The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - HOUR 1 - Steelers deserve praise, Chicago offense is electric

Episode Date: December 22, 2025

Colin reacts to a big weekend of NFL action. The Steelers take down the Lions in Detroit and Colin is impressed with how Mike Tomlin and Aaron Rodgers have been able to put together what looks like a playoff team. The Chicago Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams just needed a spark, and it looks like by spending for Ben Johnson the Bears have gotten that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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And I'm Conky, his best friend, and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down.

Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast.

Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for The Herd at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the IHeart radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. It is a Monday, man. We have a lot to talk about one hour from now where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong.

There's always plenty of both. Urban Meyer stops by Matt Hasselbeck. We're live in Chicago. Holiday greetings. I mean, it was so Pittsburgh Steeler. I've been saying all year. I've been saying before the year, this offense in Pittsburgh, it's like quicksand. What's Aaron Rogers doing, going to this offense?

And my larger point and belief stands. They don't have a long-term quarterback. They spend way too much money on defense. I do think Aaron's duct tape for at least this year in another year. but Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rogers, and the Steelers deserve credit. In a weakened AFC, Noma Holmesboro, right? They may pick up their first playoff win in nine seasons. I mean, they had almost five yards of offense, unbelievable run game,

and it's getting better in the last three weeks. They're averaging over six yards of play. That is, those are big boy numbers. So it's getting better. Aaron Rogers said, you know, get me my guys, MVS, Adam Thielen, and, you know, it's typical Steeler fashion, a wide receiver,

high maintenance, drama. You know, you got to always deal with that. And despite the fact that a 230 to 15 rush advantage, they had to hold on for dear life. It was Pittsburgh, but I will say this about Aaron. He's just a lot of quarterback play is just getting you out of trouble. He's made the offense slicker and smarter. You know, he just, he takes what's available, not a lot of negative plays.

Right now, Aaron Rogers leads the entire NFL in fastest release. He's getting rid of the ball faster than any other quarterback. He's 42. He doesn't want to get hit, and he doesn't want that Steeler O line to get into trouble. Because they really don't have the kind of receiving core or consistent run game that did yesterday that can get them out of trouble. So Aaron's like, give me the ball, let's get it out, stay ahead of the chains. I feel like Aaron has become like the oil, the lubrication for an offensive machine where the gears for the last seven years have been getting stuck.

And he just comes in, get rid of the ball, audible into the right play, take what's available, don't get greedy, it's really smart. And by the way, this is the most impressed I've been with Aaron Rogers in a long time. Well, what about Green Bay? Everybody wins in Green Bay. Hell, Malik Willis looked great last Saturday. Aaron Rogers, Jordan Love, Brett Farf, everybody looks good in Green Bay that quarterbacks. Backups come in, Malik Willis, they're dynamic. This offense, Pittsburgh, for seven years, they can't run the ball.

The old line doesn't work. They, you know, turnstile offensive coordinator. Aaron gets the credit for this. He gets the credit. The longer this goes on this season, last three weeks, brings his friends in at wide receiver. It's just it works. Jalen Warren, 2.45-yard runs, dominate the lions. Lions have their own problems.

But, you know, here's, you got Lamar Jackson can't stay healthy. You got Joe Burrow can't stay healthy. And Aaron's 42, and he's like, I'm staying healthy. I'm going to be available for my team. So he's just done all the little things well. It's amazing what coaching can do or really smart veteran quarterback play. It's not always what they do. It's what they don't do.

They don't throw picks. They don't take bad. sacks. You know, they audible in and out of trouble and into advantages. So Mike Tomlin, you know, you say what you want and I've had my grievances with Mike Tomlin. Here they are again looking at a potential division championship. Thankful of the fight and the win. And we'll keep pushing because that's what you got to do this time of year. Win or lose, you got to keep pushing and we will. We're coming in tomorrow to watch the tape. We ain't got time for Victory Mondays. And that's what I told the team.

