The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD - Hour 2 - Where Colin was right and wrong, Sam Darnold and the Seahawks going to the Super Bowl, Matt Hasselbeck

Episode Date: January 26, 2026

Another edition of Where Colin was right and where he was wrong Colin talks to former Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck about Seattle returning to the Super Bowl to face the Patriots, Sam Darnold's NFL journey, what to expect in the big game, and moreSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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on the IHeart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go. Hour number two. We are live and we are set for our Super Bowl. The Seattle Seahawks will be roughly a four to five point favorite. That's a lot of points against the new England Patriots, a team that was undefeated on the road, kept knocking off great defenses all through the playoffs. Seattle is the next in their site. A couple minutes from now, Matt Hasselbeck, who was the former Seahawk, was with the Seahawks yesterday, and after the game, we'll be joining us in five minutes, but as we often do, always do on Monday, especially during the football season, Colin right, Colin wrong.

Where Colin was right? Well, I got to, I'll take credit for this. My two surprise teams in the NFL when I made the predictions this summer were New England would be a playoff team. I love Mike Vrable, spent 250 large, and my second surprise playoff team was Seattle. I didn't know they'd be in the Super Bowl, but I feel pretty good about it. Smart, general managers, excellent young aggressive quarterbacks, rosters that don't have holes. I've been on a four-year streak on picking two teams a year, a double your win total

team. I'm four-for-four and a surprise playoff team. Seahawks Patriots were my picks. Where Colin was wrong. I did not have Rams receiver Devante Adams in my top 10 players in this game Friday. He had four catches, 90 yards, a key touchdown. It is crazy. He led the NFL by a lot this year with 14 touchdown catches. I think next closest was 11. So Puka may be the star of the show, but he is so big

in big spots, I would be surprised if he doesn't return for another season with McVeigh and Stafford. Where Colin was right? Well, we mentioned it all season and all week. The Rams special teams could be a major issue.

They fired their special teams, coach. They moved off their drafted kicker earlier this year. Listen, it was their number one issue along with pretty weak cornerback play all year. So it's not like Sean McVeigh buried his head in the sand. He addressed it multiple times this season. McVeigh knew it was an issue and it was in the biggest game of the year yesterday. Where Colin was right? The Steelers hire Mike McCarthy. We said multiple times in the last week. They're not very good at this. They don't hire offensive coordinators very well. They don't hire head coaches very often. So they went with what is comfortable and what is safe,

Mike McCarthy. Not a bad coach. Mike's going to win double-digit games. I think they'll become an offensive-minded stealers from a defensive-minded stealers. So the good news is they got the right side of the ball going forward, but it ended up being kind of an underwhelming choice. They went safe. They went Pittsburgh. That is not really surprising. Where Colin was wrong. How about this?

We go two defensive coaches in the Super Bowl, breaking a long streak of offensive coaches. You know it, ad nauseum, you're tired of me saying it. All things equal, I would always take an offensive coach. But there are some great defensive coaches in this sport, Vrable, D'Amico Ryan's at Houston, Mike McDonald are super, super sharp guys. So this will be the last non-offensive coach to be in a Super Bowl was, shocker. The New England Patriots, Bill Belichock in 2019.

Where Colin was right. Speaking of Belichick, reportedly, Buffalo has no interest in Bill Belichick. And I said this last week, I think Bill's weakness, he's not good at the draft. He's good at NFL personnel. He's not good at college personnel. transferring to the NFL, and that's what Buffalo needs. A really, really sharp guy in terms of personnel. I think Bill's a little bit tone-deaf to offense today.

He's also a little stubborn. Bill's going to want to coach his guys, do it his way, and build his staff. That is not what Buffalo needs. It may work in Philly with Howie Roseman running the draft. He doesn't feel like a fit in Buffalo. Where Colin was right? A week ago I picked Indiana to beat Miami for the Nadi, but I said it's going to be close. The difference will be the quarterback, and this scramble, this draw was the difference.

Listen, Miami was too good on both lines to get blown out in this game. I said they're going to make Indiana uncomfortable at multiple times, but I trust Fernando Mendoza to be the difference, and he was. Where Colin was right from day one. Sam Darnold. That's my Hall of Fame first ballot, right wrong. I never quit on Sam Darnold. I didn't know if he was a Super Bowl quarterback. I always felt he was too strong, too athletic, too coachable, too tough, too resilient, too good of an arm,

not to be a winning quarterback in this league. Do you realize he got Benston, Carolina? Then his last year in Carolina, November 27th, he was named the starting quarterback. From that point forward, he's the winning as quarterback in the league. and has the most games over a hundred plus pass rating. Over Mahomes. Over all the top quarterbacks. He had a really, really bad run with the Jets.

