The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 1 - Shedeur Sanders tops Week 1, Chiefs no longer elite?

Episode Date: August 13, 2025

PFF gives Shedeur Sanders top Rookie QB grade and Colin wonders if he should start week 1 for the Browns. Some wonder if the Chiefs are still among the AFC Elite. Colin gives his thoughts on Shohei Ohtani and his agent being sued over $240 million Hawaiian real estate deal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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 ice. Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know. I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no-nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. She can win.

She's an outsider to win the French fame. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lina Rubakina is arguably the best player in the world right now. And I actually can win on any service. 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. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman.

Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud. But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com

or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is Wednesday. A lot going on. We are live. It is the herd and wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Always appreciate you making us part of your day.

A lot of choices out there. Fun today, Tony Grosie, who was, I mean, let's be honest, virtually attacked by Shador Sanders after that spicy season game. Tony Grosie has the courage to know. only go back on the air in Cleveland, he'll come on our show today. I'm here to defend America's journalist Tony Grosie calling it like he sees it. Hey, listen, these talk show hosts, you've got to defend them. Yeah. You basically need a bodyguard at this point. I mean, goodness, if you were to go to the Cowboys at the Backward Hat Saga. Yeah, a lot of drama.

So it is interesting when I show up for work in the morning, what's on my desk. And this was interesting. It was the, uh, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the PFF grades for preseason week one rookie quarterbacks. Oh, look, Shadur Sanders, according to PFF, easily the highest-granted quarterback. Jackson Dart was good. Jalen Milro, Cam Ward struggled. Tyler Shuck and Quinn yours were bad. This is, by the way, exactly what you saw.

This is what we would of all guessed, right? Jackson Dart better than I thought. Shadur looked like he did in college. But here's the other thing, because I've said this all week, I think he needs to grow up. And maybe he never will. But you could argue of all the rookie quarterbacks, he was throwing to the weakest receiving core.

This morning, I went and found the 10 guys who made a catch for the Cleveland Browns in this game. Eight are undrafted. One of them is Sal Canella, who honestly is my favorite Sopranos character ever. one of them is Toa Tua, Jammari Thrash. Now I remember James Thrash, no relation to Jamari Thrash, Gage Larvadan. Larvadan, I thought was a headache medication.

The point being is eight of the ten are undrafted. And this is what he did, with the exception of Travis Hunter. This is what he did at Colorado. He had to outscore teams. He had to carry a team. You mean, Colorado had the 42nd best defense. His biggest win at Colorado was arguably TCU, 45-42 shootout or something like that. He also had the worst rushing offense in college football.

Not bad, the worst, 134 FPS. Bad O'Line. It was always on Shador Sanders. And when I looked at that receiving court this morning, I went, this is Colorado all over again. That basically he's having to carry it. By the way, this is the opposite. of J.J. McCarthy's experience when he was at Michigan, they had the number

one defense. Never had to win by shootout. He had the number of five FBS run game. Could rely on others. Throwing on play action. Now, Snowler didn't get a throw-on play action because no linebacker bit on Colorado's run game. And the offensive line couldn't block

it anyway. So what it says is J.J. McCarthy had a very comfortable college experience, and he has struggled kind of finding his groove, right? And building his confidence because how could he? When you go to school, you know, it's the old trust fund kid. I've met trust fund kids before. Never that impressive. There's no grit to him. Shador Sanders may have had a famous dad, but basically he went to a trade school and J.J. McCarthy

got a liberal arts degree. One looks really impressive on a resume. The other actually gets you ready for the workforce. And so when I look at Shadur in that receiving core in that PFF grade, yes, he needs to grow up. There's no question. Miles Garrett got a speeding ticket. He can. He's arguably the best player in football. Sure, Sanders, the fifth round quarterback.

Can't have two of them. But he is clearly comfortable being uncomfortable, throwing to a bunch of no-name guys. One guy played at Scottsdale Community College. So he's fourth, remarkably, he's fourth on the Brown's quarterback depth chart, but number one on PFF's rookie, opening week quarterback performance.

I don't know. Here's Kevin Stefansky on all Cleveland quarterbacks. It's an all-encompassing evaluation. Obviously, I know week one is coming and we'll make a decision there, but we're very, very

obsessed with player development and the development of our quarterbacks. So that's really been something that we've worked hard at, whether it's reps in practice or the meeting rooms or the walkthroughs. We want to make sure that we're doing everything in our power to get these guys better. For the record, Shadour Sanders today injured his oblique at practice.

