mack. So we're bringing all the big guns out. Notre Dame's football coach, Nick Wright, the higher. hierarchy, Mark Sanchez, got your family.

You know, he did invite me, J. Mack, full disclosure. He invited me over, and I'm like, can I bring gin and cigars? And, you know, it's inappropriate. He's got young kids. I'm America's guest starting the show with Christmas Eve Heat. Here we go. So I'm going to get to Jordan Love and the Packers. I'm going to get to that in about four minutes.

But I want to start the show with this, 34-0-0-Win, and they didn't ask Jordan Love to do much. But there's a reason the Green Bay Packers, and only the Green Bay Packers, and they've done it twice, have drafted a really great quarterback in the first round and sat him for three years. Because they have no owner. No ego, no meddling, no demands. Even the great owners, Stan Cronky, Jeffrey Lurie, Robert Kraft, they would want to see their investment. They wouldn't want a first round pick on the bench for three years, drafting and developing.

Last week there's video of the crafts in their box wanting to be on camera reportedly telling CBS, get us on camera, criticizing the coaches play calling. Last week a story out, the Jets, the Jets owners, the kids harassing Jets players in the locker room, yet the Packers clinched their 37th playoff appearance last night, number one all time. You know who they surpassed? The Dallas Cowboys, whose owner and egot maniac needs to be on radio every one. week dissecting the win. The Panthers, seven coaches in six years if you count the interims. Look upstairs. That's why you're bad.

Is it a shock? They're 4 and 11 in Carolina. And here is Green Bay. No meddling, no owner. For years, I always saw it as a weakness. Now I see it as a strength. All Green Bay does is whatever is best for the development of their young quarterback. Three straight quarterbacks, star, star, star.

All three, Farbs and the Hall of Fame, Rogers will be, and Love looks like he's on his way. It's all football. Because as owners have gotten richer, all of them are billionaires now, and crazier and more impulsive, it gets in the way of the development of the most important position. Think it's a coincidence. Aaron Rogers is 4 and 11 and now irrelevant. And in Green Bay, he was a back-to-back MVP, and after Brady, the biggest star in the league, Do you think it is a coincidence that the Cleveland quarterback situation is the worst and messiest in the league?

It's not the coach's fault. Stofansky's great. It's not the GM's fault. Andrew Barry's excellent. They draft well. It's the Haslums. You think it's a coincidence that Sam Darnold is having an unbelievable year and in Carolina and the Jets he was a tire fire. No, the Wilf family in Minnesota has always been very low profile.

99% of you don't know what the Will family looks like. It is not a coincidence. Only the Packers, and I used to see it as a weakness, can draft a young quarterback who's talented, and sit him and develop him for three years. Aaron could have played earlier. Jordan Love could have played earlier. But if you're just about football,

no meddling, no ego, no impulsive crazy person, that's what you should do. Even these young quarterbacks now, Jaden Daniels, he's good enough to play. But it wasn't the end of the world that Michael Pennix sat. It wouldn't have been at the end of the world if Drake May or Bo Nick sat. But I'm watching what Green Bay does. Even after their win last night,

here's the locker room and what you don't see is an owner that needs attention. Listen, I love this team. I love this energy. And we've got something special here. We've just got to keep building on it. All right. Way to handle your business. we go into the playoffs.

37th playoff appearance, number one all time for the smallest market in the NFL, the smallest media surpassing Dallas, who is Jerry has regressed badly, and his need to talk right after the game and be on radio has increased. I do not believe it's a coincidence. And now let's talk Jordan Love. I'm finding this to be true, especially with young quarterbacks, but old ones too. I can't separate the quarterback from the coach because there is such a huge gap between the really good coaches. And Jordan Love has one.

And Matt Stafford has one. And Lamar has one. And Mahomes has one. And Justin Herbert has one. And Bo Nicks has one. I can't separate them. The position's never been. more important, and there's a huge gap between the really good coaches and the average ones.

And I look at Jordan Love, and I see Matt LaFleur. Matt LaFleur, Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVeigh, they're considered offensive wizards. But deep down, they love the power run game. I mean, you ever watch a Rams game? How often Kyron Williams? Tiny Notre Dame or Kyron Williams. Guy carries the ball 25 times a game. He's not Derek Henry.