One in Carolina, one in O in San Francisco, one in Minnesota, one in Seattle, and here he was after. So how did they feel for you to prove all the dollars wrong to be heading to the Super Bowl? That doesn't matter to me. I just come to work every single day with these guys. These guys in this locker room. that's what it's about to be, man.

The way that we've come to work ever since April in OTA's training camp one day at a time and we're here and we did it. I love that guy. It's so poetic that he beat the Rams, the one team that had his number in the last

couple of years. And with that Matt Hasselbeck, the former Seahawk, who was there for a decade. What an electric atmosphere. I don't feel this very much. When that game was over, I felt bad for the Rams too. I thought. I don't know if McVeigh's ever going to have a quarterback, have this year, is going to have a roster this good.

In the end, what do you think, was the difference just the muffed punt, or do you, was there another difference? Well, first off, let me give you your props for when Colin was right from day one. You have been beaten the Sam Darnold drum for a long time, and a lot of people jumped off that ship or were never on it from the get-go. But I thought this was just an incredible game. Someone had to lose it. You know, even the last game with the Seahawks and the Rams,

it was a ridiculous game, decided by basically the weirdest two-point conversion you've ever seen. And yesterday was one of those games where both quarterbacks were outstanding. Both guys threw for like 350, no turnovers. The receiver play in that game on both sides of the ball was incredible. You know, I think ultimately, like this came down to, like you said, some X-factor. And for me, before the game and even after the game, I think you'd give it to home field advantage and special teams. Yeah. You know, I said this earlier. You don't have to be

great everywhere in the NFL. You can't be bad anywhere because the coaching's too good. And I thought the corners for the Rams, they almost lost to the Panthers twice because the Panthers have big, rangey receivers. And they really gave the Rams trouble. I mean, let's talk specifically about Darnold. I thought that's as well as I've ever seen him play. Go to your career, your biggest games. There was something about Sam's decision making in that game. It's funny about how pro athletes work. Sometimes they get tight. I thought Sam, were you surprised he played at that level for four hours? Well, I can speak to that. You know, when you're playing against an MVP caliber quarterback and Stafford is that, McVeigh's incredible. You know, I remember playing against the

greatest show on turf, like the, you know, the Mike Martz, Rams, like those guys, you just knew you had to score a ton of points. It wasn't a, hey, just don't screw it up mindset. It was the opposite of that. And he came out early. You know, they played one-on-one on Rashid Chihed on the first third and five. These guys, you know, the Rams were somebody that was jumping and sitting at the sticks in the first matchup where he had all the turnovers. And they threw caution to the win. Sam, we believe in you. If you want to take a shot, one-on-one, take it. You know, I think that was the mindset. And, you know, like, you know, people will doubt Sam Darnold P. He's not as super fiery. His emotions aren't out there for everyone to see.

I think he's got a quiet confidence. And in that game, you know, he threw for 19 first downs in that game. So this wasn't, I mean, there were some huge third down conversions, two minute drives, situational football, the stuff that quarterbacks, you know, get paid to do. It's not so much first and second down from the 20 to the 20. It's situational football. And that's where I thought he was at his best yesterday. there's something about Seattle. They play with an energy that's almost collegiate. I want you to take my audience.

I mean, you watch them play. When you play Seattle, you have to match their energy. I mean, I have said before, it's Mike Tyson in his early 20s. You just had to be ready for the barrage for the first two rounds. If you could get past that, you had a chance with Tyson. If on the television, Matt, it looks like Seattle is playing at a different speed. Did you witness that yesterday? Well, I just think the fan base has a chip on their shoulder.

You know, they always have. They feel, you know, you feel like you're in the witness protection program in terms of like the national media. They don't want to go out to Seattle and cover you. They may be a little bit over-caffeinated. You know, it is this college atmosphere in a sense in terms of, you know, what they bring pre-game. And I think, you know, you've got a young team with a young head coach

and everyone leans into it. You know, the energy before the game, you know, you got Richard Sherman on the mic, you got Cam Chancellor on the field. You got guys like Cliff Aver. and Michael Bennett helping the owner raise the flag. I mean, there's just a lot of pride in this community. And like I said, a little bit of a chip on their shoulder.

