The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Fans are turning on Mike Tomlin, Lane Kiffin chooses LSU, Ben Johnson is the difference in Chicago

Episode Date: December 1, 2025

Colin Cowherd reacts to the latest Pittsburgh Steelers performance and explains why more Steelers fans are turning on head coach Mike Tomlin after their 5th loss in their last 7 games He discusses Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss for LSU and the backlash he is getting as a result Bears HC Ben Johnson is the best new hire since Sean McVaySee 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. Tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ 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 harmed. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to him. 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 I Heart

radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered conversations from night sweats to futas to scheduling sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes? They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter.

Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Therapy is fantastic. But once again, it does not have a monopoly on healing. That's why I create the resources and that's why I create the community because I really just want you to have more access. On the podcast, cultivating her space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black women can show up fully and be heard. It's tough because we're suppressing our emotions. and so many of us are like high-achieving individuals. Listen to cultivating her space on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. This week on Crimless, Rory and I welcome a very special guest. When I did podcasts, I wear my sleep mask. I like where this is going. So if you guys will indulge me. That's right, the incredibly talented and hilarious Will Ferrell on an episode dedicated to crimes committed by people named Will Ferrell. You're good for 300 crimes?

Yeah. We've got two. I'm ready to go right up to present day. Listen to Crimless on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is going to be a Monday for the ages. What a last four days we had. We're live. We're in Chicago. It's the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening.

Thanks for making us part of your day. You've got a lot of choices out there. Sark, Steve Sarkisian stopped by. Urban Myers stopped by. Lane Kiffin's going to LSU. What are we making of Bears? What do we make of Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh? Let's not waste any time one hour from now where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong.

So you heard the chance potentially. Did you hear the chance in Pittsburgh as the bills were rolling over the Steelers? Fire Mike Tomlin chance. And I feel like the last eight years, the Steelers are the exact same team. They'll finish slightly above 500. They'll the bottom 10 defense. They'll be better early than November, December, and January. And the quarterback plays limited because they can't run the football and the O line is always in crisis.

That's what they are. You can keep running through quarterbacks and left tackles and wide receivers and drama and running backs, coordinators. Doesn't matter. The guy in charge, Mike Tomlin, is toned-deft offense. NFL head coaches have gotten younger, smarter, and more offensive. And these older defensive guys, Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick, Mike Tomlin, Ron Rivera, Lovey Smith, they feel outdated. And I said this, Aaron Rogers,

go to Minnesota or retire. You're just stepping into Tomlin's quicksand. And I would have no problem hiring Mike Tomlin, say, in Miami to stabilize the dolphins. I think he'd be a really good fit there. But look around the league right now. Who's the number one scene in the AFC?

Sean Payton, offensive coach. The Jaguars never deliver. Oh, wait. Now they're going to win their division potentially. Liam Cohen, offensive coach. Sean McVeigh is number two seed in the NFC. You know who number one is? Offensive coach Ben Johnson.

I would argue Kyle Shannon's done a better job coaching than anybody outside of Mike Frable this year. Another offensive coach. Offensive coaches are younger, they're smarter, they're more current. And I said this last week. Offensive coaches can fix problems in the season. Defensive guys feel like they need an offseason. and I'm sorry, but on defense, they're old, the Steelers are expensive, Darius Slay, Jalen Ramsey, they're past their prime, they're paying a fortune for it.

They got gray beards on offense and on defense. They took a defensive tackle instead of Jackson Dart. What are you doing? Again, no urgency. This is a criticism I said about Pete Carroll. Gino Smith's not good enough. Ron Rivera said, I got Sam Howe. Not good enough.

Aaron Rogers don't blame him. Look around the league. The rules have changed. These old defensive guys, I don't have a problem with the Miko Ryans. Mike McDonald, they're young, they're current, they're aggressive. I mean, McDonald took over for Pete Carroll an hour later. The team was better with the same players. So the last six Super Bowls have featured head coaches with an offensive background.

Doesn't mean you have to hire them. But yesterday, finally, finally. Finally, the fan said, enough. I mean, you hold Buffalo to three points at half, and you get rolled. And we don't even like Buffalo this year. We don't even know what to make a Buffalo this year. Here was a stoic and an honest Mike Tomlin after. That's an awful performance by us.