Okay, now let's go to the team that lost Detroit. One coach, one, has really changed the direction of two franchises in the same division. Ben Johnson used to be at Detroit. And wow, were they dynamic. The craziest third and fourth down team in the league. Look at him now. He left and went to Chicago and the Bears are 11 and four and the best fourth quarter team in the NFL. For the record, the Cowboys weren't interested in Ben Johnson. Congratulations. But the bears who have poor ownership, I mean, like literally the poorest ownership and years of dysfunction upstairs, and you watch them. Yeah, it's been a work in progress. But I've heard this before from athletes, the great athletes, and Caleb Williams is a generational talent. He is

special. They want, Caleb Williams wanted to be coached hard. He said there's nobody to watch film with me. He wanted to be coached hard. He wanted somebody to get on him and enter Ben Johnson. I mean, Patrick Mahomes didn't become Patrick Mahomes because Andy Reid pandered. They disagree. The volume

goes up. And Caleb's got an ability to make the hard look easy. Sometimes the easy looks a little difficult, but the entire Bears organization. You know, again, once you get the coach right, Vrabble in New England, Sean Peyton and Denver, Jim Harbaugh

with the chargers. Ben Johnson, it doesn't take long. Literally, it takes like six to eight weeks. You build the staff, you get the planning, and then slowly but surely, you get into week six, week nine, week 12, week 15, you look up. This is a really good team. They do all the things that winning teams do.

They win the turnover battle. They run the football. They've been lucky a little bit with health, mostly a very healthy team. They don't have negative plays. So you're seeing the same thing in New England with Vrable, Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh. I mean, last year, the Bears, just a simple thing. Last year, do you remember this?

The Bears were the worst fourth quarter team in the league. They couldn't even script plays appropriately. Now, third best. So they start smartly. They finish strongly. And again, they've just gotten out of the stuff that loses games. no turnovers, no negative plays, the operation, the basic fundamentals, looks organized. And then, of course, you have Caleb Williams, who really is a unique talent.

Here's the walk-off touchdown. Ah, the fake Williams. Looking downfield, launching downfield. And great coaches are like great movie directors. You got to let the star kind of do his thing. however with a clear identity of what the movie is and what the game plan is. And people are going to say, well, I mean, the Bears got a little bit lucky. They recovered the onside kick.

No, time out. They also had two game winning drives. And they also, in overtime, stop the Packers. So it's not just, well, teams block punts all the time, teams recover onside kicks. what do you do with the opportunities presented and well-coached last night new England could have lost that puppy new england maybe gets a big interception or a fumble recovery well what do they do with it well coach teams take advantage of those little breaks that every team in the league gets yep the onside kick got to be honest that kind of surprised me

but it's what they did with it and here's Caleb after I got the best coach in the world. Let's put it, let's put it that way. And we have the best coaching staff in the world. And so you put the talent with the coaches and the people that care. You can strive for anything. You can reach anything. You can go after any goal.

And when you go out there in that football field, your belief is at an all-time high between players, between coaches, and, you know, you have outcomes like this. Yeah, it is. Ryan was at the game and the environment for anybody, we all had different environments. One of our guys was in a Chicago bar.

One was at the game. I'm at home. It's like you could hear neighbors screaming. Chicago's been waiting so long, not to just win games, but to have a team like this that's offensively electric, that's offensively dynamic. That's just not what Chicago does. Like in L.A., every great Lakers team They're always fun and offensive-minded, and they've got showtime.

Chicago's always won one way. Win one way. They win with defense. They win with toughness. To have an electric offense is really unique, and the city is feeling it this morning. J. Mack, I know there's some quarterbacks banged up that won't make the playoffs, but we have a lot of young quarterbacks, your Bo Nicks, your Drake May, your Caleb that are going to be in, C.J. Stroud.

Then we have older quarterbacks at Herbert that, that's had to overcome an offensive line. Jordan Love, if they get in, he's had to overcome an injury, and they lose Christian Watson and some of their star defensive players. So I kind of feel like it's going to be an interesting mix. No Mo Holmes, no Burrow, probably no Lamar, but it'll be an interesting mix of young and dynamic and old and Aaron Rogers. We're going to have a wild January.

I'm 100% with you. It feels like a new era, Colin. all these young quarterbacks ushered in out with the old. Sorry, guys, Lamar, Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow. I don't know when they're going to get back to the playoffs. I mean, you talked about it last week. The Chiefs had a major rebuild, Colin. Ravens, you watched that roster last night.

They don't have anybody at all. Their roster's terrible. Lamar's lost to step. It feels like the new era of quarterbacks is here. 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. Pauli Fusco here with Tony Fusco. Yo, as everybody knows, we're the host of the award-winning Polly and Tony Fusco show.

Yeah. But instead of us telling you how great we are, here's how Dan Patrick described us when he came on our show. Quick, knowledgeable, and funny, opinionated. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing? You're interrupting our promo. Yeah. He wasn't talking about you.

