The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Matthew Stafford wins the MVP, there is still outage over Bill Belichick not getting in the HOF, Dianna Russini

Episode Date: February 7, 2026

After Matthew Stafford narrowly wins the NFL’s MVP over Drake Maye by a single vote, Colin Cowherd explains why Stafford was the right choice despite Maye and the Patriots going 14-3. He once again talks about the outrage over Bill Belichick not being a first ballot Hall of FamerSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Have I changed my mind? Did I have an epiphany last night after another lousy night of sleep in Los Angeles, it's the herd, wherever you may be, however you may be listening. thanks for making us part of your day. I've got two strong takes this morning. I've got to start the show with. And the first one is Matt Stafford won MVP last night by a vote over Drake May. I would have voted Matt Stafford. Both are excellent.

I don't think it would have been difficult for me to make the decision. And here's why. Because there's one thing that's not discussed about Matt Stafford. So Drake May led the NFL in scrambles. Clear advantage over Stafford. But Stafford dominated him in so many other important things. Like Stafford had twice as many what they call big time throws. Stafford also faced the Seattle Seahawks defense twice, right?

And by the way, did very well against the Seattle defense. Stafford played a much better schedule. Stafford had fewer what they call quarterback miscues. Sacks, fumbles, interceptions. Stafford had 38. May had 63. So Drake actually led the NFL and fumble. So you got more big plays.

You got fewer mistakes. But that's, and more touchdown passes, but you don't get the mobility. But to me, here's really the difference between the two. There is a reason in this country, you cannot be president until you're 35. Matt Stafford understands the why. on every play. Drake May is 23. He's still trying to figure out the what. It's like great parenting. You don't have to save your kids if you're a great parent. You don't put them in positions to be saved. Great presidents are like that. Matt Stafford's like that. He's a Jedi master at the line of scrimmage.

You ever watch how often the Rams go to the line of scrimmage and he's changing plays? He's getting you out of trouble. He's getting you into yards. Drake May can't do that. And maybe it's the fact that Stafford's got four daughters, he's been married for years, but there is a calmness and a maturity and an EQ. I mean, think about this. Matt Stafford has more fourth quarter comeback wins than Drake May has career starts. He's attempted 8,800 passes.

Drake May's at 800. They're just different people, life experience. We won't let you be president until your mid-30s, and I'd suggest we go to 40. I mean, I'm getting tired of the 70 and 80s, but there's a reason we have that. And so it's not just that I get more big plays, because you can argue, well, you got the Bonte Adams, you got Puka Nakua, you got all those tight ends, although I would argue New England's receiving core is really deep, and Hunter Henry's excellent. The Rams do have a better offensive line, but it comes down to the mature.

and the seasoning, and parents don't get credit for keeping their kids out of trouble so they don't have to save them. And Stafford does that as well as anybody in the NFL. This week, I had Tom Brady on the show, and we weren't even talking MVP debate. And he just randomly brought up Matt Stafford. When you have a very highly intellectual quarterback, let's look at Matt Stafford, who's going to probably win MVP. That's how he's walked to the line of scrimmage now. He's got 17 years of wisdom. He can now say, great, there's a very high percentage chance that this play's actually

going to work. Let's run it. That's how you continue to take growth as a quarterback and level up every single year because the processing amount of the processing information, the speed of processing information can get better as you get older. And that's why I think you see. a lot of success from quarterbacks in their mid to late 30s. You know, when you have an older brother and a younger brother, many times the younger brother will get upset and a bad moment becomes a bad hour, becomes a bad afternoon, becomes a bad day, and the older brother is like, you'll get it later. Don't worry, buddy.

You're going to understand it years from now. Drake May is still trying to figure out when he goes to the offensive line, when he goes out of the huddle and he's ready to take the snap. he's still trying to figure out the what. Matt Stafford's like, within seconds, understands the why. And if you watch Stafford every snap, and I did, he is at a Brady Manning level that very few quarterbacks, in my opinion, ever get to. Okay, so, you know, you had the NFL big event last night,

and they're giving out awards, NFL honors. And people are really incensed this week. You don't get people to join forces very often. Everybody's doing their own thing in America, but everybody is just outraged that Bill Belichick didn't get in first ballot of the Hall of Fame. So I just want to close this matter. Okay, first of all, let's talk Hall of Fame. The Basketball Hall of Fame lets in Officials and Metal Arc Lemon.