He may or may not play in the next game. Cleveland's quarterbacks are all banged up. So he's the latest, apparently. This comes down from Ian Rappaport. He got banged up in practice today. So we'll see what transpires. So the other part of the best football dynasty of my life was New England. Kansas City, the Niners, Bill Walsh, Montana was pretty special.

Jimmy and the Cowboys was certainly memorable. New England blew everybody out of the water. They had like, you know, it felt like two different dynasties early and late. But in the middle, they went 10 years and didn't get a trophy. It does not mean they were bad. During that time, they got to five NFC championships and won eight division titles. Those were in the years, and Brady and Moss shattered NFL records. Those were in the years they didn't win the Super Bowl.

So when everybody, myself included, it says the dynasty is over in Kansas City starting this year. It doesn't mean they're not going to be great. It doesn't mean they won't get to another Super Bowl. It doesn't mean, it doesn't mean winning is over. But they only hoist one, and Mahomes is older and more expensive. There is one Travis Kelsey, and he's probably in his last year. Chris Jones isn't getting any younger. And the truth is Mahomes' coach is 67, and I love Andy,

but the chance of him lasting six to seven more a year. physically is probably very small. The other thing is when Brady was dominating his division, the Jets were a circus, very briefly Rex Ryan got it together, and beat them. Not a great team, but the Rex Ryan team beat them. Miami's a perpetual average franchise, never terrible, not Carolina, where they're intermittently exceptional or awful.

Miami's always kind of 8998 and 8. That's just kind of what they feel like. always interesting never great and then Buffalo at the time I don't remember what it was but it didn't Brady go like 32 and 3 against Buffalo I mean he just dominated him until Josh Allen got there but that's not what Kansas

that he's facing and I talked about it this week the reason LeBron was so dominant in the east wasn't that he was just great it was that the east was terrible I mean even the and it's been like that for 30 years go look at the NBA's Christmas schedule and opening day schedule it's all Western teams

and it's been mostly like this forever except when LeBron was there. So he was running through the raptors and the Pacers. And Nick Saban was dominating when Tennessee couldn't get the coach right, and Ole Miss couldn't get the coach right, and Georgia couldn't get the coach right. The minute Sark and Texas came into the conference and Georgia got Kirby Smart, the dynasty ended.

By the way, Urban's dynasty ended when Nick Saban came into the SEC. So dynasties just don't happen when you've got a stacked division because you're going to lose some close games. Last year, the Chiefs were 11th in point. differential. 11th in the league. 11th. So they dominated the margins and they deserve it. But now Bo Nix, with Sean Payton is in year two, and Herbert in Harbaugh is year two. And the Raiders, Chip Kelly, Gino Smith, Pete Carroll, Max Crosby, Brock Bowers. That is a really good fourth place team. Ashton Genty could end up being, what are the odds on him being

rookie of the year at running back? So my point is, when you start looking at dynasties, LeBron dominating the East, Saban dominating the SEC. You know, I mean, for the record, the Dodgers, with all that money, have just dominated their division, but the San Francisco Giants have been down a lot of it. And the Padre shouldn't be able to compete and haven't been able to beat them in the postseason because it's a much smaller market and market size matters in baseball. This is not a shot at Kansas City. It's the reality of now you've got Hall of Fame coaches in the division, Pete Carroll, Sean

Peyton, Jim Harbaugh. Now the one-of-one Travis Kelsey probably has a year left. Chris Jones and Andy are not getting easier. And let's be honest about Mahomes. He's already got blown out in two Super Bulls. He's been blown out in two Super Bowls. Why? It's not because he's a bad quarterback. It's because they unraveled because the O-line, which by the way is getting rebuilt for a third time, let him down. So you go look at Brady. Brady had the advantage over Mahomes because they both have great coaches and great ownership. Brady had an advantage. Everybody in his division was dysfunctional for a majority of his run. It wasn't until Josh Allen arrived at the very end. You're like, oh, oh, this is a challenge. This division's not. This division that Mahalms is in is the opposite of that.