You took those clips totally out of context. Oh, yeah, well, after this promo, I'm going to take you out and beat you. Let me put this into context. Shut up. Anyway, just listen to the Folly and Tony Fusco show on IHart Radio, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Yeah. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news.

What's the news, name? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there.

But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name, Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. 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, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Just listen.

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

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is. Getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is. Getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America, there's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard. Get to the grocery store.

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But I felt so desperate that I felt it was. the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong and what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad

has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had, existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew.

Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. Now, I think it looks. things that'd be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it.

I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. You know, we talk about this all the time. A lot of guys are great college quarterbacks, and they're very comfortable. They play at big programs like Alabama.

They don't face a lot of pressure. NFL quarterback to thrive, you have to thrive in discomfort. And if you watch Drake, Drake May, in the final quarter, he's. He was pressured on almost half his throws and yet was money. Like, that's a star quarterback. Trailing, getting hit, drive him down the field. The East Coast version of the Chargers, a team with a great coach and a great quarterback that should not be this good is the Patriots. They're still in a rebuild.

Their offensive line missing their left tackle needs depth. Drake May is only 23 years old. He was the rawst of all the quarterbacks in his class. Yet now he's a top 8, 9, 10 quarterback. What's amazing about Drake May is that you see these guys, Bo Nix and Caleb in the fourth quarter, Drake May leads the NFL in completion percentage, and you're like, well, dink and dunk.

And he also leads in yards per attempt, and he's doing it with a receiving core. Remember last year, PFF had him dead last. Well, Stefan Diggs, Kyle Williams, Matt Collins, Kishon Booty, Hunter Henry. Now they're fourth. That's nothing against those players. I'm going to say Josh McDaniels and Drake May are a big part of that. If you watch the second half of that game last night, specifically the fourth quarter, they were on a third string right tackle. Their left

tackles not starting at one point, the announcing team's like, I really, I don't know what they're going to do at right tackle. Let's look at the depth chart. Musical chairs, massive leachels. in the offensive front does not matter. And the reason I took the Patriots in this game, I said they're just going to complete passes, they're going to move the chains, they're an incredibly sound football team. And again, it's amazing to me that Jerry Jones keeps going cheap on coaching. Vrable, Harbaugh, Peyton, Ben Johnson, spend the money. It's a lot of the same guys.

For them to be this good, for the Chargers to be this good with all the injuries, and for the Patriots to be this good with all their years, youth and all their new players is unbelievable. Neither of these teams should be that good. So I'm just watching Drake May and they, you know how good you have to be in the NFL as a quarterback when you're dealing with a third string tackle. So the Chargers, missing both their tackles, 11 and 4, Patriots last night in the crucial part of the game, they're on third string tackles. They're on the road. They're trailing. Baltimore knows they have to throw. Last year, New England was dead last and explosive plays. This season, remarkably, they are number

two. And that was a really impressive road win for Drake May. Here he is after. It's top down. I think it's Coach Brayble coming in here. It's the coach of staff he hired. It's guys, you know, buying in and believing in what we do. And that's, you know, the biggest thing that is a locker room. It's believing in what the coach is saying, believing in our identity. Karen, traveling with us, he always says pack our identity and just another, you know, big win on the road and it starts top down. And the guys, you just love, you know, a lot of guys in that locker room, man. Every year, college football gives us one or two franchise quarterbacks. And then about every five years, it gives us a Drake May. And what he did on.

on the road last night is that is all time stuff. This kid is really good. And again, they're in a rebuild. They're much better personnel-wise than last year. They spent $280 million or something like that in free agency, and they drafted well. Elliot Wolfe's a very sharp guy. But they're not complete.

That offensive line needs more players, more talent. Here's J. Mack with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. is the herd line news. All right, Colin, we're going to bust right into it with a surprise team. We rarely talk about these guys, the Jacksonville Jaguars. What a story, Colin, they've peeled off six wins in a row.

They just went to Denver and smashed, and I mean smash the Broncos, the overrated Broncos. Trevor Lawrence was phenomenal. Best quarterback on the field. 299 total yards. Four tutties had a really nice quarterback keeper in the red zone for a touchdown. Colin, Liam Liam Cohen is talking some trash. Listen closely to what he said about the win.