And so I think it comes out, and I think this mob mentality that Mike McDonald has had with this, you know, with this defense, especially with the, it's our mission is number one over any BS. That's what comes first. I think everyone's bought in. And as a player, when you feel like the mission and the signs on the wall are yours, like you came up with it,

this isn't some like silly cliche that's some old. old man head coach came up with. This is ours. This is literally came from the locker room. This is our heartbeat. I think that's real and it's authentic. And people try to duplicate it. Sometimes they get it right.

But oftentimes they don't. And I think Mike McDonald in two years has just really done an incredible job of giving ownership to this team. And I think everyone senses it. And I think that's part of the excitement. There is a little danger. I said this. Everybody's going to tell the New England.

Patriots, they have no chance for two weeks. They're going to hear, and by the way, they heard it with the Chargers, they heard it with the Texans, and Mike Vrable is sharp. Do you worry at all when you come out of a game that has been billed the Super Bowl, the NFC championship, and New England's just sitting there in the weeds being told for all their players are going to watch social media and been told for two weeks, you're a five-point underdog, you've got no shot, the best teams are in the NFC. Do you worry about a letdown for Seattle?

Yeah, I think it's a real thing. I don't know if the players will go there, but I think it's a real thing. I remember when we played in the Super Bowl in the 05 season, you know, the AFC number one seed was the Indianapolis Colts and Peyton Manning and the wildcard team that eventually, you know, the Colts didn't make it to the Super Bowl. But they were thought of as maybe the best team in football that year. And the wild card team that just kept beating, you know,

one on the road and one in Cincinnati and Denver and the beat Indy and all that stuff. Like they ended up being who we played in the Super Bowl and they beat us. And so I just think there's a mentality or something you can learn from throughout the history of the Super Bowl playoff run. It really doesn't matter what kind of regular season you had. Like it doesn't matter that maybe the Rams had a better regular season than the New England Patriots. The New England Patriots can absolutely hoist to Lombardi because all they got to go do is win a game on a Sunday in two weeks in San Francisco. That's all you got to do. And so, no, this is a game.

Like this will be a game. You know, no disrespect to the Rams and all that. Like, you know, they might have been the most talented. But, no, this Patriot Seahawks game could go either way. And I think that's the mindset that both head coaches will come. You know, part of it's going to be believe that we're good enough to do it. And that the other side of it is, hey, you could absolutely lose this game if we don't stick to our process and what got us here.

So Sean Payton goes for it on a fourth and one. Could have kicked a field goal, take a 10-0 lead. Didn't love the call because even if, they got a first down they were still at the 12 uh sean mcvay goes for it on a fourth and four again i my take is sean peyton and sean mcvay offensive coaches trust their offense they trust their play calling they're very aggressive defensive coaches love field goals they love them um let's talk mcvay and sean peyton going for it any pushback on that from you yeah yeah i hate the second guess but yeah i was surprised in the moment i was surprised with both situations it's not

like it's fourth and gold from the one where you know you even heard uh sean peyton who i have a ton of respect for say i wanted to go up 14 nothing like yeah but that that wasn't doesn't get you 14 nothing right that just gets you a first down and so you know but you know like i don't as a quarterback is a player you love when your offensive uh play caller is aggressive like you love it that my issue my issue would be that the patriots absolutely 100% knew what play was coming that would be my issue in that game And then for the Rams that, you know, I think it's a totally different situation. But I think McVeigh has so much trust in his quarterback and in his offense that it's like, hey, if we're going to go down, I'm cool with going down with the ball and Matthew Stafford's hands.

Like, I can live with it. Yeah. I want to ask you about Matt Stafford. He played so well. I mean, I know that he missed camp with a bad back, but the roster's so good. It's mostly so young. I mean, if I was Matt Stafford, I live. in Los Angeles by the beach. I love my coach. I love my roster. I love Puka. I think Stafford

would sign a two-year deal to come back. I mean, it just feels like if you're, this is not a defensive culture. It's not a defensive coach. Like if I was, if you were Matt Stafford, would you not sign up for a couple more years of this? He's aging in reverse, Colin. I'd send him for five more years, okay? The dude, the dude was so injured. He couldn't even do handoffs in training camp. He looked like he was constipated coming out to practice as first day back. And now he looks better and younger than he's ever looked in his, like, sign a five-year deal, man. Like, keep going. He was the MVP of the league. He had an amazing year. He's in lockstep with his GM head coach. No, he'll be back. I'd be shocked if he wasn't back.