His commitment and confetti got him in. The Baseball Hall of Fame doesn't allow the all-time home run leader or the all-time hits leader. Okay, got it. The NFL Hall of Fame outrageously and egregiously for one year made Belichick wait. And people are losing there, you know what. Spygate 1, Spygate 2,

first round pick, third round pick, fines taken away, 45% winning percentage without Brady. Can we take a deep breath? Can we take a deep breath? Hall of fames are museums. So they serve primarily three functions. Number one, they're field trips for kids.

They're a way to burn a day if you're a senior. And it's where guys take their girlfriend to make them feel that they're more sophisticated. That's the majority of people that go to museums. Field trips, burn a day as an 80-year-old or impress your girlfriend. something to remember. You get in or you don't. You get a jacket or you don't. The Louvre opened in 1793.

Mona Lisa did not get in until 1797. She did not get in. Yeah, nobody, 10 million people a year go to the Louvre and look at the Mona Lisa. Not one of them has ever said, you know, she wasn't first ballot. Nobody's ever said that. By the way, why not? She was bad with the press, and if you take Da Vinci out, very thin resume. But in the end, you can't tell the story of the Italian Renaissance without her, so she got the jacket.

Nobody cares. And that Louvre is more important than the Pro Football Hall of Fame globally. Nobody's asking when. Luke Keatley got in last night. Awesome. Awesome. One of the great guys ever. one of the great linebackers ever 20 years from now nobody's asking when did he get in i get more

worked up that green day got in before pearl jam and bon jovi i'm still pissed about that that's what works me up but if mona lisa four years outrageous spigate one spygate two multiple fines two million dollars in fines taken away first round pitch third round picks. And I'm sorry, Jimmy Johnson without Troy Aikman. And then old Dan Marino still won 58% of his games. You take out Brady. Go look at the resume.

You've got the winning percentage of Jerry Glanville. Funny guy, not a great football coach. So can we all take a deep breath? Just take a deep breath. You get a jacket or you don't. You get in or you don't. don't get everything in life. And if you are viewed as somebody, and I don't think this is even disputable, that kind of push the envelope with the rules, calling everybody did it. Next time,

next time you get audited, tell the IRS agent that. Everybody cheats on their taxes. It's not going to work. I said it earlier this week. You get pulled over by law enforcement after a couple of beers. Everybody else here's a little sauce too. That's not going to work. There is a tax and a price to pay if you are seen regardless of the number of trophies. If you were fine multiple times, if they took away draft picks multiple times, he has to wait a year. A year. The Pro Football Hall of Fame, the headline this morning was, has this forever harnished the football Hall of Fame. I don't even know where the hockey

Hall of Fame is. Barry Bonds and Pete Rose aren't in the Baseball Hall of Fame. And they let in officials to the Basketball Hall of Fame. Football Hall of Fame is just fine. Mona Lisa got the gold jacket. She got the jacket. She's in. J. Mack, I'm glad I put a bow on that.

Wow. So all week, all week, I've said, take the under. It's low scoring. the defenses are better than the offenses. It's unbelievable coaching. Vrable and Josh McDaniel have a huge advantage, and I still think they do. Something, though, on a deeper dive,

there is something that I literally wrestled with last night. I struggled. Now, I've slept poorly all week. Listen, that happens when you're living it up out here in Los Angeles. But, hey, quick question on the Mona Lisa. Did the Mona Lisa hold Sean McVe's offense to three points in a Super Bowl? Could the Mona Lisa have done that? We had the slot receiver because of Bill Belichick.

Mona Lisa didn't do anything with a slot receiver. Okay, Belichick did a lot for this league. He got job, Colin. It's okay to say that. By the way, nice job on the artwork. Our graphics department. Who knew that she wore hoodies? The Italian Renaissance just keeps unveiling itself.

So I don't think, I want to talk about this. And then I'll get to the thing that kept me up. There is something about this game, and I can't get past it. It is a huge concern about New England, and I can't get past it. That among other things. I'm done with the Mona Lisa talk in The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. So, de Gaut's here.