Great team effort. Just thankful that, you know, a small market team like us can come into a place like mile high and get it done. You know, we really don't care about the narrative. You know, it's, I'm sorry to say that, but it's only helping us. So I don't want the narrative to keep coming. Yeah, listen, they've been bad forever, so they've drafted a lot of elite players. Travis Hunter's not even playing. but I think what it really is, and it takes a while.

We saw this with Sam Darnold. Trevor Lawrence finally has his kingpin. He's finally got his North Star guy. And by the way, it was not great six games into the season. I mean, go back to the first six, seven games. They were still fine in their way. Like any relationship, the longer Liam Cohen and Trevor together, the last six, seven games,

in the last eight games, he's seven and one in a pass rating over 100. So when you watch them play, there's all sorts of talent here. Talent's not been the Jags issue. It's been like, who's the guiding light? Who's the North Star? Who leads them? They are a handful, man. They got dudes.

I mean, Liam Cohen has done such a good job. So when they lose Travis Hunter, everybody was despondent. Oh, my gosh, we lost this star. They went out and got Jacobi Myers, stole Jacobi Myers. And he is already, Trevor Lawrence is like a safety blanket. He loves him. There's a kid named Parker. Washington on Jacksonville. Colin, he is unbelievable. He's like a third number three receiver.

Yes. But he plays like a two and has the aura of a one. He's a return guy too. He's so good. I'm just telling you, this team is dangerous. And Liam Cohen, he's an intense guy. Remember there were some moments earlier this season where Trevor had some bad interceptions? And they were like, oh, this relationship is rocky. But I think what's working here, Colin, is Cohen is so intense and Trevor Lawrence is so laid back and chill that they're able to meet in the middle and this is a dangerous team. By the way, four for five in the red zone

and just shredded this allegedly good Denver defense. Colin, I know you like Bow Nixon Company. When this team steps up in class, by the way, they're just three and three when they face teams 500 or better. The Jags are six and three against those teams. Well, I think we all started to take notice

when the Chargers went to Jacksonville and got completely annihilated And we were like, well, Harbaugh came out after. He's like, we got out coached, we got out hit, we got out physical, we got outsmarted. Like, it was like, wow, because that's usually what the Chargers do. So they're absolutely for real. Now, it's going to be interesting. If you look at the playoff lineup, as of now, it would be Buffalo at Jacksonville.

I would take Jacksonville. Well, it's interesting because last week you and I are like Buffalo. You got to pick Josh Allen. I like Josh Allen. I'm just telling you, like Jacksonville has more guys than Buffalo does. They take way more players. The roster's better. There's no question Jacksonville's roster is better.

No question. Maybe we're sleeping on Jacksonville. I don't know. All right. Next up, Colin. Let's go to an incident that happened in the Pittsburgh Detroit game. Okay. So, D.K. Metcalfe, for reasons that make no sense at all, just is over at this fan.

You see it out here on FS1. He grabs him by the lapel and then kind of shoves him. Initially, it looked like a punch. It's clearly not a punch. It's obviously not great. Now, apparently, D.K. Metcalf and this fan have a history, according to NFL media that was reported this morning. This guy, D.K., got him kicked out of a game before.

No, boy. Listen, I don't, we know the rule. Don't touch fans, okay? I don't know how. Colin, how does D.K. Metcalf wander from the bench to the stands with no other players or coaches or staff around him? I don't get that. Don't put your hands on fans.

That being said, that doesn't give this clown. the right to say whatever he wants. Yeah, I mean, fans are very, very few. Less than half of 1% of fans are just obnoxious, and they want to get noticed, and that's one of these fans. You know, it's not as bad when you see it from the side, but he'll get suspended. I would suspend him for a game,

and it's just, you don't want a precedent, you don't want this to be tolerated. You have to send a message sometimes. Like being a parent sometimes. You just have to be stern and send a message, so everybody understands, yeah, what just happened in the house? It's not permitted.

So I don't think it's the end of the world. I think it's poor judgment. It's not as bad when you see that view. But that you can't set a precedent. You've got to suspend him for at least a game. Now, we've had D.K. Metcalfe in the studio. He's a large individual. He is jacked.

I mean, he's 6'4. Like, he looks like, we built like a tank. I mean, the fact that people are saying stuff to him is a bit of a surprise to me. But that being said, I agree with you. Yeah, I think you probably suspend him for a game. Don't put your hands on people. You know, right? You don't see it much.

I've seen it in the NBA more. You don't see it much because the proximity, players are wearing helmets, stadiums are loud, you don't have great access. I mean, he's a huge guy and had to reach up. You don't see it a lot in pro football.