I got to ask you this, is somebody who played at a high level for 18 years. When you're watching that game yesterday at that field, are those the moments that you're like, my God, I'd love to be playing. What is it like to be you that has been to Super Bowls? Seahawks, Packers, iconic franchises. You are watching arguably the most important game of the year and the best football game of the year. What are the juices flowing through Matt Hasselbeck yesterday? Yeah, you're fired up. You're back. You're in Lumen Field. And I'm sitting yesterday. I'm sitting in between, you know, Walter Jones and Cam Chancellor and Jim Zorn and Richard Sherman. And like, I think all of us feel the same way. If anything, I think we were more angry.

because we had absolutely no control over what happened in the game. You know, we're just there sort of like everybody, like the rest of the people in the stadium, just cheering for our team, essentially. But I can respect, even though whatever way the game went, I can respect how difficult it is to get to that moment in the high level of play that was going on in that game. And it just was, I think it was a game for the ages. I mean, three matchups with those two teams that were just so close.

and it came down to unsung heroes, really, you know, once again, you know, whether it was a Jake Bobo or it was a guy on special teams. It's part of what makes this game so great is, you know, sure, I'm happy for the Sam Darnolds and those, like, big stories, but everybody involved. And it was just really cool to be there. I got to ask you, when I watch JSN play, the thing that always jumps out to me is that he doesn't slow down in his breaks. I always remember watching Jerry Rice video. And I'm not comparing the two, but Jerry Rice ran the same speed into the cut, out of the cut, during the cut. JSN gets so open so often. It's strange.

When you watch him as a spectator and you're live there, what do you see with him? Because, I mean, I'm sitting there watching the game yesterday and I'm like, I think I'm watching the two best receivers in the league. JSN, who wasn't the best receiver arguably at Ohio State and Puka, who went in the fifth round, And you can't stop either. What is it about JSN? Well, that's what's so cool about the wide receiver position. It's all different styles. And those two guys, you know, one letting catches, one letting yards.

I think for JSN, you know, he's just so smooth and patient and confident. You know, he doesn't, he's not always in fifth gear. You know, sometimes he's in third gear and then fourth gear and then he gets to fifth gear. I've also seen him get to a sixth gear that, you know, no, you didn't know anybody had. But, you know, there were a couple plays yesterday. one-handed grab early in the game, I believe, and it was on the sideline. That was incredible. And I also just think, like, where I have a ton of respect for both these receivers,

is that you know that he's one or two in the progression. Like, the whole defense is set up to stop that guy, you know, whether it's Puka or JSN, and still they find a way to be super successful. So it was a great effort, and I think to the credit of Seattle, they do a nice job of spreading the ball around. It's not like it's, you know, the old school, like, hey, you know the ball's going to this one guy. They're hard to defend because they're willing to spread the ball around. And then like it with any great receiver, I love to say this, the ball will just find you.

If you're that good, the ball will just find you. And I think that's what happens with JSN. Finally, Steelers go Mike McCarthy feels kind of safe to me, but I'm not going to beat up on him because he and Jim, he and John Harbaugh, if you look at their winning percentage, it's, you know, they're very, similar coaches. It's just Harbaugh's got a better brand than Mike McCarthy does. What do you make of the hire? Well, Mike McCarthy was my position coach, my second year in the NFL when Ray Rhodes was the head coach in Green Bay. And I would tell you that that was one of the most, like, that was one of the biggest jumps I made as a young quarterback was doing the Mike McCarthy quarterback school offseason that

many teams in the NFL and many teams in college are still doing today. That was Mike McCarthy's system that he started back in the day when he was coaching Joe Montana with the Kansas City Chief. So I've got a tremendous respect for him as a quarterback developer. But I think this this hire to me makes it feel like the Pittsburgh Steelers want to win right away. Like they want a sure thing that makes them super relevant right away. And they've been heavy on the defensive side and maybe a little bit light on the offensive side. Maybe that balances out just a little bit. but Mike McCarthy is as Pittsburgh as a person could possibly be. So I'm happy for him.

And I do think it's a good fit. What times you get in last night, by the way, not to be nosy? Not sure. I just actually walked in the door right now. And if the NFC Championship trophy is missing, I have an idea where it is, but I don't know. Can't say for sure. It was a good time last night. A lot of fun.

Rest up. We got two weeks till the next one. All right. Great seeing you, Matt. I appreciate you making our show. today, bud. Awesome. See you, Colin. Yeah.

He was out having a good time last night. It was, man, that just, it's, I feel like between the national championship and college and so many of these playoff games, the first disappointment I had was literally yesterday at the Blizzard. I wasn't even mad at the teams of the coaches. I was mad at the weather. I'm like, just,

well, this thing passed? Can we shut it down? They shut it down for lightning. Can we shut this thing down for an hour and get See, I don't like cold weather games. I don't understand it. I want pro athletes at their best. I've never been somebody that just loves lousy weather. I don't want to watch anybody in America have to work in snow, including athletes.