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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 it. We're the 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. This is how you. You guys remember it going down?

Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect. We were God's Chosen, Kingdom on.

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Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I'm, competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything happening at Roland Garris, every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win

on Clay. Jen, she went. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rubakina Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface, because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court-side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs Tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full. year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. So Mike Frable appropriately was named NFL coach of the year at the NFL Honors, that big event up in San Francisco. So he's the only coach ever in his first year of the team

to take him to a Super Bowl when they had to lose it. record the previous season. Four and 13 to 14 and three. And I think to some degree, I'm glad the voters don't discount this, but, you know, because it's Robert Kraft and the Patriots, we sort of look at them as a winning culture. But he didn't just rebuild the roster and rebuild the culture in six months. He rebuilt the offense. This is a defensive coach. He rebuilt the offense. They were 30th, 31st, or last in every major offensive category. a year ago last.

They're second now in points. Third and total yards. They're top six in everything. But it's not just what he did, and I've said this for years. What happens when you leave a place? A truly great coach leaves awake. Jim Harbaugh left Michigan. They cratered within six months.

Urban Meyer left Florida. They've never been the same program. Like Mike Vrable left the Titans. Do you understand how good the Titans were for years? He left the Titans. They are now worse than the Jets over the last two years. They're the worst franchise in the league the last two years. And he did the hardest thing to do in the NFL.

The hardest thing for a coach to do is go to the playoffs and beat superstar First Ballot Hall of Fame quarterbacks when you don't have a good one or a great one. He beat Tom Brady and Lamar Jackson in the playoffs. with Ryan Tannahill. It's not just what he's done now. The great ones leave a wake, a total wake when they leave. Harbaugh at Michigan, Harbaugh with the Niners.

Go look at what they were six months later. Urban Meyer at Florida. It's not just that he flipped the culture, the roster, the offense in New England. The Titans now are the only team in the league over two years that's a bigger laughing stock than the Jets. And that is hard to do. JMAQ with the news.

No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Colin, we're starting in the NBA. Not great news last night for the Lakers. Luca Donchich suffers a leg injury in the first half. It's really unclear how serious this is. We're waiting for the MRI.

There was mention of a thigh. some are calling it a hamstring. Either way, not great. He did not play in the second half. Lakers did not need him, though, of course, because Austin Reeves showed up. Austin Reeves was incredible, 35 points coming off the bench. But the focus here is Luca, clearly limping. I'm hoping it's no big deal. You'd probably just shut him down for the All-Star break and he'll return afterward two weeks. Bothery at all that over the last couple years, a lot of injuries to Luca? It's not just Luca, a lot of the league right now. SGA's on the shelf two weeks within have muscle. What do you get in? I'm not animating at all. It just seems he's never been in the greatest shape. AD had a lot of injuries.

Yokic was out for a month. Janice has his fourth leg injury in like 18 months. Listen, the league is much harder than it used to be. Those guys are older players. Luke is still a kid. What is he? 26-ish. I mean...

That's a lot of injuries for a young player. I mean, LeBron was never hurt at 26. LeBron is bionic. That's obvious. He's a machine. team. I'm not intimating anything. I'm just saying, well, clearly you're not hinting at anything. I think you and I look at Luca differently. I look at him as an all-time great offensive player. The kid in Dallas right now is now an elite defensive player and offensive player at 19.

And I mean an elite defensive player. Obviously, yeah. There is that other side of the floor. Who are you more concerned about injury-wise? Joe Burrow with the Bengals or Luca Donchis with the Lakers? Well, it's not apples and oranges, I don't even know. I mean, Joe Burrow can't control getting hit. I mean, I guess he can, but he's had terrible low lines. Luca's injuries, I don't know, I always feel like the guys who are in elite shape get hurt less. Yes, I would. Now, there are some bad breaks where you rip an ankle up, but I mean, sometimes, you know, I mean, Yokic is banging around with big bodies.

I also think if you're Wembe and 7-4, it's just hard to stay healthy. There's more of you to bang into. You fall harder. You fall further. I don't know. Luca just, it feels like it gets dinged up a lot. Interesting. A little negative bent from Cowherd on a Luca Don Chitch's injury.

