The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD – HOUR 1 – Packers Lack Toughness, Steelers Living In The Past

Episode Date: August 7, 2026

The Green Bay Packers hope to bounce back in 2026 after a disappointing finish to last season. Colin Cowherd looks at head coach Matt LaFleur and wonders if the team lacks toughness to get into true Super Bowl contention. Colin discusses the state of the Steelers under new head coach Mike McCarthy. He wonders if McCarthy is the right coach for Pittsburgh who’s looking to win their first playoff game in 9 years.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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A.A.O. Rewatch on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? I'm sports journalist Ari Chambers. Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your girl, Sam J. And we're the host of everyone watches women's sports. It's a new podcast from Together in I Heart Women's Sports. We're breaking down the biggest headlines. Naomi Osaka, show it out.

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Oh, it is a Friday. Put that Hall of Fame game in the Hall of Fame. That's the best one I've ever seen. We are live. It's the herd, wherever you may be. however you may be listening, watching whatever the platform. A lot of choices out there appreciate it. Thanks for making us part of your Friday.

Bears Camp, I'm headed there Sunday. John Middlekoff joining me to wrap up this week. He's back next week as well. He's been great. So, you know, there's certain things that I've, this has kind of been a theme on this week's show. This, the sky is falling, doom and gloom, too often portrayed by the sports media. And I think the NIL, the baseball pitch clock, there's no downside.

And I'm watching Carson Beck last night. And that kid stayed in college one more year, goes to Miami. And between George and Miami, he played 12 top 10 teams. He played with 45 NFL guys. And you watched last night, Carson Beck, he was ready to play. Maturity, poise, patience. That is a kid who spent six years in college. He would have come out last year, been drafted late, fifth, sixth round, sat in a bench.

Nope, he played 15 games at Miami with NFL teammates, just like he did at Georgia. Carson Beck's, I'm watching Carson Beck last night. I'm not saying he or Haynes King are going to tear up the league, but Carson Beck's looks like a starter to me. I don't know how good of a starter. He kind of looks like a starter. And again, Haynes King, another guy. would have come out a year ago, late, you know, seventh round pick, Haynes King and Carson Beck.

43 college starts. Both stayed in college six years. And this is what I've said. And by the way, there's no rush to get to the NFL. Matt Stafford was MVP. Was 38 years old. Everybody's playing longer now. You can't hit, right? Nobody's, nobody's hitting quarterbacks anymore. You can, you can last longer. You can't get driven into the dirt or the astro term. So, and there's two other quarterbacks this year in college football. Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss. He's great. Dante Moore at Oregon, really great.

Those guys would have come out in this draft. Five years ago, they're in the NFL. Both stayed another year, one at Old Miss, one at Oregon, and those guys are going to play another 14, 15 games because both Oregon and Ole Miss have a chance, you know, to win a lot of games and get to the playoff. And so, to me, I'm watching that Hall of Fame game. usually it's a bunch of rookie quarterbacks, and by the second series,

you're like, oh, this is unwatchable. I watched the whole game. I thought it was fantastic. So the NIL is benefiting everybody. First of all, college football now with the NIL. Players stay in college a year or two longer. The rosters are older. The schemes are more sophisticated.

The quality of play is better. I said that Hurricane Hoosier game last year. That's the closest thing I've ever seen in college to the NFL. And the NFL players now, they come in, rookies come in way more developed, intellectually, emotionally, way more prepared. They're older kids. They've made a little scratch. They're not overwhelmed by the league.

Now, NFL executives privately are complaining that, you know, that extra year or two in college, the kids are all beat up. Oh, give me a break. They're playing longer on the back end. And the other thing is if you look at draft picks, right? Like 80% of players don't sign a second contract with a team that drafts them, even first round guys. So again, between rehab being better, body maintenance being better, nutrition being better,

everybody's playing longer on the back end of their career. Who cares if you get them a year later? But I'm, I got to tell you something, the pitch clock in baseball and the NIL and college football, I think the college game is better and you're watching that game. Be honest. That's the best Hall of Fame game. any of us have ever seen. And the reason it was good was the quarterback play. It wasn't great inside linebacker play because nothing ruins, as great as football is, and we all love it.

As great as football is, nothing ruins that one o'clock red zone window like bad rookie quarterback play, right? Or a guy's in his second or third year and you're like, man, it's just, it's not there. I don't know if Carson Beck and Haynes King, Haynes King, probably a backup. in the NFL. But Carson Beck, I don't know, look pretty good to me. Here is Carson Beck's coach, Matt Lefleur and Hand King on last night. It's going to be a broken record. The same thing that I keep seeing at practice where he just gets in and out of the huddle and he doesn't make it too big. He just lives by the play. It doesn't count the win loss. But it was a cool environment for him to just kind of, you know, it's just another game. And that's the way he took it. And he's

been in big ones. I was proud of the way he played. And it's a good first step in stone form. I mean, it's a dream come true. You know, growing up, you hear about, you know, all these first ballot Hall of Famers. And, you know, to see some of them even walking in front of you before the game like that is pretty amazing. And then just to be out there and go out there and try to showcase your talent in front of them is, you know, as a dream come true. You know, I was looking this morning at Carson Beck, six-year college player, right? and instead of coming to the NFL, he goes to Miami and makes a bunch of money. And I was looking at the games he played in college.

