The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Dodgers are the Best Run Team in Baseball, Caleb Williams Struggles & Teams on the Super Bowl Bubble

Episode Date: October 15, 2025

Colin gives his thoughts on the Dodgers going up 2-0 in the NLCS and why they are the best ran team in baseball. The Bears are 3-2 but Caleb Williams is still struggling with his accuracy. Colin gives his list of new teams that are in his Super Bowl bubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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The Bears are upset because they're not being fond over by a national announcer. And the Dodgers remain the best-run organization in North Carolina. North America. I don't care what league. I don't care if it's college. There is no organization from research and development, drafting, scouting. The Dodgers are unbelievable. It's such, it's an impeccable organization that's gotten to the playoffs, what, 12 out of 13 years. J. Mack, you looked at Milwaukee all year and they swept the Dodgers, right? They beat them six times. And so I thought, oh, on the Dodgers bullpen, oh, liability, yeah, this is a mismatch. And let's talk about it.

Yoshi last night. Yamamoto. Unbelievable. You know the Brewers are in trouble. When they throw their ace, Freddie Peralta, who was virtually unbeatable at home, untouchable at home. They also get a lead-off home run in the first inning, bottom of the first. And they get blown out.

And this thing should have been worse. The Dodgers were two for 11 with runners in scoring position. They stranded 10 batters. How many times do they load the bases? It's all about pitching. Yoshi Yamamoto, Blake Snell in game one. And by the way, Otani and Glass now are coming up. We worried about the Dodgers bullpen against the Phillies.

It would be their undoing. Okay, the Brewers, it'll be their undoing. We knew Cincinnati was overmatched. It's not. Otani's not even playing well. Otani's swinging at terrible pitches. So Milwaukee feels outclassed, and the Dodgers have so many bats. I know you all want to say it's about money.

Steve Cohen, isn't he like the rich? richest, the Mets owner, the richest guy in baseball, the Yankees have plenty of money. They don't spend it wisely. The Dodgers do a great job. I mean, their menu is so deep. Doesn't matter if the milkshake machine in back is broken. They got somebody else stepping up. So Otani can't hit in the series. Here's Tay Oscar Hernandez or Max Muncie.

And I think the Dodgers were very wobbly this year. They blew all those games, blew 26 save opportunities. But it's like the Chiefs Dynasty. it's like the Brady Belichick dynasty. It's like the Warriors Dynasty. It is hard to stay self-motivated. Baseball is so long. It is hard from day one of spring training to now to stay motivated.

You know you're the best team and the deepest team. And so the Dodgers treat the regular season like a lot of us treated college. You know, you do the bare minimum for most of the school year. And then on the finals, it's an all-nighter. and the Dodgers now are buttoned up. Outside of Otani, who is just in an all-time slump right now, two for his last 25 start of the Philly series, and Otani's swinging at bad pitches.

Like he is out of sorts. Otani is lost. He'll pick it up in the mound when they go back to Los Angeles. But the bullpen liability, it doesn't matter. I mean, Blake Snell was so dominant in game one. It was Kofax-level dominance that Yoshi last night was really, really, really good, but it didn't really compare. It's just the starting pitching is just covering up all the warts.

The Otani slump, the runners in scoring position left on base. And here is Dave Roberts afterwards. I think if you look at the construction of our roster currently, you know, the strength is starting pitching. And, you know, when you can have your most talented, pitchers get the most outs, then you're in a good spot. And right now, you know, all four of those guys are in a really good headspace. Physically, they're sound. And, you know, you feel good about those guys starting a game and pushing them and they're prepared for this.

It is interesting, though, is that Dave Roberts, regular on the show, he pulled Blake Snell, who was even more dominant. And then last night with Yamamoto, who was dominant but not quite as dominant, he just let him go. And I think it's kind of fascinating. I would have argued you let Snell go because he was so dominant and it was the first game of a series and I wouldn't trust my bullpen if I could steal one in Milwaukee. But once I had the win in Milwaukee and I had a bigger cushion, a four-run lead, you could have argued you could go to the bullpen last night.

You got a series lead. You got a four-run cushion. So I understood if he pulled Yoshi last night. He didn't complete game. But the Snell was so dominant in game one. Just get that in the books. Don't worry about tomorrow. Get the win.

