The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 2 - Taking a look at Josh Allen, head coach openings, Nick Wright

Episode Date: January 20, 2026

Colin talks to First Things First host Nick Wright about the NFL head coach openings, how we should look at Bills QB Josh Allen after another early playoff exit, Bears QB Caleb Williams second year in the league, and more  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day in the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go, hour two. It's Tuesday. congrats to the Indiana Hoosiers our 2026 Fernando Mendoza

Kurt Signetti led national champs also congrats to Miami really really played a great second half Mario Cristobal Kane's going nowhere so a lot of people are pushing back you know I saw some quote yesterday where somebody in the league said

we've never had this many bad owners of the 32 current owners because of all the coaching changes. And I'm like, okay, 10 guys got fired. Aaron Glenn inexplicably kept his job, appears to be over his head. So here's my take. There are nine coaches in this league.

I mean, how many great coaches are there? Okay, there are nine coaches to me. Take that graphic out. There are nine coaches right now that I consider, like in arguably culture and game changers. Nine. McVeigh, I mean, look at him. Jim Harbaugh, Ben Johnson, Mike McDonald,

Sean McVeigh, Sean Payton, Andy Reed, De Miko, Ryan, Shanahan, and Vrable. You don't have to always a trophy. They just change their side of the ball or both sides of the ball. There's another five guys that I think win a lot of games and could very soon be in that.

Maybe they should be. Dan Campbell, Liam Cohen, John Harbaugh, Matt LaFlewer, and Kevin O'Connell. Those are really, really good coaches. That's 14 to 32. That's all it is. I mean, name the franchise that got rid of their coach, and you're absolutely sure it was a huge mistake.

Shocker, Cleveland, Kevin Stefansky. Yeah, I think that's a mistake. When you win two-time coach of the year in Cleveland, I'd keep him. And he interviewed for all the top jobs immediately. I'd say that's a mistake. But Aaron Glenn kept his job. And, I mean, how do you not as a defensive coach over the course of a season, not produce an interception? And that is, I don't even know how to explain that.

A tip pass would fall into your lap. So one coach shouldn't have been fired. Another one maybe should have. I don't know. I'm not bothered by it. Here's John Harbaugh, the best coach on the market. I don't think anybody disputes that. Here's his opening press conference, pretty impressive for the New York Giants.

It's a profound honor to be entrusted with the responsibility of coaching the New York football giants. To be on the biggest stage in the biggest sport. I know the challenges. I understand the expectations. I know the fans are hungry for a winner. We're here with one mission. to become, to earn the right to be called the world champions in New York. And that's what we plan to do.

Yeah, I'm not getting Ben McAdoo vibes there. I'm sorry, that sounds, looks, his sports coat fits. He was the best coach on the market. Maybe he's one of the top nine or ten coaches. Certainly an argument, winning playoff record. I've said this before. Four years in a row, I've picked a double, your win total team, mine's the New York Giants.

They've got to get a right tackle, upgrade it tight end. Everybody in the league can use more linebackers that run well and corners that can cover, probably could use one of each. But I think they're going to be really good, really quickly. And with that, Nick Wright is joining us live, host of First Things First. All right, let's start with Sean McDermott. I said earlier, it's always easy to do the Pittsburgh thing. Hey, status quo, we're good.

it's hard to do what Buffalo did. Eight playoff wins. Hey, we couldn't beat Mahomes. Well, welcome to the party, right? Like, I'm okay with the firing. It was clunky. They can't spell admirable, and they probably shouldn't have used that word.

They used, yeah, let's just, it was not good. They used admiral. A typo in the word six of the press release for a coach that, you know, got you back to the playoffs before Josh Allen got there, to McDermott's credit. They broke that playoff drought with Tyrod Taylor. You would have liked a little more care, you know, to his dismissal letter.