He's not built like that. Todd Gurley. if you go look at McVeigh's history, he wants to run the ball. Even with Stafford and with golf, two top 10 quarterbacks. I mean, Shanahan, I mean, he has a losing record in San Francisco without Christian McCaffrey. The soul of Kyle Shanahan is the run game. And it's the same with Matt LaFleur. Where did he come from?

Where did he build his resume? In Washington behind a Shanahan, a run coach, and in Tennessee with Derek Henry. So Jordan Love is throwing fewer passes. that he's ever thrown. Six straight games under 30 attempts. And yet, five straight games scoring over 30. When I watch Jordan Love, I see Matt LaFleur. He has reduced his attempts.

He's the captain, and Jordan Love is a great vessel. I feel the same way with Herbert. Jim Harbaugh is the captain. Herbert's the vessel. And it's amazing that in both cases, and you're seeing this in Philadelphia, too, the quarterback is throwing less, but is winning more, and the team is often scoring more as the quarterback throws less. And we all know quarterback's the most important position in the league.

But what I'm finding in this league now, when I watch Green Bay, this is Matt LeVloor's team. This is basically Tennessee with a better quarterback. He had Derek Henry. Now he's got Josh Jacobs, and I'm watching Josh Jacobs. like this, when Aaron and Matt were together, it was Aaron's team. There were concessions. You have to have concessions with Aaron. And it's not a cheap shot.

Just Mike McCarthy found it out. You'll see the door if you don't. But when I watch Green Bay, and this is not a knock at Jordan Love, because I think he's a top 10 quarterback in this league or higher, there is a group of quarterbacks in this league, and they have a connection with the coach, and we can put it on the screen. But I can't think of Mahomes without Reed, and I can't think of staff. Stafford without McVeigh and Herbert and Lamar and Jordan and Sam Darnold. I just, I can't separate them.

I mean, I see C.J. Stroud is great and D'Amico Ryans is a great coach. I don't see a connection there. They're both excellent. And here was Jordan Love after the shutout. I still think there's a lot of, a lot more points out there for us, a lot more big-time plays. I just think it's little things that, you know, when we start being more consistent and dialing in on these things that, you know, the sky's the limit for the offense.

Yeah, it was, you know, something else that's happening, and I won't waste a lot of time on it because it may be boring. But this year, we have 10 teams in the NFL, 32% of the teams in the NFL, have five wins or fewer. And they're all going to mostly, if New Orleans doesn't win, and if you watch them last night, that was pretty ugly. I mean, they didn't compete. That was maybe the most lopsided game of the season.

A third of the league, it's like the NBA now, is unwatchable, and non-competitive. Last year, it was only five teams. Only five teams last year had five wins or fewer. We're at 10. And a lot of these teams are not getting to five wins. Forget five wins. We got one with two.

We got five with three. We got three with four. And we got the Saints. And when you watched last night, it's hard to deny what is happening. As quarterback has become more important, as billionaires are crazier and running through, coaching staffs, more chaos, the gap between the haves and the have-nots is huge. I mean, if Atlanta and Pennick staying first, there's a chance I'll get seven of the eight

divisions right. I've predicted seven of eight. Why? There's a separation now. If you have the quarterback and you have a competent coach, I mean, you are looking in your rear view mirror with the rest of this nonsense by like two weeks after Thanksgiving. I mean, that thing last night, that was embarrassing. Like, nobody wanted to be there except Packer fans.

Jay Mack, Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame coach this hour. I saw something. We had Matt Hassel back on yesterday. I've got a bite from him. It was so good. I saw something that, and I know Christmas Day is generally an NBA day. It's not anymore. Two NFL games tomorrow.

But I saw something about the NBA that is interesting. It's a player that you and I love. but there was an alarming lack of attention being given to him. And we both love this player. And last year at this time, he was thought of as the rising star in the league, and I'm not talking Wemby, and I'll get to that in a second.

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That's how I found him, the blue box. Walmart, Best Buy Target, all retailers. J-Lab.com. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news.

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

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

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall.

And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the bar.

Like, you go through a training camp with that, I said, you figure it out, quick. Oh, yeah. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the boss. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad, but secretly, he became someone else,

a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy. But I felt so desperate. that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong and what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that.

I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever, because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover, The Family Man,

on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is, getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is, getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America, There's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Ely Boulevard.