When players come and leave the field, there's always idiots, you know, kind of being vulgar. Like, you just roll your eyes, move through. But it's,

I mean, I also, I look at athletes and I'm like, it are athletes in this country. It's bad in Europe, too. Like, it's, people are over the top.

They all have courage. you know, when they're 30 feet away and protected. You know, I get players, especially if you mentioned somebody's parents or family. Like, I get players getting ticked off. Like, I get it. Right now it's a he said, he said, and, you know, it'll play out, whatever. Final StoryCon, let's go to that Eagles win over the commanders on Saturday. Fairly easy, light work, as the kids say, for Sequin, Jalen Hertz and Company.

Eagles win the division. But interestingly, late in the game, Philly was up 17. and they decided they were going to go for a two-point conversion. Well, wouldn't you know it, Washington got unhappy with that. Why are you going for two? Why are you pouring it on? I mean, it's a two-point conversion, guys. It's one point.

Led to a little fracas on the field. And then Nick Siriani and Dan Quinn talked about it. Listen closely to what Dan Quinn had to say. I didn't. You know, again, we did that in the best, what we thought was Ben's interest to give up one more point, is in my mind's not running up the score. We're doing that because we're doing that

because they went right down and scored, so we're doing that to give ourselves the best chance to win. I can only answer for my side what I would do. But, amen, like, that's how they want to get down. And, like, all good. We play them again in two weeks. Yeah, I will say my takeaway in this game, though, I know it's the commanders, their defense is egregiously bad.

That was the best game, Sequin Barclays had all year. Jalen Hertz looked like Jalen Hertz two years ago. AJ Brown, Devonte Smith, ran. Like I thought, and again, you got to be careful because between the Cowboys defense and the commander's defense, they make everybody look great. But that looked like, to a large degree, that looked like Philly a couple years ago, hurts running, offensive line, getting big holes. That's why everybody think, I kept thinking, okay, don't take too much out of this. It is what it is. But I'll say for Philadelphia, if you're an Eagles fan, you watch that.

Okay, can we get that? That's what we were two years ago. So it looked like they decided to go in and first feed A.J. Brown, Colin, he had the biggest half of his NFL career. I think he had nine catches in the first half. Didn't do much at all in the second. Interesting note. I thought Tank Biggsby, the backup to Sequin.

Did you see he had some juice? Yeah, yeah. I think he's got something. I think we're going to see a lot of running. Remember, they'll get Lane Johnson back. and now Philly, having locked up the division, they can sort of start arrest guys. I think that could be pivotal.

I keep saying two years ago, this is what Philly was last year. My bad. 2024. No, I mean, if you look at Philadelphia, I mean, playoffs are weird. Like, I don't think anybody fears Carolina. I think everybody fears playing the Niners.

And, you know, I mean, so nobody. The Rams are the best fifth seed ever. So it's, and now Jordan loves health. You cross your fingers. My guess is he's back in a couple of weeks. But you know what? You and I called it Detroit. Do they have lost offensively?

They are not the same team. Yeah. Now, here's the weird thing. I know I was writing off the Ravens and Chiefs and Bengals. I don't think the lines are that far off because they have a lot of guys. They just got to fix the offensive line. Colin, they were down to their third string center against Pittsburgh yesterday. and Jared Goff's getting blitzed up the middle left and right.

The offensive line, who was the guy who retired before the season? Frank Rag now. Yeah, they could just never replace him. And it was a tough blow. I don't think they get in the playoffs. But that Jordan Love hit that you mentioned Saturday. Oh my gosh. He ain't coming back this week.

Nope. Short week. Yeah, he's not playing Saturday. Jay Mackle the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurdline News. People can be critical of the Dallas Cowboys.

I appreciate their consistency. They will not make the NFC championship for the 30th straight year. I appreciate that kind of commitment and consistency from the Dallas Cowboys. What's interesting about the Cowboys is they spend money on certain things, but when it comes to coaches, they shop at the dollar store. And once again, Iber Flues, Schottenheimer. It's like the guy who spends money on good wine and flashy clothes and won't spend good money on transportation or a good mattress. Look around the NFL, the Sean Patens, the Brabils, the Harbaas.

I mean, the Chargers win this game convincingly. Here's what's amazing about the Chargers. Backups to backups on the offensive line. Third string running back at one point during the season. Quarterback breaks his hand. Yet the Chargers are top three and third down and lead the NFL in time of possession. How? How is that possible? They have the worst O-line in football.

