The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 2 - The early top 10 teams for 2026, NFL draft prospects, Greg Cosell

Episode Date: February 11, 2026

He looks at the landscape of the NFL and unveils his early top 10 teams for the 2026 season Colin talks to Greg Cosell about the best offenses in the NFL, how the Seahawks handled the Patriots in the Super Bowl, what the Patriots were trying to do, and moreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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It is a Wednesday. We're live in Chicago. It is the herd. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening or watching. Thanks for making us part of your day. Greg CoSell is going to show up about four or five minutes. So I was thinking about this. I know it's really, really early, but the NFL season is over.

And once an NFL season ends, there are three ways to improve your team. Number one is the coaching and staff hires. number two is free agency and number three is the draft. Those are the primary ways. I think the draft's worth about 15%. I think free agency is worth about 15%. And I think Ben Johnson and Mike Vrable are proof. The coaching's about 70%.

Now, most rosters don't radically change. And if they do like New England change this year, well, it's up to Mike Vrable, the coach. Okay, good. So to me, the coaching thing really matters. So if you look at the teams that have made big jumps in a year, Johnson, Mike Vrable, Jim Harbaugh, Liam Cohen, Sean Payton. It's not all players. It's mostly the coach. And if they do change the roster, the coach has big say in that. The coach making 18 million a

year has a lot of say in even the draft and free agency. So, I mean, the Titans and Giants had a lot of money last year. They didn't have the right coaches. Okay. New England had a lot of money last year in free agency. They had the right coach. I mean, Jackson, Dart and Drake Mayer, both talented, it's the coach. So in Seattle, ace the draft. Seattle ace the draft. They had two guys, a guard and a safety out of the draft class that had an impact. Two of 22 starters, and that's not counting special teams, and their special teams in Seattle were impactful. So I do believe you can look after all the coaching hires. I'm going to do a top 10 after the coaching hires, after free agency, and after the draft. And I would say, here we go number 10. I think the chiefs,

I'd put them at number 10 right now. They've got three really good picks. Three of the top 75 picks. They need to get a rush end, an offensive tackle, probably a running back. If they get that Notre Dame running back in the first round, I don't think they will, but if they do, absolute home run, I have them at 10. Number nine would be Buffalo. Okay, Buffalo didn't have a lot of cap space, and they don't have a pro bowler on defense right now.

Joe Brady, is he an upgrade over Sean McDermott? I don't necessarily think so. I'm going to wait and see. Their schedule is brutal. Rams, Texans, AFC West, NFC North. Brutal, brutal schedule. Number six to Patriots, or number eight to Patriots. I like New England.

But Drake May was sacked 68 times this year. The O line doesn't need a tweak. It mostly outside a guard needs an overhaul. Three straight playoff games with eight plus points. At one point in the Super Bowl, eight drives, eight punts, and seven completions. They also played an incredibly well. week schedule. Next year, I think it's a top six most difficult schedule. They'll be a very good team. I don't think in the AFC, they'll represent the conference in the Super Bowl. Number seven,

I would say the Detroit Lions. I really like their O.C. Higher out of Arizona. I was surprised how good the Cardinals' offense was at times this year with Jacoby Berset. I think they've got their star players all signed, and they've got star players at key positions, pass rusher, tackle, weapon, quarterback. I have the Lions at seven. Number six, Liam Cohen, year one. What a turnaround by the Jaguars. Top 10 in offense and defense. They're only going to get better. I mean, listen, first coached ever win 13 plus games taken over a team with four fewer wins, only first year head coach. That's pretty good. That's pretty good team. So, and I think they didn't have Travis Hunter playing much. He should play a role going forward. Jags at 6. I think the Chargers are going

to feel like a Super Bowl team in September. Upgraded OC, both their tackles back, tons of cap space, and I think they're going to spend it on offense to protect Justin Herbert as they should. The defense may not be as good without Jesse Minter. It'll be fine, but I think they're going to look like a different team offensively next year. I'd put the Bears at four. I know you think it's high. The Rams had to play a perfect game and beat him in overtime in the playoffs. Last four losses, all came in one-score games. Teams, by the way, went 2 and 14 and 1 after they played the Bears. I don't know what that means, but it's something.

They did not take the ball away in the playoffs. Like they did in the regular season, I think they have to spend almost their entire draft capital on defensive players. Number three, the Denver Broncos. Not only were they missing Bo Nix, but J.K. Dobbins, and two of their top three receivers in a playoff game, they should have been the Super Bowl team. They matched up with Seattle much better.