But it's us. We didn't do a lot well tonight, obviously. Right, could you have a sense for how restless and frustrating in the crowd was to them? I don't know how restless and frustrated I was, and so I assume they were in the same state we were in. Man, I shared their frustration tonight, man. We didn't do enough. And that's just the reality of it. Yeah, the defense has been the highest paid for four years.

It's not elite. Come on now. And this is not just me or the media or the fans. We don't even think Buffalo's creative. Here's T.J. Watt, sounding like a shot at Tomlin the staff after the game. We need to find ways to be able to make plays. And, I mean, I've never seen a team run the same play as much as they ran it tonight and have as much success as they had. I mean, I'm out of words for it.

We talk about the talent that we have. We talk about everything that we have. But right now, we don't have a kick-ass defensive group. And that's all that I can speak on. I mean, you've got to have a – Ben Johnson has been in Chicago less than a year. They already have an identity. Tough, physical run the ball in offense.

How many years are we going to watch the Steelers struggle to figure out how to run the football? Ben Johnson's done it in 12, 13 weeks. Mike Vrable, still in a rebuild, has got that defense plan on its butt off and not paying much for it. He can't figure out the defense. Like, it just doesn't work anymore. I'd hire him maybe in Miami. Doesn't mean he's not a good coach and wouldn't fit other places. But between this ownership group, the great GM who left, the coach who feels tone-deaf to offense,

the fans have finally come to the realization that we have for about three years. This is not good enough. It's just not good enough. And Ole Miss wasn't good enough for Lane Kiffin. Say what you want about Kiffin. You don't have to like him. Harbaugh to Michigan. Kiffin to LSU, they feel big.

Harbaugh was controversial for years. Kiffin's going to be controversial every four weeks. This is great for college football. There's an attention economy in college football. Dion did it at Colorado, put eyes on the program. He's just not the coach, Kiffin is. And this is not LSU, much better program than Colorado. And I say this to all the bitter people in Mississippi.

I understand you're hurt. but would you have signed up for this exit when Kiffin got there? You've been irrelevant forever. I think you last time you won an SEC championship was in the 60s. Anytime you're good, you have a Manning quarterback, Archer Eli. If I had told you four years ago, Lane Kiffin's going to burn you at the end, but it'll make you the number one offense, it'll be the best Ole Miss football team ever,

stadiums packed, everybody in the country is looking at you, you'll feel proud to be a Miss recipient and an Ole Miss fan. He'll leave you. It'll be ugly. You'd have taken it on the spot. You date the supermodel. She dumped you. You knew it was coming.

I mean, you were cheating with Hugh Freeze years ago, so you played the game in college football. You were paying people when you weren't supposed to pay people. Don't get too precious, Ole Miss. Your history was Hugh Freeze. You supported him. NCAA outrageous. Nick Saban stopped recruiting in Mississippi with Hugh Freeze because they were just buying players.

So you played the game before and this is the game. It's an $8 billion industry. I have complained for years about college football. It's boxing. Bob Aram, Don King made a fortune and a handful of boxers did. But it was unregulated. That's why Dana White shows up and the UFC dominates boxing. It's organized.

It's got a CEO. It's an unregulated. I said last week it's Bitcoin. You buy it. You better know it's turbulent. And you're going to get scorched. You're going to have bad days. And that's college football.

I don't love leaving before the playoff. But college football's calendar's always been weird. And college football has put up no boundaries or regulations on this. So the last 50 years, Ole Miss five times. has had a 10-win season. Kiffin gave you three, and he gave you your only 11-win regular season. And you got busted for cheating years ago with Hugh Freeze. Houston Nutt or Ed Orgeron, I can go through the coaches. Nobody wins there. Kiffin not only one-y-one big. And the SEC has always had one rule. Always. Eat or be eaten.

This was bound to happen, and you don't have to like Kiffin, and you don't have to to like the way it looks, but he's a ladder climber. And a lot of coaches are, and I get it. Nick Saban, get out of here at Bama. USC fired him on a tarmac. Lane Kiffin's reality is Al Davis fired him weirdly. USC fired him strangely. You think he's losing sleep?

And if you didn't know that going in, that's a you problem. Now, this ridiculous comment that Lane Kiffin should be allowed to coach at Ole Miss having the LSU job, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. So I don't blame Old Miss for moving off him. I mean, that's just ridiculous. People that say that on other networks, you've heard a relegation in the English Premier League. You should be relegated as an on-air talent if you're arguing that. I mean, that's just ridiculous.