First game of a series. But, you know, Dave Roberts has said these are 50, 50 decisions. You can go either way. But the Dodgers starting pitching is covering up. All these runners left on, runners in scoring position, can't drive them home. Otani is completely lost. The starting pitching is that good. So, you know, when I got into this business as a kid,

and I'm talking about when I was like seven, eight, nine, ten years old, the sportscasters that I was always attracted to do as a kid were the ones that were like honest. I'm not even at eight, nine, ten years old, if my team played bad, it was okay for the local sports announcer to say, my team played bad. So I almost always defend people in my business

that are critical of teams, even if they win, because a lot of, you know, a lot of local, you know, there's some palm-pom-pawaving and everything's sunny and rosy. So Troy Eggman apparently did not hand out flowers after the Bears and Caleb Williams just beat Washington. So here's what Ben Johnson said about a former Fox broadcaster's comments. It sounded like from that game the other night a few people weren't particularly pleased with, how we're winning right now. So that's the, I woke up this morning and, you know, my kids were watching the second half before school and so I heard some of the commentary. But, uh, listen,

in this league, any way you can find a way to win is a big deal. Of course it is. But the bears are three and two and they're a blocked kick and a fumble from being one and four. And Caleb Williams, who you know I've, I loved out of college, is a work in progress. Right now he remains dead last in the NFL an expected completion percentage. What is that? That's when the game's over. People look at tape. Translation, he should be completing 72% of his throws. He's at 61.5. They're leaving a lot of completions on the floor. So coming out of college, the concerns on Caleb Williams were consistent accuracy, still a problem in the NFL, and could he play within structure? Now, he's getting better at that, but he's still last in the NFL getting the ball out of his hands.

He holds the ball too long and he's not consistently accurate. So year two in the NFL with a great offensive young coach, still problems. Remember that video that came out in camp when Caleb Williams, you all told me to downplay it, the media's going overboard. When he had that moment, he's thrown into a net and he got so upset at himself because he badly missed a throw from eight feet away. It's a real thing. this was the concern out of college. He's still missing too many throws.

This is not subjective. It's objective. It's happening in front of you. All the data tells you this. So if an announcer is willing to say unpopular things, I'm here for it. So, you know, it's just very interesting to me that a team that's three and two, and for the record, you were watching it, Washington is driving for the win and the cover. And they fumbled it. They had a handoff.

And even on the Bears winning drive on Monday, Caleb had one completion. It was DeAndre Swift's game. We talked about this on Tuesday morning. It was about DeAndre Swift on the offensive line creating massive holes. So if you watch Jalen, Jaden Daniels and Caleb Williams play on Monday, Jaden was the more accurate quarterback. He's operationally accuracy at this point. He's a little more refined. You kind of know what you're getting with Jaden, Daniels.

If he's healthy, you don't quite know what you're getting with Caleb Williams. Yes, I agree. You're three and two. Celebrate it. I said it on Tuesday after the win. I'm like, it's the Bears. They won on the road. They won a close game. You can see the coaching. There's a touchdown difference. Caleb last year, Caleb this year, 18 to 25 points a game. But this idea that everybody's supposed to fall in line, Caleb is still struggling with accuracy. He is missing guys within 12 yards. He's holding the ball too long. And these were the concerns out of college. Consistent accuracy, playing within structure. Now, I do think the structure element he's getting better at.

I do think he could run more often than he's running. So I think Caleb deserves credit for that. When you're as gifted as him, it's very easy to take off. Lamar Jackson had to get hit a few times. By year four, Lamar didn't run as much. Caleb has, and Caleb could run for a lot of yards. Caleb's doing a better job to plan structure. I will defend him all day on that.

But the accuracy thing, they're leaving some completions out. They're there, a lot, little swing passes. So here's Ben on Ben Johnson about what he told Caleb on training camp and how he was going to coach him this year. Standard has been set, the bar has been set high. He has said that he wants to be not just one of the best top five quarterback in this league, but he wants to have a legacy that lasts for a long time. And so we're coaching him that way. We're approaching it that way.