I mean, if you wonder why Carson Beck, it was so prepared for the NFL, and I'm not going to read all these games. Look at the teams he played in college. And a lot of those come on that last year in Miami. So when you watched Haynes King last night and you watched Carson Beck, what do young quarterbacks, rookie quarterback struggle with in the NFL? The speed of the NFL. Look at Carson Beck.

Look how many pro athletes he played with it, practice at Georgia and Miami, and played against. The one thing that was so obvious with Carson Beck, he was already at NFL speed. Quick reads, quick release, get rid of it. That's the one thing rookie quarterback struggle with for years and years. The game's really fast. They'll tell you that. Quarterbacks are like, man, it takes you a year to cash out with the speed. Carson Beck, all these Georgia, Miami NFL first round teammates?

He was totally comfortable in the pocket. That's the power of the NIL. Okay. Speaking of Lefleur, Matt Lefleur has been in the league a while. And Matt Lefleur, the Packers, is probably on the coolest hot seat any coach has ever been on. It's not your usual hot seat like Matt Eber Fluse last year in Chicago, but two things are working against the Green Bay coach. Number one, his division has Ben Johnson and Kevin O'Coh. Ronald, brilliant offensive coaches, top of the, top of the league.

And then the ultimate alpha dog coach, Dan Campbell. And so over the last two years, the NFC North has won seven more games than the next division. It is probably or arguably the best coach division in football. You have got to be on your A game every single Sunday. So that's kind of working against him. Here's the other thing. Matt LaFleur has now developed a reputation and the Packers' front office knows it. and they're watching the last couple of playoff losses where they get that big lead,

very smart, sophisticated game plan, and then they're not tough enough to finish the game off. Ty Dunn used to cover LaFleur and the Packers, and he talked about the reality of what this football operation has become under LaFleur. Again and again and again, you just see a lack of will, a lack of toughness. Go back to that Denver game, right? Jordan Love gets whacked in the head. and he's down. What did the teammates do?

They're doing what they're told by Matt LaFleur. They're not jumping in. They're not going to get a penalty. But guess what? That is embedded into the fabric of who you are as a team. I mean, they knew if you punch the Packers in the mouth under Matt LaFloor, they're not going to punch back. I think more than personnel, Colin, more than any transactions,

they need a killer instinct. And Ben Johnson, bears, hyper-aggressive. Dan Campbell, bite your kneecaps, hyper-aggressive. arguably the two most aggressive coaches in the sport or in the same division with the stoic less emotional, less aggressive Matt LaFleur. And so it amplifies what is a problem. It's not my opinion.

Packer, I've been defending Matt LaFleur for years. Packer fans are all over it. And he's making the playoffs, sneaking into the playoffs. So if you look at the 49ers and the Lions in the NFC, arguably the two most physical NFC teams, LaFlewer's four.

and eight against those teams. And so there is a sense with Lefleur's teams. 88% of the time they've taken a lead in a game. That's a remarkable percentage. Why? Because he's smart. They don't commit penalties. They're highly efficient.

One of the smartest teams in the league. But in the NFL, as a coach, you have to pull multiple levels. Smart gets you a lead. Toughness finishes it off. And the sense is Micah Parsons' brought in to add that element of toughness, and he's not available till October. The draft, according to Ty Dunn, they made specific qualifications this year for their draft picks, nasty, tough physical players. The sense is the team is missing that. So I think it,

remember when Ben Johnson, I mean, Ben Johnson is aggressive, even at the podium. Remember this shot he took at LaFleur? I know this is the toughest division of football right now. I've got tremendous amount of respect for the coaches and the players in this league. Dan Campbell, Kevin O'Connell, you're talking about two guys that are up for Coach to the Year awards as the season ends here. And to be quite frank with you, I kind of enjoyed beating Matt LaFleafour twice a year. And LaFleur never really responded. So it kind of felt soft as Bree cheese in a town that loves

you know, age cheddar. So it's a real thing. It's kind of being amplified. They feel a little soft. Chicago and Detroit are hyper-aggressive. They're in the same division. And, you know, I said this last year, John. I said, to me, Matt LaFleur's comp is Lincoln, Riley, at USC.

I just watched the USC Nebraska game. It was edited down to an hour. I watched it yesterday. Or not USC Illinois game. It was edited down to an hour. So I was in the Big Ten building. I'm watching it yesterday. as I'm sitting ready for the show.