It's incredibly functional now. Peyton, Harbaugh, Herbert, Boe, and the Raiders have the best coaching staff and Star Power, Fast and Genty, is what we think than they've ever had. So Andy Reid, now Andy Reid always says the right stuff was on with K Adams this week, talking about people like myself who say the dynasty part of their winning is over. When it's all said it's winning the game and we have winners and they figured it out. And so I was proud of them for that. And we don't listen to all the noise. I mean, you know, if you do that, you're going to go crazy. Then you're not going to have fun, right?

and it's been spun so far. So again, the Patriots in the decade long, they didn't win a Super Bowl. That's the Moss, Brady, Space, five AFC championships, eight division titles, set records. They were still great. But you're not going to do another 20-year dynasty.

It's just not going to happen with the division that good. By the way, Brady was almost right. Brady was 30 and three against the bills. And by the way, Mahomes is like 35 and 5 against his division. That's not going to remain the same. Of the next 40 games, he's not winning 35. I'd be surprised if he won 30, and that's not a knock on Mahomes or Andy Reid.

J. Mack, sometimes I read these stories. Wait, hold on, that Tom Brady's at 30 and 3 against the bills. But the bills were dysfunctional. The dolphins are always average, and the jets were mostly dysfunctional. And that's not a knock. But remember, years ago, the Colts were in the Patriots division. Had that move not transpired to remove them, he may only win half as many divisions of Peyton Manning and his primes in that division.

So it's like Drew Brees and Sean Payton, it did help. They were in a dysfunctional division. And LeBron was in the East. And Saban, nobody in the SEC, all the powerhouses, the Tennessees, the Georgia's, they couldn't get their coaches right. Auburn, still trying to figure out who's the absolute next great coach. there. So that's the reality of dynasties. Show Hey, O'Tani. Oh, boy.

Another, another controversy. I'll address that next. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard Radio app. Hi, this is Jay. I'm the producer of the Paul and Tony Fusco show. Usually in these promos, they ask you to listen to the show. I'm here to ask you, please don't listen to this show. The hosts are two absolute. morons who have the dumbest takes on sports imaginable. Don't listen to this show so it can get canceled.

Whoa, whoa, what the hell are you doing in our studio? Get him, Paulie. Ignore that fool. Listen to the Paul and Tony Fusco show on the IHart Radio app or wherever you get your podcast. He's still moving. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news.

What's the news, dude? 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 wide range of podcasts throughout there.

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

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, for people could call in and say, hey Jonas, and then I wrote down in 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 I-Heart 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. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games,

from buzzer beaters, to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicelife 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I 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. Jenchian went.

I mean, she went down to three to Rabakina, but I'm delighted. She's an outsider to win the French for me. And she likes Clay. Listen, Lernerabakina 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. Tony Gross, he'll be on later today. He's the reporter that Shador Sanders got very mad at. So here's another mess that Shohay Otani is in. I've defended Shoeo Yotani. Remember earlier when his lying degenerate gambling interpreter took him for a ride financially, and it was remarkable to listen to the media say, oh, you know, you know he's involved in this.

He's literally in a country. He doesn't speak the language. And, I mean, if I moved to Japan and started doing businesses, I can't be involved in the vetting process. I'm a broadcaster. He's a baseball star. So there's a lot of grifters out there that have always been trying to take advantage of musicians and celebrities and actors.

So when I see lawsuit against famous person, I don't necessarily think famous person's in the wrong. Our president has had like 4,000 cases of litigation in his career. Some he's right, some he's wrong. So there's a lot of grifters out there. I mean, Elon Musk and Mark Cuban not only have attorneys on speed dial, but in their corporations, they have attorneys on staff. Fox has attorneys on staff.

There's a lot of grift out there. So the first time he got into trouble, I had more, I mean, losers contacting me, telling me, They had a friend of a friend in Vegas. They knew Otani was betting Brewer's games. None of it came to pass. Everybody in Vegas thinks they deserve more respect than they ultimately get. And it was nonsense. And it was proven to be nonsense.

This time, it's a real estate developer and investor. I got to tell you, that industry, and I've played around with real estate, is not known for transparency. And oftentimes, there's a law. It's ripe for, bad actors. I'll just leave it at that. So here's the other thing.

The lawsuit says the developer had worked on this project for 11 years. The company signs Otani two years ago for this project. You're telling me is Otani is helping the Dodgers win a World Series. He was a criminal mastermind in Hawaii. The second part of this,

he enters the project in the 11th hour, and he's the reason it's failing? Really? It's an 11-year-old project. He enters so long. to be the face of it. I don't expect him to do the vetting work on this stuff. So it can be a murky world.