I don't like that. I want to see these unbelievable athletes and these really smart coaches. And then it's like pouring a bucket of water, you know, on incredible athletes, incredible coaching. And I've never been a fan of it. I am for partially domed stadium. Like Buffalo has a new stadium. It can still snow.

It's open air, but it is built to avoid the wind. And their takeaway was, yeah, you think it's an advantage. We have Josh Allen. We don't want 38-mile-hour wins helping the least effective offense. If you have a great offense and you face a team with an average offense, the bad weather hurts the great offense. It brings you down to the bad team's level. So, you know, Buffalo's figured it out. It's like, we have too good of the quarterback. We got to help our quarterback. It'll still snow, and that's part of who we are, and it'll be cold, but we're not going to let in 40-mile-an-hour wins to our stadium

and kill our kicking game and Josh Allen, because the truth is, if you look at Buffalo for the next seven years, they're going to be leading 90% of the games they play in the fourth quarter, at least the home games. For Heard? The Herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart Radio app. Search Heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Hey, it's Ben. Host of The Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor. It would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is the fifth hour?

I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mallor show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world when we chat with captains of industry, in media, sports, and more every week. explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to the fifth hour with Ben Mather on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, it's us to Jonas Brothers, and guess what? We have some big news. What's the news, name?

Huge news. We created our own podcast called, Hey Jonas, we invented a podcast? Well, we didn't invent it. We just contributed to a... We're the first people to do podcasts. Pretty, yeah, pretty wide range of podcasts throughout there. But this one's extra special. So how do we actually come up with a name?

Hey Jonas, guys. I honestly don't remember. I think it was on a call about what we should call it. Oh, we were thinking I'm originally calling it one of the early names of our band. Before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes. I have a very different memory of this.

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

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, fam, it's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying 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 guess. 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 Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball like. After you go through a training camp with that Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart 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 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. Saw a tweet by RG3 yesterday. He said Sam Donald made it to a Super Bowl before Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, Justin Herbert, Baker Mayfield, and Trevor Lawrence. I think it's noteworthy that the two quarterbacks that make it to a Super Bowl, one, Drake May is on a rookie contract allowing New England to spend 250 million plus on their roster, and the other Sam Darnold is on an incredibly team-friendly deal. Josh Allen, Dak, Lamar Herbert, their salaries eat up the cap. Sam Darnold's salary in Seattle is 5% of the Seahawks cap.

5%. Drake May's salary is three. percent of New England's cap. You want to know what Lamar Jackson is next year to the Ravens? 24% of their cap. So Seattle and New England's rosters, I've been saying this all day and I've been saying it for a while. There's no holes in Seattle's roster. They're not great everywhere, but they're not really, I mean, their own line, left side of their own line, I actually think's pretty good. Center right's okay. But there's no whole. holes with Seattle. There's nothing they need. New England, similarly, probably needs another

draft on the O line, but left tackles fine, guard, they're pretty good. So when you're, when you're everybody, we want to talk about Josh Allen, go look at Patrick Mahomes last couple of teams. His salary gobbles up the cap and their offensive lines stink and they have no run game. Why can't they just go by Derek Henry? Well, the salary. So I know you all want to see your favorite player get paid, get the bag. But it basically guarantees who had the worst defense in the league? Dallas. Who had the biggest cap hit for a quarterback in the league?

Go look it up. So one of the advantages of having Bo Nicks, I mean, look at all these quarterbacks left. The final four quarterbacks, even Stafford, none of them had a top 15 cap hit. Stafford was just outside of that. And to a large degree, the Rams have just nailed draft. So now what you have with Seattle is you have a highly productive quarterback, Sam Darnold, who's on a team-friendly deal and a GM that drafts well. And what you have in New England is a highly productive quarterback on a rookie deal

with a general manager that just ace the draft. So Drake May and Sam Darnold are not going anywhere. They are not for a long time. They're not going anywhere. The minute you pay, that's why it's so important, when Josh Allen was on the rookie contract, that's when you got to win Super Bowls. The next three years for the Patriots,

these are the years to eat. New England's trying to do what Kansas City did and Buffalo and Baltimore can't. It's movie poster stuff. Sam Darnold. It's just so good. Sam Darnold, the first rookie

quarterback in that 2018 class to make a Super Bowl. And I'll just say it right now. Probably won't be his last. J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