That's not going to happen. I'm rooting for Old Miss in the playoffs. Selfishly, I wanted to watch Lane Kiffin. I wanted to see it. I don't think they're as good as most teams. but I think they could potentially beat Notre Dame. They're not beating Ohio State. I don't think anybody's beaten Ohio State.

But come on, man. College football, it's like a weird black market economy. They don't have a CEO. They don't have a president. The old Wild Wild West, in the 1800s, when you used to have territorial governors, that's what you have in college football. They're called conference commissioners.

All they care about is themselves. Here was Lane Kiffin after. This was a very challenging, difficult day. You know, we went through a lot last night with Keith Carter, trying to figure out a way, you know, to make this playoff, you know, run work and be able to coach the team. And at the end of the day, that's his decision. And I totally respect that.

I understand that decision. And, you know, so I just totally wish the team the best of luck, wish that I was coaching. But understand that it was a very challenging position for him the chance to be in and totally respect. that. So, you know, just really, really help they play really well and go win the national championship. Good job by Marty Smith there. Hey, listen, this idea that Kiffin's trying to wreck the program. Have any of you guys ever gotten a great job? Because when you do, you take three

or four people from your great job to the next job. It didn't take the entire staff. He's not trying to wreck the program. He's not rooting against Old Miss. But he's now the coach of what many coaches perceive as the best job in college football or at least top three. The reaction at that little airport in Oxford, though, I've got to admit, let's play it sound up, is pretty funny. I'm sorry. I could watch that on a loop. I'm sorry. But it's always remarkable to me when people get into relationships with people who have a clear ID. who have a clear brand. And I know, Lane, I always got along with him fine.

He's not for everybody. I think he's grown up. But you'd have taken him. If I'd have told you he's going to burn you in the end, but it'll be four years of bliss. You'll be the number one offense in college football. Everybody will be talking about you. You're going to make the college football playoff.

You'd have signed up for it in a heartbeat. It just ended up like Bitcoin acquisitions. bumpy, you feel burned, unregulated, that's what it is. Don't buy the coin if you don't like the outcome potential. So, hey, and Ole Miss, you know, you're not going to let him keep coaching there and have another job at LSU. That's dumb. All right, J. Mack, we got Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears.

Are they going to run the NFC? How about this weekend Slate of Games? Bears Packers, Thursday's Lions, Cowboys. Even the Jags Colts is interesting. I mean, it worked out perfectly. The TV games coming up starting Thursday are the best of the year. Yeah, and you've got college football, obviously getting crazy. Besides Elaine Kiffin, I'm sure you saw Pat Fitzgerald, headed to Michigan State.

That's a home run higher. I mean, just an awesome weekend in sports. Hope you had a good Thanksgiving. Mine was spectacular. Yep, same here. Sunday night after the conference championships, which I don't think are going to last very long. don't think you need them anymore. They're going to put out the college football playoff.

I thought Notre Dame was in over Miami for sure. Then I watched Miami Hammer Pittsburgh, and now I'm not sure. At least Miami can say we've got a great win over Notre Dame. Notre Dame can say, we've got to, we beat USC. I'm telling you, it's going to be razor thin. You just got to keep watching the games. Sark's showing up later, so is Urban Meyer. Be sure to catch live editions of the.

heard weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the Odd Couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing us live weeknights from 7 to 10 p.m. Eastern on Fox Sports Radio, we are excited to announce brand new YouTube channel for the show. That's right. You can now watch the Odd Couple live on YouTube every day. All you got to do, search Odd Couple F&S.

on YouTube. Again, YouTube, just search Odd Couple FSR. Check us out on YouTube and subscribe. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast?

Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to 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.

We were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 Nass 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. Keith Giamonka 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 iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please!

But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and 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,

recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're, On your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite,

the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura Podcast Network available on the IFart 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, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and social. connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually need 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. You know, I was just trying to figure out what to do when a co-teau is wearing his hat on backwards in a locker room. Now I've got to process a coach taking his shirt off in the locker room, but I got to be honest, after the Bears went to Philly and hammered the Eagles. I kind of like that too.

Here's Ben Johnson. I got to be honest. I may start doing this after the morning meeting. I kind of like it. I mean, it doesn't take that long. When you get the right head coach, you get a Mike Vrable, you get a Sean Payton, you get a Ben Johnson, you get a Liam Cohen. it doesn't take that long.