I think Seattle would have won. but Denver kind of felt like between the blizzard and their injuries, they got bad breaks. Fewest sacks allowed, tied for the fewest sacks allowed, and the most sacks on defense. I'm sorry, I like the coach, the roster, and the quarterback. Number two, and maybe they should be number one, I'd put the Rams outgained opponents, even in their five losses this year, highest-gritted offense, highest-gritted defense, according to PFF, played the toughest schedule by any playoff team. I worry about Matt Stafford's age.

But there's an argument they'll be the best team in the league next year. Number one, Seattle, between Mike McDonald, John Snyder, his drafting record, Sam Darnold. So many of, it's like watching a little bit like watching OKC last year, the Spurs this year. They have so much upside and they're already really, really good. So Seattle just doesn't miss. And they've, last four years, they have hit on their top. two picks, and I mean stars, the last four years in the draft, top two picks. So they're not even paying those guys yet.

That would be my top ten right now. I don't have Green Bay, but they've been a number seven seed in the playoffs, haven't they? This year they were a seven seed. They have a seven seed the year before. Jay Mack, you're just puzzled by this. Listen, I know we have a guest usually here. I got a lot to say about this one, so maybe we should wait a little bit. Well, wait.

It's kind of wild here, coward. Really? I don't know. So no Eagles anywhere to be found. No Joe Burrow, no Lamar Jackson. I mean, were you the one yesterday telling me they had nine people? Lamar Jackson. That new contract he's going to get.

Oh. That, the Ravens are going to have to move off people? Where are the Houston Texans? There's 11 or something? Aren't you the guy that kept complaining that C.J. Straub was regressing? I think he's not a very good quarterback. So if you don't have a very good quarterback, how are you best? better than Mahalms and Josh Allen and Drake May and Jared Gaw.

The defense is elite. And we just saw it. It's not about quarterbacks. It's about defense at this point. I'm surprised the Atlanta Falcons. Okay, that's just a joke. But yeah, this is three from the AFC West. Two from the NFC West.

No Niners. Hey, you know how I like Mendoza? Raiders may be 11 by September. Oh, come on. Stop. All right. Let's bring in Greg Kossel, 46 years NFL films. there's so much to talk about.

You know I love Sam Donald. You know I've always loved Sam Donald. I know that. I know that. He had a little hitch in his, you know, delivery, and he came into the league at 20, so he wasn't quite ready. I argued yesterday. People say, you know, everybody loves to get credit. And I said, the NFC was the better conference this year. By the end of the year, Mahomes is beat up and all that.

And I said, to go through a playoff and Mike Rable's defense, without a turnover, Breeze did that once, Aikman did it once, like, that is saying, because that Rams defense can create turnovers. But you tell me, when you watch the Super Bowl, and even the playoffs, how much credit does Sam deserve? Well, you know, it's funny you say that because normally we talk about the quarterback as being the key to everything. Now, I thought what Darnal did in that game is he played that game the way it was demanded to be played, given the way that. It was their defense played. Now, I was actually surprised. I was there in the stadium watching the game, and then, of course, I watched the tape yesterday. I was truly surprised when I saw that he had

40 dropbacks because the game didn't really play out that way because they ran the ball really well. They ran a lot of plays. They controlled the ball for 33 minutes. Even though they weren't great on third down, they still controlled the ball. And I thought Donald played that game the way it was demanded to be played. He missed a few, Colin, as you know, where he just missed. And that would have probably made it even more of a route if he hit those throws. But there were times where he clearly felt it wasn't clean, it was muddied, and he checked it down. He obviously had that scramble on the, I think it was the first third quarter drive. He played really efficient football.

I think it was, it might have been Matt Hasselbeck. I can't remember. But the term, as opposed to game manager, which has a negative pejorative term, and I think the term that Matt used was game commander, which I think is such a, a better way to talk about a quarterback that, you know, and Tom Brady talks about this all the time. You play the game the way the game demands that you play it. It's not about putting up the big stats. He played that game the right way. Yeah, Drake May set an NFL Super Bowl record for passing yards in a quarter. So that's all you need to know, because he was throwing the ball in

the fourth quarter nonstop. Yeah. You got to get out of the stat. Now, I've got to ask you about Kenneth Walker. He's got such a unique style. I think we both like him. I liked him at Michigan State. He's a guy that breaks a lot of tackles. He is so thick. The idea of a corner coming up and bringing him down by themselves, you know, maybe his own teammate, Devin Witherspoon, could do it. Most corners couldn't. What do you make of his effectiveness? Yeah, well, you know what surprised me? We talked about this last week leading up to the game, and I was surprised that he was able to get to the edge as much as he did against that Patriots defense. They are really good running out of multiple tight-end personnel.