I hope the audience can detect the glee in Colin. It's like one of his kids got into like Harvard or something, and he's like celebrating it today. I'm happy for you, buddy. All right, let's get started with that Ram Seahawks. game. So Matt Stafford was incredible yesterday. I mean, what, 365 yards passing, a flawless game. I mean, even ran the football. That scramble that he had, I mean, it looked like slow motion. Awesome stuff from Stafford. Of course, after the game, Sean McVeigh was

asked if he expects Stafford to return next season, and McVeigh was not thrilled with the question. Yeah, I mean, that's, I mean, if he, if he still wants to play, the whole kind of question is that? You have to ask him. I mean, we've been totally present. He's, he's I know that if he wants to, he's still playing at a pretty damn good clip. I mean, he's the MVP of the league, and if he's not, you know, I mean, I got respect for everybody else, but this guy played at a level. This is different. I got to tell you that.

That draft, excuse me, that drive by Stafford, the one in which he ran for first down and then moved to the right and pitched a puka. And I didn't want to be hyperbolic, but I was sitting there, you and I have watched, we watch a lot of Rams football and talk a lot about it off the air and on. and I was thinking literally Stafford more than any drive this season had to go completely into his tool bag. He's like, okay, I'm going to run for a first down. All right, he doesn't do a lot of that pitching stuff.

He doesn't do, he doesn't scramble. He's a pocket quarterback, even more than golf. And for him to do that reminded me of the Niners. Remember when they lost a couple of weeks ago to Seattle? They ran that trick play on fourth and one. You can't just go toe to toe with Seattle on everything. The defense is too fast, too young, too twitchy. that you have to do you have to have motion that's why the rams are uniquely built to play with

this seattle team you need mcbay's brain stafford's arm i mean both the rams running backs jason were fantastic yesterday and they still couldn't beat them listen i mean this is not sour grapes at all but uh i guess when you say that it probably is i think the rams are still the better team and i think with stafford back next year they're probably the super bowl favorites in the nfc i don't care really who wins the Super Bowl. I think the Rams are just a better team. Great coach, great quarterback. You have a muffed punt on special teams and a fourth down

failure and like that's the game. I mean, Stafford was flawless. As you said that drive, but he wasn't. Fourteen plays 84 yards or something like that. Remember, we have a graphic. When you go to third down, you know, Matt deserves the MVP. I've said that. He is the MVP of the league, period.

But on third down yesterday, Darnold was great. I think, yeah, Rams were like one of eight on third down. I can actually go back to the week 16 game, Colin, because again, they're rolling Seattle with eight minutes left. Fluky punt return. The two-point conversion bounces off a helmet.

So many things had to go right for Seattle to get home field advantage. If this game's at SOFA yesterday, come on. Rams are winning that. So, I mean, congrats, obviously, to the Seahawks. But I think Stafford returns next year. And I think the Rams are probably the Super Bowl favorites coming out of the NFC. I don't know how you could argue against. Let's go to another aspect of this Rams game.

And that was Cooper Cup. Now, Coward did call me after this catch by Cooper Cup. And it was like, wait a sec, did he complete the process? Watch. Oh, that wasn't it. Sorry, but on the pivotal third down, everybody thought either he was short or he dropped the ball when he hit the ground. I thought, and I, this is it right here. Here it is.

So all we were told last week, you have to complete the process. That's why the Denver Broncos got that interception. Well, that's not completing the process. The ground causes a phone. So we've all been told for the last week, you've got to complete the ground. You've got to complete the process. So forget the first down part. The ground causes a jarring of the ball.

He did not complete the process. And now McVeigh wanted to challenge it. I think Warren Sharp wrote about this. First of all your time out. Yeah. Now his shoulder was down. It looked inches short. According to the broadcasts, like the referees were basically saying don't challenge this,

you know, blah, blah, blah. and McVeigh didn't. At any rate, it gets uglier. Apparently, there was some beef at the end of the Cooper Cup tenure with the Rams. Now, Michael Silver of the Athletic is reporting that the Rams urged Cup to retire instead of offering to restructure his contract. There's allegations, let's just make it allegations, that they were trying to influence the market and essentially telling teams to stay away from him.

And they're alluding that's because he had stuff left in the tank. So I don't know. I don't really want to get too deep into that because it's a lot of, like, he said, she said, Cooper Cup was very good yesterday. I have to say. He was strong. He didn't have a great season. No, but he was very good yesterday. Yeah, he was good yesterday.