All right, let's move on to the Patriots and the Super Bowl, Colin. This is interesting. All the talk is Mike Rable and the Patriots have all the experience. But Super Bowl MVP Cooper Cup is on the Seahawks bench. Should that be talked about a little bit more? Here's Cup talking about his approach to getting back. Back to the big game. Oh, this is the ultimate place for being loose and focus, Cup said.

Everyone wants to tell you that this moment's too big, that they're going to tighten it up, that there's no room for error, but it's not. And Cooper Cup was wearing an I love Sam Darnold's shirt. I'm sure you, is that your, is that from the volume? Did you guys print that? Cup's very excited. And listen, this is an underplayed aspect. This guy did win the MVP just a few years ago.

And New England does a lot of man to man. They're going to probably put Christian Gonzalez. solace on J.S.N. to try to shut him down, which is hard because they move Jackson all over the field. He can't, he's in motion constantly. So I think Cooper Cup, though, I'd like to see Cooper Cup have, you know, eight targets, six, seven catches. So, I mean, New England plays a lot of man to man, and they're really aggressive. I'm telling you, I didn't sleep well last night. There are two things in this game. I cannot unsee deep diving. I mean, listen,

Shaheed is just a pretty much straight line deep ball guy. Cooper Cup's going to be the dude coming out of the slot who's going to have some options. I think you're right. I would almost look at Cooper Cup overs. Remember, two weeks for an older player to get fully healthy? Don't be shocked if also tight ends. Hunter Henry may be an important piece for the Patriots.

Yeah, we know both teams are not going to be able to run the ball. So you're going to have to hit these short passes. Final story, Colin, is, Kyle Shanahan, one of the best coaches in the league. You know, he was tremendous with the 49ers this season, but he did not win AP coach of the year. Obviously, Vrable got that award. Shanahan obviously, you know, was tremendous, but finished fifth. I was a little surprised.

Liam Cohen, McDonald, Ben Johnson. It was a good year for coaches. But on Radio Row yesterday, NFL vet, Logan Ryan, has played for a lot of coaches in this league and listen to them gush about playing for Shanahan. Kyle Shanahan blew me away. That is a 20-year, 25-year head coach. If he gets fired by the Niners in the next 20 years, they're wrong. He is genius. He is brilliant.

I love his leadership. I love his play calling. I love playing for college, Jan. And he blew me away. How did he blow you away? In one meeting, he was able to draw up offense and defense and explain everyone's position. And I haven't seen that since Bill Belichick. So to me, he has the same level of design as Bill Belichick, but more from the offensive side of the ball.

Yeah, I mean, I think it's understood. That's why I think you have to be careful. Every great coach has a whole. He does not have a lot of come from behind fourth quarter wins. Some of that you can argue is he hasn't had a Mahomes or a Brady in his career or a Marino Elway Manning. He's a pretty. Yeah, exactly. So he's a little bit, he sometimes gets a little paralyzed by his play sheet.

But I don't think there's any question. I mean, Sean McVeigh has won. It's really hard to win Super Bowl. I mean, have you ever looked at Bill Parcell's winning percentage? Bill Parcells, the mentor for Bill Bel. I think it's like 57%. I mean, just think about that. And then Wade Phillips, who took over some really is right, I think is in line with him, was for a while.

Well, we don't consider them the same coach. Bill took over reclamation projects, whereas, you know, Wade Phillips, you know, inherited or took over teams that had a little less chaos, maybe a better roster. But I mean, I think I don't get too tied up on the knocks on Shanahan not winning Super Bowls. You know, he faced Mahomes and Super Bowls. It's hard to win. Yeah, if you're having a coach draft, Shanahan's definitely like a top four coach. Yeah.

Bill Parcells, the staff says it. 57% win percentage. Wade Phillips 56. No, what are we doing? Yeah. Okay. So that's the same thing about Shanahan. Well, where is Shanahan's trophy?

take a deep breath is what do you inherit who are your quarterbacks who's in your division one of the one of the breaks Tom Brady got is Peyton Manning and the Colts. The Colts moved out of his

division so we got the Jets Miami and a bad Buffalo mess for 20 years. Now it's not to say Tom did not have to go on the road much in the playoffs in the one place he did go on the road a lot Denver he struggled so it's like I mean that's not to say he's not great but there are usually dynasties and championships.