Get to the grocery store, I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes. In Rebel Spirit, Season 2 goes deep on both of those things. The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. we contain essence, we contain Spirit.

How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Well, there were rumors he was going to go to the NFL, and Notre Dame put a stop to that. They got an extension in front of Marcus Freeman,

who's the Notre Dame football coach. They beat Indiana to start the first ever 12-team playoff, and he is joining us. It's Christmas Eve. He's in the office. You know he's in the office getting ready to play Georgia. So first of all, the first thing, why I like the playoff, because years ago, you guys lost early in the season in Northern Illinois at home,

and you'd have been done. It's like, okay, you're not playing for the Natty. This allows a mulligan. Heck, I could argue, Alabama had two mulligans, Vandy, Oklahoma, and they still almost made it in. So when you lost to Northern Illinois, you had to really sell your team on, we're a good team. It's okay. It happens. Let's go back to that loss. What did you say that week of practice?

Because you've played different. You've been more aggressive. You've gotten better each week. How did you sell your team after a devastating home loss? Well, I think immediately after the game, you tell them I've been here before, right? I told them, listen, it's going to be a rough week. It's going to be a long week, but I've been here before. And I think it took me a day or two to figure out, okay, what was my mess? messaging going to be. And what I told them on Monday in our meeting was there's schematic things we have to enhance and have to fix. But to me, the greater lesson to learn was we had to learn as a program. I had to learn as a head coach. How do we handle success?

This was the first year. In my three years, the head coach that we've won that big game early. The first two years, we lost to Ohio State early in a season. And I said, we have to learn how to handle success as a program. And we got to do those things that it takes to prepare mentally and physically for our opponent, no matter who it is. And all season long, I've continued to tell them, keep the pain. Keep the pain because we can't let a loss continue to teach us the lessons that we need to learn to prepare. So they've done a wonderful job, continue to find ways to get better.

But the preparation has been the key in the mindset. Okay, so you're playing Georgia. Both J-Mack and I said yesterday, I kind of like Notre Dame in this game, but you're facing Gunner Stockton and you have almost no footage on him. He's the backup quarterback. So I don't think he's the thrower. that Beck is, but he may be just as good a runner. What do you do when you don't know much about the quarterback? I think you look at the 13 games they've played. They're not going to be a completely

different offense with a new quarterback. You evaluate, there's about 83 plays of him that we have in a cut up from the second half of the SEC championship and some other time during the season. And so there's some things he does really, really well within their system. He makes really good decisions. He makes fast decisions. He obviously can extend plays with his feet, a little bit more QB run. But we're still going to plan to see the things that we've seen their offense do, no matter who's been at quarterback. Yeah. So it's interesting. I have been advocating. I believe Riley Leonard is going to end up being a third or a fourth round pick, and he will be a starter in the NFL. I've said there's a little bit of Josh Allen here, and a little Drake May, where he's not quite

polished yet, but he went to Duke and Notre Dame. He's smart. He's 6'5. You just told me off the air. He's got a relentless work ethic. And I look at him and you ask a lot more of him than Duke did. So tell me about Riley Leonard that I don't see. I can see the athletic ability. You told me the work ethic. What separates him? What makes him special? Well, I think he's an ultra-competitive individual. Now, you would talk to him and he's going to be the nicest person in the world. But when he's steps into the weight room, he steps into the meeting room, he steps on the practice field. He is a competitive individual. And I think the greatest thing for him was to learn in the first two weeks of the seasons, the highest of highs being the quarterback in Notre Dame to the lowest

of lows. You know, you can't worry about throwing an interception. You can't worry about what anybody's going to say. You've got to go out there with confidence and be the player that we know you could be. And so you've seen him grow in confidence, but also growing the preparation in terms of learning exactly what is demanded of him. And you've seen our coaching staff ask him to do things that he does really, really well. But he is a relentless competitor. He has a tremendous work ethic. And he'll continue to ascend as he goes throughout his football career. So listen, I like the 12 team playoff. I thought there were going to be closer games. But, you know, what do I know? First round was ugly. I still, I would take that over the Pop-Tart bowl. So I'm for this thing. Now, you guys, Marcus,

because you don't have an official conference affiliation, you don't get a first round buy. That'll never happen. Now, I think stuff can be negotiated. Your take on if, even if you went 12 and no, you wouldn't get a buy. Did that first game actually with Indiana? Did you like it?