There's so much mediocrity in so many industries, excellence rises, and it looks different. Here's all I know. Last year, the Bears were 29th in big plays. With the same quarterback, DJ Moore, yeah, I had that too. Now they're second. My bad, first. They've gotten better at everything.

Getting the right coach does not guarantee Super Bowls. Most reasonable people, understand that. But it does guarantee an identity. The Patriots have one, the bears have one, the Jags have one. It guarantees you'll get the most, you'll squeeze the most out of your roster. This is largely last year's roster with a better guard center guard combo up front. Yet the defense now is number one in takeaways, number two in rushing. It's not like DeAndre Swift won there last year. it just doesn't take that long.

And you'll find a common thread with the really good coaches. They're hard on their player. Sean Payton's hard on Bownecks. No pandering. Ben Johnson's hard on Caleb. No pandering. All the friendly, the friendly guy down in Miami, I think he seems like a great guy. I don't need hugs and pandering and kisses and rainbows and birds chirping.

Be hard on your star young quarterback. be hard on everybody demand attention you guys get an off season right you get Mondays off sometimes Tuesday practice games two hours three

be focused and that's what Chicago is not only the big picture stuff they're just better at what their roster allows them to be better at and I'll tell you this Bears team is built for December and January

because they can run the ball a lot of these teams I don't know if Jackson Bill, maybe they are. Some of these teams, I don't know if they're built for December and January, the Bears are. And it's Ben Johnson. You know, you think defensive coaches are the tough guys. Shanahan, Ben Johnson, they love to run the football. I mean, they played Philadelphia. Philly as Sequin Barclay, they ran it 17 times. These guys ran at 47. So Ben Johnson is one of these new young coaches.

He wants to get physical. It's an identity. It's a toughness. It's bled on over the defense. And Caleb Williams, Ben doesn't like that he only completes 58% of his throws, but he doesn't throw picks and he's no longer getting sacked. And those are two great qualities for a young quarterback. So this Bears team, when they were coming back and they were beating the Giants was a cool story.

Going to Philly and hammering the Eagles is something well above a good story. And here's Caleb on the W. Every single game that we want to play and that we play, it is to make a statement. And that's just another game for us. You know, focus on being one and O each week. And, you know, we keep doing that. We keep focusing on what's inside, the noise inside of the building. Honestly, it doesn't, you know, the statements and all of that, all of that, you know,

There's more of the outside noise, more of kind of stuff for y'all to kind of talk about, and, you know, the analysts and all the whoever to talk about. And so, you know, we'll keep focus on ourselves. Again, not hard to identify good coaching. And all good coaches are tough and demanding on quarterbacks. They may say nice things to the press, but you watch the body language. You watch Ben Johnson on the sideline? demanding. But, you know, when people say, well, they don't have a lot to work with, we're dealing

with injuries, well, Kyle Shanahan and Harbaar are doing with injuries. I don't even know how the Chargers can run the ball. You've got the worst redid O-line in football. I don't know how the Niners can stop anybody. The whole team's beat up defensively. Great coaching. You can identify it quickly. It is tough and demanding. And Ben Johnson, he feels like the best hire in the NFL since Sean McVey. He really does. Jay Mack with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, let's go from great news for the Bears to not great news for the Chargers, Colin. L.A. got the win over the Raiders, but Jim Harbaugh broke the news yesterday. Justin Herbert

broke, suffered a fracture in his left hand. It's really unclear how bad this is, but he's getting surgery today. Yeah. Okay? Now, he did come in, finish the game through a touchdown pass. He doesn't even know if he's out next week, okay? That's how tough this Harbaugh-Harbaugh-Herbert combo is. Like they both think, like, okay, he might play against the Eagles, which is a tall order. If not, it would be Trey Lance.

For what it's worth, a buddy of mine was at dinner last night after the Chargers game and ran into Herbert and his smoke show of a girlfriend. People were coming up to Herbert. He was in good spirits. So, I mean, I'm going to go ahead and just say, I have no idea if he's going to play. Chargers did look dangerous, Colin, last night.

Well, again, it's another offensive coach who, remember Chicago, remember the operational problems they had in the first two weeks? They've cleaned them up in season. Remember how bad opening drives had been for Denver? Or they cleaned them up in season. I mean, Harbaugh and Kyle Shanahan are putting out a master class. They should not be able to run the ball at all. Their offensive lines are disaster, lowest rated in the sport.