Nick Saban dominated the SEC in Georgia until the end couldn't get their head coach right. The minute they did, suddenly Georgia had better players that looked like to me than Alabama. The criticisms of Shanahan sound a lot like Andy Reid before he got Patrick Mahomes. Remember with Philly NFC championship every year, they lose in the Super Bowl, then he gets Patrick Mahomes and now Andy Reid is like on the doorstep of greatness. Suddenly. Yes. Jay Mack with the news.

Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by The Herd Lie News. The things that keep me up at night. So a lot has been made about Drake May being very young. He's the second youngest quarterback to get to a Super Bowl. But there are two things over the last, I would say, 12 hours I've thought a lot about. One of them is Drake May in his age.

So people go, Big Ben made a Super Bowl at 23. Mahomes made his Super Bowl at 24. So did Brady. Well, let's go back and look at those. Big Ben's Super Bowl at 23, he was awful. Nine of 21, two picks through for a hundred, twenty-three yards. The Steelers protected Ben from himself. He was a liability when he got to a Super Bowl at that age.

How about Mahomes, Super Bowl at 24? He was bad. He got outplayed by Jimmy Garoppolo for three quarters. He had two picks. and the 78 passer rating. Well, Tom Brady, winning his first Super Bowl. Yep. 24 years old, 59% completion percentage, 86 passer rating, and 145 yards.

It was defense, run game, and coaching. And so, Mahomes, Big Ben, and Tom Brady, that first, that early Super Bowl in their early 20s, they were saved by coaching and defense. Now, the coaching and defense for the Patriots is excellent. So that doesn't mean he can't win. But in three playoff games, his passer rating has fallen 30 points. And his completion percentage has fallen almost 20%.

So, yeah, the weather's cold, it's outside. But I will say this. If you go to that Denver game before the blizzard hit, before the blizzard hit, first four possessions, Drake May. Punt, punt, punt, punt. Okay. So this is just one thing I'm thinking about in the last 12 hours is you start looking at Brady's first Super Bowl or Big Ben or Mahomes.

And these are all-time top 10, 12 legends. Their team overcame them to some degree. I mean, they struggled completing passes, pass-a-rating not ideal. So if this game comes down to Drake May having to throw 38 times, New England's in, in my opinion, is in trouble. And that will lead me in 30 minutes to my next big feeling about this game. My next big feel. And I'll give you that in just a bit. I'll have my pick.

And Fernando Mendoza, who's going to be the number one pick to the Raiders, I'll have both of those at the top. 28, 30 minutes from now. So I was asked this, the other night I had to fly to the Bay Area, San Francisco for an event, and that was a fun event. And so I had a young guy come up to me at this event. He was a young kid, probably 23, 24 years old. Could have been younger, young kid at this party. And he said, who do you think the next Sam Darnold is? And there's a lot of talk about that.

And I paused for a second and I said, there isn't one. This won't happen again. And I said because, and I didn't give them an answer, but I walked away and had to take a truck to the airport, car to the airport. And I'm thinking about that kid. And I'm thinking, the Jets uniquely damaged careers. I mean, you can say, well, what about the Titans? Yeah, but Mike Vrabble became a number one seed with the Titans. and Derek Henry was unbelievable.

So's Jeffrey Simmons. They didn't ruin careers. What about Cleveland? Miles Garrett's been great. Every day he's been a Cleveland Brown and Kevin Stefansky won coach of the year twice. The Jets are different. I mean, do you know who's starting at Wright Tackle for the Patriots and having a good year? Former Jett?

You know who's starting for the quarterback for the Seahawks, the former Jet? Not to mention, Devonte Adams, for the Rams, led the NFL in touchdowns, irrelevant for the Jets, and Aaron Rogers got to the playoffs and was kind of irrelevant. for the Jets. So I think Darnold bust to Super Bowl, I don't think it's going to happen again. I mean, I think it's a Jets thing. Everybody's

looking at the players or the coaches. There are plenty of people that succeeded during Vrabels run in Tennessee. Plenty of people have succeeded in Cleveland. Nick Chub was excellent the whole time. Miles Garrett's excellent the whole time.