Did you like? Because you have a young team. Is it an advantage or a disadvantage? Well, I have to look at it as an advantage, right? And not look at anything that happens to us as a disadvantage to play. a first round playoff game at home was an experience like no other. And to have our guys understand, okay, here's what the playoffs are all about, because it's a first for everybody in terms of having four games or three games if you had a buy.

And so it was, to me, a great advantage to go and prepare and to have that first game. And now you've got to reset and get ready for your next opponent. Again, this is something I've never really had to deal it with because in the season, you know you got the next game. In a bowl game, you're preparing, you know that's the last one. And this is unique where you don't know if this is going to be your last game or not. And the minute we won that game, you had to reset your mind and say, okay, we've got to get ready for this next opponent, which is going to be a tall task. Okay, so Riley Mills is out for this game. Is that right? Riley Mills, the lineback. Yeah, he's a heck of a player. He's a heck of a player. That's not great.

How do you compensate for that? Well, I think all season long, which I'm sure every team deals with you deal with injuries. And we've lost some guys, the season ending injuries, some really important people. And you feel horribly for them as an individual. Riley's a guy that decided to come back to try to improve his draft stock and he's a captain. But you've got to, you know what?

The next man has to get the next opportunity and he's got to go do it. And I've always said this. You've earned the trust and the opportunity way before, you get thrust out there in front of the national TV. You learn that opportunity and practice and the trust from your coaches. And the guys who will put out there have earned that trust and we'll do a great job. But you're not going to replace Riley Mills with one person. It's multiple people that have to make up for some of the production that he's had.

But we'll have some guys ready to roll. Well, you've done a remarkable job. And I know college coaching with all the transfer portal and NIL stuff. I got three minutes left. I actually think you have an advantage in the transfer portal because I think kids that go to Notre Dame are special and they just don't go for a handout. Do you view it that way? We always say that the guys that choose Notre Dame choose hard. And there's some requirements that you have on you here that you might not have everywhere else in the country.

But they've chosen this place and they understand the value of obviously the football program, but the education and what. this university can do for you in the longevity of your life. And so it's a special place, special culture, special people. We haven't had a guy since the portal was open in December, enter the portal. And we'll see what happens after the season. But to me, it speaks volumes about the young people that are committed to this program. Well, when Notre Dame is rolling, college football is better. You're crushing it.

Don't go to the NFL. Stay in college. You know what? your winners are a little rough. They'd be rough in Chicago or New York. Just stay at Notre Dame. All right, Marcus? Absolutely, man.

I appreciate the advice, Colin. All right. Great coach. Notre Dame, Marcus Freeman. Good luck against the Georgia Bulldogs. So they're missing their best defensive player. George is missing their quarterback, Carson Beck. So he's out for the entire playoff.

So we'll see. I was very impressed. Notre Dame just seized. Ohio State and Notre Dame seized. physical control of their games to me, like by the second series, you just felt they were physically taking over the game. Clemson hung. Clemson scored first against Texas.

Clemson had a punch. I thought Notre Dame and Ohio State, the physicality early, there was a sense that, oh, you don't want to be Indiana and Tennessee. And I mean early, like second series. So I think I like Notre Dame. I think Boise State keeps it close. I'm going to go Buckeyes and Texas. I think we're aligned.

I do think Boise State is, it's hard to sell Penn State players who just routed SMU, and those players had heard of SMU. I think it's hard to get a dominant favorite ready to go for a second game when you cakewalk through the first. So I can see Penn. And by the way, Penn State could be. looking ahead to a Notre Dame Georgia game. I don't love this spot for Penn State.

They're clearly the better team, awful blowout, heavy favorite with Notre Dame Georgia. Yeah, I think, yeah, I'm aligned with you on that one. This Notre Dame Georgia game is going to be fascinating because you know all the subplots. Everybody wants the SEC to go down. The SEC was a little overrated this year. They've struggled from the jump.

The USCLSU game since that opening weekend, SEC struggled. and I think a lot of people would love to see the Irish. Because everybody remembers Notre Dame Alabama in that national championship. Well, that was. Remember of Mante Tato? Yeah, but that was way early, Brian Kelly.