There's not a lot of transparency. I took his side on the gambling. And again, go to Reddit boards. I'm sure they'll tell you they've got an inside source and a brother of a cousin in Orange County who knows what really happened. Congrats on that. Knock yourself out. But in this instance, I don't think people understand how big Otani is.

He's a superstar in two continents. Okay, he's the one guy in baseball that drives attendance in America, a sport that was failing three years ago. He and the speed of the game are the two things driving attendance. Like, his road attendance is remarkable. And, you know, one of the reasons I defended him on sports gambling and all those discussions, because every state has different sports gambling rules. You expect him to know the difference between Arizona, Los Angeles, Colorado. Give me a break.

So I don't think he's a real estate icon. And on this side, in a, what's always been a, you know, real estate broker, real estate investor, real estate developer. I've done enough real estate. It's like the richer cousin of the use car salesman from time to time. I'm not going to mention these individuals. But I'm going to, again, side with the superstar athlete. You'd be amazed in Hollywood how many famous actors have been sued. do the homework yourself.

I did this morning. It did this company, CEOs, you know, somebody walks into Home Depot, bumps their head in a piece of lumber, and suddenly they want somebody to write them $150 million check. I'm not saying corporations, don't do bad things, and I'm not saying celebrities or I'm not defending them at all costs. Believe me, I lived around Hollywood, weirdos everywhere. But I'll take Otani's side once again.

and I read the whole story twice. I'm going to take his side again. That is going to be my side. You guys go the other side. I'll go that side. J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

This is the herd line news. All right, let's bust right into it. Matt Stafford, Colin. We've been waiting for Matt Stafford to return. And it's supposed to happen. Monday, nope, Tuesday, nope, still a back issue. Well, how about this one? The Rams decided they are going to,

to get Stafford a mobile rejuvenation trailer. Saw that. The company touts the chamber as the fastest way to reset, recharge, and rejuvenate the body, mind, and spirit.

Okay. Some people are making fun of this. Some people are alluding to, well, if Aaron Rogers did this, Colin, I don't see a problem with this at all. This is smart. If you ask me, like, these are what the top athletes do. LeBron James

famously gets a massage almost every day, he doesn't eat anything. Nothing goes into his body before his trainer and fitness people. Listen, I don't. If this trailer's helping his spirit, I think it's nonsense. But if it's helping, if it's helping his back, you know, I take stuff for hydration. I take magnesium. I take stuff all the time. You know, so I think as you age as an athlete, it is prudent. I think it's smart to take carry your body. And again, he's the eighth most sack quarterback in league history. He's taking some shots. And he remains the only old quarterback in the league right now that will sit in the pocket to the very last second. He plays with a lot of courage. He has always been a guy that

will sit in that pocket and take a helmet to the chin. So I think, you know, whenever you get these companies, there's always some of it I buy, some of it I don't. I don't think it's changing his spirit. I think he's a pretty driven, focused guy. But if it helps in any way, you know, I've taken things in my life. Sometimes they help. Sometimes they don't. Have you tried NAD by any chance? I take a thousand milligrams every morning.

I started doing that recently. Yeah. I mean, you know, but for creatine, like cryotherapy, there's so much of this stuff. Yeah, same year. I do want to ask, and I don't want to paint this is too negative, but two straight off-season Stafford has squabbled with the Rams over a contract. There was rumors of the giants, a lot of teens. I just wonder how much of this is Stafford.

saying, I don't really want to go back right now. I don't. Can I hold off? And the Rams gently nudging him by saying, okay, let's do Monday. Okay, you can't, okay, Tuesday. All right, we're bringing in a chamber. We're doing everything. We need you back. I'm not saying he's not hurt.

I just wonder how much Matt Stafford is just trying to enjoy the last remnants of summer before this four to five months grind begins. Well, he is a grinder. He is a famous grinder. Like when he commits to the football season, he commits to it. So, again, I've said, Aaron Rogers, Matt Stafford, Kirk Cousins. I don't want to see old guys with back and leg injuries playing in the preseason. Everybody else go for it.

I do get Joe Burrell playing because September blues for Cincinnati for three or four years. But none of this, does it worry me? It does. It is something to think about. By the way, at the top of next hour, I've got my next to last tweak. I've got two major moves in my NFL predictions. one of them, the Rams are involved. So does it worry me?

Is there a possibility? Would I bet a few dollars that he plays 14 games, not 17? Absolutely. That's why they have really, really given backups reps in the preseason. They want somebody ready. Real quick, I'm starting to wonder, maybe there's a chance they have a slow start out of the gate. They have the Texans, Titans, Eagles, Colts, Niners.