And USC is so clever and so multiple and so much motion, it does not look like a college offense. It was up and down the field, but they couldn't close the game out. And that has been the knock on Lincoln, Riley, and Matt LaFleur. They take the lead. They're highly creative. They don't commit a lot of penalties,

but they struggle to finish teams off. They're smart, offensive guys, but are they culture and tight? toughness builders. And I think that's been a fair criticism of Lafleur and Lincoln Riley, and I've defended both. But it's also a criticism. I mean, remember, the playoff game against the Bears, year before, playoff game against the 49ers. In both games, Green Bay's in control, can't finish off a game that they control. I think in football, you can't fake toughness. And some guys are Dan Campbell, the Harbaugh's, Tomlin, are just tough guys. And you make Kyle Shanahan.

And you wouldn't say he's tough, but he instills that in the way he practices. And I think LeFleur has kind of proven to be a good underdog. They got to play with Malik Willis. He can kind of outthink you. They go into games last year that Bears playoff game. No one thought they could win. They have a commanding lead at halftime. But then the toughness, like you said, in the second half of these games,

when you just put your foot on someone's throat. They don't. Not really his personality. And, I mean, perfectly manicured hair, eyebrows. You know, it's like, I like my, I don't mind a little overweight head coach. you know, that guy that missed a few gyms sessions, you know. He's tough because he's clearly pretty solid, but I think the question mark is for this tiny little market in America,

the Packers are one of our most important franchises in any sport. And they are, I would say there's a magnifying glass on that team that's watched very, very closely, especially in the division, right? It's not easy, as Ben Johnson said. And the editor thing that's the truth about football, When the PAC 12 teams join the Big 10, what did everybody question? How are the warm weather schools going to deal with the Big 10 brand of football? Big 10 football, because of the weather, November on, you got to run the golf ball.

You got to be physical. You got to be tough. It's not pretty football. You win ugly all the time. So it's almost like Matt Lafleur, Lincoln Riley. They're playing kind of a sunny weather football, which is be smart, be multiple, be thoughtful, take leads. And by the way, that's going to win you a lot of games in this league. But again, smart get you lead in the pro football and college football.

Toughness, get you the win. At the end of that game, eight, 12 play drives, no passes, head down. You're bloody, you pick up a third and one three separate times. And I think that's the question about Matt Lafleur and Green Bay. And I don't think it's a cheap shot. I think we have now, we've got some data that it's probably true. We got a lot of stuff today. Chris Sims, Robert Mace from The Athletic is, boy, that podcast,

is as smart as they get, he'll be joining us. He's been bouncing around camps. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Hey, it's Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington from the odd couple on Fox Sports Radio. And in addition to hearing us live weeknights

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Factor, Canada's number one ready-to-eat meal delivery service. Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pasto survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all? And will you finish episode 8 before you're done slicing the cucumbers? Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Craved Netflix and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on Internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit.

Visit bell.com for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. What's up, fam? I'm sports journalist Ari Chambers. Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your girl, Sam J. And we're the host of everyone watches women's sports, a new podcast from Together and I heart women's sports. Because let's be real.

Women's sports is giving us way too much to talk about these days. So Kelsey Finler, She became the first female solo rower to go from California to Hawaii. My first thought is, like, what's up with the snacks? Like, what are we eating? The highlights, the rivalries, the breakout stars, the moments that take over your entire timeline. And the conversations that start during the game and somehow keep going all week. Every week, we're breaking down the biggest stories across women's sports.

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Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, Portlandia fans. Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen here. You know us, or rather you know them. Tony and Candace, Nina and Lance, Spike, and yes, the chicken. We've played a lot of iconic characters over the years, but today we're showing up as ourselves to tell you about Podlandia AO Rewatch, our brand new podcast.

Each week, we'll revisit an episode of Portlandia from the very beginning, breaking down the sketches, exploring the backstories of our most iconic characters, revisiting the Portland locations you know and love, and opening up about our creative process. How did any of this get made? Why do we think that was a good idea? We're ready to talk about it. And we'll also be joined by the people who helped bring it all to life. Guest stars, collaborators, and friends, including director Jonathan Chrysall, the mayor himself, Kyle McLaughlin, legendary musician Amy Mann, and many more. Kyle is going for it here.

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Ayo rewatch on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, you're now entering no Bull Zone, sponsored by credible great rates under the Bull. So Mike Tomlin was predictably very, very good on his debut for NBC. We've said for years. Everybody knows it. Mike is so good at the podium. Just,

just, you know, real clarity, real succinct, gets to the point. And he was asked about Mike McCarthy, now the Steeler coach, as he left Pittsburgh and moved to the booth. You know, I know a little bit about the Steelers situation, to say the least. Mike's perfect for them and they're perfect for Mike. Certainly being a Pittsburgh native, he understands the standard that is Pittsburgh. and he'll embrace that. His coaching experience will also allow him to manage that. He's got an awesome resume. Obviously, the confetties rained down on him before

with his current quarterback, Aaron Rogers. And there's no substitute for shared success. I don't see him as a perfect hire, but I do think Mike McCarthy, as we've noted on this show, several times, is better than his reputation. He's certainly in the class of Mike Tomlin or John Harbaugh, who were held in much higher regard than McCarthy, and they have the same resumes.