They didn't have the, they didn't have the person now. And the SEC was totally dominant then. They're not dominant now. They have deep teams. Obviously, Texas could win at all. But like Alabama, Georgia. Do when I watch. They've regressed.

They do not have the rosters they used to. When I saw Tennessee, I was a first round knockout. It was like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I watched Tennessee play three or four times. When I watched Ohio State, that is a Tyson first round knockout. You're like, Big Ten best conference? Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers.

And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it.

We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this is a trend. But this. This one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it.

Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas.

and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel.

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series

because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing.

That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is. Getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is.

getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering the civil war. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard. Get to the grocery store, I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 goes deep on both of those things.

The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. We contain essence. We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching.

You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Keith Giamanka seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went to. on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea?

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

But what happens when you discover that you, your dad has been living a double life. That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here we go. Hour 2. We're off tomorrow bringing everything our hurt, high hierarchy in Nick Wright in about one minute live in Los Angeles.

It's the herd. J-Mack went to the Lakers last night. They lost both games to the Pistons this year. Brutal. It was tough. My guy, Austin Reeves, you know, I'll defend him, but I got to call him out. He had a rough game. Turning the ball over like I do in my men's league.

Yeah, it's Austin Reeves and Brock Purdy. Stop. In a rough year. It was one game. Brock Purdy didn't even have a terrible year. You've been good with your picks, but some of your takes has been the lukewarm at best. Are you still upset on what after the inside the NBA guys?

I heard from more people in like the 72 hours after that than I, for any story I'd had in a while. Did they call you out? They were just like, wow, dude, that was crazy. And I don't know if that's like a nice way of saying you're crazy or they're agreeing with me. NBA's got its issues right now. All right, let's do our top 10 herd hierarchy on a Tuesday.

Here we go. Heard hierarchy. Time is now. Let's go. 10 NFL teams, according to college. Number 10. The Washington commanders, now, highest scoring average, 29 a game all time for a rookie starting quarterback.

But they've also played the easiest strength of schedule so far this year. The teams they've played, 96 wins and 129 losses. But Jaden Daniels, three of his five touchdown passes coming in the fourth quarter. I like the staff. I like the rookie. I still think the roster's a year away. six or seven draft picks and a free agent signing or three commanders at number 10. Number nine.

The Chargers have limitations offensively, but they are the number one scoring defense in the league, so they're going to crack the hierarchy, and they're six and oh when they score 20, when they, when scoring 25 plus points, you're not going to beat them. It's hard for this team to get to 25 plus points, though. Ladd-McConkey's been great, but they've kind of got B-level running backs. They don't get a ton out of their tight-end position. They stay in games mostly because of their defense, great coaching and Herbert, but I put him at nine chargers.

Number eight. The Ravens. They're probably better than this, but they've been a bit hot and cold. They have the number one offense. It is a run-first offense. Back-to-back wins by 17 plus points. But I will say, and Lamar's been amazing, he's my MVP, leads the NFL and passer rating. I worry about them getting tight in big games.

I would just be terrified if I was Baltimore having to open the playoffs in Pittsburgh after you just hammered him, but I have so much respect for the organization, I'll put him at eight. Number seven. But I think the Rams right now have a better defense. McVeigh, Stafford, Tyler Higby, the tight end is back. Matt Stafford, over his last six games, has a passer rating over 110. Nobody's getting to them. They're not turning it over in the last four weeks.

Number three scoring defense. I think they're a year away. But Stafford has all sorts of time. It's the first time all year. The offensive lines in great shape. They got a weapon at tight end, wide receiver, running back quarterback, and a brilliant head coach Rams at seven. Number six.

Minnesota. You know, you keep waiting for the shoe to drop. Sam Darnold has 30 touchdown passes this year. He had only 27 over the previous four seasons combined. So he's playing out of his mind. I don't think they have a great roster. I think they have a great coach, a really good quarterback, and a couple of outstanding young receivers.

And Brian Flores right now is the best defensive coordinator in the league. So I can absolutely see them winning a couple of playoff games, eight game winning streak. The Darnold story is. comeback player of a decade in Sam Darnold, Vikings at six. Number five. But I like the Lions roster better even with 19 defensive players, 14 currently on the IR, 19 total players on the IR.