So I am a little conflicted on this. I have said to you before the year started, Colin, the most important stat of the NFL season was every single coaching quarterback combo ever that has won a Super Bowl together, won their first. first Super Bowl within five years of being together. That's right. Which meant Harbaugh and Lamar, Year 8, nervous, Josh and McDermott, year 8, nervous. And now we find ourselves, both of those coaches have been dismissed, albeit for somewhat different reasons, but similar to what you're saying at some point, you might need a fresh start. I also felt that the level of devastation

in that Bill's locker room on Josh's face and Dion Dawkins' face and the coach calling the Buffalo News whining about an obvious interception probably meant, yeah, in order to recover from another devastating postseason defeat, that they need to make a change. So I understood all of that. Where I'm conflicted is this. I do think Sean McDermott was better at his job than Brandon Bean had been at his. Yes.

And I don't, so I was surprised that not only did Bean stay, Bean got promoted. Right. But I also, this is a big risk. And it's a big role of the dice because if it, if you're win now Super Bowl window this moment. And I'm going to go first time head coach Davis Webb, first time head coach Joe Brady, Brian Dable, who I, you know, I was not overly impressed with his tenure with the Giants. it all feels risky. I would, I personally, Colin, would hope that Western New York is too cold for his girlfriend to live full-time, and I would ask Bill Belichick to take the job. That's what I would do.

I would say, Bill, three years, break the wind's record. You see the Patriots are climbing back to prominence without you. You can't feel great about that. What if you come in, reclaim dominance over the 80s? FCE. So that's what I would do if I were the bills, but it's a risky move. But before I move off the bills, can I ask you a question, please? Sure. Yeah. Okay. So what do we, where do we do the blame pie for a guy who is just roundly called, it's not enough, it's calling the best player in the league? That's, he's graduated way past that. The most talented player in the history of the league.

Yeah. who had a four turnover playoff game missed the game-winning touchdown twice, and one of the turnovers was the single worst fumble in the NFL since Nathan Peterman was starting. I'm just curious what we do with that, my friend, Mr. Cowherd. Well, listen, sometimes the very talented artist doesn't win the Grammys. The slightly less talented artist does. I look at it this way, is that, And you know, I think Mahomes is great.

But there are some value additives to inheriting maybe the best GM in the league not named Howie Roseman and Andy Reid. And I think, whereas Mahomes came into pro football is kind of raw immediately. He was efficient. He didn't throw a lot of picks. And whereas the best coach, arguably, Josh Allen's ever had, left. And it's been kind of a Ken Dorsese. see, it's Brady, it's Dayball, a defensive coach who doesn't have a feel for the push push last year.

I've said before, I think if you traded Mahomes and Allen's staffs, Mahomes is better and would have trophies, but Josh would have one too. So I think Josh, I always feel like Josh has to carry a part of the team, or I've never felt, I mean, Mahomes did, has always mostly had outside of left tackle, a really good supporting group. Yeah, and listen, yeah, and Josh, Josh is just having. had the number one defense in football multiple years and had the rushing champ this year and had more turnovers in that game than Patrick Mahomes has had in every single AFC championship divisional

game wildcard game he's played combined and by the way in those games he is 14 and three with 42 touchdowns and three interceptions Josh Allen in those rounds in the division around in the conference championship round I believe is now two and six and it or note it would be two two and six, two and seven, who can keep track. I know he had four turnovers in about 45 game minutes on Saturday, and then everyone's like he needed more receivers. I'm simple, I think he's a great player. But you know what?

I am a little, let me just real quick. I'm a little conflicted with this. Everyone's logic seems to be the bills had to do it this year because the boogeyman Patrick Mahomes wasn't in the playoffs. and oh yeah, by the way, even though they didn't do it, he's better than the boogeyman. That's where I'm like, wait, why was it so important the chiefs not be there if the bills are better and Josh is better? That's my question. Okay, so this is the reality for Mahomes.

When Brady was dominating the league, everybody's like, Aaron's the new best player. What? And then when Brady is playing Mahomes and stacking them, people are like, Mahomes is better. And then Mahomes becomes the best quarterback. Tom retires. And everybody, myself included, is like, no, no, no, no. Josh Allen is actually better. Is the reality of being the king is that a king gets old, we fatigue on it.