But the Steelers organization, football's gotten smarter. Fans are smarter. The coaches are smarter. You don't drive quarterbacks into the turf. And I think the Steelers are very uncomfortable with a lot of the changes. I mean, one of the changes that's obvious is 30 is the new 40 for head coaches. McVeigh got a job at 30. Shanahan 37.

Liam Cohen in his 30s. Three more coaches this year. Got a job in their 30s. D'Amico Ryan's. Mike McDonald, best two defensive. coaches arguably, maybe not arguably in the NFL, got their jobs in the 30s. Meanwhile, the Steelers hired a 62-year-old head coach, who many believe is a little bit of a retread. Perhaps he is, again, better than the average retread. But this is the current model in the

NFL. Get young, get current lean offense. That's the model. Secondly, quarterback is now because of rule changes, and you all know this listening on radio or on watching on TV. The sport's about 70% quarterback. You used to be able to win a lot of games as kind of a running team or defense wins championships. Nobody can stop anybody. I mean, it's just like best offense wins. I mean, the Cioxx were rare. I mean, really rare team where you're like, oh, they're led by their defense. Yet the MVP of the Super Bowl is running back and Sam Darnold didn't have a turnover and that was really the key of their postseason success. Nobody could stop JSN, Kenneth Walker and Donald had no turnovers. And that's as a defensive organization first. So the Steelers in the last five years

have treated quarterback like an interior linebacker. We'll get to it. I mean, can you imagine Sean McVeigh waiting in an offseason for Aaron Rogers to decide if he wants to play football? That's just no way Liam Cohen is sitting around waiting for that. It's just not the way it works. So, and my take is they also hired a GM that nobody else in the league saw as a GM. they hire a 62-year-old coach. I think the 2026 Pittsburgh Steeler organization is closer to a better version of the Cincinnati Bengals than they are the L.A. Rams. And I really believe that. I think Philadelphia, some of these organizations are clever and current.

The Rams, Philadelphia, Houston's gotten there. I think these guys are the Bengals. The ownership is poor. They hire in-house. They don't go top of the market. and, you know, I mean, like, Cincinnati will never truly invest in the offensive line, and the Steelers are like whole-humant quarterback.

So they're not playing modern football in the front office or on the field. To me, they spend way too much money on defense. So I don't think Mike McCarthy is a perfect fit, like Mike Tomlin said. I don't think he's an awful fit. But it's sometimes, you see this all the time, you got family members like this, you got in-laws like this, there's companies like this. They're just not comfortable with some of the cultural changes in America or at work.

And that's what the Steelers feel like to me. A better, glossier version of the Bengals than like the L.A. Rams who were top of the league. Here's John Middletoff with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Con, last year around this time, there was kind of a dark cloud over Oxnard with the Micah Parsons drama. Once the preseason game started, he started laying on training tables.

It got really weird. This year feels the polar opposite. Dak Prescott has been adamant about the Cowboys being, quote, Gotti are the greatest offense there is. There was a good video out of C.D. Lamb catching some balls and a drill with what looked like a B-net or something on his head. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I just think for the first time, you know, CDs held out. Dax always had contract disputes. Obviously, the Micah thing was kind of the pinnacle of it all.

They feel kind of quiet. I mean, really for the Cowboys. And just a lot of, like, tangible good vibes. Well, there's been a lot of changes. The one thing that's the constant is Dack Prescott. And it's not just Dack the quarterback. It's Dack the grown-up. In a noisy organization, Ezekiel Elliott years ago was noisy.

George Pickens can be a little moody. Dez. Des, Micah Parsons. There's been a lot of noise in Dallas, and it feels like the noise is gone. The offensive line is young and aspirational. C.D. Lam's a pro. Ferguson, the tight end.

Look at their defensive guys. A lot of New Quinn and Williams, a total pro. Caleb Downs, maybe the steal of the draft. Dallas, with Jerry likes noise. Like, he likes discussion. He likes noise. He likes his former players to be broadcasters. this is kind of a quiet cowboy team,

and it feels like it is absolutely Dax team going forward. I think when you make a trade like Micah, Khalil Mack was traded for a couple first round picks. It is a huge advantage, and it's incumbent on the front office and the GM to pick the right players. And if you do, you can change the franchise because you can get multiple impact guys. You can use that as capital.

And the other thing that helped the Cowboys do last year getting rid of Micah, probably lost a few more games than they would have. definitely were less competitive on defense, led them to have a worse record, higher draft pick. So they not only got to draft higher, they got a second pick.

And I think they could re-throw awards because we already talked about the NIL, the more impact rookies that are coming because they played longer in college. So you know where I stand. I'm high on the Cowboys. Team I'm not that high on would be the Washington commanders. Yeah.

I just, you look at their roster, some question marks. Though, I mean, the quarterback who ranked 13 overall on Sando's tier, and after arguably having one of the great rookie seasons we've ever seen, you know, in that piece, one defensive coach told Sando, he's got to reprove it. Obviously, they just add digs. You know, you're big on the size of these quarterbacks. And unlike, you know, Jalen Hertz is built like a running back.