That's really their foundation. 21 of his 27 carries came out of either 12 or 13 personnel, meaning two tight ends or three tight ends. But I was truly surprised with him getting to the edge. I thought with a Mike Vrable defense, and certainly Vrable being coached by Belichick where setting the edge was really a constant theme, that's something truly that surprised me.

But I thought that Walker in this game ran with sort of calculation, I mean, when you run with patience, what you do is you manipulate second-level defenders. And I thought he did a really good job of that. And then, of course, he certainly has the burst when he saw the whole. There were times watching the tape where I thought of Levion Bell with how patient he was. You know, you don't normally see that. And certainly not from Kenneth Walker, who always looks to get to the perimeter. Yeah. New England did a pretty good job until they got tired and their tackling regressed. New England did a pretty good job to slow down Seattle's offense for a while. What was their secret sauce or was it just personnel?

Yeah, no, I think that that's an overlooked element of the game. I thought that the defense for the Patriots actually played exceptionally well. I mean, obviously Walker had that 30-yard run and 29-yard run back to back, but for the most part, you know, I thought the Patriots defense played well. Now, as I said, Darnold missed a few, and that. That would have changed the whole feel about the game. You know, obviously he just under threw Shahid on a vertical route, a post route that Gonzalez was able to get his hands on. He threw, he had Smith and Jigba on that sort of bang eight. That would have been a touchdown if he laid it out in front of him.

Yeah, that one right now, he threw ball behind him. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that would have changed our conversation. But for the most part, they played, well, I thought the safety, the rookie safety, Woodson. I thought he was all over the tape. he played a really, really good game. But, you know, it was a close game, obviously. When it got to be 197 and New England got the ball,

I'm not saying you thought they were going to win, but for a moment there you're thinking, oh, we might have a ball game here. You know, Chris Collinsworth said at halftime, he and Tariko, when they came back for the start of the second half, you know, Collinsworth just laid it out, he goes, yeah, Drake's not, he's not ready. Like this right now feels too big for him.

Now, some of that's the pass protection, but he did look, you know, what happens when you speed up young quarterbacks? That's what happened. Was it just a matter of he just didn't want to get hit? He wants trying to get rid of the ball. No, being in the stadium, the first thing I noticed, okay, was the pressure packages that Seattle started the game with. They're not a high percentage blitz defense.

In fact, they were one of the lower percentage blitz defenses, but they started the game on third downs with pressure. Now, then they backed off the pressure because they only rushed five or more on eight of May's 53 dropbacks. It might have seemed like more watching the game because they started with pressure. And what they did a phenomenal job of, Colin, is you can dictate pass protection by how you align your defensive front. And they did such a good job of that. They lined up with a lot of five-man fronts, six-man fronts. That dictates how you have to pass-protect.

And then once you know how they have to protect, then you can bring someone. and it was Witherspoon, who's not accounted for. So they did such a really good job with that early in the game, and they got Drake May sort of playing fast. You know, we've talked about this before with quarterbacks, that all of a sudden they start to play fast, and everything gets speeded up. The mental process gets speeded up,

the physical process gets speeded up, and then they miss throws that they normally would make with no problem at all. The only guarantee I made on the Friday before the Super Bowl, I said on the air, New England will not run the ball. They will absolutely, that's the only. And I said, that's why I ended up picking Seattle.

I said, that means Drake May is going to have to throw 35 times plus. He's one in seven. That's not what you want a 23-year-old doing in the Super Bowl. They will not run the ball. So it was obvious to me, which means it was probably really obvious to you. And to me, it was just felt like Seattle athletically in the box has better players. Forget scheme for a second. They're just twitchy, fast, long.

And I felt like New England's O-line was overwhelmed right out of the gate. They were overmatched. And the secret sauce for Seattle all year, quite frankly, has been, and this is a trend in the league. If you can do it. You know, it depends on your players, is they're able to stop the run playing out of a too high safety structure, playing out of a two deep shell, which they played a lot of in this game because of the quality of their up front players. I did not think New England would be able to run the ball well in this game, certainly not inside with Stevenson,

because Murphy, Leonard Williams, Jaron Reed, their tackle rotation is as good as any in the league. We know what they have on the outside with Lawrence, a terrific player who had a great year. And they just overmatched a New England offensive line, particularly on the left side with playing the two rookies. They were just overmatched. But that's one of the secret sauces,