That's not going to change. Is he going to be a finished product here year two? No. Yeah, he's not a finished product. And that's why a national broadcaster should say nice win, but there's a lot of work here. Like, I know when I feel an announcer's being overly negative, I've heard that before,

but might take on all these national broadcasters, they'd rather be optimistic and they'd rather be positive. I think it's refreshing when any of them can go, that's not good enough. Yeah, they won, but they're leaving a lot on the floor, a lot on the table. I appreciate that. I don't need to blow smoke. I'm not looking for rainbows and pots of gold.

Just give me honesty, right? Like, I'm a grown-up. I remember, again, when I was a kid, when I was 8, 9, 10 years old, I liked Howard CoSell. I like the local sportscasters that I thought were telling me the truth. not blowing smoke, which I didn't even know what blowing smoke meant then. Maybe my sister smoking behind the house. So just be honest, I'm good with it.

I don't need rainbows. J-Mack, James Franklin, Penn State coach out. Marcus Freeman, Notre Dame coach, is being wooed by the Nittany Lion. No shot whatsoever. That's a downgrade from Notre Dame to Penn State. No disrespect to the folks in Happy Valley. But come on, Marcus Freeman is not doing. His next stop will be the NFL calling.

Well, there's nothing like a little distraction during USC week. Oh, yes. Oh, I like that. So, you know, it's one of the things that's cool about October. It's my favorite month by far. The weather turns. It's nice and cool. You can wear the jackets.

But the other thing now is in these baseball series, it is the time, unless you're a diehard, a seamhead. It is the time where us casuals who don't break down the games during the regular season that you really dive deep. I said this on Monday. I had the baseball game on the big screen, and I'm watching on, you know, I'm watching on the smaller screens, I'm watching football, is one of the things that is remarkable about the Dodgers.

It's really remarkable is any time there's a dynasty, and right now the Dodgers look, I mean, good luck to the Mariners, but the Mariners are a little bit like the Brewers. they're really solid, don't have a lot of holes, but don't have a ton of star power. When Freddie Peralta goes last night and the Dodgers are getting runners on the base, Milwaukee's doing everything they can. They're outclass, their manager knows it, but there's something about the Dodgers that people do not talk about, and I want to talk about that 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 IHeart Radio app. Hi, this is Jay. I'm the producer of the Pauli and Tony Fusco show. Usually in these promos, they ask you to listen to the show. I'm here to ask you, please don't listen to this show. The host are two absolute morons who have the dumbest takes on sports imaginable. Don't listen to this show so it can get canceled. Whoa, whoa, what the hell are you doing in our studio?

Get him, Paulie! Ignore that fool. Listen to the Paul and Tony Fusco show on the IHart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast. He's still moving. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? huge news. We created

our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys?

I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it and... Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, 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, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity,

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this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast, Point Game is about defining 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 while 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. Pro teams, right? And so I was like a Cincinnati Red and the Kansas City Royal and a Pittsburgh pirate and a Philadelphia Philly fan. And my first sports memory is going to watch Reggie Jackson, the Yankee bus pull up at the Kingdom. That's one of my first big sports memories. I projected most of my love for sports because the Pacific Northwest Seattle didn't have pro teams until like 76, 77, didn't have the Mariners until then, didn't have the Seahawks until then. I was more of a college fan. And so, like, I've always looked at the whole menu of sports in this country.

I don't really think I'm a fan of a particular region. People called me a Patriots homer when I used to work at the other place because I lived in Connecticut, but the minute the Patriots were bad, I stopped talking about him. I think I was more of a Brady fan. So I like greatness. I like efficiency. I like well-run businesses. So having lived in Southern California, I think the Dodgers, I bang on the Lakers all the time. I don't think the Lakers have been well-run. I don't think the Lakers have makers have been well run. I don't always think USC's been well run. I think the Rams are well run, and I think the Dodgers are the best run team I've ever seen. Yes, money matters. But Otani last year didn't pitch as the Dodgers won the World Series and didn't have a very good

postseason this year he can't hit it all. So they have not been winning in the postseason because of Otani. He's been a great regular season player. But I mean, I don't like, listen, the Browns and the Jets are playing in week 10 all pass. You knock yourself out. I'm not watching. So it's not about money. It's payroll creativity. It's scouting. It's getting the right money on the right people. Yankees have a ton of money.