But this is what good coaching does. there. Once you have toughness, even if you're, Jay Mack, even if you lose stars, toughness seeps, right? It's all through the roster. You can win a lot of love, a lot of games missing stars or beat up

if you're resilient and tough. This is a sport of big, strong, physical men and I think they're just willing their way to a win. It's a good point about the offensive line. Remember the bills yesterday, right? No tackles, and they rush for like 200 and some odd yards against the Steelers. So running the ball is huge now.

This is a nugget going forward. So Vidal, the backup, who really had not done anything last season. He was good yesterday. Had a long touchdown run. They should get Hampton back next week. We know what this team is going to be in January. They're running Hampton and Vidal down your throat. And if they get a lead, Justin Herbert, on third down last night, Colin, 12 of 13.

It's easy passes, nothing deep, nothing risky. This team is scary if they get an early lead on you. I like the Chargers a lot. Let's go to the next story. And it was Sunday night football on paper, kind of a weak game, but it turned out to be kind of interesting. Wild. Until the end, it goes to overtime. And the Broncos get super lucky as Nick Benito bats down what should have been a walk-in touchdown for Jeremy Nichols in Washington.

Marriota didn't totally read it well, didn't lob it up high enough. Here's Sean Payton after the game when he was asked about escaping. I'm sure both teams, when we look at the film, probably did some things we didn't want to. to do, but those guys came out and fought hard, so did our guys. And we made a play at the end. That was the difference. We don't escape. We won the journey of a good team season involves games like this.

And then you believe you can do it again. Let me defend Denver here. Okay. All right. So now the season's 17 games. So we all acknowledge the first game of the year doesn't even matter. Raiders beat the Patriots. You start playing well.

Great example is the Rams. Stafford had 30 touchdowns and two picks. Do you think he was going to end up with 40 touchdowns and three picks? Eventually, you travel out east, you get caught flat-footed, Carolina has to win off a Niners loss, and all of a sudden the Rams defense doesn't have a ton of energy in Europe. Denver won the game. Okay, Denver is a number one seat.

They're not going to play with the same intensity. old guys know Washington's on a backup quarterback. When you have a 17-game season, this is not college football, as you well know, where you have advantages with athletes. These are all pro-players. And so I'm watching that game. It could have gone either way, but I'll tell you, I don't think it's a coincidence that Sean Peyton and Ben Johnson win all these close games or Andy Reid did last year. They are very good at several things. They were just bad defensively by their standards last night. The Rams were bad yesterday by their standards. Bryce Young. 15 or 20.

Yeah. I mean, listen, the one score gains, 8 and 2. You saw the stat on the screen, 5 and 0 when trailing in the 4th. We can say that's intestinal fortitude and toughness and smart. Well, you know what? The Chiefs last year, unbelievable in one score games. This year, wouldn't you know it? They can't win any of them.

They're really struggling in one score gains. So this stuff kind of goes back and forth. You have to admit, the ball is bouncing their way a lot. Yes, I. And Colin, I cannot wait to see who they play if they get the 2C. I think we think, but the Patriots will probably be the one because of the schedule. If they play Buffalo. I'm taking Denver.

I'm taking Denver. We'll be head to head on that one. If they play the, could they play the Ravens? I don't know if the Ravens could get the wild card because that division's kind of wonky right now. We'll see. I don't know. If the Chiefs play Denver round three, are you taking Denver? I just, I think we need to pump the brakes on how dominant this team is.

Enjoy it while it lasts. I see you grinning. You know the story here. Like, this is not a great football team, Colin. I mean, everybody keeps telling me, the bears aren't that good and the Broncos aren't that good. They keep winning. They do, they do. They are.

Let the good times roll, right? Final story, Colin, let's go back to Thanksgiving. You know, we totally nailed this game on Friday. Or on Wednesday, sorry. Packers would beat the lions. Jordan Love would be incredible. Christian Watson would be amazing. But what I didn't anticipate was these high leverage downs.

Green Bay, two touchdowns on. fourth down. Meanwhile, the lions, they just cannot get this fourth down thing right all of a sudden. And here's Dan Campbell. Well, no, actually, here's Jordan Love talking about the excitement about the Packers win. I think you'll be able to go out there on fourth down and execute and make some big time plays. It's really the difference in that game right there. So, you know, that's what it comes down to is just going out there executing and those got to have the plays. And we made plays tonight, everybody. I mean, we're staying aggressive. You know, we got a chance to go out there. and ice the game, you know, not even give them a chance to get the ball back.