is they're able to stop the run without, having to allocate a safety, and I'm not talking about Emin Worry, because he's essentially a Sam linebacker in their defense. I'm talking about allocating a safety either Julian Love or Kobe Bryant. They don't have to allocate them as part of the run defense so they can keep them in a two-deep shell. I said before the Super Bowl, there are parts of New England I like a lot. I don't love their O line, and I think they probably need another tight end. I was disappointed. They didn't use Hunter Henry more. I think you can beat the Seahawks. at tight end. That's why the Rams are so effective

against Seattle. They go right at the tight end. Obviously, Pook is great, but New England's receivers are fine. The O line, though, to me, is a really a priority in the off-season. You've got to draft it. You've got to spend some money on it. What did the tape say? Well, obviously,

what happened in the game is Seattle, in addition to those pressures early in the game that set the tone, then settled into playing a lot of, I don't want to say basic defense, but they created one-on-one match-up. because they lined up a lot in what we call loaded fronts, meaning there were three defensive linemen to one side of the center,

and then they put Ernest Jones on the ball. So it was essentially a five-man front. And almost always that dictates what we call 5-0 protection, meaning that the five offensive linemen are responsible for one-on-one blocks. And Seattle just can, they won those blocks too many times. They physically were better than the Patriots' offensive line. in addition to the times when they did pressure and they were able to beat them because they understood their protections and had to attack it with an unaccounted for a rusher. So it was sometimes, Colin, football is just match-up football.

And the Seahawks were just better up front and they won a lot of one-on-one matchups. Yeah. No, it's, I mean, that's what the good coaches do, all this raw, raw stuff. The bottom line is you have to say when you look at film, guys, we are insufficient athletically here. have to protect that. The one thing you could see that even I could see was Seattle's defensive front you've got elite players

and Will Campbell and we said this before the game, it's probably a guard. He came out of a bad draft class. He'd probably be a very good guard. He doesn't feel like right now a left tackle. Let's wrap it up with this. We talked about this week on the show Greg is that offense is

eye candy. You watch Mike McDaniel, Sean McVeigh. You watch Kyle Shanahan, Ben John. It's easy to see the motion and the creativity. But great defensive coaches, Mike McDonald, Brian Flores, maybe, D'Amico Ryan's. That's where Greg Coasell can come in and say, okay, here's what's happening. Because offense, we can all watch the dolphins with Mike McDaniel and see all the, and go, well, that's, I, they're clever.

Well, what's Mike McDonald do that you, 46 years doing this go, wow. That is something. I mean, the play that I'd love to show is a perfect example of that. I mean, it was third and 15 on the second possession, because early in the game, they came out and they pressured. Now, they did that early. So if we can take a look at this play, because this, to me, you know, you talk about eye candy. For someone like myself watching tape, this is just unbelievably good. I love when I see this.

As I said, it was third and 15. You see Drake May, he's in the gun. Now, what you're going to see is a six-man front. So now you have to count for six potential pass rushers. And what they did is they put Jones up there inside and Emin Worry on the outside. Now, there's only, of course, five offensive linemen. So now what do you have to do? You've got to figure out a way to deal with the six-man front.

But with the five offensive linemen, you get what we call 5-0 protection. So they match up, and that includes Jones, because he's on the ball, mugged up on the ball, as we say. Now, the right tackle is going to be responsible. I think that was Lawrence on the outside. Now, what you have to do here is then you have Stevenson in the backfield. He's got to account for Eminuari. So ultimately, you can match up to those six people on the ball. So what you're going to get is you're going to get one player now that cannot be accounted for.

Okay? And that is going to be, of course, Witherspoon. Witherspoon is going to come from depth. And this is the beauty of it. This is where the schematics, the tactics work so well. So we've just mapped out the protection, but now no one can account, based on the protection call, no one can account for Witherspoon. And as we flip this and look at it from the end zone, you'll see, the right tackle is responsible for Lawrence.

So he actually, even though he got help from Hunter Henry, he's still responsible for him, the right tackle. So no one here now is responsible for Witherspoon coming from depth and distance. So this is just beautiful design, and you see the speed, you see the athleticism, and he just sacks May. And this happens fast. And when you're a quarterback, Colin, you feel this, you see it. It's just all of a sudden there's a guy coming right at you in your vision, and everything just happens too fast. So this is how they started the game. They did this multiple times on the first couple of possessions, and this is what got Drake made just playing fast throughout the game.

Everything changed with those first couple of possessions. Greg CoSell, as always, this is just so much fun. Great seeing you. We'll talk, free agency, draft. We'll keep bringing you back. For sure. Great stuff, Greg. Thank you. Thanks, Colin.