But I think they've got a better roster. They're the only undefeated team on the road. That speaks well to their run game and physicality. They're 7 and 0 on the road. Third straight game over 34 points. I like him a lot. but at some point this league is a league of attrition, and I have concerns defensively.

Number four. That's why I put the Packers at four, not because they'd drub the Saints. They lead the NFL and point differential. Nine and two record. Now, their losses are to Detroit, but this morning, they're a much healthier team. Josh Jacobs is so perfect for Matt LaFleur, the head coach.

From Derek Henry and Tennessee to Matt LaFlech to Josh Jacobs, Jordan Love, by the way, is throwing less and yet scoring more. This team is on a roll. I always say my final four teams in the herd hierarchy are the teams, I believe, that can win the Super Bowl. Green Bay's one of them at number four. Number three. Buffalo, nine and one over their last 10.

Listen, the story of this team is the defense isn't as good, but the offense is better and they don't turn the ball over and you can't get the Josh Allen. He doesn't get sacked. Even when they play poorly, they win like this past weekend. James Cook has been a revelation for them for years and years. Josh didn't have a running back. Now he's got an A running back team is very good, can win it all. Number two.

Philadelphia. They lost, but Jalen Hertz and Saquan Barclay are the best running back quarterback run tandem in a long time. And he got a concussion early in the game. So it's the number one rush offense, the number one or number two offensive line. to Detroit. Their line play is exemplary, and I think it remains the best overall roster in the league in terms of young stars, stars in their prime, and older stars, affiliate two. Number one. But you know, you guys can all keep denying it. They're 19 and 1 Kansas City

over the last 20 games and 11 and 0 and 1 score games. Not every Super Bowl champ. You should have learned this from the dynasty known as the Patriots. Not every Super Bowl champion is physically overpowering. Those Ray Lewis teams had better players than New England teams in most years. There were Colts offenses that blew you away. The Randy Moss offense for New England never got a trophy. This team, best coach, best big pressure quarterback, arguably best offensive lineman along with Miles Garrett and T.J. Watt and Chris Jones.

They'll probably rest him down the stretch. Hollywood Brown is back. Isaiah Pacheco is back. I have them at number one. And Nick right now, who occasionally mentions the chiefs on his show, is joining us alive. All right, attack my herd hierarchy. What do you make of it? Great hierarchy.

I don't really have, I mean, I can't find much to quibble with. You and I, neither one of us are going to quit the Rams. I mean, they don't like, they doesn't. I still think they could win the conference. I'm not picking them to win the conference, but I still think they could. But yeah, let's talk about the team at the top of your hierarchy because here's the question I have, Colin. They beat Pittsburgh tomorrow and get to 15 and 1, which I think is going to happen. Then rest everyone in the final week of the year.

And they're now finally once again favorites to win the Super Bowl. This Chief's team that has been negged all year that has been discussed only as vulnerable, not as impressive as other Chiefs teams. A lot of people threw out one and done. They have a chance to go down this year's team, not the three-year run, as objectively speaking, one of the greatest teams ever. Full list of 18 win teams in NFL history.

84-9ers, one of the five greatest teams ever. 85 Bears, one of the three greatest teams ever. O-7 Patriots, one of the, maybe the greatest team ever, certainly the greatest team ever to not win a championship, and it would be the Chiefs if they win the title this year. And all year, the media coverage has been something's wrong with them because people have decided that we're going to do an old BCS computer-style strength of victory rather than the actual record. No team has beaten more playoff teams than the chiefs. No team has beaten more teams still alive for the playoffs than the Chiefs. They are the

only team right now that has a no doubt future Hall of Famer at coach at quarterback, two at skill positions in Kelsey and Hopkins, maybe two on the offensive line in Tooney and Creed. You mentioned Chris Jones, a Hall of Fame defensive coordinator. They never lose. They're peeking at the right time. And listen, your buddy Jemak across from you in the studio last week said even they might not be in his top six. What, top six all time?

maybe I think they're getting there. So just seems like maybe we should put a little respect on a team that's about the three, Pete. That's all. That's lost one game the whole year. Yeah, I would go to the Chicago Bulls, the best basketball team of all time. What made them great wasn't this sizzling offensive dexterity. They just had the best player. What made them unbeatable, it's the best defensive team ever.