They just got Hampton back. Nogie Harris has been a non-factor. How in the world are they good on third down? It's called coaching. And so that's what Harbon Herbert can do. The other thing we said is about New England. So we went into this season, and we all kind of thought the same thing. J. Mack and I were like, man, they're going to be really, really light at wide receiver.

They need more weapons. and then all of a sudden you look at their weapons and you're like, oh, oh wait, Ladd-McConkey's great. Quentin Johnston is not a bust. Trey Harris, not huge production, but the coaches love him. Will Disley. You start looking, you're like, Keenan Allen's unbelievable.

He's still a go-to third-down receiver. Now you look at them and you're like, yeah, the wide receiver spot, it's fine. They're actually better than average. That's like New England. It's amazing what a good dream. raft pick and good coaching can do. And again, with backups everywhere, the Cowboys had no sacks on Justin Herbert. But it is remarkable to me that Dallas will spend money on so many things except coaching.

Look at the NFL standings right now. Let me name some of the first place coaches. AFC, Mike Vrable, Mike Tomlin, Liam Cohen, Sean Payton, Jim Harbaugh, go to the NFC, Ben Johnson, Matt LaFleur, Dave Canales has done wonders with Bryce Young, Mike McDonald, Sean McVeigh, Kyle Shanahan. The Chargers should not be 11 and 4. Yet, with the worst O-line in the league, they are 6-1 in one-score games. They are top 10 against the run.

Red zone defense is unbelievable. Excellent offense defense on third down. Like a lot of their numbers don't make sense, considering what they've overcome. They really don't. And you watch the second half of this game, they do all the little stuff right, and the great coaches can take units like wide receiver or tight end. New England and the Chargers, they can take these units that are viewed as a weakness, a vulnerability.

And now I look at the Patriots passing game and their deep game, and I watch the Chargers with Tray Harris and Quentin. Johnson led McComack. I'm like, is that a strength? You think you're doing that with an average coach? It's crazy how well-coached, how smart the Chargers are, and here's horrible after the win over the Cowboys. Our team is really, it's player-led, it's player-driven. I mean, these are player-led wins.

You know, coaching's good. You know, there's, it's coaching matters. But the players are the ones leading this team. It all started with Justin and Justin Herbert and Derwin James, and it has been infectious, the leadership. Yeah, I mean, the fact they lead the NFL in time of possession with this own line and their top three and third down, it just makes, I'm telling you, the Patriots and the Chargers, that's what great coaching does.

You look at elements of both teams last year. You look at their receiving. Corps is among the worst in the league. And now there's playmakers everywhere. You're not doing that with average coaching. Congrats on the fancy clothes, the sports car, and the good wine. You may want to spend some money on like getting to work and sleeping. Right?

You may want to spend some money on the stuff that really matters. And Dallas won't. And you can see it the longer this season goes, the more mediocrity you see. Don't forget Colin Wright, calling wrong, top of the hour. And let me defend the college football playoff. Next, The Herd. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers.

And guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new? Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey, Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a...

We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name Hey Jonas, guys? I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, 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, where people could call in and say, hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas, and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast.

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

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between, Queen 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. Keith Giamonka seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad.

But secretly, he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy. but I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong on what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that. I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life?

That is not the look of an innocent man. this is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Here's something that should not be as complicated as it is. Getting a racist statue removed. And here's something that should be a whole lot easier than it is. getting a new one put up in its place. As long as there's a politics of race in America,

there's going to be a politics of remembering the Civil War. To get to school, I had to go down Robert Lee Boulevard. Get to the grocery store, I had to go down Jefferson Davis Parkway. If you're an historian and you leave out half of what the history is, you're not doing your job. I'm Akila Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 goes deep on both of those things. The fights, the politics, the people who won, and my personal campaign to add something to the Kentucky State House

that's actually worth the wall space. We are more than our bodies. We contain essence. We contain spirit. How do you represent that? They are just fueling a fire that is really catching. You'll see what I mean. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Portia accusing Kelly of sleeping with a married man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting.

On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewise franchise. The drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching. it, I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment.