Lamar was so good at kind of avoiding Hitsdownfield. This guy, you go back to LSU, take some shots. And he's spindly. He reminds me a little bit of Teddy Bridgewater with mobility. Teddy had that spindly frame who once had a devastating injury at practice, no contact. So it's like I look at Jay. I like him a lot. I said this when he came in.

I said he's going to be Lamar Jackson, not as dynamic as a runner, better in the pocket as a rookie. And I think he's been that. I think he's really, really talented. But he got banged up a little in college. He got banged up as a rookie. He got banged up in year two. It's a little like Joe Burrow. Joe Burroughs one injury away from you got to draft another quarterback.

If this kid had another serious injury, you've got to think about drafting another quarterback. To me, one big picture story with this franchise is their owner, Josh Harris, Google the Sixers. He's run through some coaches. And Dan Quinn last year fired coaches left and right. Kingsbury ran him out of town, the defensive staff. They hired this Blau, who's young player, or I mean, former player, young coordinator. If this goes a little south, which it easily could. I think Dan Quinn, it would not shock me if this is Dan's last year. It would not shock me at all.

You know who played college football in that region? He was on television last night. His name is Mike Tomlin. That'd be a name. They've hired Daryl Morey, Doc Rivers. The owner kind of likes some big name pop. So they try to hire Ben Johnson. Washington's an interesting kind of coach spot to watch. Jamir Gibbs. We've talked a lot about the running backs. They all kind of basically signed within a 48-hour period. They're all signing these shorter-term deals, these three-year extensions. To me, what fascinates me about this story, Colin, is how good a job. I don't think just because the society we live in, everything, such rapid speed, we forget what happened yesterday, let alone five years ago. What a joke the Lions were.

They're two best players in my lifetime, both retired at 30 years old. Barry Sanders said, I'd had enough. Dan, they, for their standard, had a disastrous season last year. They went 9 and 8. I mean, Dan Campbell, he has resurrected this franchise. You like him to make the playoffs. I think the Lions are just incredibly well run now. I think the guy upstairs, they got from the Rams.

I think he is one of the, I mean, we got some great coaches right now. We got some great GMs. I think Detroit, listen, the ownership is what it is. I don't think it's weak or strong. I think it is what it is. But we've said this before. The guy wearing the sunglasses on Sunday, when once a game,

the network takes a picture of him, that's the guy making the calls. Because a lot of these coaches, not all, but a lot of them don't have power on personnel and don't want power. Andy Reid doesn't want a say. Now, now, Shanahan does,

McVeigh does. Mike McDonald would like a little say, maybe, but John Snyder's so good. But I think the key to this operation is, look at their top picks. Man, they have hit some historic home run. They have not missed on a lot of those. Remember when Jemir Gibbs got drafted, there was a lot of pushback running back. Dude, first game is a pro. You're like, yeah, that pick

worked. The other thing about they traded back, if you remember, from six to 12. Miami traded up and took Jalen Waddle. They got a second round pick, which led them to Sam Leporta. Now, he was hurt last year, but by, you know, reports say he's healthy and good to go. That is a deal. To get Gibbs and Sam Leporta. They also drafted in that draft with their own pick. I think Jack Campbell who they extend their core group is all in their prime all under contract.

They are in a very, very good situation. I mean, they easily could win the division this year. I say if you put their 10 best players in order down, only the Rams are absolutely better. They're in the argument with Philly, Baltimore, Seattle. They're 10 best players.

Interesting schedule where again, at Buffalo's pretty rough in that new stadium. But boy, there's a lot of Arizona's Saints by Green Bay at home. Detroit could get off to a, they could get off to it. And they upgraded O.C. position, which was a, you know, listen, they went with an in-house guy. It just wasn't ideal. In fact, I think Dan Campbell at one point last year just took it back over. You know, he did.

Remember he started wearing the glasses? Yeah. So I'm a Dan Campbell fan. How could you not be in? And congrats to Lions fans. You know, if you're of a certain age, you've seen a lot of bad football. The Thanksgiving Day game was always kind of the joke around the nation of like, here's the Lions.

And now it's like, here's the Lions. You better buckle up your chin strap. Well, the state of Michigan never gets all the coaches right. Now the Lions have the right coach. Whittingham at Michigan, Pat Fitzgerald at Michigan State. Michigan State football is going to get the big check next year. So don't be hard on Fitzgerald as first. year at Michigan State.

Next year, I've been told that's when the money's going to flow downhill to the football program. But it feels like Michigan's finally got all three programs. They've all got guys who will win and win quickly. Agreed. John Middlough of the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by.

The Hurd Lie News. Pistons are pretty good, too. So we had Ty Dunn on yesterday. It used to be a Buffalo beat rider, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers. now he has his own kind of substack and his own business, but we bring him on several times a year, very tight in. And we were talking about, it's a really interesting year for the Buffalo Bills.

Josh Allen has a new coach. They have a new stadium. He's got a new kid. It's a lot of new stuff in Buffalo. And, you know, I don't think a head coach and a quarterback have to be best friends. Like, they don't have to be best friends.