LeBron's not the best six years ago. I'm telling you it's this new guy, Janus, this is the reality of our very fluid, very instantaneous gratification society is when you are the goat and Mahomes is, We can't wait to push you to the curve. That's all true. That's fair with the little addendum of Rogers in his third years of starter, went two and won a Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes, in his second year as a starter,

went two and won a Super Bowl, and Josh Allen is turning 30 and is yet to be in a Super Bowl, and you have not only elevated in Basma Holmes, he's the most talented player ever. Forget it. Brown? Eat it. Aaron Rogers. Forget you. It just feels a bit much, but maybe I'm being unfair. Now we can move on. Okay. Fun debate. Okay, so Caleb Williams, you know, the fingernails, he's moody, he's erratic. I did an essay last week where I said, we've just got to judge him differently. He's not everybody

else, and I said it took me a while to get there. For the record, he has gotten a lot better. He is better now than he was nine weeks ago. He's just, he stays in the pocket now because he's better in the pocket now that's why he stays yes and so i've come around jamax said this yesterday is we have to just own this he is the top 10 quarterback in the league because this team isn't very good and the coach is brand new and it's hard to win here in a division with green band at troyd and i think we all just have to own it he's another number one pick that looks damn good yeah i mean i am think about how much growth he had just in the last 12 months. He left last off season or less last season and it's like this guy takes the worst

sacks of any quarterback we've seen in a decade. And he cut that out of his game entirely. And then we were in the first week of the regular season and we're like, oh my God, the Bears pre-snap. They can't get plays in. They have these formational things. He, by the midwere, waypoint of the season, had fixed that entirely. Now, he, and he said it, his accuracy is what he needs to attack next along with his footwork. He, oddly, that preseason or training camp video of Caleb missing the throws to the little, the net with the holes in it, and then getting all upset, that was actually a little telling. He did struggle somewhat on the easy stuff. But I would argue, Colin, the four quarterback traits that are super important and are the hardest to teach

or impossible to teach are raw athleticism, armed talent, creativity, and coolness under pressure. Right. And he's a 10 out of 10 on all four of those. So if the stuff that's hardest to teach, he's great at, he already has made two, Who plays this postseason on fourth down with the game on the line that are two of the greatest plays I've ever seen? I just believe he'll get better at the other stuff, just like he got better at not taking sacks. But think about how far he came. On September 20th, there were, pardon me, there were talk shows in your adopted hometown of Chicago being like,

what would this team look like with Tyson Bajant? And on January 20th, we're saying, is that the single greatest throw we've ever seen in NFL history to tie a playoff game? So, you know, at this point, I feel lucky. I picked New England as my double your win total team. They're in. Wow. I picked Seattle as my surprise playoff team. They're doing very well.

I loved Bo Nicks from day one, although we had a bad month this year. And I've said this before. I think Stafford's going to go down as better than Aaron Rogers. If he wins a second Super Bowl, I think the resumes he'll stack him up and you'll go, okay, it was better early, he's better late. He had to go through dysfunction. But I will say this with Seattle. The Sam Darnold thing is delicious.

Is that I know what's going to happen if they win. People will say it's the defense, it's the coach, it's the run game. Where are you on Seattle being the favorite? Do you think they should be? And where are you on Donald if he, by chance, wins the Super Bowl? All right. So here's the weird part about my answer your first question. Seattle obviously should be the favorite.

They have been the best team all year. I know they just lost Charbonnet, but they're healthy. They're at home. They can beat you in every different way. I'm also picking the Rams. So I'm like, see. Seattle deserves to be the favorite, but I also think the Rams have shown they play them very well and play them tight. Yeah.