They're over-indexed on home runs. Mets have a ton of money. They're the Mets. So they'll give you an example. Tommy Edmund was in St. Louis. The Cardinals had him. He was a good defensive player who hit about 265. The Dodgers bring him in, pay him a little more.

Last year he's the NLCSMBP, and he's hitting 318 in the playoffs. Tommy Edmonds was available for everybody. Anybody could have had Tommy Edmund. Toronto and Seattle both had Teosker Hernandez. Seattle let him go after a year. He's a monster for the Dodgers. Is anybody more consistent in big games, Freddie Freeman and Teosker Hernandez?

They're great. And he decided, last year, I'll stay with the Dodgers and take less money. Max Muncie was so bad with the A's, who were essentially a AAA baseball team. He was with him two years. The A's let him go. The A's let Max Muncie go. Last night he had another own run.

So like Max Muncie, Tommy Edmund, Teoska Hernandez, the whole sport could have him. Well, well, Otani, I'm not saying money doesn't matter, but Otani has not been the reason they're winning last year's World Series and their favor to win this year's. He's not the reason. He can't hit. He is lost at the plate right now. I mean, he is swinging at bad stuff. And baseball does this like golf. A lot of downtime stuff gets into your head. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They outbid people for Freddie Freeman. Hall of Famer, absolutely. But they were ahead of everybody on Roki Suzuki and Yamamoto.

They were looking at those guys for years before they brought him over. I sat on the air multiple times. I think three years before Otani, he was with the Angels, three years earlier. And the Dodgers were moving the chest pieces and making the contacts to get him legally. So it's not just about the money. The Mets have it. The Astros have it. Astros are a really well-run organization.

They just had a ton of injuries this year. But when I watch the Dodgers, I appreciate. There's all these guys on this roster. Like the Yankees have money. They're totally uneven. They don't run the bases particularly well. They strike out too much, over-indexed on home runs. Now, they had a Garrett-Cole injury, and that set them back clearly.

If Max Fried and Garrett-Cole are going into a series, they can beat anybody. But when you watch the Dodgers and the Yankees play last year, when Cole wasn't pitching, Yankees looked like an American League Central team. They look like a mid-payroll team. They don't spend their money wisely enough. The Dodgeman's goal. Max Munsey was let go.

He was awful with the A's. The Dodgers found something, and it works. So it's easy. It's funny. Yankee fans loved it when they would dominate the hot stove league, when they would just, nobody else could afford C.C. Sabathia. Remember, initially, C.C. was like, I don't know if I want to go pitch there.

And they're just like, all right, we're going to overpay or pay above the market, right? Like, and now C.C. is a great all-time Yankee, and he loved being a Yankee. But it's not just about that. They do so many things well. I mean, they had a major bullpen issue this year. Major, typical Dodgers.

They figure it out once they get to September and October. J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Colin, let's start with Thursday night. Football Bengals Steelers, they're calling it the icy hot bowl. Yes, that's a thing.

Two quarterbacks over 40 years old. A couple of fossils back there in the pocket who can't move around. We heard Mike Tomlin take a couple jabs at the trade of Flacco. Well, now Joe Flacco has responded saying, Mike Tomlin, he's just doing gamesmanship out there. Yeah. I appreciate old guys. And you know what I like?

I mean, Aaron Rogers and Flacco have very different personalities. work but flacco loves life you know flacco is just so appreciative and grateful for the opportunity to still play and there is value when you can bring a guy in Josh Dobbs had this that they're so smart Flacco and Josh doc you can bring them in here's two practices and they've got it figured out which is really a skill in this league there's a lot of guys that that can't see the field a lot of guys that takes ramping and ramping and ramping I root for Flacco.

And for the record, Joe Flacco has earned every penny he's made in this league. You know what, man, he's been around. That's a lot of practices. That's a lot of getting banged on. And he's an incredibly joyful guy. I just like Joe Flacco. I know a lot of people didn't watch Packers Bengals. It was ugly early, right?

10-0 at the half. Bengals had like 20 yards at one point in the first half. Packers had like 240. Colin, adjustments at halftime. Flacco looked good. said, I'm just going to get the ball to Chasin Higgins. They covered the spread. They had a chance to get the ball back down.