And we stayed aggressive and I love it. We made plays right there. Let me say this. Green Bay's offense was broken three weeks ago. It was. We both said it's broken. What did their young offensive coach do? He fixed it in season.

Pittsburgh can't do that. So the other thing I'm taken in this game is, and there were some really weak officiating both sides. It was an issue all weekend. It was, yeah. Green Bay, I'm not going to, Green Bay deserves to. win. But it's funny, if I told you there was this quarterback in Green Bay, tall, athletic, big arm, highly aggressive, never throws picks. You'd be like, whoa, can people finally acknowledge Jordan loves really talented. To go into that environment, I mean, every trait I like, everything

he does I like. When you get upside and he doesn't throw a lot of picks, I mean, I think the kid is, you've got to give Green Bay credit. When he came out of Utah State, He did not have a good final year in college. And my sources were totally mixed on him. They were like some just were not into it, way reckless, way loose. This kid has been coached, hard, coached fairly. He is a tremendous player. Yeah, there's a stat that the gamblers like EPA per play,

Jordan Love is the number one quarterback in that by some margin over Drake May. Tell people what that means. Well, expected points added per every single play. every single play. And Jordan Love, I know it's no risk and no biscuit sometimes with him. But Colin, if you look at the numbers, he is shredding when it matters most. And I will add this. They did lose Tucker Kraft.

Obviously, that's a big loss. Huge law. Hey, by the way, you know who's coming back? Matthew Golden. You know who else is coming back? Jaden Reed. And Christian Watson looks healthy. Colin, this offense, I said it Wednesday.

I was like, listen, if you think the Packers can go to the Super Bowl, bet them now. I think they're the best team in the NFC. I know that sounds crazy. But that defense, did you see the – Detroit had 10 plays stopped at the line of scrimmage or behind it. Micah Parsons and those stunts. Now, losing Wyatt, their defensive tackle, that's a big loss because he's excellent. But I do think Green Bay – if you look – like, you have the Rams still coming out of the NFC, right? Well, I mean, I don't take anything from the loss yesterday.

I think Green Bay three weeks ago, I think we both set on the air. Their offense is broken. But these young offensive coaches do a much better job of fixing things than – these old defensive coaches. And I thought that was an impressive win. Again, I thought it was an egregiously officiated game. But I'm not going to say that's why they won. I mean, at one point somebody grabbed, I think it was Christian Watson's arm was

grabbed and they didn't call it. It was blatant missed by the official staring at it. So Green Bay is a really well-coached, smartly quarterbacked team that added the guy they needed to, an elite pass rusher. because Green Bay's been leading games in the fourth quarter for 30 years. Rarely have been. Reggie White closed wins. This is another guy.

Micah closes the door. He's there, Mariano Rivera. He'll close out a lead, you know, with the, you need 12 pitches left. Yeah, we're real quick on the Lions, Colin. It looks like they're probably going to miss the playoffs. We said in the offseason, losing Ben Johnson would be massive. We looked like idiots for like seven weeks. How about now?

We weren't wrong. We were just early. just telling you, Lions, I'm on Ross St. Brown's going to be out a couple weeks now. They were thrown to a guy who played lacrosse, I think, six months ago. I don't know what's going on with the lions. They're in trouble if they can't run the ball. J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. First of all, Philadelphia circling the drain. The Dallas Cowboys, I think we all have to write apology letters to Jerry Jones. We'll talk about that next. 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 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. We were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers. This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this.

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast where people could call in and say, Hey Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the podcast. My Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ 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 game. 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 Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get to flyin. He running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you

figure it out real quick. Oh, yeah. 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. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and 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, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know.

Listen to Help from Hypocrite as part of the Mike Coutura Podcast Network available on the IHartRadio 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, 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. Saturday for the first time in conference history, number one and number two collide in the Big Ten title game. Heisman, hopefuls collide as Julian Sayan leads number one Ohio State against Fernando Mendoza and number two Indiana. Coverage begins Saturday, 630 Eastern on Fox. Let me ask you something about this game. Let me ask you. Ohio State doesn't need to win. I'm honestly, they just played Michigan. I don't think they'll have a letdown, but the game could mean more to Indiana. I don't think

conference championships are going to be around long. I think the playoff eliminates the need. We both know Indiana and Ohio State are top 12 teams. We know it. One's got a great offense. One's got a great defense and a pretty good offense. So like that game, I'm going to watch it. I'm really interested. But, you know, I look at that and I think that myself, I think Ohio State's better. And if Ohio State hadn't played Michigan, I think they'd win, maybe convincingly. But it's a, college football now has changed a lot. It's a lot closer to the NFL where not every game, at the end of the season matters if you've already qualified for the playoffs.