Yeah, I wouldn't be shocked if they had like a middling September and then popped kind of maybe around the by week. Remember how Tom Brady had kind of that wonky start in Tampa? I think they were four and four or five and four. And then in the by week, smoothed it out, made a run to the Super Bowl. I would not be shocked. Remember, this is a week-to-week league, Colin. You know, that's what the NFL is when you're betting.

And I'm going to lay off the Rams early on. I'll just put that out there. Next story is Aaron Rogers. Let's go to the Pittsburgh Steelers situation. Rogers has been using a new helmet in training camp after his previous helmet was banned for failing to meet the league's new safety standards. Here's Aaron Rogers on his new lid. No, I'm trying to change.

We're in the process still. Looks like a damn spaceship out there. The facie-mast doesn't fit the helmet because it's an old face mask, obviously, just like I'm old. But we're trying to find the right helmet right now. well yeah that's kind of you know listen when you get older you're looking for a little comfort and you know Aaron's like I want what I want so I get that I don't want safety is that what you're saying well you just he wants what he wants he wants vision and I don't I'm not I found myself defending Aaron a lot in the last couple weeks with you and I don't think they're going to be very good I think they're

nine and eight but I'm I'm going to back Aaron Rogers on wanting to find equipment that feels comfortable Okay, you do that, buddy. Final story, let's go to the Philadelphia Eagles, Colin. Obviously they got Sequin Barclay, top five quarterback, yes, and Jalen Hertz. But what about a wide receiver? Well, Philly wide receiver coach Aaron Moorhead believes A.J. Brown is the best receiver in the NFL. His reasoning includes that his league leading 11.1 yards per target last season was incredible. And he said he's the best one-on-one player in the NFL.

weirdly, AJ Brown, I did not know this. He's never been first team all pro. Really? That's a mild surprise. Now, listen, Jamar Chase is great. Justin Jefferson's great. Those guys, to me, are more speed merchants. Well, Jamar Chase can go up and get it.

But Brown, one-on-one is unstoppable. Like, you can't guard him one-on-one. He'll roast anybody. At every position in the NFL, there's like four people that are different. I mean, quarterback, receiver, pass washer, interior lineman. AJ Brown's one of the four. four that's different. I would say Jamar Chase, Justin Jefferson,

AJ Brown, and you can put number four, whoever you want. So it's funny. Remember, AJ Brown was starring on the Tennessee Titans before their GM shocked everybody by trading him. How pissed was Mike Grable? He ended up leaving the Titans. Like, he was just like, you can't, what are you doing giving away

AJ Brown? This guy's a game changer, Colin. Since he got to Philly, they have made the jump to, I mean, absolute superstar team. Jalen Hertz has a great unit around it. I don't hate calling A.J. Brown the best receiver in the NFL. I get it, Justin Jefferson and Chase, but Brown's right there with him. It's really close, wouldn't you say? Yes, I would say that.

J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie News. So I'm all fired up. We're a couple of weeks away from the biggest college football game over Labor Day weekend I ever remember. It is going to be Texas at Ohio State. I think Texas plays Penn State for the national championship. My guess is Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State are probably the third best team in the country. Notre Dame's really good, so is Oregon. But I saw an article this morning, and it's like this is being intimated. Is Texas college football's New Alabama? Oh, boy. So Georgia, was the new Alabama for about four years until the NIL took off,

where SEC, tough, physical, defensive head coach, multiple natties. Georgia was the new Alabama. Texas, my entire life, has been USC in cowboy hats. It has good-looking, a lot of style, a lot of vibe, a lot of energy. Coach always makes a lot of money, cool stadium, cool city. Where are all the natties? So Texas and USC played, in my opinion, the most memorable college football game, 2005, Rose Bowl. I was at it.

I mean, it was unbelievable. It's the best-looking crowd in the history of college football, even in a very busy city, full of glamour like L.A. It was the coolest thing in L.A. for months. And I love Texas football, and I didn't go there. I don't understand why I love Texas football, but it's something you can love without living there. It's cool. They pass the eye test. They have most of my life, but they're not Alabama. They're not gritty, right? Like, like, Texas is the prom king. He's the coolest guy in school. He may be the

best-looking guy in school. He's the prom king. Alabama was like the best wrestler in your high school. Like, you know, didn't always look good in clothes, but nobody wanted to mess with him. didn't have the coolest car, was never really the coolest. The quarterback was. So nobody's afraid of the prom king, and that's the problem. Alabama intimidated you. Georgia intimidated you. USC, Texas, they create envy.