Rodman, Pippen, MJ. They didn't get a lot of scoring from their bigs. Before Coo Coach, they didn't have a lot of great perimeter players. But even their bench guys run hard. Harper could defend. And so sometimes, no, Golden State was way more fun to watch because they had all the three ball shooters. But sometimes the greatest doesn't have the most sizzle.

And to your point, Kansas City third down, goal line, coordinator, coach, quarterback, are great. Now, let's go to a team that does have more sizzle. And you know I love Sam Darnold. In fact, I made a claim yesterday. This is a little bit of hubris, but there's only one American that didn't like Zach Wilson or Daniel Jones and love. Love Darnold.

Three for three on New York quarterbacks, but let's not get into that. Let's get into this. That's true. Let's get into this. What do they do? They draft a quarterback. They get Daniel Jones. Stam Darnold can leave.

How in the world, he and Justin Jefferson right now are the tandem in the league. If you're Minnesota, do you let him walk? All right. So this is a complex question that deserves a complex answer. But first, it is, you know, Christmas Eve. So my first gift to you should be, I, you know, I choke on the words a bit, but I might owe you an apology because I have mocked you publicly, privately, via text on TV, via Twitter, any medium for your Sam Darnold love affair for the last,

well, for the whole time I've known you. Yes. For seven years. And it would appear. that this rose has finally bloomed. And you never gave up. And you, I mean, this is, the fact that you never gave in on him. And now you're, the play you just showed is the single best play of that young man's career.

Yeah. Like the one seed still available for them, trailing against a team fighting for its playoff life, climb in the pocket, throw a perfect pass through double coverage to one of the best receivers I've ever seen in Justin Jefferson. So you deserve credit. Here is, though, the answer. I think his future with the Vikings is going to be determined. Fair or not, I just think what's going to happen, it's going to be determined by the playoff run.

Because if they, they could finish 14 and 3 and all of a sudden be on the road in Los Angeles in round one. Like that, because they could be, they'd be the five seat if they don't win out. And that's a loseable game. And even if that doesn't happen, I think that the Vikings plan right now is to franchise Darnold and see if someone wants to give them a great draft pick for him

and roll with JJ with the faith of, hey, maybe Colin was mostly right about Darnold. However, we have gotten a 13-win season out of Kurt Cousins. We just got a 13-plus win season. out of Sam Darnold, we think JJ has more natural talent in those guys, and he's incredibly cheap. Now, if they were to end up in the Super Bowl, then I think you've got to do the Drew Bree's Philip Rivers thing from 20 years ago, which is even though you drafted the replacement, you keep the veteran for one more season, probably on the franchise tag, and let him start

next year and then figure it out from there. But I honestly think anything short of the Super Bowl, they franchise and trade. I think with a Super Bowl appearance, they franchise and play. I don't think they're going to give him a long-term extension. So you and I have both been on the purdy thing. You can have an old quarterback, a pocket quarterback,

a small quarterback, a big quarterback. You can do quarterback in a variety of shapes, ages, sizes, styles. What you cannot do in this league is, pay a B guy A plus money. Dallas did their sunk. And, and again, he's a franchise guy.

It should start with a three or a low four. It can't start with a five or six. That pick against Miami, that play. Oh, I didn't know if you went the one the week before. Back to back game losing picks. Here's thing, Colin. And this is where neither one of us owe each other an apology,

but the whole sport world owes us apology. Exactly. Because we held the line. Yes. And we listened to everyone on every network scold us. Say, oh, whether his former quarterback, former player, just analyst, they all said, oh, what more do you want to see? Look at the numbers.

Best 25 games start to his career. If you don't have him budding up against the top five, you're biased. You're holding the fact that he was the last pick of the draft against him. What more do you want? And our answers were more. Our answers every time we're, you know what I want, what more I want, I want more. I want to see what Brock Purdy looks like in less than absolutely ideal circumstances. And I honestly thought all off season when we argued about him every day on this show on first things first, like, man, we're probably, you know what's probably going to happen?