And I just, I don't think the Rams have played even close to their best game yet this postseason. But if it's tight late, I will absolutely, like I trust Stafford. And I do think Stafford, I don't know, I hadn't thought about the Rogers comp, but he is, assuming he wins MVP this year, which he's going to, that alone makes him a Hall of Famer now. does that and wins the Super Bowl, then it's a whole other tier of quarterback. And by the way, the only quarterbacks in a quarter century to win league MVP and the Super Bowl same year, Kurt Warner 99, Mahomes in 22, and it could be Stafford, or I guess theoretically Drake May if he wins it this year as well. Now, to the second part of your question, what will we say about Darnold if he wins it? It's very interesting because I think,

he is, even if they don't win it, he is one solid game in the NFC championship away from removing the biggest yeah, but about him, which is, and big spots, do you trust him? He was fine in week 18 when they were playing for the one seed. Last week was weird because they won so instantly, but he didn't make any big mistakes. He was fine. He just needs to avoid disaster this weekend to shed that. And then from there, if they win the Super Bowl, Colin, then you're just like, hey, as soon as he got to a stable place and became the starter. He got 14 wins with the Vikings and threw for 4,000 yards,

and they were playing for the one seed late in the year. And he got 14 wins and threw for 4,000 yards with the Seahawks. They were playing for the one seed and got it. I mean, that's a lot of words to say, you will be vindicated. Your decade-long belief in this player, you will finally be fully and totally vindicated. I will say this. I do believe Mahomes will win another Super Bowl. And I think Bo Nix has validated his efficiency and talent.

But I want to concentrate on this. Because if you told me there is one team that is suddenly going to be for the next six years of Mahalms Prime a problem. it would not be Buffalo. It would not be Baltimore. It would not be Herbert. It would be New England. Oh, New England. Interesting. Okay.

They are potentially Brady Belichick with a more athletic quarterback and a very current player-friendly coach. They have pivoted in the two areas you have to in football. Quarterbacks now have to move.

Right? Secondly, coach have to be player-friendly. McVeigh's tough. Mike McDonald, Damico-Reyons are tough. They hold players accountable. But players love them.

They're good guys. They're player-friendly. They have modernized in New England brilliantly. Same owner, same coordinator, a prototype for Belichick, and Drake May, nobody can dispute this.

Is darn good really fast. I think this. I think this, of all the AFC teams is the problem potentially. I'm not saying they want one another, but this would worry me as a chief fan, not Buffalo, Baltimore, Joe Burrow. So I want to see who Buffalo hires is their head coach. Okay. Because despite all, you know, my fair cogent analysis about a four turnover playoff game, I still have massive respect for Josh Allen. Right. And so I need to see what Buffalo does there. But almost everything else

just remove the Chiefs from it. Do I look at the Patriots as next team up in the AFC? Undoubtedly. And now listen, I have doubted the Broncos all year. I have been wrong all year. I have doubted Bo Nix all year. I thought he played

the best game of any quarterback this weekend and he deserves credit and that injury is such a gut punch. With that said, I believe Drake May is clearly and obviously in a caliber above Bo Nix as a quarterback. I also think while Sean Payton, another guy that is kind of, you know, is rubbed me the

wrong way while everyone else loves him, he's been brilliant all season for that team, and his play calls were great on Saturday. You give, so you give him massive credit. Just the fact that Brable is so much younger than Peyton, I feel like, yeah, and allows him to grow with Drake May is so optimistic for them. So I agree with your kind of general thesis, which is this Patriots team is very for real. Now, with all that said, as much as I love Drake May, he got to stop fumbling the ball. The only reason they won that Texans game is because the Texans couldn't pick up Drake May's fumbles.

But in between the fumbles, he's so sharp and he's so tough and he's got such a good arm. We've talked about it all year, Colin. If you have the quarterback and you nail the coach, there is no rebuild. Caleb and Ben Johnson won the division and we're in round two in year one together. Drake May and Mike Brable won the division and are in round three in year one together. They have the right coaching quarterback and they're going to be together a long time. Nick Wright, good stuff. I'll reconsider my Josh Allen comments.

That would only be reasonable. I mean, I've been a little... Well, here's what I, here's all I would, just as a favor to you. We always have to leave ourselves room for when the guy actually accomplishes something. So if he's the best player in the league and the most talented player ever before he ever gets to a Super Bowl, then what are we going to call him when he wins it? Give him the Nobel Peace Prize. Can't do that. Starts international conflict.

There's nowhere to move with it. So just give yourself a little room to upgrade. That's all I would say. Good stuff, buddy. Nick Wright first thing first. You know, we're so lucky, man. What a great football season. I mean, college was unbelievable.