They've had good offensive. They've made the playoffs. So Sam, it's not just about talent. The Jets are so topic and poorly run. Think how talented Darnold is. Think how good he was in Minnesota. How outstanding he's been with the Seahawks. He was awful.

He was a bust with the Jets. And I'm the biggest Darnold fan doing this for a living. So I don't think you're going to see another bust to Super Bowl. unless somebody's drafted by the Japs. It has to go through New York. Diana Rusini around the corner, Max Crosby, Fernando Mendoza, the number one pick in late April.

Live in L.A., it's The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast.

called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to 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 did 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 to... John? Yes. I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas.

And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Jacob Kingston grew up in an isolated polygamous sect.

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You need to tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Jacob told Levan, you're ruining my life. Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis, and I know firsthand because I compete. there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs, and on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down everything

happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Jenchian won. I mean, she went down in three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lena Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface because if she's serving, well, good luck. Consider this your court-side seat to the French Open. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Seattle has more elite units. I do think New England's coaching experience on the Super Bowl matters. You know, something to remember about Seattle. If they commit one or fewer turnovers, they're 10-0 this year. So there are specific ways. We've seen Seattle and Darnold have four turnovers and give the Rams an elite team everything they can handle. And fairly, we also saw New England and Drake May cough it up against Houston multiple times and still win. These teams are good enough to overcome mistakes.

The difference is when Seattle doesn't make them, they don't lose. And they are 10 and 0 with one or fewer mistakes. and there is kind of a volume and a speed and an athleticism to both sides of the ball in Seattle that feels different than New England, and that's why they're four and a half point favorite, and a lot of money has come in overwhelmingly on Seattle. I think it's low scoring. I'm going to take the points.

I'll give you my prediction in 25 minutes, but the athletic senior NFL insider Diana Rusini covered the NFL now for over a decade is joining us live. You're a voter, by the way, an MVP. You know, they're both great. I'm not bothered by either. Drake May is mobile and adds an extension to an offense that Stafford doesn't. I said one of the things that I like about Stafford, and it's not Drake May's fault, Diana.

You can't be president in this country until you're 35. You've got to be at least viewed as kind of an adult. Stafford literally has more fourth quarter comebacks than Drake May has starts. And maybe it's all the kids and the family and the mom. maturity, but he walks to the line, he knows the why. And Drake may still trying to figure out the what. And to me, that's the, I watched, I watched Stafford walk, walk to the line. I mean, he's literally changing stuff constantly. So to me, they're both great. That, that would be the determining factor for me. How did you weigh it? I would push back on that and say,

because Drake doesn't understand the what or why just yet, that is what made it so remarkable, performance this regular season. Because he doesn't have all the experience in big moments that we've seen Matthew Stafford have, he's won a Super Bowl before. So the fact that Drake May in just his second season was able to figure out an offense that was run by Josh McDaniels, understand it, comprehend it, and produce at such a high level with less talent around him, to me, was slightly more impressive. I'm with you on the, we could go back and forth on this. And look, the voters, look how close it came.

It was one or the other. I voted for Dregme. Just due to the fact that the surrounding people around him, it caused him to have to elevate his game a little bit more than what Matthew Stafford did. But in the same token, every single time Matthew Stafford steps up to the line, I'm not even really looking at what Matthew's doing. anymore because you just know he's going to do what he needs to do. I'm looking to see where

he's going to. Whereas these younger quarterbacks, I like watching the mechanics. I like watching to see the communication on the line to see if they're understanding play on the NFL level. And it seems that Drake May is progressing really well. Now, there's not I mean, because I think they both have, there's

not pushback like there was for Belichick. I said this week, Robert Kraft's not in the Hall of Fame, Jerry Jones is. I'm like, that to me is shocking. I do think because of the spy gates, the draft picks taken away, the fines levied. I think basically the voters, about 11 of them, slapped his wrist. It wasn't that punitive. They didn't whack him upside the head. They slapped him on the wrist for a year. And by the way, they did change the methodology of voting. You can get right in now.