Really appreciate it. It's interesting, J. Mack, when you watch that, when you show it in slow motion, you don't see it. And then you roll the tape fast, and you're like, Devin Witherspoon is there. 1001,000, boom, he's there. It's like, whoa, whoa. So Drake May in the first couple series is like, I got no time. time. So you start speeding him up. So you get into his young head. You speed him up. And now he's speeding up when he doesn't have to speed up, but they're only bringing four. So,

man, there's good stuff. I haven't even gotten to some of the gems today. I don't even know if I will. Maybe I'll just save it. Call Nick Wright. Tell him to give us an hour, J-Mack. You know, J-Mack's been very quiet today because his Lakers have gotten rolled and he's just not in the mood to talk about it. But I will tell you, and I feel strongly about it. Well, I'll talk about it. I'm going to talk about it on the other side. Wait, wait, just for the record,

do you think I don't want to talk Lakers? I mean, there's 15 layers to that team right now. I mean, yeah, go ahead. Go off on the Lakers. I like when you go off on the Lakers. It's fun. I'm not going off. I am contextualizing what my eyes see.

One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the I-Hard Radio app. Search her to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Stygots here. I have a podcast empire. It continues to grow. And I have brought it here to IHart.

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wherever you get your podcast. Hey, it's us, the 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. And, 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. The story I've told myself about love or

relationships can then shake 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. 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 IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 Housewives 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. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out,

help on the internet. Help! Somebody! Please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian. And recently, I've become quite the helper myself.

And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and 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 man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Cream a chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrite,

the worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrat as part of the Mike Coutura podcast network available on the I-Hart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast, Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what.

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series. because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall.

And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court,

licking his fingers while he got the ball, like, you go through a training camp with that, I say, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the bomb. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. By the way, in about 15 to 20 minutes,

you've heard of Stephen Spielberg's DreamWorks Studios. Well, I have spent, over the last 48 hours, I have a new business venture. It's called Darnold Works Studios. I'm naming it after Sam Darnold. So Spielberg has DreamWorks. I've created a new venture called Darnold Work Studios, and we've got some exciting new movie productions.

15 minutes out, very excited to introduce them to you in 15 minutes. First, though, J-Mac with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Colin, but before you get started with this whole darnold situation, I know you've got a whole movie studio you're going to pop up. I just want to caution you. There is news in Seattle.

So they have lost Clint Kubiak to the Raiders. Okay, we talked about this. He left as the OC. He was very good with Sam Darnold. Who is going to replace him? Colin, we just saw this play out in Detroit last year with Ben Johnson. They went to a guy in-house. All reports right now indicate Seattle is going to stay in-house for this OC job,

and it's going to either go to a quarterback coach named Andrew Janoco or the passing game coordinator Jake Peets. Those are the leaders to be the OC play caller for Mike McDonald and Sam Dar. Don't love it. I have to be totally up front. Don't love it or hate it immensely. I don't like promoting from within with very few exceptions. I don't like doing it.

We had a graph we put on the screen a month ago on this. Overwhelmingly does not work. In football, right? In basketball and other fields, it works fine. but in football historically it has not worked at all. The best candidate, when a legend leaves, when Steve Spurrier left Florida, you know, when you have a Urban Meyer leaves Ohio State, when you got to go and have a wide search.

I've always had a theory. The greater the person you're replacing, the wider the search has to be for them. Detroit, Los Ben Johnson. The best OC in the league for two or three years. I have nothing against anybody in that. Lions building. You got to go bigger and broader. When Michigan lost Jim Harbaugh, you don't just elevate the assistant everybody likes. You've got to make a national cert. That's why I said about

Alabama when they lost Saban. You can say what you want. Every AD in the country knows Kalin DeBore is a great hire. Now Alabama's not as good when Sabin was because they don't have the NIL money. Sabin knew, I'm getting the hell out of here once NIL got revved up. Alabama didn't have that kind of money in state. So you can blame Kalin DeBore. That roster's not close. to Sabin's roster five years ago, but DeBoer was a great hot. You usually don't go legend to like next potential legend. That would ideally be the way to do it, so I don't love this. But the best businesses often have that next legend.