I agree with my boss who told Urban Meyer, chaos. I've never enjoyed college football this much. I've never had this much fun watching college football. It feels like 35, 40% NFL. Well, the NFL's better. And they got more mature older players? Oh, college football has gotten older. They've got a real playoff system.

Oh, college football has got that. They pay their players like they should. Players are getting older because they're standing in college. I don't know. I love what I'm watching. The Hurt. One more HARD? The HARD streams 24 hours a day seven days a week within the IHard Radio app.

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Check us out on YouTube, subscribe, hit that thumbs up icon and comment away. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news? Huge news. created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to it. We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts. We're starting a trend. But this one's extra special. So how did we, how do we actually come up with the 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. 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 Ely 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. Keith Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world. that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier.

We're not becoming more social and connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually meet people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. All right, welcome back. A lot of stuff going on. Congrats to the Indiana Hoosiers. Robert Salah's got a new gig. Will he hire Mike McDaniel, the former Dolphins coach, to be his clever OC. They got Cam Ward.

They're not paying him for another four years. I think Tennessee keep your eye on that division, which we've always thought to a little weak and wonky. But Houston's defense, Jacksonville's offense, the overall personnel, Tennessee's not good. But if they get Sala and a top offensive coach with Cam Ward, They're going to have massive cap space. Raiders in Tennessee going to have massive cap space. Here's J-Mack with the news. No, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Yeah, I like this Titans team. I'm digging into stuff. All season's so fun. But we still got an NFC championship game this weekend. Colin, that is going to be pretty damn good. Seattle hosting the Rams Sunday on Fox.

See Seattle, two and a half point favorite. This is their first trip to the NFC title game since 24. against the Niners. That was the memorable Richard Sherman game. Obviously, the two meetings between the two this season have been nothing short of phenomenal. You had the breakdown, I think, on Monday about how I think the one point was the difference in both games combined. You did not note that Sam Darnold has six interceptions in eight quarters against the Rams this season. Seems like it's noteworthy.

Mike McDonald said he wouldn't want it any other way. I think a lot of people are calling this the actual Super Bowl. given the poo-poo platter in the AFC? Yeah, I think there was about a four or five-year run. I mean, between the Patriots and Brady and the Chiefs and Mahomes, it did feel like at the top, it was like the SEC for 20 years in college football. It felt like the championships were going to go through the AFC.

I don't think there's any question now that the best rosters and coach, I mean, look at the coaching right now in the NFC. McVeigh, Shanahan, McDonald, like at the top. There's some, I mean, Matt Lafleur, Dan Campbell's been great. There is some really good coaching happening out west, and I do believe

Seattle and the ramp. Listen, it's the number one offense, Rams, against the number one defense, Seattle. It is best of best. I think New England would be an underdog to both. Denver with Jared Stidham would absolutely be a touchdown plus underdog to both. I think New England is the

last hope for the AFC to a trophy because Denver's not doing it. Bo Nix gave him a shot. Denver's not winning the Super Bowl. Yeah, well, this NFC situation is interesting because Seattle has emerged as the best team late in the season. But let's be

real, Conlin, if we're being 100% authentic. The NFC suffered from brutal injuries this year. Jaden Daniels was in this game last year. He was injured and Washington was terrible. Okay, we saw the lions get hammered by injuries. Laporta, offensive line everywhere. We saw the Niners

riddled with injuries. Mike, a Parsons goes down. The Packers could be here. I think Seattle should be thrilled they're here. I think the Rams deserve it. And the more we talk, the more I think the Rams are probably the side. I'm just hoping that the public bets it up to three so I can get the full field goal. You like Seattle in this game, I sense. No, I think the line's right. I think Seattle, I talked about this Sunday after it happened. I think Seattle should be a field goal favorite. Special teams, if they become a factor. And Matt Hasselbeck said this on the show yesterday. may just be better to just kick the ball through the end zone and not risk kicking the ball

or punting the ball to Seattle. Special teams in games like this matter a lot. I mean, when you have two great coaches, two very productive quarterback, by the way, Stafford can be reckless as well as Darnold. Stafford's got before Sunday had seven picks and seven games. Stafford can be reckless. But the difference between Seattle and the Rams is this. The Rams are a cleaner team. They don't turn the ball over as much. They don't get penalized. I mean, this past week in Chicago, no drop passes. So you're getting, it's really best of the best.