I think it was six late in the game or maybe eight. But I'm just, I like Flacco and the Bengals here on Thursday night to cover five and a half. It's not just Steelers hating. I think this game's a lot more interesting than people think it's going to be. All right. All right. Let's move on, Colin to Bejohn Robinson. Emerging is probably the best running back in the NFL.

I think he's surpassed McCaffrey, James Cook. I mean, what a year he's having, Monday, he was incredible. He's on track to break the NFL record for yards from scrimmage, Colin. We got the numbers here. Obviously, Marshall Falk has had one of the great seasons ever. You see Chris Johnson, Christian McCaffrey. Bejohn is on pace for 2,795 yards, which topped this list by over 200.

I remember a couple years ago, nobody's paying running backs. Running backs are disappearing. Now, most of your first round running backs really become stars. Sequin Barclay, Zeke, Bejohn Robinson, who didn't have a very good first year with, I think it was Arthur Smith. They just, they didn't use him a lot. I remember when he got drafted, I've said this on the air multiple times, I had a general manager tell me. He reminded him of Ladani and Tomlinson, not stylistically, but character, quality guy. He said, Bejohn is the safest player in this draft.

He said, nobody will pick him number one. He is the safest player in this draft. He goes, catch it, block, run, character, does. fumble, great locker room guy. He is just this idea that running backs were going to dry up. Running backs have huge value, and one of the things we talk about all the time. In this league, a real skill is having a lead, eating the clock up and not giving it back to a Mahomes or a Baker Mayfield.

Right? So how do you beat Tampa? Because Baker's great if he gets the last drive. The way to beat Tampa, because you'll stay close to Tampa if you're Atlanta. And it's giving Bijan Robbins to the ball six times on that final drive, and Baker sits on the bench and never gets the ball back. So when it's a big quarterback league, the value in the running back is great quarterbacks usually have a lead with eight minutes to seven minutes to go in a football game. That's why they're great quarterbacks. How do you close it out?

You don't lean on the quarterback. You lean on the star running back. So Bejohn, really good teams. I mean, Josh Allen's numbers got better. his efficiency got better when he got James Cook. He didn't have to be Superman to close out games. Yeah, I will just say, Colin, you remember I bet on the Falcons against the Panthers. Where was Bejohn Robinson against the Carolina Panthers?

He vanishes too much sometimes in these outdoor games. This week, Atlanta, they're at San Francisco. Outdoor game. I know San Fran's beat up. I mean, no Warner. They should attack the linebackers in coverage. Should be a big game for Bejohn. But I need him to be a little more consistent, Colin.

I don't want to say too boom or bust, but, you know, he has his 81-yard play, and then it's just a lot of, he didn't do much otherwise. So I need consistency from Bejohn. You like the Falcons this week or no? No, I don't. I like the Niners. Oh. I do.

I think there's going to be some points in this. I think it's a high-scoring game. I like the Niners in a high-scoring game to beat Atlanta. You get Atlanta Dome Team out west, and then you get San Francisco, who now, no Warner, no Bosa, Sala can only play, you know, so much smoke and mirrors. I think this is going to be

one of those games we talk about. It's wildly entertaining. Remember when Pittsburgh and the Jets played early in the year? The 1 o'clock window. Oh, 3430.30. Yeah, thriller. What a wild game. I think it's got a chance to be one of those like 30, 27 games back in

for Seattle, Tampa was that, but you have two great quarterbacks. My problem with Atlanta. Remember the last time they beat the Vikings on Sunday night football? It was like 226 dominant. Here we go, Falcons. We're good. The next week they get smashed by Carolina.

Like some of these young teams don't know how to handle success. Final story, Dallas Cowboys, Colin. And, you know, this George Pickens guy, he's playing pretty damn good. Jerry Jones very excited about how he's filled the void when CD Lamb went down. Here's Jerry talking about how George Pickens has been an inspiration to the Cowboys. I won't speak for the players, but he is a great teammate in my mind. And, of course, when we got him, there was some issue with, well, there might be something with the way he, his personality. I can't tell you how proud I am personally for George, because he is absolutely as exciting as he's been on the field for us.