They've identified them and they got them on staff, and they're already working with the coach. A lot of the best ones. I mean, I'll have examples for you when we talk about this next week because, you know, it's the offseason. We got a lot to talk about. All right, Kyle, let's move on to the next story. And that's the Kansas City Chiefs, the mediocre chiefs. Chiefs this past season. Hell, you could say below average. A lot of nerves about what's going to

happen with them this off season. Patrick Mahones obviously has the torn ACL and LCL. Well, the Super Bowl odds are out for next season. And what did you know it? This is the Chief's worst odds since Mahomes became the starter. They are currently plus 1,500 to win the Super Bowl. That is extremely low for a Mahomes Reed-led unit. They don't have any cap space. That's their biggest dilemma. Their three needs, like they need an edge rusher. It's a very good edge rusher draft. They need a running back.

Well, they may nail one with their first pick. So I think a lot of this draft for Kansas City, if they could get love in the first round, the running back from Notre Dame, that solves an issue. They need a defensive end. They probably need an offensive tackle. Probably?

The things they need, edge and tackle and running back, they could get all three, because they have three of the top 75 picks. So I want to watch their draft before I have any great proclamations. They do need an infusion on the edge defensively in the backfield and on the O line

and they don't have the money to go get it. So if they draft, it's a very, they don't have a ton of, you know, they have to nail these picks. I mean, Colin, their secondaries total garbage. They have no players. I'm just telling you, you said may need a tackle.

I mean, listen, I know they like the potential of Simmons. How many games did he miss last year? I mean, you can't have a rookie missing a bunch of games, and then the right side's terrible. There's just no room for error on the offensive line. There's nowhere you can start the Chiefs other than third place in the division right now. Maybe that goes up at the draft and free agency. That's fair.

But they're definitely behind the Broncos and Chargers. No, I have the Chargers winning the Division next year, Denver 2nd, Kansas City 3rd. Today I do. Yeah. And then listen, Chief Fans, be optimistic. You can go up. But I'm telling you right now, Jeremiah Love ain't fixing that offense if you go with him at 9. It's not fixing any.

Maybe Kelsey comes back. I mean, listen, I'm not taking glee in the demise of the Chiefs. Sounds like it. But, I mean, listen, there's just a lot of teams better than them. You know how they do the roster offseason? Like, oh, this guy, they got Blue Chip talent here and there. I'm just telling Chiefs are not in the top 10, maybe not top 12 for rosters. Yes, they have Mahomes and Reeve, but the talent, it's just not there anymore.

Well, they don't have the depth of talent like Philly, Detroit, Seattle, Rams. And after this draft in cap space, Chargers. Denver, they don't have Denver. I don't think they're quite where Denver's at. I mean, Houston has a better roster than the Kansas City Chiefs. Jacksonville, are they close? They got as many defenders that are good. I mean, Travis Hunter's back.

No, Joe, Jaggs roster is good. It is. Yeah. All right, final story. Con, let's go to the NBA. This is an interesting one because Jason Tatum, off the Achilles injury, suffered 39 weeks ago. He is now working out with their G-League affiliate took part in his first five. on five scrimmage yesterday. Tatum said he was feeling good, but added that this doesn't point

to him returning this season or not. He's just following a step-by-step plan. Now, Colin, this is an interesting one because we recently saw Jamal Murray suffer an ACL. He started practicing with the G-League team for Denver, and everybody got excited a couple years ago, and they said, no, we're not bringing you back. We're not going to rush it. They waited. It worked out. We saw Clay Thompson, come back. You remember? He had the Achilles in ACL back-to-back years. I know he was a little older than Tatum. Colin, you know I love me some Jason Tatum. I would preach extreme caution if I'm the Boston Celtics. And I agree with you. And here's one of the reasons I agree with you.

What is the NBA today compared to, say, 10 to 12 years ago? The pace is much faster. So you're getting a lot of these soft tissue tears. LeBron's talked about this. Now, I don't think that's primarily, I don't think that's overwhelmingly. the reason guys don't play. They make too much money. The season's long. They look at their baseball and football counterparts and the money. The NBA has got some regular season issues that go a mile deep.

And I don't, the tanking is, I'm sorry, it doesn't work. People tank when they want to. You've got too many stars that just don't feel like playing. But I do think where LeBron is right, the pace of the league, it's a pace in space. That's what it is right now. and more guys are getting little tears and dinged up. So Jason Tatum, it's like he would merge back onto the freeway. It'd be the auto bond.

It's not just the 405. It's the auto bond. The pace of the league is too fast. I think if you're Boston, I don't think you bring him back. I think the pace is too fast, and you could tweak and give problems. And let's face it, Tatum's in impeccable shape. Boston's very well run. They have a very solid rock.

roster. They've got six more years with this group to win titles. There is no rush. There is absolutely no rush. Totally agree with you. One of your better takes. Now, I will say the Celtics started out slow this season. Obviously, I mean, they lost like four or five guys in the rotation. However,

they're currently second in the east, Colin, five and a half behind the pistons. Joe Mozilla, we got to give it up. I know your guy, Bill Simmons bashing Joe Mozilla calling him, what, second row Joe for a couple years. Hey, Joe Mazula kind of knows what he's doing with basketball. Come on. Moose Pets.