I mean, it is boss employee. it's one of those relationships. But Ty Dunn said Sean McDermott, the former coach and Alan, had almost no relationship. I think that there's nothing more important in the NFL column than that relationship between the head coach and the quarterback. That dynamic, whatever goes into that dynamic, it's got to be special. The prior relationship between the head coach and the quarterback in Buffalo, everything that I've heard from several sources, it was not good. I think they just coexisted. They just kind of worked together.

And by the time Sean really tried to get to know, Josh, it was too late. Now, people will say Belichick and Brady weren't close. True, but a lot of things have changed very quickly in the NFL. Like when Bill Belichick put Matt Patricia at offensive coordinator, I said it then, I would double down if Bill was here now. Bill looked out of touch. Like Bill looked Jurassic. And I think you got to have dinner with your quarterback once in a while.

I don't have to be crypto bros, but you got to be guys. And a lot of things in football have changed. Not just that you can't hit a quarterback, you can't drive a running. You know, you can't give the running back 33 carries. Those days are over. Football smarter. Players have more power. Players have a bigger say.

It's not the NBA. but, you know, I like Mike McDonald's a defensive coach in Seattle. He and Donald have a great relationship. Sean McVeigh is an offensive coach with the Rams. He and Aaron Donald, the great defensive lineman, have an incredibly close relationship. And those are arguably two of the best coaches. Maybe the two best coaches in the NFL right now.

Mike McDonald, McVeigh, certainly the two best young coaches. So Mike Vrable, both sides of the ball, has real, real commitment and trust from players. So my take is McDermott felt kind of old school. Sean McDermott felt kind of old school. And again, I'm not anti-all old-school stuff. I still think running the football matters and toughness matters. And it's a brick-and-mortar business, you know, tackling, getting third downs.

But I would bet in crisis moments that the new coach Joe Brady, the younger coach and Josh Allen in crisis moments, where the bills have struggled for years. My guess is they'll be better in those moments. Because I've talked to a couple of executives, a couple of GMs in the league about hiring coaches. And they all say the same thing. You're hiring as CEO. You're not hiring a specialist. That's the knock on Matt LaFleur.

Is he just kind of an offensive specialist? Can't build a culture? Lincoln Riley, great offensive coach. Can he build a culture? You can't do the specialist anymore. You're hiring a CEO. Now you could say, what about Andy Reid? Andy is old school.

He doesn't want to do personnel. Most of these young coaches, D'emico Ryan wants to say on who the Texans are drafting. Like he wants to say with the defensive guys. And again, Belichick and Brady coexisted. But Bill got old very fast in pro football.

Right? Like he just kept hiring his guys. He aged very quickly as a pro coach. So that's where we are right now. Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum reportedly still haven't taught Live in Chicago, it's the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Eating well shouldn't be complicated, but somehow it turns into recipes, prep, clean up, and half your Sunday gone.

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Behind every night spent making the kids' lunches, there's a lot of suspense. Will they finally eat the veggies? Will the pasto survive the first bite? Will the lunchbox come home empty, half full, or come home at all? And will you finish episode eight before you're done slicing the cucumbers?

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What's up, fam? I'm sports journalist Ari Chambers. Hey, what's up y'all? It's your girl, Sam J. And we're the host of everyone watches women's sports, a new podcast from Together and I heart women's sports. Because let's be real. Women's sports is giving us way too much to talk about these days.

So Kelsey Finler, she became the first female solo rower to go from California to Hawaii. My first thought is, like, what's up with the snacks? Like, what are we eating? The highlights, the rivalries, the breakout stars, the moments that take over your entire timeline. And the conversations that start during the game and somehow keep going all week.

Every week, we're breaking down the biggest stories across women's sports. Naomi Osaka showing out, she beat Sabalinka. Shout out to you, Naomi. You get the palm, Naomi. You get the palm for that. Because we're not just interested in what happened, We're interested in why everyone's talking about it.

Because everyone watches women's sports. Listen to everyone watches women's sports. On the Iheart radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, Portlandia fans. Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen here. You know us, or rather, you know them. Tony and Candace, Nina and Lance, Spike, and yes, the chicken.

We've played a lot of iconic characters over the years, but today we're showing up as ourselves to tell you about Podlandia, AEO, rewatch, our brand new podcast. Each week we'll revisit an episode of Portlandia from the very beginning, breaking down the sketches, exploring the backstories of our most iconic characters, revisiting the Portland locations you know and love, and opening up about our creative process. How did any of this get made?

Why do we think that was a good idea? We're ready to talk about it. And we'll also be joined by the people who helped bring it all to life, guest stars, collaborators and friends, including director Jonathan Chrysall, the mayor himself, Kyle McLaughlin, legendary musician Amy Mann, and many more. Kyle is going for it here. You fully improvised, not just words, but a song, a melody. I thought he was going to write.