And so to me, a three-point favorite for Seattle feels about right. My take is L.A. is the bet. Seattle's the deeper roster. L.A. is probably the bet. If I get Stafford and McVeigh in that offense and a field goal, I don't care where the game's at. They just won in, you know, feels like minus 11. They can win in Seattle. How much does experience matter to you?

McVeigh, huge edge. This is McDaniel's second game. And by the way, sorry, not McDaniel, McDonald. This is his second playoff game, and he didn't even have to coach the fourth quarter against the Niners, okay? So he's never been in one of these 10 spots. And same deal for Darnold.

Like, he coached it. I think he had, what, 17 pass attempts or something ridiculous? Like, I think Seattle's going to be in some trouble. Let's go to the AFC. And Colin, I don't know. I heard a rumor you might be skiing during the AFC championship game

because there's no. a lot of excitement around Stidham versus May. Sorry, Broncos fans. Obviously, Vrable and company are very excited to be here. Here he is talking about the tall task after the Texans game. Be the best defense that we've played to date because it's the next one. I mean, that's just how this goes. They're playing with a lot of confidence. They're good on the perimeter. We're really good up front. The athleticism, they've sized. They put a lot of pressure on And so it's just how this thing goes each and every week. They get tougher.

Like even Brady struggled going to Denver. It's mild high. It's tough. I think, listen, Zach Allen, like, the first thing he said, they're very good on the edge. Also, Cortland Sutton and Mims is going to put pressure on New England's corners. New England, for the record, New England's secondary. Dude, they are really well coached and really athletic in that secondary. Jared Stidham, watch out.

Because those, that is a, that New England secondary, when Christian Gonzalez is out there, they got playmakers. If you had to do a crazy prop, a pick six is not crazy against New England. Because Zach Allen and that rush, they're going to get in Jared Stidham's face. That's actually, I like that. That might be your best prop bet of the season, just casually dropping it on a Tuesday. Pick six, interesting. Yeah.

I mean, let's be real. This Broncos defense is a little overrated. A little bit. Denver, Denver's defense could not stop Josh Allen. I remember the Trevor Lawrence game. They hung 34 on the Denver defense in Mile High. We saw Jordan Love just go up and down the field until the injuries killed him. I'm looking at some other games.

Like, they struggled to stop Jackson Dart earlier this season. I don't know if this is any, they're nowhere near the class of the Houston, Texas. We would agree with that, right? I think the best roster, going forward right now feels like Seattle, the best defense feels like Seattle, the best offense feels like the Rams and a team

the Rams have holes corner and special teams Seattle and New England those rosters don't have holes yeah I mean Seattle is spectacular on special teams New England's good enough on special teams so I think the Rams have a really

high ceiling but they can have a floor Carolina almost beat him twice and both Both games, it was the same thing. They were struggling to make stops on the sideline. All right, final story, Con. Let's go to the Detroit Lions.

You and I were hot on, oh, Mike McDaniel would be a great fit with the Lions. I guess they weren't interested. There are conflicting reports on that. But the Lions have hired a gentleman by the name of Drew Petzing, who was with Arizona for three seasons. And then he was quietly dismissed. I started to do some homework on him and mixed bag of results. in his time in Arizona.

Detroit Lions fans are not exactly geeked right now, given the potential of this offensive. I mean, you've got Gibbs, Laporta's coming back, Amman Ra. This is an offense that's on par with the Rams when you talk about talent. I would say this. You and I didn't spend a lot of time watching or discussing Arizona. But if I had a takeaway from Arizona this year

is with a defensive coach, their defense went into the toilet. offensively, Arizona, I looked up a lot during the season, and they were scoring 27, 28 points. Jacoby Brissette, too, was a quarter. Right, right.