They got money. But Bama was on O-line, run game, toughness, linebackers. Fundamental over flash. Texas is always like USC. They're good teams, always have a lot of flash. I mean, you go back to the USC dynasty, and most people would say two words, Reggie Bush, right? Like, that's what you would say.

So Sark can coach. Sark is big money. Sark can recruit. But do you trust Texas in a big spot if they're playing a hyper-physical SEC team or like an Ohio state or a Notre Dame tough physical team? Do you trust them? I don't. I mean, I may be a USC honk.

I don't trust them. I mean, if it's drizzling, you won't get their A game. You will not get USC's A game if it's overcast and there's a light drizzle in the second quarter. And I kind of feel like Texas has always been USC and cowboy hats. Here's Sark on their preseason number one ranking. It really doesn't matter. That's how I drowned it out. I tell the guys exactly that.

Like, it doesn't matter. It's irrelevant. to the way the season is going to go. It's irrelevant to the way we're going to play. It's irrelevant to how our opponents are going to play. Maybe it puts a little bigger bullseye on us for our opponents. But the reality is we have to go do it, right? We have to perform, and we have to perform at a high level over time and time and time again.

And part of it is, I've told this story before. When I used to cover Oregon football, Otson Stadium was old and tickets were not that expensive. And then all of a sudden they built a beautiful stadium. It got more expensive and the crowd got quieter, right? Like it was more, it was more bushy. And there is something to be said about grit. You know, like they're not changing Michigan Stadium.

Alabama, Georgia. You know, I think Marcus Freeman at Notre Dame has done a good job. Notre Dame is like tough and physical. And even when Brian Kelly's last couple of years, they go up against Georgia. and a lot of good linebackers and offensive line. College football, to me, the three programs that have always been sort of like Rodeo Drive, Miami Hurricanes, Texas, Longhorns, and USC. I think the sport is better when they're all good,

and they rarely have been simultaneously. But to me, they don't feel the same as like the Big Ten. That's why I'm so fascinated with USC going to the Big Ten. Oregon and Washington going to the Big Ten, they play in crappy weather all the time. I mean, those states don't have any great high school players. I mean, Oregon and Washington, they have to work hard to go get players out of state. USC football and Texas football, they're pretty. And Pete Carroll briefly made them really tough and really physical.

And Sarkton, Lane Kiffin didn't. Lincoln, Riley hasn't. Clay Hilton didn't. Doesn't mean they can't coach. Doesn't mean they're not good coaches. But there is something about USC and Texas in these big spots against tough physical teams. I trusted the Pete Carroll teams I haven't since. I'm telling you, if it's raining, they don't feel like the same team.

And I feel a little bit with Texas. It is a lot of fun and a lot of sizzle and a lot of flash. Bama doesn't worry about that. Georgia doesn't worry about that. That's just my take. 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, huge news? we created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there.

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

We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen. We don't care where you hear it.

Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, Not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Last night, a blown call changed the game. Morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies,

and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, We break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. The French Open is one of the toughest tests in tennis. And I know firsthand because I competed there myself. I'm Renee Stubbs. And on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast, I'm breaking down. on everything happening at Roland Garris. Every match, every upset, and what it really takes to win on Clay. Genshin 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 Rubakina 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 Eye Heart

radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. Tonight, it's a battle in the NL East as the Braves take on Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, and the rival Mets at 7 p.m. Eastern on FS1. Braves disappointing year. Mary Kay Cabot, a lot of Cleveland discussion. She's an excellent journalist, another excellent journalist, Tony Grossie on the show later. was virtually attacked by Shadur after that week one performance. Mary Kay Cabot says, Shadour is suffering an oblique injury early in the throwing drills.

Dylan Gabriel is a good bet to start Saturday against the Eagles. So that would seem to indicate we will now have a start by Shadour, which was excellent, and a start by Dylan Gabriel. And I'm no litigator. But there is a point in every trial. when the evidence becomes overwhelming. And as Uncle Colin, your judge for the moment, if Dylan Gabriel struggles,

we know Kenny Pickett's not going to be the Brown's quarterback. How do you not put Shador number two? Because I watch Shador, and he moved, and he was good downfield, throwing to eight undrafted targets. I don't know. I keep watching this video. looks pretty good to me. What do I know?