To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Sunday, the Colts try to keep their playoff hopes alive against the division-leading Jaguars or other regional action. Then,

in America's Game of the Week, it's a potential Super Bowl preview as Jalen Hertz and the Eagles take on Josh Allen and the bills. Check local listings for the games in your area Sunday on Fox. You know, a lot of things and our memories do this to us. Your childhood memories are always greater than reality. And I always feel like there's mythology in sports, especially with like March madness. There's always been a sense that, oh, the opening weekend, man, it's like 30 buzzer-beater. No, it's not.

The opening weekend is not that. This past March, the NCAA tournament, the opening round, the average margin of victory with 17 points of the 32 first round games in the college, March Madness, College basketballs, 32, 20 of 32 are blowouts. 20 of 32 are blowouts. Get over it. Anytime you have a large college sports playoff. the college sports basketball and football are not meant to be even if you win you have a better recruiting class in the NFL if the Rams win the Super Bowl they're drafting 32 okay they're drafting 32 yeah Oregon hammer James Madison uh second half James Madison put some points up yes

it was like the opening weekend of March madness you had a powerhouse taking on a buck now That's what happens. Here's all I know. The next seven games and the four this weekend are great. The college football committee got the eight best teams in. Oregon, Texas Tech, Bama, Indiana, Ole Miss, Georgia, Miami, of Ohio, and Ohio State. That doesn't mean they got the 12 best teams in.

Now, that's not what it means. They didn't get the 12 best teams in. They got the eight best. And then there's some, you know, qualifiers. March Madness is not the 68 best teams. No, it's not. There's a lot of automatic qualifiers. You could take another team from the SEC or Big 12

that are better than teams that got in. Okay, so don't tell me March Madness gets all the best teams in. There's a lot of babysitting in college sports. You've got to make sure everybody's happy and it's collegiate, even though the players get paid now. so we don't let in any large playoff system in college, which has always been a top heavy business, we don't let the best in.

All I know is this. Miami proved they should have been in. Everybody complained about that. Miami proved with that defense they should have been in. Notre Dame gave up 41 to Texas A&M. They gave up three. Miami gave up three to Texas A&M. That defense needed to be in the playoff.

And Alabama winning at Norman, they needed to be in the playoff too. A lot of people think they're going to be in Indiana. I don't, a lot of people do. So here's the bottom line. You and I for years, the people that said we don't need a playoff, and you probably had a point, used to always say, I've never thought the fifth best team in the country has a chance to be national champions. So what do you lose in sleep if we don't get the 12 best teams in?

We get the eight best teams in. And then we can argue about 9 through 12. But March Madness, it's all mythology. 20 of the 32 games last year were blowouts. And then you get to Sunday of that first weekend, you're like, wow. Now you've got a Villanova, play at a, you know, a Gonzaga or a really big-time programs. So I, you know, it would be wonderful if you got the 12 best teams in. I like Texas.

I like Notre Dame. They're not winning a natty. Miami's defense is as good as anybody's in this entire playoff. They needed to be in. And say what you want about Alabama. Kalin DeBoer is fantastic. In the history of college football, losing somebody as good as Sabin, and then nailing your next coach.

And remember, it's not the same Alabama. You can't stack your rosters now. You don't have the depth. Georgia didn't have the depth. LSU didn't have the depth. I didn't have a problem with it. the next four games and the final seven in this tournament are going to be great. The other story, J.J. McCarthy, and we're all kind of waiting to see what they're going to do in Minnesota,

he got hurt again. And so he's gotten better at the quarterback thing, and the kid deserves, he deserves respect for that. They're built to win now. They've got good players. I just have a hard time believing this guy for the next 12 years is starting 17 games. since being drafted. There are 32 games he could have played in. He's missed 23. And again, there's been knee injuries, ankle, concussion, hand. And now you could say, well, Colin, Joe Burrell gets hurt,

and Lamar Jackson gets hurt, and Colin, Jaden Daniels got hurt. Yeah, but when those guys are healthy, there is no denying their greatness. I still don't know if J.J. McCarthy, forget the injuries. I don't know what he is. So we're two years into this experiment, and he was the one quarterback in this class. I'm like, I don't see what you guys are seeing. You and I are going to agree to disagree on this.

He has gotten better at the quarterback thing. But when he is healthy, it doesn't look like Burrow or Jaden Daniels. It doesn't look like that. So one of the reasons I like Caleb Williams and Bo Nix and Drake May is durability. We all know that. It matters a lot. So Patrick Mahomes at one point made seven straight AFC championships. That means after the beating he took all year and he had some bad old lines, he was there.