Well, he's a pro athlete. He's prideful. I thought it was time to move off him. I thought the Rams were, you know, smart to move off him. I got to tell you, I watched that game. I could list 20 players in that game. 20 between the two teams. I consider elite players. 20.

I'm sitting there. during the game and I'm just, you know, like you probably do. I'm sitting there jotting stuff and writing some notes, which I, this is what I do on, you know, Sundays. I write notes and so I do my podcast stuff. And I'm sitting there just writing down players. And you get to like 17 or 18 and you're like, damn, where's Nate Landman? Is he 17th best player in this game? He's fantastic. Yeah. I mean, just so many good players. Again, these are allegations. I will just say the fact that Cooper Cup, I know he was an Eastern Washington guy like you. The fact that he went to a division rival and they targeted him a lot

yesterday makes me wonder if there's some veracity here. And it was like, hey, screw those guys. They tried to mess with me. And now let's get him back. So I don't know. Interesting story. Final story is this. Just breaking today, I guess. Philip Rivers, who apparently was interviewing for the Bill's head coaching job. He has withdrawn his name from consideration. I didn't understand to any of this, but Rivers has decided the head coaching job in Buffalo was not for him. Maybe his family interview. I have no idea.

This is all very crazy. I got to be honest, I don't know what Buffalo's doing. Brandon Bean is running this search. Here's other names that are in the mix with Philip Rivers out of it. Joe Brady, the O.C. Brian Daibol, the former offensive coordinator. I think it's going to be one of those.

I would agree. I would agree. I would agree. I think Philip Rivers was interviewing because Philip Rivers wants to be a coach, but Philip Rivers wanted to go through the interviews. I've been told this my entire life when I was doing this for a living. People say, hey, go for interviews.

If you don't want the job or you do or you don't think you're going to get it, just go interview. Get your name out there. Just get practice that. I think Philip Rivers was going through the interview process, sharpening his blade for when it's a perfect time to do it. So I'm with you. I think it'll be Davey or Brady. I'm just going to put this out there from one of my buddies in Buffalo.

The Bean McDermott thing ended very badly. and there is a sentiment that Bean's going to want to say, I don't want anybody who's attached to McDermott or who knows him because of how ugly it got. And Bean maybe goes outside of the family, if you will. Here are the other names. Lou Amaruno, the defensive coordinator from the Colts, Jacksonville Jags O.C. Grant Udinski,

who's gaining momentum among reporters. I don't know anything about this guy. Dolphins, D.C., Anthony Weaver, and Commanders' running backs coach Anthony Lynn. Chargers fans will hope that happens. I'll leave it at that. Any final thoughts on the bills? This is a great job, Colin.

I would probably go Vrabel. I think it's hard to bring... Sorry, sorry. Wait. What? Or a Daible, excuse me. Dable, okay. I think it's very hard to hire Brady

because you're going to basically say, well, what's the change here? I mean, he was already on the staff that drove us crazy. He was on the staff where Josh Allen had all those turnovers against Buffalo. I think that's a harder hire. I'm not saying it would be a bad hire. A dayball, I think, is like Robert solid to me.

Both failed in New York. I think both are very good coaches. I think failing in New York's almost become a badge of honor. You know, we get Sam Darnold's career. So Brian Daibold would be my hire. I don't necessarily know. I think Brady would be fine, but it's a harder sell to the fan base if that matters at all.

By the way, Joe Brady, for the record, was amazing with Joe Burrow in college, amazing with Josh Allen in the NFL. And I will just advise people to go look at what he did when he didn't have a superstar quarterback, namely in Carolina. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Drew Breeze is stopping by. Matt Hasselbeck was fantastic. Sounds like Matt Hasselbeck had himself a good time in the Emerald City. I think a lot of people did in Seattle. It's the Herd. 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 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, oh, we were thinking I'm originally. calling it one of the early names of our band before Jonas Brothers was... This is how you guys remember it going down? Yes.

I have a very different memory of this. We were talking about a thing, a bit for the podcast, where people could call in and say, Hey, Jonas. And then I wrote down on my little notepad, Hey Jonas,

and offered it up as a potential title for the podcast. But thanks for remembering that, guys. Listen to Hey Jonas on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your... podcasts. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying 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 to be. 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 Nash will get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the Iheart 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. 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. Friday Hoops. Yaxel Lenderborg leads third-ranked Michigan as they continue their fight for the top spot in the nation against Tom Izzo's 10th ranked Michigan State Squad. Friday night, 8 Eastern only on Fox.