So, oh, in top of the hour, I am going to make, it's really my final tweak, my final NFL predictions, because I'll do it the day of next, the Thursday, the NFL starts on Thursday night football, but last year I don't recall doing many changes. So coming up in 20 minutes, this is kind of my, my next to last tweak. I've got major moves. Now I've got OTA, rookie camp, training camp, multiple injuries. and you're getting consensus on opinions. Like Chicago's offense is struggling. That's the consensus.

Denver, everything is clicking. Everybody loves Peyton, the defense, and Bow Necks. That's kind of a majority opinion. You're getting a lot of majority opinions. Detroit doesn't look quite as tight with the new coordinators as they did last year. So Miami is acknowledging, yeah, physicality, culture, and accountability. That's really what we're talking about, because I didn't have any of those last year.

So you're starting to get consensus opinions on what is coming at a camp. And so there you go. So that'll happen in 15 minutes. So I'm very interested. And I don't talk a lot of Tennessee Titans, an organization, even when they have the good coaches, Mike Vrable, they can't get offense right. So Cam Ward, to me, was the obvious best quarterback in college football. I liked his road.

He's got no ego. he's just he's really intent on playing good football Tennessee is butchered quarterbacks Marcus Mariona Will Levis Vince Young it doesn't even matter Jake Locker who I was not a huge fan of as a quarterback this kid's got it all

I don't get the ego I got the arm he can move but would rather throw it from the pocket and he didn't have a lot of help the other day when he played but they just don't have much to work with but a lot of times with these rookie quarterbacks you know we kind of throw them to the wolves. It's like that show chopped where you give a chef, a basket, and it's got

a bok choy and a sweet potato and skittles and some octopus and some red licorice, and you're like, hey, make a delicious meal. Well, you know, this is not going to be Zagot rated. I kind of feel like this. Tennessee's O-Lines Bad. They're wide receiving course bottom five in the league. I like the coach, but he's unproven. One of the best things they have going for them, the dysfunction of the division. I mean, that's really it. So in the last 20 years, the Titans have had a top 10 offense once, and they've drafted multiple quarterbacks in the first round.

This is really the first one. I like everything. I like his story. I like his mindset. I like his arm. I like his movement. He cares about the right stuff. I think they may have finally found their quarterback.

Here's Brian Callahan. the young, unproven coach. It's hard to be an NFL quarterback. There's a lot that goes on for these guys, and there's a lot of things that came continues to learn. I think that's been the beauty of the training camp and why we're doing all the things we're doing is so he can try to accelerate that process as fast as possible.

He's very prideful. He wants to perform well all the time, and he's learning how to play NFL football. And those moments where it gets hard is where you're trying to, I'm trying to put him in as many of those moments as possible. And again, this is not a Brock Purdy situation or a DAC situation when you inherit a lot of the pieces.

Dak got a great O line, a dominant back, an offensive coach. Des Bryant may have been a headache, but he was a touchdown machine. You know, Brock Purdy gets George Kittle and, you know, Debo, Samuel, Christian McCaffrey. Go look at Brock Purdy's last 15 starts as they've gotten old and brittle in his first 21. It's a different quarterback. So this is a tough lift. This is not going to win an Academy Award as a movie. I'm not looking for that.

going to watch his scenes and see if he's memorable. I mean, that's kind of it. But you got to, I mean, if this kid had 26 total touchdowns and 10 turnovers total, and they were nine and eight, forget the wild card. Because I think Jacksonville's actually had a pretty good camp, pretty quiet camp, I would take it to the bank. You got to contextualize, what is the landing spot? I talked about this yesterday with Jaden Daniels.

Everybody's like, this is remarkable. It was easy schedule. He only beat one playoff team, and that was the Eagles with Kenny Pickett. playing a majority of the game. He had a number one receiver, better than average offensive line. Cliff Kingsbury is a remarkable coordinator. May not be a great head coach. And they had a good owner, a new GM, a defensive smart coach.

Like, Jaden Daniels got a lot of stuff. You don't have a number one receiver here. Offensive line's fine. Dan Quinn got to a Super Bowl as a coach. I think Brian Callahan's good. I don't know that. So O-line is worse than Washington's. The schedule is.