I thought you were all going to write a song. I remember you thinking that. Listen to Podlandia. Ayo, rewatch on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Saturday night is baseball night in America. And this week, we've got regional action with three matchups from across the league. Guardians White Sox, Orioles Rangers, Tigers, Giants. Check local listing for the game.

in your area tomorrow. 7 p.m. Eastern on Fox. So Mike LaFleur is the coach, the new coach, Matt LaFleur's brother in Arizona. Arizona could be pretty bad. I would think they have a chance to have the number one pick next year. Jets, probably my one. Arizona, I think, could be two. The division's just so tough. Arizona fee, I don't even know what they're over or under is.

What is it? Like three and a half four. I think there are four or five win team max. Max. Same with the Jets. but I thought Carson Beck, who's a pretty marginal athlete, his reputation as a leader, he's a little bit of a loner, but I thought Carson Beck is a great example because of all of his college starts

and the quality of players he played against is that he is very close to his ceiling. What you saw last night from Carson Beck, he'll clean up the margins, but this is kind of what he's going to be, not real, not poised, tall, decent arm, not a power thrower, but pre-snap he's going to be strong. He's going to be patient. It's like Bo Nix. Bo Nix had 61 college starts. He's better than his rookie year, but he had so many college starts.

You know, first at an SEC program, then at Oregon, playing with NFL guys. He was kind of ready to go. Now, there's guys like Josh Allen who play at Tiny Wyoming, a junior college to Wyoming. They have huge ceilings. They're not even close to ready to go first year. They've got to adapt to the speed of the game. Cam Ward, a zero star recruit, played it incarnate word,

wherever that's at. I think it's San Antonio or something like that. Again, a mile from where he could get. I think even Drake May was kind of close, but Drake May was kind of raw out of North Carolina. Again, it wasn't a great conference. He didn't have that many pro teammates. So I think there are certain guys that their ceilings

may be a little lower, Carson Beck-Bonecks, but you kind of know what you get because of all their college experience. And I'm watching Carson back last night. And I'm like, I, you know, again, it's the Hall of Fame game. But I thought Carson, I mean, just his feet, very patient, accurate. He looked like he looked in college. That's what he looked like at Georgia.

That's what he looked like at Miami last year. So, you know, he'll get better on the margins. But here's his thoughts on his debut last night. It feels great, you know, to go in. and, you know, succeed and execute and within the offense. And obviously, again, there's going to be things to fix. You've got to go watch the tape. And there's always so much room to approve.

Even just, you know, being a rookie, being a new guy, and, you know, kind of getting my first taste of the league. I thought it was pretty interesting. And I thought it was a really good game. Now, just to give you an idea how old Haynes King is by rookie standards, I looked this up last year. So he entered college the same year, Devante Smith, won the Heisman, the Alabama wide receiver. Now, think about that. The Eagles like to run the

ball more than pass. Devonte Smith has been in the NFL so long. He almost has 400 career catches. Okay. So his first year in college, Devonte Smith was like, I won the Heisman, I'm off the Philadelphia. So Haynes King has a lot of college snaps. Now, Carson's snaps are with better teammates in bigger games with better opponents, but I thought if you were an Arizona fan third round pick, you're like, you know, it's interesting. Is that your future quarterback? My guess is, because Arizona is so bad, they're going to have a rare opportunity next year to go get one of the Dante Moore Archmanning quarterbacks.

I don't know if Trinidad Chambliss is going to be a top 10 pick because he's small. He's a great college quarterback, but he's small. But it was pretty fun last night. Okay, so Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum played together four years in the NBA. But the reporting's been done now that the staff and the organization just got to a point where they thought they could grow with Jason Tatum and they couldn't with Jalen Brown. Jalen Brown, when Tatum was hurt, became the guy. And, you know, when Tatum came back, like, he didn't want to step into a number two role. He sees himself as a number one, which is interesting because now he goes to Philadelphia and he made me number three or on some nights and number four.

But Jalen Brown said he really hasn't talked to Tatum, even though they played together forever since the trade. Have you guys been able to talk? Not really. We won a championship together. So anybody that you win a championship, you would think, like, that's what, you know, a brotherhood or a lifelong legacy would entail. Obviously, there's ups and downs in any type of relationship, for sure. But on my end, it's nothing but respect. you know, besides when he plays the Sixers, you know, I hope he does well.

You know, but other than that, you know, everything for me is just based on respect. So I said this about four years ago. I said this, this is going to be, they're going to be fissures in this relationship. Tatum's more fluid and more talented with a higher ceiling. The more he has the ball, the more the Celtics win. Brown's more aggressive and very talented, not as talented as Tatum, but he's very aggressive. And Tatum and Brown are different personalities. Tatum is sort of likes the collective.

Brown is your classic Cal Berkeley guy. He's got an independent streak. He's got a voice on several topics, and he's going to let you hear him, which is fine. You know, I got no problem with it, but they're different people. It's like Kobe and Shaq. Kobe was absolutely a basketballaholic, absolutely committed. Practice, games, nutrition. Shaq was distracted.