And I think they've got some nice offensive pieces, but I thought Arizona's offense, everybody's banging on this guy. I'm going to tell you right now, the O line at Detroit is the gold standard compared to what he dealt with in Arizona. The

ownership's better in Detroit. The front office is better in Detroit. So I mean, my takeaway is everybody's criticizing this move. I watched enough Arizona to think multiple times this year. Their offense is kind of interesting considering it's Jacoby Brissette. I was kind of impressed with it. I mean, they did lose their running back, spacing on his name. He went down midway through the season. And Marvin Harrison missed a million gains. And they still were putting up points. Michael Wilson emerged. So I guess I'm not going to render a judgment yet because there's too much talent on this line.

team to just totally go in the tank? They were top 10 in passing offense and third down offense. I don't know. I think this guy is going to work in Detroit. I feel like today, is he Ben Johnson? You get a Ben Johnson. Like there's always one or two coordinators that are top of class. That was Ben Johnson.

I think Detroit solved their biggest dilemma, which is Dan Campbell had to take over play, calling. Coaches don't want to do that. I think this guy's going to work. That's my opinion. The other problem, Colin, the NFC, is like nine or ten teams deep. Honestly. Jayden Daniels is,

let's not forget him. Let's not forget Tampa, which cratered. This is a really tough conference. Lions probably get back to the playoffs, but I'll tell you this, Minnesota Vikings, they're going to be frisky next year.

With a healthy JJ McCarthy. How many games did Detroit win this year? Nine? I think they were nine and eight. Okay. They're over-under. It's only going to be about ten. One of the best bets on the board is take Detroit's over.

Over ten. Yeah, because this. guy's not going to instill great Vegas confidence or media confidence. Detroit's really good. They went and drafted last year. Interior O'Lignment, it wasn't a sexy draft. Detroit knows what the hell they're doing upstairs. Dan Campbell builds a culture. They had an O.C. issue last year, and they just solved it, in my opinion, Detroit is back to being a formidable, capable NFC championship contender. I'll stand on the Giants are my double the win total team. And Detroit is, is back in the playoffs.

Okay, so I cannot. This is going to be a fun off season, because you've got now Detroit and the Giants in. I'm curious who you're pulling out of the playoffs. Because I think my notes right here, say you've got nine teams currently in the playoffs, Colin, and the NFC. So we've got to winnow that down here in the coming months. Okay.

Brock Purdy could. Oh, no, not my guy. Come on. J-Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd line news. I usually wait to the off season.

New York Giants are my double-the-win total team, and my Detroit Lions are back into the playoffs team. I'll say it right now. Do we tape this show? Are we back to taping? Okay. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app.

Hey, it's us, the Jonas brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, new 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. And 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. 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 Ely 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. In 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. Keith Gianmanca seemed like a mild-mannered suburban dad.

but secretly he became someone else, a master of disguise who went on a crime spree. At the time, did it seem like a crazy idea? It seemed very crazy, but I felt so desperate that I felt it was the quickest, easiest way out. Did you allow yourself to think about how it could go wrong and what that might look like? No, I didn't want to manifest that.

I was trying to manifest success. Every family has its secrets. But what happens when you discover that your dad has been living a double life? That is not the look of an innocent man. This is going to change my life and my family dynamic forever because everything that had existed prior in my reality is now untrue. Listen to Deep Cover the Family Man on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Georgia 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. 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 House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the T, 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.

Sunday on Fox with a trip to... Super Bowl 60 on the line. Matthew Stafford and the Rams take on Sam Darnold and the top seated Seahawks. The NFC Championship presented by Intuit TurboTax. Sunday at 6 Eastern 3 Pacific on

Fox. One by one, teams are hiring their next head coach. The New York Giants got John Harbaugh. He is the best coach on the market. Atlanta got Kevin Stefansky, Ivy League, sharp, offensive guy. Love that hire.