Look, give me Tennessee schedule. I think it's going to be tougher. Again, last year, Jaden didn't beat Lamar or Baker or Jalen Hertz, right, when he paid the good quarterback. Yeah, I mean, this schedule is brutal. At Denver and Sean Payton, Rams. And again, Houston at Houston playoff team, a much better Raider team, the most improved team, arguably, in my opinion, in the league, New England. So, and then at the end of the year, it's San Francisco, Kansas City, Jacksonville on the road. it's not that formidable you could win games but my guess is they start oh and two that is my guess

but the difference is last year they outplayed chicago in week one and will levis game gave the game away if they outplayed denver in week one what is the line on that seven and a half eight if they outplayed denver in week one cam ward's not going to give the game away he's just not that kind of quarterback he is buttoned up you know it's j smack last night i was i had a lot of time time at a couple hours. So I went a mile deep into my Phil Steel College football book, that kind of stuff. And, you know, I think Clemson's better than I gave them credit for. And I went through some of the NFL lines. I think you admit this, and I've always been into it. Schedule does matter. Like for Tennessee with a rookie quarterback, they did not get a great opening two hands.

Sean McVandee second week. The more I look at the schedule stuff, the more I think it matters. Like we've talked about this with the New York Giants. I think the Giants could be really interesting. They have no chance to go 500 in the first eight weeks. They have no chance because they're going to be playing old Russell or kid Jackson Dart. So a lot of what happens in this league is luck of the draw.

So this is tough. I get the Giants hype and Abdul Carter videos. we talked about it Monday. I was like, Abdul Carter, and the videos are all over online in the last 24 hours. Colin, my only concern is we do an end of the season, you know, recap, and then we do the draft and free agency, and we make our assessments. And then preseason comes, and we see a couple snippets because we haven't seen football in a while, and everybody goes overboard.

Oh, well, look at the Giants. I can unequivocally tell you they're going to be terrible. Their quarterback situation just is not going to be resolved. The offensive line has questions. the defense other than the line, the secondary stinks. So let's not overreact to preseason. And to go back to something you said earlier, hey, Shador did well against the Carolina Panthers backups.

So now Dylan Gabriel comes in and remind me, who does he have to face again this week? Backups. Of the Philadelphia Eagles. Well, remember. Isn't that their opponent? Like Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl team. Unbelievable roster.

Great GM. Like, I don't think Dylan Gabriel is going to do good and people are going to jump to the conclusion. But, but again, they're all backup because Philadelphia spends a lot of money on its stars. They don't have, their backups aren't great either. The drafts so well, Colin, the depth. Yeah, but those guys. Howie Grosman.

Remember, he was the one who plucked that dude off the Saints, Zach Bond, the linebacker. It was like a nothing, a special teams guy. And then Zach Bond's an all pro. So they have an eye. I think they're going to have dudes. But it's eye test. With Shador Sanders, if they'd have lost the game, game, if you had just watched the highlights, he was accurate, downfield accurate, he moved well,

his decision making was good. His traits in college all, all segued into the NFL. I always said this with Johnny Mansell. In college, Johnny Mansell ran away from defenders. I knew he was in trouble in his first preseason game when he tried to run away from it. It was like a Washington defensive end, and the guy chased him down. And I'm like, oh, that's a preseason. problem. Tim Tebow, he is so accurate. Then you watch them in the pros, you're like, he's a tight end. Shadour, who I've been told is inaccurate, but when I watched him at Colorado, he was always pulling away from defensive ends. He did that against Carolina. At Colorado with no offensive line and no run game, he was always throwing on third and 13, face of pressure, 74% completion

rate. When I watched him Friday, I'm like, in the face of pressure, he was really accurate. His stuff, college to pro, I'm seeing the same thing. Journalist Tony Grossey in a couple of hours. Hey guys, it's us. The Jonas Brothers. I'm Joe. I'm Kevin. And I'm Nick. And guess what? We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it. But, you know,

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

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Winning on Clay is an art. The rallies are relentless. And at the French Open, only the toughest survive. I'd know.

I competed there for decades. Join me, Renee Stubbs, on the Renee Stubbs tennis podcast for no-nonsense breakdowns of the biggest matches, the toughest players, and the moments that define Roland Garris. She's an outsider to win the French name. And she likes Clay. Listen, Leonard Rabakina is arguably the best player in the world right now, and I actually can win on any surface. Listen to the Renee Stubbs tennis podcasts on the Iheart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHart Women's Sports. 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 SportsSlic 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 IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.