That's not been the case before. So like I, it didn't, people say it's going to tarnish the Hall of Fame. and I'm like, if you look at Hall of Fame's basketball lets and officials. Like, I don't think it's the end of the world. Were you surprised by the outrage defending Belichick? I was not surprised by the outrage due to the fact of what he's accomplished. I was surprised that people were supporting Bill Belichick because it's really been, from a PR perspective, in the last year, it felt that a lot of people that I thought would normally be coming out in support of Belichick collectively, as a head.

head coach as a head coach who possibly wants to coach in the NFL again. I wasn't hearing from those people. Everyone has kind of moved on and in fact kind of separated themselves from Belichick in some instances. So to see sympathy for a guy that has been difficult to have sympathy for over the last two decades and more specifically the last year or so, I thought that just spoke to, it almost helped the cause of why he needs to be in because it was very hard to find people who didn't believe outside of those voters and maybe a few other people on Twitter. I actually called Bill Parcells the other day

just to get his reaction. This is a guy who's obviously had a long history and has had some problems with him in the past as well as Robert Kraft. And Parcellus was like, this is ridiculous. This is ridiculous because this is proof that people have personal vendettas. And you cannot vote in that.

nature. Even just as a reporter, I know it's just an AP voting. It's not that big of a deal as the hall. I've had relationship, we'll call it issues or problems with some of the guys I need to vote for. You can't think of it that way. You can't bring that into your vote. You have to look at the accomplishment. Otherwise, let's just have robots vote. Let's give it to AI at this point. Chat GPT. Who should go in the Hall of Fame at this point? Because guess what chat would say? Bill check you um i think you you broke this story um he's on our show today he's one of my favorite players in the league and i've talked through the years when i've talked to people inside the league about max crosby they're like i i've asked gms before take quarterbacks out give me five guys you'd

want in your roster all of them say max crosbie his his relentlessness his story um people love Max Crosby. You broke the story that Vrable is a very attractive coach for him to play for. Were you kind of surprised at that? Or was it a revelation to you? You tell me. Look how you just described, Max. Doesn't that sound like Mike Rabel?

Isn't that the same person? Leader, disciplined, intense. The thing about Max Crosby is when people think of good habits for a professional athletes. They think of Tom Brady immediately, right? Because he was known to be the Max Crosby is the non-quarterback that takes care of his body, his mental health. He does all the things that we saw Brady do in terms of sacrifice. He just doesn't really talk about it as much. And that's what people in league circles I've always said about about Max specifically. Now, in terms of of him wanting to play for Mike Fribal, he's had six different head coach.

including an interim in Las Vegas. It has been the example of unsteady. Of course he would want a leader, like Mike Vrable, to play for at some point in his career if he were to have that opportunity. But I think really the reason why it caught headlines is just because I think everyone wants to know what is the future, and I'm sure you're gonna ask him later today

of where to things stand, right? This is a man that has said he wants to be a reader for life. But this is also a man who's got goals, who wants a legacy, who wants a Super Bowl ring, who wants to be here playing, this weekend. He doesn't want to be going through turnover again and again and now a young quarterback perhaps. Fernando Mendoza, who I know you're going to have on the show today as well, who's been fantastic down here, by the way. You would think he's been in a league for five years.

So I'm interested to see what the next move is. Do I think Vegas is going to go, hey, Max, we want to trade you right now. No way. Everybody wants Max Crosby on their team. I'm just interested to see if they're going to allow Max Crosby to dictate what he's he wants to do next. And we'll see what Max wants. So putting your reporter cap on, when you spend a week in San Francisco five or six days, you hear reports from practice. There's the media day. I saw Mike McDonald said his team is loose, really focused and loose. They're a young team. Young teams bring a certain energy. I mean, the experience the Patriots coaches have, I think, is an advantage. The youth

and energy and speed of Seattle, I think, is an advantage. What do you hear right now about the two teams? Super Bowls can be tight. Have you heard any of those stories? Anything out of the ordinary this week? Yeah. From what I can gather, Seattle has a looseness about them. I ran into Leonard Williams, actually, the other day.