Peyton Pritchard to the bench, they move off Simons. This is a damn good team. And they will contend in the East, right? Top five in offensive and defensive efficiency. Missoula's done a hell of a job. I know Coach of the Year is going to whoever, Detroit, or OKC, one of those guys. But Missoula needs some props from you and your cadre of high-profile media. I said his first year, I said he's not a top-five coach and they have a top-five roster, so it's uneven. But, you know, you have a right in America to learn on the job. Not everybody that takes. a job and a tech company is Zuckerberg day one. Like it's okay in the NBA if you're a young coach and your first year, you're situationally, you're not, you know, the really good coaches like in college basketball, they're scoring six points a game like Tom Izzo, calling timeout, having an inbound play. I mean, Izzo is the master at calling a timeout inbounds play and scoring. Like that's that second third level stuff. Some of these young coaches, they have great relationships with players. I mean, Denver had a young coach. First year, is he, as good as the guy he replaces?

Probably not situationally, but it's okay. Remember Brad Stevens moved up to the front office? Every guy he plugs in at center is working for the Celtics. They lost Horford and they lost two other centers. I'm spacing on him now. Any guy they put in there is like crushing it. I mean, Celtics are doing a damn good job, and you know, I don't like any Boston teams and being a New York guy. Why? Because I'm a New York guy. We don't like Boston. Come on. What are you talking? go into every game and every season with a clean slate. There's no reason to have agendas.

Well, I'd like me some Tatum. Boston Celtics are one of the top three best run teams in the league. OKC Celtic Spurs. Last 10, 15 years, well run. Can't really dispute that. I will say there's a mantra about Jason Tatum. Laker, you know, he's as a Kobe Bryant tattoo. People call him Future Laker Jason Tatum.

So I am a Jason Tatum guy. Maybe he's coming to L.A. at some point. I don't, no. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Starting a new venture, you've heard of DreamWorks.

It's Darnel's Works. And I'm very excited. Next. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the I-Hard Radio app. Hey, it's us, the Jonas Brothers. And guess what? We have some big news.

What's the news, huge news? we created our own podcast called Hey Jonas. We invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to 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. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of a 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 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. Hey, I'm Jared Adano. You might know me as that loud guy who yells out, help on the internet. Help!

Somebody, please! But there's so much more to me than that. I'm an actor. I'm a comedian, and recently I've become quite the helper myself. And on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with my sage advice and 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 man. If I'm calling you, even if you're on your, phone, let it ring twice. One ring is too scary. Oh, cream of chicken suit. Hey, cream. Cream a chicken suit. This is Help from a Hypocrat. The worst advice from the dumbest people you know. Listen to Help from Hypocrat as part of the Mike Coutura Podcast Network available on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The story 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 social and connected. 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. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHeart Podcast presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet. Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely.

Now a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast. We're recording it as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey. With all the snacks and drinks. Sidebar. Why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer? Oh, they had a bogo.

Well, then you got it. Do you want a white collar or something here? Just take it. Oh, what are y'all doing? Microphones? Are you making a rap album? Oh, I would. Come on.

Could you imagine? I would buy. Cut through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake. That sounds delicious. Oh, you're lucky I'm not a drug addict. You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You're lucky I'm not a killer. I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on.

Oh. Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Great American Race returns with back-to-back champion William Byron looking for a historic repeat. It doesn't get any bigger than this. The 68th running of the Daytona 500, Sunday at 2.30 Eastern with pre-race coverage starting at 1230, only on Fox. Well, the coaching carousel has come to a stop until next January. And so we thought we'd present coming coaching attractions with all the new hires in the NFL and is substantially important. So from the DreamWorks studio that Spielberg has, and I just ripped it off, I came up with my

Donald Work Studio, and these are some of my new ventures. They're in production right now, and I just want to give you a heads up and give you a little taste of what's about to come. You remember Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino. I mean, who can forget that? But what an all-time classic. Well, my new feature is a gritty reboot where the defense gets top billing in once upon a time in Sallowwood. And this time, the fairy tale ends with a goal line stand-in. Not bad, right? Well, one of the great actors in recent, I mean, in our lives is John Malkovich.