He's been that kind of teammate. And he's inspirational. He's been great. He was a little bit of a, I would say, highly emotional. young player in Pittsburgh. A little bit of drama. He's been a great cowboy. You've got to give a third round pick for this guy. I thought he was a one and doneer because of, you know, but he's had emotional restraint. He's gotten better. It feels like every couple of weeks. Dak clearly likes him. Now, the question is when CD Lamb comes back, he's not going to get all

the attention. He's not going to get all the glow because C.D. is a better. CD creates separation that Pickens doesn't. Pickens just has a big catching radius. So when C.D. comes back and George Pickens doesn't get the looks. That's what we'll see the maturity and how he handles it because C-D is a true classic dominant top six receiver in the league. You got to target him 12 times a game. You have to. I will add that that's all accurate, Colin, remember in a contract here at Fox, you pull me aside. You're like, Jay Mack, tighten it up. No more idiotic behavior. No more hot takes. Settle down. This is a contract here for Pickens. He's out there trying to get a huge money offer to be a number one somewhere. He's going to fall in line. And yes, be inspirational.

Jay McLean News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. So Joel Klatte, a lot of college football talk for 10, 15 minutes top of next hour. I saw this story. They were talking about in this story about how James Franklin had a $45 million buyout at Penn State. And then I saw another story where Penn State is reportedly going to pursue Notre Dame's Marcus Freeman.

Freeman's a great coach. That's the smart move. Kurt Signetti, I don't know, Freeman feels like you got 20 years. But here's what's funny about it. Notre Dame, just spend the money, double Marcus Freeman's contract. Because if I was Penn State, I would pay $15 million a year to get Marcus Freeman. Penn State football last year made $240 million. Is the coach worth $15 million? Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Notre Dame, step up and pay it. I remember when the NIL a few years ago, NIL transfer portal, it's going to ruin the sport. And I said, if you want to compete, you'll have to spend money. All you schools have money. Penn State right now is doing a $700 million dollar beaver stadium upgrade. They paid $45 million to get rid of James Franklin. And they would pay $100 million to get Marcus Freeman.

It's just like in life, folks. Silicon Valley and the oligarchs, they'll spend $4 trillion on AI development over the next decade. But yet our health care system often doesn't take care of the very poorest, sickest and weakest. Countries, universities, institutions, governments always have the money. They always have the money. I grew up in Seattle. Seattle is a top 10 GDP city in the country. Starbucks, big money, Microsoft.

The Huskies football program, NIL, average. Average. Not as good as Texas Tech, which I'm not even sure that area has a Panera bread, honestly. Seattle has decided we're a NFL city and a Mariners City, and we like soccer and Husky football, they're giving some money. Oregon gives a lot more in Little Tiny Eugene. nights totally committed. So when I see this story about Marcus Freeman and Penn State, it's a real story by real reporters. And if I'm Notre Dame today, I call Marcus Freeman's agent. I don't talk

to Marcus. Marcus is preparing for USC. I just pay whatever I got to pay. If I have to rip his contract up and give him a new contract, that dude's got the look, the vibe, the recruiting, the touch, the field, the toughness. That is what a college football coach is. And, and, and And Penn State should go after him. I mean, Penn State took Ohio State's best coordinator. I'd go after Marcus Freeman, too. You don't have to pay Signetti at Indiana what you're going to have to pay Marcus Freeman. So by all means, Penn State, go after him.

Notre Dame, don't let him go. I, you know, listen, Los Angeles, USC and UCLA are both in Los Angeles. They both have billionaires all over their alumni. One of them, USC is committed to football. UCLA, you could argue, I think I read a story. UCLA, USC had the most, maybe it was USC had the most people worth 30 million plus net worth in the country. And a lot of them, they like football. So the James Franklin firing, I wouldn't have done it yet because if the interim guy wins five games and a cruddy bowl game,

and all of a sudden the players revolt. If you don't hire the interim guy, I always worry about the substitute teacher. Everybody loves them rule. Here was Bruce Feldman earlier this week on the Franklin firing. Coming off the loss at home to Oregon, you had just an abysmal performance out here in L.A. That was a gut punch.