The Niners are going to have CMAQ and IUC and Debo and Trent Williams and Kyle Shanahan and he's going to put up. another awesome year and they're going to be really good again and I'm going to be on TV like, yeah, I still don't believe. But instead, sadly for the Niners, those guys got hurt. They weren't there. Trent Williams got a little old and then hurt. We know CMC. All of it. And it's like, oh, okay, Brock Purdy, instead of being in the top 1% of all situations for a young quarterback in NFL history, you're now in a league average situation. And color me shot. he produced below league average results. And so you're talking about paying him in the, you know, 40s or low fours, high threes.

I would not pay this player. I would tell this, I would say, hey, man, you're under contract. And very rarely in business or in sports, when you are trying to get a new contract early, can you go to the bosses and say, pay me early? They're like, okay, how was your last year? like, well, the worst of my career by a mile. Usually in those circumstances, they say, okay, let's see how next year goes.

And I just, it was what was so baffling to me about this discourse is it was so many of the same players, media players, from the Jimmy G. discourse. Some of us holding the line, like, I really don't think he's that good. And then being screamed at, look at the winds. Look at Shanahan without him. And then Jimmy G leaves immediately is terrible.

They drop in literally anybody. That guy produces better than Jimmy G results. They're like, no, this guy's awesome too. So I think the Niners are about to enter a really tough situation. Trent Williams is 37. Who knows? CMC. Who knows what he looks like next year?

I'm coming off the ACL. A lot of problems. And I do not believe they have a quarterback that can solve them, even though you and I got yelled at. about that for the better part of a year. Yeah. Finally, Danny Parkin says hire Ben Johnson, who was showing off this weekend, his playbook against the Bears.

I say, when you have a broken franchise, you got to get a culture changer. You got to do a Dan Campbell. He doesn't have to be a schematic whiz. You get Jim Harbaugh. Doesn't have to be a schematic quiz. When you're broken, jets, bears, it's not about drawn-up plays. It's about changing the temperature in the room. what say you on what to do with Caleb Williams and the Bears?

I would lean like the ideal would have been Jim Harbaugh. Yes. A culture changer that's also an offensive mind. My concern is the one guy out there that feels like a culture changer, Mike Vrable, is another defensive coach when the Bears so desperately need to lean into Caleb's talent and become a modern franchise. So, Ben, I tend to agree with Danny that I think Ben Johnson makes a lot of sense.

With that said, can I say something about Ben Johnson auditioning for his next job while he still has his current job? Please. I'm very impressed by him. He seems to be brilliant. Everyone seems to like him. Take none of that away. I really hope his trick play bag is as endless as he seems to think it is. because rolling that that fake a fumble play was brilliant and using that in that spot

against that team up that many points seemed foolish i'm going to take the audience back a decade to one of the most one of the seminal moments of tom brady and bill bellichick's run the 2014 season going into that year colin keep in mind they had not not won a Super Bowl in a decade. Peyton Manning is now in the AFC, instantly got to a Super Bowl, beat Tom in the playoffs, won a league MVP, and there's a real question about like, oh, are the Patriots, they've come close, ever going to win again? They pretty clearly figured out early that year, oh, there's a quirk with the rulebook on

eligible receivers where if you put a tight end here and a. a tackle here, but declare one eligible, it'll trick people. And they had that in their pocket all year long. And then in the playoffs, having not won a Super Bowl in a decade, down 14 points to Baltimore, they pulled it out for a whole drive to flip that game, go on to win that championship and start the second part of their dynasty. Bill Belichick didn't figure out that that would work the week before that game. They knew it and they saved it. The Lions are about to enter

the most important postseason in the history of their franchise and their only path is going to be outscoring people because the defense is so hurt. I maybe would have kept that play in my back pocket rather than showed it off to everyone. Now maybe Ben Johnson

will prove me wrong and in the playoffs he'll have seven more super cute cool plays. But if he doesn't I think that was a mistake. Nick Wright, first things first. Happy Christmas Eve and Christmas for you and your beautiful family, buddy. You too, absolutely, Colin.

Merry Christmas. Talk to you soon. All right. Time to start thinking about holiday gifts. JLab.com. 60% off. Several, several gifts. They have headphones. You like music, podcast, get headphones as a gift.

JLab.com. Check it out. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart radio app. Search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

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

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We get to ask other people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick. Tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me. with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments.

If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in to you, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not what you thought it was.

Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the stunning stories I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets. He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. And that was the last time I saw him. Listen to Season 14 of Family Secrets on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio, nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7.

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