Right? Like everybody knows, John Maltovich is unbelievable. Well, being John Mantevich, check out mine, the psyche of a championship coach with a young quarterback in the new film, being John Harbaovich. It turns out playoff enlightenment requires special teams meetings at dawn. Very excited for this. Okay. Now, I know you love Dave Chappelle. And remember, he did very, very funny comedy, half-baked.

Very fun. everything Chappelle touches. Well, now, my venture, Miami wants all the smoke, but the expectations are as high as the vibes in Halfley Bay. Time to see if these new buds can plant a sea. I see what you did there. Okay. Halfly baked.

All right. I mean, now this may not be in your wheelhouse. Dolly Parton, the Southern Classic steel magnolias. Yes. That was a great all-time. movie. In a town built on toughness, sometimes the story gets a little soft, a familiar face returns to the AFC North to renew a bond as strong as Steeler Magnolia. Old relationships at a new offensive wrinkle. And they got Aaron Rogers in there, huh? Mike McCarthy,

Cam Taylor. Steeler Magnolia. Well, is there a bigger fan? Probably is, but Mission Impossible. Jay Mack, you know. I mean, you and I both. This gets me to a... Not a lot gets me to a theater. But the mission with my new venture has changed. Your mission should you choose to accept it,

fix the quarterback, modernize the offense, survive the AFC North, will Todd assemble the elite team he needs in Munkun Impossible. The game tape will self-destruct if the protection doesn't hold. Longkin impossible. Wow, no Miles Garrett, but Shadour and Dianz. That is impossible.

Oh, my gosh. And finally, it's a lot of work. I mean, I hope this studio works, or I'll be working, you know, a second job here. You and I love Jim Carrey, the classic comedy, dumb and dumb. Well, in my reboot, he's the quirky offensive genius, and he's the quirky offensive genius. One wears khakis, the other wears athletic. together they're trying to prove that in the AFC brain power travels presenting smart and smarter. With Jim Harbaugh, just when I thought the Chargers couldn't get any smarter, they redeem themselves.

It's Jim Harbaugh, Mike McDaniel, and smart and smarter. You know, J-Mac, there's still room for investors in Darnold Works studios. What kind of are you looking for five-figure investment, six-wise? Some seed, what are you looking for you? It's really just emotional support is all I really do. need. I'm just curious, do you think that everyone else in the country is as high on the Chargers as you and I? Because when you look at these hires and what teams have, it seems like a no-brainer that the Chargers were the biggest winners so far in the office. When you watch the Chargers

this year, the feeling was it's a defensive coaching story and you're just hoping the offense can generate 20 points. This year, it's going to be a coaching and offensive story. So the defense I mean, they won 11 games last year in a division with Peyton and Andy Reed. So to me, improvement with the Chargers will not just be standings improved. They will feel, to me, in September, we'll all be saying, oh, that's a Super Bowl team. That's why, for the record, this is why I've said it's so important the Joe Brady hire. Because the Chargers now just took an offensive step up. They also have a ton of cap space.

So like if you're a charge or doubter, they haven't had a lot of money. Now they have it. And they're getting their tackles back. And they've upgraded O.C. So like to me, and also we all know Kansas City is not going six and 11. We all know Baltimore should be better. And New England now has more cap space and everybody year three for Drake May. So this was the year to get right.

And at the end of the year in the AFC championship, Bo Nix wasn't available. J.K. Dobbins wasn't available. They were down to receivers. This was kind of that gap year in the AFC. It's like in Buffalo didn't get in. AFC, I can make a guarantee. AFC is going to be better next year. At the top, it's going to be much.

Liam Cohen in year two. You know, Peyton gets now Bo Nix another offseason. So Chargers last year, 7 and 0 when they just got the 25 points. 10 and 1 They swept the juice, yeah. Yeah, they were 10 and 1 when they just got over 20 points. So, like, is it realistic to say they will average six more points a game next year? That's good.

Maybe. With Daniel, with their tackles, with their cap space, I think that's very realistic. Albert Breer, Drew Brees, last hour. On a Wednesday, it's the hurt. 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. 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. The story I told myself 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

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. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas.

And I'm CJ 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 harmed. You just understood. That's how personal it got.

Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to him. 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.

This week on Crimless, Rory and I welcome a very special guest. When I did a podcast, I wear my sleep masks. I like where this is going. So if you guys will indulge me. That's right. The incredibly talented and hilarious Will Ferrell on an episode dedicated to crimes committed by people named Will Ferrell. You're good for 300 crimes?

Yeah. We've got two. I'm ready to go right up to present day. Listen to Crimless on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Guaranteed Human.