They come back home. The atmosphere in Happy Valley was really subdued and down, and then they play a Northwestern program that's not that good either, and they lose that game. It felt like for everybody involved, it was time to make a change. And it didn't matter what it costs. Penn State had the money, and Notre Dame has the money, and UCLA has a $9.7 billion, billion dollar endowment.

If you want to win in football, call Nick Sabin. Want to come out, warm weather? Yeah, we'll pay for it. Everybody's got the money. And we could solve a lot of health care issues. We got the money. Super Bowl bubbles around the corner. Sean McDermott acknowledging on the buy week,

we may need to tear it up and start over. 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, 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. First people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys?

I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Well, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast.

we 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, NFL'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. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shake my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection.

This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized. but we actually meet people in connection.

If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining 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 will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, IZAD, 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. Into the series. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. Pacific tonight on FS1. apparently brooms are moving at Costco. A lot of brooms being purchased in the Pacific Northwest. Target Costco. We're running out of brooms. Okay, so the other thing I was talking about the Dodgers and fans,

oh, they got all this money. Nobody's disputing that. Money matters. Nobody, you know, you'd rather have a lot of money than no money, right? It doesn't mean there's a lot of happiness over a certain threshold, but you can waste a lot of money too. Here's another thing about the Dodgers. They stole Mookie Betz from the Red Sox.

Mookie Betz was available. He was expensive. But before Otani, I mean, there's an argument. Mookie is the most complete player in baseball. When you watch him play shortstop, but you would never know he could also play outfield. He didn't have a very good year until September, and then he caught fire.

But Mokie Betts was available. He was available to a lot of people. And the Dodgers essentially gave the Red Sox picks, players and none of the players did much. So the minor league guys didn't do anything. You can keep saying, again, Max Muncie, A's released him. A's were like, yeah, it's not going to, it's no good. He can't play.

He was hitting like less than 200. He goes to the Dodgers. And here's Max Muncie, who's just, I mean, he's been hitting bombs for years in Los Angeles. And Tay Oscar Hernandez was available to the market. And then when he got to L.A., he Oscars like, yeah, I'm going to play for less. So Tommy Edmund, St. Louis had him, didn't want to pay him. He was a 265 hitter.

He's a good defensive player. Dodgers, NLCS MVP. So when you're watching this thing, man, they are really, Andrew Friedman was the GM in Tampa. Years and years ago, when Tampa got to a World Series and Tampa was really good and you're like, how they have no money? How did Andrew Friedman build up those Tampa teams? He didn't have the Dodgers payroll. He won in a division with the Yankees and the Red Sox in Toronto,

big money. Boston, Toronto, which I think is probably the richest city in Canada. The Yankees, all that money. Andrew Friedman was making the playoffs. So you took his brainpower, you put him with a big bankroll, and they just don't miss a lot. They could have had Mani Machado. They passed on him.

They could have paid for him. Zach Grinky years and years ago. They're like, no, no, no, I think he went to Arizona. They've had opportunities to buy other plans. by the right dudes. Freddie Freeman got the right dude. Great in the locker room. Moki Betts,

Shohay Otani. And again, Otani is not hit the last two postseason. They're not winning because of Otani. He has been a monster in the regular season. He can't hit. Right now he is just lost. Okay, so I do this about every three or four weeks,

and it's difficult. I think there's one great team in the NFL. And then I think there's another team that's really, really good. But it's time for my Super Bowl bubble. And like a couple of these teams right now have got to get better at things. But I always put about six or seven teams in. I do think Philadelphia will right the ship, at least with a running game. And I do think Bo Nicks, as the season progresses, will get more consistent. But right now, my Super Bowl bubble, the teams I think could end up in a Super Bowl. I don't know if they can win it. I think they can end up there.

Kansas City, Tampa, Philadelphia, Detroit, Seattle, Green Bay, and Denver. I'm not saying Bo Nex is going to hoist a trophy. I think those teams either have the coach, the roster, the defensive front, the O line. And then I would put the Colts, the Rams, San Francisco, and the Bills. Now, in three to four weeks, when Hampton's back and Joe Alter back for the Chargers, that's not their reality now. right now, Chargers are missing both tackles

and I have a third string running back. The Rams would maybe be in it, but they lost Pooka Nakuwa, and they are very reliant on Pooka in big downs. So San Francisco, I think they're going to get healthier offensively. They get Pirsall back and IEUK back and Kittle. I think San Francisco,

I don't know if they can hoist a trophy, but Brock Purdy's coming back, so I'm going to put them on the edges. I didn't put Pittsburgh yet. Listen, Pittsburgh's beating bad quarterbacks. The one really good team they played, they got routed. They got routed by Seattle at home. So Pittsburgh needs to win a couple more games.