I'm fascinated to watch the Hoosiers in Ohio State, but beating Michigan, that's the key to it, and they did. Okay, sometimes you sell a nice house, really nice house, and you buy another house because it fits your family. Now, the people who bought your old nice house, they really needed that house more than you did. And it doesn't mean you don't respect them or that you didn't like the house. But they're just different times in a family's life, not having kids you can live one place. Now you've got a bunch of kids.

You've got to live in a good school district. That to me was always the Micah Parsons trade. Dallas love Micah. But the players around him weren't good enough. And Jerry Jones needed flexibility. I said this during the Micah trade. And I felt like I was on an island. Yes, it's good for Green Bay.

It's great for Dallas, too. They got the infrastructure, the house they needed for their family. They were atrocious defensively and egregiously bad against the run, and signing Michael wasn't going to save that or change that. But getting Quinn and Williams and Kenny Clark and still two first-round picks, they have flexibility and are now a really good defense. with DeMarvie and overshone healthy, they're still top two in the NFL in pressures

without Micah. And now they're great against the run. The Cowboys are a better football team without Micah. Doesn't mean you don't love the house. It didn't provide what you needed in the moment. Green Bay is a team with a powerful offense that needed a closer. Micah was great for him and is great.

And Micah is still a great player. But Dallas wasn't leading a lot of games because they couldn't stop the run. And Jerry Jones, you know, it's funny, if you took out the teams and you took out the names of the people involved, and you just said, there's this general manager, he stole this star receiver for a third-round pick. He's like a pro bowler. And he got Quinn and Williams.

Kenny Clark, he took this atrocious defense and made it excellent, and he still got two first-rounders. round picks. You'd be like, who was it? Howie Roseman? No, it's Jerry Jones. You just don't like Jerry. Jerry Jones was on radio this week saying how badly he wanted Quinn and Williams then of the Jets before the deal was made. Actually, uh, uh, uh, for Williams, I wanted a one and Parsons for, uh, Williams, a one and Parsons for Williams, a one and Parsons for, uh, uh, Williams. A one and Parsons Williams. I thought that much of Williams. And he's showing you what he can do for a defense. So, you know, it's just funny. Jerry took a lot of heat. Remember he said to the Wall Street

Journal, there's a hundred billion present value with gas out there, and that's why I'm talking to you on the telephone rather than trying to fix our defense. Took a lot of heat for that. Well, people freaked out, but it looks like Jerry Jones being distracted and neglected, neglecting the Cowboys, he fixed the defense and made $100 billion in natural gas. You know, I mean, we've got to be fair in this business. Jerry, to me, for years, it was becoming kind of mom and pop. But the George Pickens deal, the Quinn and Williams deal, it takes guts to move off Micah, who was beloved by fans.

But they're a better team without Micah, because dealmakers need flexibility. This is a team that couldn't pay eight. million dollars to get Derek Henry a couple years ago. Deal makers, Jeff Bezos at Amazon doesn't need more money. He needs flexibility. Elon Musk doesn't need more money. Flexibility. That's Jerry. Jerry's got plenty of money. What Jerry needed was the ability cap space to make moves and improve the entire roster. And they have done that. This was a bad run defense. Now it's excellent. Your eyes are not deceiving you. They beat Kansas City. They were the better team than Kansas City. All right.

Philadelphia is a mess and a talented mess. But the Bears beat them in Philly and they don't have any identity. Right now, the Eagles offense with a good old line, tight end, star receiver, Sequin Barkley, Jalen Hertz. Yards per game 24th. Third down

percentage near the bottom of the league. Three and out percentage, worst in the league. Punts tied for 29th. And they didn't just get ugly. in the last couple of weeks, they've been completely uneven since the first week. They have had an offensive identity crisis for about 75 to 80 percent of Nick Seriani's tenure. And I've said this about Nick Seriani.