And I knew Leonard when he was in New York. Remember, he was with the Giants and the Jets, and he wasn't even close to winning anything. And so we were just reflecting on how much your life can change if you're just with the right organization. And I said, describe what it's like to play for the Seahawks just based on all your years. He said, this is the closest to college. This is the closest feel I've ever had from top to bottom and the friendships I have on this team and how you go out there for each other. It doesn't feel like work. Whereas in other places I've been, it just felt like a job.

And I think that speaks volumes to the culture that Seattle has built there. These guys are just going out there and they're playing with joy. Whereas I think on the other side, New England is here playing knowing that they may not be as talented of a roster. They're going to need some breaks. They're going to need some turnovers. They're going to need to outcoach the Seattle team. And they're aware. So when you talk about tone and vibe, I would describe the Patriots a little bit more tense.

than the Seahawks. And Ted's is being a little dramatic. It's just they know that they've got to be perfect, almost perfect, if not maybe a little bit more, in order for them to come out as winners. But obviously, we just talked about their leader in Mike Vribal, and if there's anyone who wants to be doubted right now, and maybe a Patriot fan will clip all of this and send it to him,

since I sound like I'm doubting, it's this man because he knows to find the ways to win. He can find those small ways. Yeah. Diana Rusini, the athletic senior NFL insider. Game is Sunday, obviously. Diana is always. It's great seeing you.

Thank you so much. I miss you down here. I have to tell you. I want to sit next to you. I don't want to be sitting in this random set, just looking at you. Get out of Chicago. Get down here. Let's do some work together.

It's in the future. All right. Maybe. Thanks for having me, Colin. All right. There is, so the two things I said, it's not that I had an epiphany because I think the game's going to be low-scoring. I'm taking the points.

But there are two things about this game. One, I addressed with you, which is when you go look at Brady's first Super Bowl and Big Ben's versus Super Bowl and Mahomes versus Super Bowl, they won because of coaching and defense, right? Like, it's, it's, it was choppy. I mean, Jimmy Garoppolo outplayed Mahomes. Mahomes missed a deep ball. If he hits that, San Francisco wins. And Mahomes was outplayed by Jimmy Garoppolo. And Garoppolo in his prime was fun.

But don't forget that Big Ben was bad. And Tom Brady, it was coaching and defense. Tom was fine, but it was coaching and defense. So that's the first thing to think about. Drake May facing with the weakest unit in this game for either team is New England's O line. That's the weakest unit. Now, I don't think Seattle's O line is great, but to me, it's a very good run blocking O line in Seattle. Pro, I mean, how many great pass pro O lines are there in the NFL?

Not a ton. And some of that is escapability by quarterback. Both these quarterbacks are escapable. So it hasn't been punitive to Drake May. He leads the NFL in scramble. Some of that is survival. He's had to move. So the weakest, you know, I've always said in pro football, the coaching is so good, J. Mack.

You don't have to be great anywhere. You can't be bad anywhere. You don't have to be great everywhere. You can't be bad anywhere. will Seattle's defensive front make the Patriots O-line look bad? Will that be the unit where you're like, okay, they can't block them? That's to me a big part of this game. Yeah, so the Texans, Chargers, and Broncos sacked May 5 times each.

May with sack 47 times this season. You could argue Seattle's got a better defense or as good as all those teams, especially with McDonald. I think the Seattle defense dominates this game. I'm with you. Low scoring. You know, I told you yesterday. I don't think it hurts to put a couple bucks on Patriots get shut out.

Patriots don't score a touchdown. None of that stuff would surprise me. I think this defense is really nasty coming. In the last eight weeks, last eight games, one team has done well against them. The Rams, that's it. The Rams did it twice. And the Rams have. Nobody else.

The Rams have Matt Stafford, a veteran quarterback who's seen everything. And McVeigh, a genius coach. Sorry. Josh McDaniel's history in the Super Bowl? How many first quarters they go scoreless? was it seven in a row or something like that with Brady? These are all legitimate points. So I'm going to have my pick next.

And Fernando Mendoza. Hour two and a Friday. In L.A., it's the Hurd. Hey, guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick.

And guess what? We created our own podcast called. Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We get to ask 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 Smigel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story

behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlice on the iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.