Talented was never going to work long term. LeBron and that AD. LeBron totally committed even in the offseason. Conditioning was always a coin flip with AD. LeBron wouldn't say it publicly, but privately, very frustrated with Anthony Davis's hit and misconditioning. So, Katie and Westbrook, I don't know their personalities, but I know their games. Katie's a little more nuanced and a little more elegant and a little more chill. Westbrook is all gas, no brakes.

That didn't work. In basketball, my opinion is in basketball, the tandoms that work are the one that fill the other guy's whole. Steph Curry, brilliant offensively, almost flawless, not a great defender. Draymond Green, an all-time defender, not threatened by Steph Curry's offense because he's not an elite offensive player. So Steph and Draymond complete each other, so to speak. Brown and Tatum were just different cats. Both better than average offensively. Both better than average defensively.

And sometimes they banged heads. And it was, you know, your personality in basketball becomes your game. Westbrook is intense. He's intense with fans. He's intense with teammates. Like all gas, no break. That's his game. Katie's kind of chill.

His game's kind of nuanced. You know, he can play with anybody. Get me the ball early. in the shot clock, get me the ball late in the shot clock. Katie can work with anybody. Westbrook can't. So I think John Stockton, Carl Malone was an all-time great tandem. Why? Set up man and the finisher. Perfect. Kobe Gassall to me was better than Kobe and Shaq, even though they had fewer championships. Kobe was intense. Gasol, the great passing big, had no problem being a two, could deal with Kobe's relentless intensity.

they became very close friends. Shaq and Kobe were just two alphas, whereas Powell Gasol had no problem being a very complimentary too. And so I just think that's the reality of Tatum and Brown. It was never going to work long time. I mean, Shaq and Kobe, one was the best interior closer, one was the best perimeter closer for about a seven-year stretch. That wasn't going to work.

Pippin and Jordan were never close friends. Bird and McAil, everybody knew, including Michael, Bird takes the final shot. Everybody Michael Scottie knew, Michael takes the final shot. So you don't have to be necessarily great friends. I think Draymond and Steph are actually close. You don't have to be close. Do your games complement each other? Or are you kind of sometimes like one-upping each other?

And that's how I always felt Brown and Tatum. I remember years ago, I said they moved off Marcus Smart. because Marcus Smart was taking shots away from Tatum because Marcus Smart's hyper-aggressive. And Brown's really aggressive. It's not that Tatum's passive, but he's got kind of a stoic personality. He's just kind of a different cap.

All right. Chris Sims' top of the hour, Robert Mays showing up on a Friday. Man, we had a good week. We had a really, really good, you know, you think August, it's kind of slow. We got the best Hall of Fame game. I think I've ever seen in my life last night.

And I'm telling you, the NIL, has made college football smarter and older, and it is helping these quarterbacks in the NFL. Dante Moore and Trinidad Chambliss both would have come out five years ago and gone to the NFL and been raw. Now they both get another 13 to 15 college starts in great conferences. Walk in like Carson Beck and Haynes King, ready to play. That was fun last night.

Hour 2 next. Hey, Portlandia fans. Carrie Brownstein and Fred Armisen here. The Dream of the 90s is alive in podcast form. We're launching Podlandia, A-O. Rewatch, our brand-new podcast where we revisit every episode of Portlandia together, breaking down sketches, going deep on our iconic characters, and pulling back the curtain on how it all got made. And we'll also be joined by the people who helped bring it all to life. Guest stars, collaborators and friends, including director Jonathan Chrysall, the mayor himself, Kyle McLaughlin,

legendary musician Amy Mann, and many more. Kyle is going for it here. You fully improvised, not just words, but a song about it. Well, I thought you were all going to write a song for you. I remember you thinking that. Listen to Podlandia. A.O. Rewatch on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? I'm sports journalist Ari Chambers.

Hey, what's up, y'all? It's your girl, Sam J. And we're the host of Everyone Watches Women's Sports, a new podcast from Together in IHeart Women's Sports. We're breaking down the biggest headlines. Naomi Osaka. Shoutouts to you, Naomi. The viral moments. I've been obsessed with Kashan Rock's boxing journey.

She looks good. Her combos are swift. The stories everyone's talking about across women's sports. Because everyone watches women's sports. Listen to everyone watches women's sports. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clemens. We host the podcast, Hollywood Handbook. Every episode we're trying to help our guests improve their careers by mainly focusing on how they can help us improve our careers. The show's famously super accessible

so you can easily jump into any of our 650 episodes and understand what's going on. We recommend some of our recent episodes with Ben Stiller, Danny McBride, Riz Ahmed, and Mary Steenberg. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nick Tutero. You probably know me from NYPD Blue,

The Longest Yard, or Spike Lee's Black Klansman. And on my new podcast, delivering happiness with Nick Tutorial, I deliver pizza to a new guest. I've shared a slice with everyone. from Seth Rollins. What are you doing my belt? To Bill Burr. I don't think I've ever met somebody

so exactly out of their mind as I am. And now we even have more great guests coming up, including the great John Tuturo. It's called Happiness, Delivering Happiness. And many, many more. Open your free High Heart Radio app. Search Delivering Happiness with Nick Totoro. And listen now.

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