He's not an elite scheme coach like Dan Campbell in Detroit. You can argue he's a good culture coach. He's good in the locker room, although that sometimes sounds like she's got a great personality, but he's not a great scheme coach. So it's much harder for him than it is like a McVeigh, a Shanahan, a Ben Johnson, or a Matt LaFleurr to fix something in season. He did it that one year because he just gave up the play calling to a really good coach who now leads the Colts, Shane Steichen. But it does feel like an unsolvable problem because part of being a great coach is constantly tweaking. charging. Chargers lose both offensive tackles. Niners lose Fred Warner, Bosa, and their first round pick.

It's not just August to January. You have to constantly tweak. And we've seen these issues since week one, and they're not tweaking them. Because they can't. The GM has shown an ability in an off-season to tweak. It's interesting. I think Nick Seriani feels almost like a defensive coach. coach. It's about brute strength, be aggressive, have a vibe, be tough. What they need is tweaking. Green Bay three weeks ago, broken offense. Green Bay now, Super Bowl contender. You got to constantly tweak. It's been since week one, it's been a mess. So I just look around this league right now, and it's very rare when you can get a coach like Ben John. who is not only a CEO and a culture builder, but good with schematics.

That's McVeigh, Shanahan. I think Brable's pretty good at that. But there's no easy answer. Everybody wants them to move off the offensive coordinator. He's not McVeigh. Who's calling plays? Here's Nick Sariani. We're not changing the play caller.

But we will evaluate everything. I have confidence in the entire group. Again, I know it will keep coming back to Kevin. But again, if I thought it was one thing, then you make those changes. Obviously, it's a lot of different things. But, yeah, I don't think it is, you know, Kevin. I'll give you an example. Remember when the Rams earlier this season, Pooka and Nakua got banged up,

and they had all sorts of injuries? They literally mid-season went to 13 personnel. Now, let's play three tight ends, caught everybody off guard. That's tweaking. That is modern coaching. And LaFleur, solving a broken offense. That's real coaching. God, the Bears early in this season, couldn't get the basics down, the operational stuff.

They do now. So the Eagles are 0 and 4 when Saquan Barkley gets 13 carries or fewer. They face the Bears. Chicago runs at 47 times. Eagles run at 17. with that whole line. So I don't think these are solvable. Maybe, you know, I love the defense.

And there are teams that are just better on one side of the ball than the other. But this league, the coaching is younger. It's smarter. And you've got to be a little bit of a psychologist and a therapist and a doctor that makes home visits. Got problems to solve. and this has been around since week one. They still can't solve it.

So, J. Mack, people keep talking about how good is Denver and Chicago? Here's my question. How good is Philadelphia if they can't solve their offense? Yeah. I think you mentioned this before. Some teams peak early. Did the Eagles maybe peak a little bit early? I saw a weird stat that since Nikobee Dean,

their good linebacker from Georgia came back. Jihad Campbell, who has been unbelievable this season, is barely playing. He didn't play one defensive snap against the Bears, who ran the ball down their throat. And I'm like, you know, maybe they're just going through a tough transitional time. I think they'll be okay. There's still a dangerous team, obviously, with Hertz and that defense. But you're right.

That was a bad eye-opening loss. All right, Matt Hasselbeck, Colin Wright, Colin Wrong, both Steve Sarkesian and Urban Meyer stopped by. Big story of the weekend, you could have argued Lane Kiffin, kind of blowing up the SEC. going to LSU. Hour 2 now. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what?

We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know, tired and sick.

Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. 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 harmed. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come until 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 I Heart Radio

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva and on my new podcast, How Hard Can It Be? I call on my Gen X squad from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate Midlife's most fantastic BS. Unfiltered conversations from night sweats to futas to scheduling sex. Wait, what sex? Is it just me or does every woman my age want to look at Pinterest instead of having sex sometimes? They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter.

Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Therapy is fantastic. But once again, it does not have a monopoly on healing. That's why I create the resources and that's why I create the community because I really just want you to have more access.

On the podcast, cultivating her space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black women can show up fully and be heard. It's tough because we're suppressing our emotions. and so many of us are like high-achieving individuals. Listen to cultivating her space on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This week on Crimless, Rory and I welcome a very special guest. When I did podcasts, I wear my sleep masks.

I like where this is going. So if you guys will indulge me. That's right, the incredibly talented and hilarious Will Ferrell on an episode dedicated to crimes committed by people named Will Ferrell. You're good for 300 crimes? Yeah. We got two. I'm ready to go right up to present day. Listen to Crimless on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.