The Titans got Robert Sala, was the best defensive coordinator in football this year, doing it with a banged-up Niners team. Miami got Jeff Hathley, been a college head coach. You know, kind of the opposite of McDaniel, no flash at all, could be very good. The two best openings, and this is kind of instructive here, the two best openings, we think Baltimore and Buffalo, because of Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen. Those are the two best openings. are they what did this season show us what did these playoffs show us if you have a superstar quarterback and pay them a lot your roster's not going to be great kansas city pays mahomes a lot bad o line buffalo pays josh allen a lot no pro bowlers on defense zero listen to this zero of the top

15 paid quarterbacks in the NFL today are left in the playoffs. Let me give you three really good rosters that don't appear to have any holes. New England, Seattle, and Denver. New England and Denver, quarterbacks on their rookie deals, and Seattle has a GM that doesn't miss in the draft, and Sam Darnold is on a very team-friendly deal. So I look at this and I say to myself, well, Buffalo is the best job.

You're not going to have a lot of cap space. Well, Baltimore is outstanding. Well, what happens when Lamar Jackson renegotiates his deal? I mean, again, Baltimore drafts well, but there are limitations. Tom Brady was never the highest paid quarterback in the league. Tom got it. Tom gets a lot of things. He got it.

do you want to win trophies? You can't worry about ego. You can't be the highest paid quarterback. So Robert Salah to the Titans, and whoever coaches the Raiders were Fernando Mendoza, I get high-end quarterback talent and number one and two in the league in cap space. That's Denver.

That's what Chicago. Chicago went and bought Joe Tuny, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dolman. An entirely new interior line. Just went and bought it. What did they do this year in Chicago much better? Avoid sacks. Well, their offensive line was great. So here's John Harbaugh, who was the best coach on the market.

He's not going to pay Jackson Dart anything for four years. I mean, this is the recipe. This is Bonix in Denver. This is Drake May. If Jackson Dart can stay out of the blue tent, they need a right tackle, a tight end, and probably a corner. But here's John Harbaugh. Our focus is simple. It starts with building a team that is physical and tough.

That's capable of overwhelming their opponent from beginning to end, and especially at the end, that understands how to finish. That is smart and disciplined. It plays the game the way it should be played. Nothing will be taken for granted. It will always, always be all about the team. The team, the team, the team. Thanks, Dad, for that. It'll always be about that.

Now it's time to go to work. Yeah, again, our perception, my perception, I'm thinking about this this morning, is Buffalo's the job. Baltimore, that's the one you want. New York Giants, Tennessee Titans, Fernando Mendoza in Las Vegas. It's a massive cap space. Look at what New England did to reinvent their roster in one year.

I mean, New England had the worst receiving core in the league, the slowest. Not anymore. They drafted very well. I look at the giant, and the everything with the Giants is, when you get the quarterback and the coach right, it creates such clarity. They obviously need a right tackle. That'll be their first pick. Everybody in the league needs faster linebackers in the great corner. I think they need to go out and get another tight end.

There's always tight ends out there, third, fourth, fifth. round. But this feels pretty good. There really does. At least one of the New York teams has their act together. Big Blue is coming back. I'll say it right now. 10 and 7 at worst, 12 and 5 in play. Hey, by the way, you know the New York media, a bunch of sharks. They just cannot wait to tear this apart. They are grilling Joe Shane on. So, the coach doesn't report to you.

Who has final say over the roster? They're stirring the pot already. It's going to get ugly in New York. I'm going to go ahead and disagree with 10 wins, Colin. I'll go 7.5, 8. How many steak dinners, you owe me? I've lost count. Oh, please.

A cattle farm. Lies. 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. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season.

And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was funny. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis come in to you, he's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs.

This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Your husband is not who you think he is. Your body is not what you thought it was. Your identity is formed by a secret history. I'm Danny Shapiro. And these are just a few of the stunning stories. I'll be exploring on the 14th season of Family Secrets.

He kind of shoved me out of the way and said, move. And he went out the front door and he jumped in a car and drove off. And that was the last time I saw him. Listen to Season 14 of Family Secrets 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. I'm Akela Hughes, and Rebel Spirit Season 2 is about both of those things. As I was watching these statues come down, I was thinking about what it meant that I grew up in a majority of black city, in which there were more homages to enslavers than there were to enslave people. Listen to Rebel Spirit Season 2 on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.