That's a great one. For the record, I was just thinking about this offseason. It was before, I swear it was before Sam Darnold had signed with Seattle. He was still a Viking, and I was in Rhode Island in a little town that I hang out with, sometimes in the summer, and there was a big wedding. Was it this year or the year before? I forget, and I'm walking down the street. All of a sudden, I see Sam Darnold, and I've known Sam for a while, and they just walk up to him, start talking. You would have no idea that Sam Darnold was this really super talented athlete.

He was in like a T-shirt. He's just walking around. Yeah, I'm here for the wedding, and we just... made small talk. It's just the easiest guy in the world to root for. Great family. Kid comes from like Oceanside, California, beach community. I think they're the Tritons. I think that's what their name is. He's just a really good kid from a really good family. He was loved at USC. And I mean, all you need to know is, you know, Minnesota wanted to keep Donald. But the question became is they had drafted J.J. McCarthy and they gave up two

picks to do it. So what are you going to not give J.J. McCarthy a couple? And also is that Sam came off a great season. Sam wanted to be paid and should be paid. But I think Sam's really smart. I think he looked at Seattle's roster. He's a West Coast

kid. He would get to compete against California teams. So just a really, some athletes I mean, most athletes I meet professionally are hardworking, really good people. 99% of pro athletes I meet are really good people. Like you root for it's hard to root against their occasional athletes who are like yeah if that guy fumbles

in a big spot it well i won't lose sleep over it donald's one of the really good guys but um here's matt hasselbeck earlier on sam darnald you know people will doubt sam darnold he's not super fiery his emotions aren't out there for everyone to see i think he's got a quiet confidence and and in that game you know he threw for 19 first downs in that game so this wasn't i mean there was some huge third down conversions two-minute drive. Situational football, the stuff that quarterbacks get paid to do. It's not so much first and second down from the 20 to the 20.

It's situational football. And that's where I thought he was at his best yesterday. Yeah, I didn't know that. Sam threw for 19 first downs against that Rams front. And for the record, the weakness of Seattle is their O line. The left side of their O line, I think is pretty good. Charles Cross, Gray's Able. I don't think those guys are studs.

but I kept thinking that's watching this game is the NFL just keeps delivering. That's all it does. The NFL just keeps giving us unbelievable finishes, unbelievable games. And in every big game, have you ever noticed something? There's always a controversial call. There are a couple in this game. Folks, athletes aren't perfect. These games are hard to officiate.

You have 58-year-old, 62-year-old men officials who work at banks full-time, running around chasing athletes, and unlike you and I, they don't get nine looks at it. Everything is bang, bang. One of the reasons I've had officials come up to me and say, thank you for defending us. Folks, you and I get slow-mo. You and I get nine looks at it. They're running around the field in their mid-50s, trying to be in position, and the play is bang, bang. Call it.

By the way, with bodies all over the place, this stuff is, anybody can sit on the internet, be a troll and rip officials. I'm watching that game yesterday. The speed of that game, the athleticism in that game, that game is hard to officiate. And then in Denver, adds snow. So I'm like wiping, I can't see. I think by and large the officials,

I mean, the Denver Buffalo Interceptions, weird. I did think Cooper Cup yesterday might take is, well, you told me the ground can't cause a fumble. Well, I was lectured on that, and that's what I just saw. that's not the difference in the game. I mean, the game really came down to the muff punt. I mean, that really ends up being the game. Now, the Rams came right back.

Stafford, boom, boom, boom, three perfect passes. But that hurt. I mean, credit to the Rams for not going completely belly up after that. They got the ball, came back and score. Stafford made three just darts. I mean, that passed to Puka just over. Was it Pooker? tied-in just over the corner's hands.

One of the passes of the year. In terms of New England and Denver, people are going to crush Sean Payton for the play call. But McVeigh went for it on fourth and four. I just, I am reticent to crush offensive coaches. They believe in their play calls. They believe in their players. Here's Hasselbeck on Sean Payton going for it on fourth down early in the game.

Oh, we don't have it. I'm just rambling. I'm out of tough. I got Drew Breeder on the corner. 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 get to ask other people to do podcasts. We get to ask other people questions because we're sick and tired of being asked questions. Well, sick and tired is a strong way to put it.

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

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app. Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've 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.

Hey, it's Edwin Castro, also known as Castro 1021. And I'm Conky, his best friend and business manager. And we've got a new show called The 1021 Podcast. I'm taking you behind the scenes on how I became one of Twitch's most popular streamers. We also love sports. And with the World Cup right around the corner, we'll be breaking down the biggest storylines ahead of the big tournament here in the USA. Listen to the 1021 podcast on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.