I'm waiting for seven straight games with J.J. McCarthy. And so I'm kind of two years through it. I don't know what to make of it. This team is built to win now. I know that because I watched them last year with Sam Darnold. And here's Kevin O'Connell after the win. This game, and he's a competitor. And, you know, I think it's something where he's going to go out there and lay it on the line every single week.

It is unfortunate. Just thinking about what these last three weeks and really two and a half weeks or so outside of, you know, outside of that last play of the half there. I mean, he's looked like he's really found a place of decisiveness, ownership of the offense. I mean, the discussion and the dialogue about things he's seeing. So, yeah, it's a bummer. Yeah, like, he's gotten better with the quarterback thing. You can't deny that. We've got to be fair playing with much more confidence.

They got a little bit of a break, a giant lined up offside. and it would have been the second defensive touchdown by the New York Giants against J.J. McCarthy's offense. And he got called back. So they got a bit of a break there by just a rush end lining up off sides. But so much of this sport, and it's funny because if you go to a Bears game and you're close to Caleb Williams, dude is big. You guys make fun of me when I say trunky. You sit next to Sam Darnold. You're like, Sam doesn't look like your buddy in your fantasy football league. Sam looks like a pro athlete.

Sam's head is big. His butt is big. His shoulders are big. You're next to Caleb Williams. He doesn't look like your fantasy football league guys either. Like, that dude is big. So I think the questions about Jaden Daniels, although remarkable as a rookie, I think they're legit.

Like Jaden Daniels is thin. And it matters. Stan Healthy matters. So I don't know what they're going to do with him. I know I watched this team last year with Darnold, and I thought they had Super Bowl potential. So we'll see. There's going to be 7, 8, 9 quarterbacks drafted.

I'd roll the dice and probably draft another one somewhere. It didn't have to be in the first round. But, yeah, he's just 32 potential starts since becoming a Viking. He's missed 23 of them. I don't know what you do with it. And it's been different stuff. Hand, neat, concussion, you know, some of it's scary. So I don't know where you go.

J-MAC, it was a really interesting weekend, if you count Saturday as well, Friday the playoff. You start looking at these NFL matchups in round one, because we're getting close now. The Detroit loss gave you some clarity. You look at the NFC. If Detroit would have won, we would have had potentially a team like, as good as San Francisco, missing, but potentially getting close to, like, missing the... I mean, Carolina is 8 and 7, massive improvement. No guarantee.

Green Bay right now, no guarantee. So, I mean, now San Francisco's in now, but somebody is going to miss the playoffs. Green Bay, and it may just come down to injuries, may just miss the playoffs. You, if Detroit would have won, I was sitting there yesterday, and wrote down the teams, and I'm like,

God, somebody, somebody, had they gotten that Jared Goff from the lateral in and it counted it didn't? The call was right, pass interference on Armour on St. Brown. The NFC is so much better to me than the AFC this year. Yeah, the only problem is even if Detroit had to go to Chicago or Philly in the cold, they're not winning in January. Right. I think we would agree with that, especially with that offensive line. That being said, if Green Bay can get their health in order back end of the defense, Jordan Love, obviously, they could be a spicy team.

Like, you don't want to have round three against the bears. I don't know who I'd pick in that game. I mean, it felt like a, listen, it was, it was a, I mean, the bears were down 10 at home with two minutes left. Okay, they were about to get swept. I know you don't like the word lucky. They got lucky as hell, Colin. Well, they got lucky. Well, I mean, again, Romeo Dobbs has it, loses it, and all of a sudden you saw swarm of bear jerseys.

Yeah. And then they have a great draw. and then in overtime, they make big stops. So you got to, everybody gets breaks in life. I always think luck is evenly, equally distributed. It's what you do with the luck that presents itself in life. Chicago got a little bit of a break, and they took advantage of an offense and defense. Hour two and a Monday, Colin Wright, Wrong.

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 Smigel 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 headwriter, 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. Turn someday into right now with Buddy by Jake Radio. Nonstop workout music and expert tips 24-7. Hey, head over to IHeart.com. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for Friday. Free right now. Awesome health and wellness tips, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Remember, stick to the fight.

When your hardest hit, it's when things seem worst that you must not quit. Don't quit. Body by Jake Radio, where hope meets momentum. Search Body by Jake Radio and stream it for free. Have a great day. I heart radio. I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope from a Hippocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions.

Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff rant recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays

on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They hold and Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues.

On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast.

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