But in terms of Kansas City, I don't know what everybody else is watching. I mean, the eye test, they are fast defensively. And they have the best head coach, quarterback defensive coordinator combo in the sport. Here's Matt Hasselbeck earlier this week on the Chiefs. If you're starting quarterbacks, one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game ever, and then you've got the best offensive play caller designer in our area. and Andy Reid, like, literally, how are you going to, like, that gives me confidence as a player. That gives me confidence as a locker room.

And as a defense, like, you got Mahomes over here running like speed option, like he's Vince Young or something. Like, you got to defend it all. You can tell that this is a team. There's no panic. There's no players only meetings there. You know, they're three and three. The sky's not falling.

You know, they're like, hey, we're going to go one and no this week. You know, we're probably like a game out. We're good. I will say Tampa's an interesting team because they're five. five and one, but needed a last second field goal to beat the Jets. And four of their five wins have come within a field goal or less. Now, they're banged up. So they're going to get Chris Godwin back, Mike Evans back,

Bucky Irving back. So I think you're not seeing the best of Tampa's personnel, and I still have them in the bubble. I think there's tremendous value on winning close games. And also something to remember, teams Ebenflow. The Chargers look great. Then they fell apart physically. Now they're not that good.

didn't put them in my top 10. Joe Alt returns at left tackle. Hampton returns. I think they're a top 10 team. San Francisco. I, listen, I have Seattle in the Super Bowl bubble. That has been, now you say, what about New England? I like what New England's doing, but they got, they got whacked by Pittsburgh, and I don't have Pittsburgh here. So I think New England's one of those teams. I need more. I need more from New England. I need more from Pittsburgh. But if you're wondering where New England is. I think Patriot fans know this is a really cool spot to be in, but let's put about four or five more wins down. You know, Drake May is still young developing. And with Pittsburgh, again, they got absolutely routed special teams mistakes at home against

Seattle. So I know a lot of people are pointing to Denver and Bo Nix. I don't know. I think Bo Nix may not be a great deep ball thrower, but the Denver Broncos lead the NFL. They protect their quarterback better than anybody and get after years better than anybody that is that's something that wins in january that wins in cold weather great old line plate great pass rush wins in january i never bought into the dolphins when they get off of these hot starts and throw it over the top that's not january football so there's two leagues there's two seasons pre-thanksgiving and post thanksgiving and the football changes remember we talked about this a couple weeks ago why why were there 15 quarterbacks with a hundred plus passer rating and i said look at the weather it was 80 degrees

in Buffalo. Chicago had good way. Chicago, Buffalo, Baltimore, weather's getting real chilly now, so things are going to change. Jay Mack, anybody in or out of the Super Bowl bubble? New England, Pittsburgh didn't make it for me. I had your Niners in. So you know what I like to do

instantly look at the gambling odds. You can see on the screen there, Buffalo, who you have on the outside, has the same odds to win the Super Bowl as Kansas City. I think you're a little low on Buffalo. I know they just lost and didn't look great to Atlanta. But the other team, you mentioned Pittsburgh and I was kind of scoffing like, oh, come on there, junk.

Pittsburgh and Seattle have the same Super Bowl odds, Colin, which I thought was surprising. I don't think Pittsburgh's great. The one team you don't have in the top 12 are the Washington commanders who at plus $2,500 have the same odds as San Francisco. Washington gets Terry McLauran back. Literally, he's practicing right now with the team. Yeah. By the way, Cowboys, commanders this weekend.

Kind of spicy. That's got Tampa, Seattle written all over it. That's got 3330. I looked at the over under this morning. It's a little low. Cowboys commanders could be a wildly, wildly entertaining game. Hour two. Be happy Dodger fans.

Doesn't get better than this. 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. 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends

as we riff, rant, and recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast.

I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became. one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.