The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD – HOUR 2 – Why Fernando Mendoza Should Sit, Best Players in College Football

Episode Date: August 25, 2026

He gives his reasons why Notre Dame will be in the Championship gave this season Colin talks to Jordan Palmer about the rise of Sam Darnold, what to expect from Fernando Mendoza, Caleb Williams & the Bears offense, and more. Can Shohei Ohtani still win the MVP this season?    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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These are the Survivor Files. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island to serve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed.

I'm obsessed. Listen to Pro Society on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Hayes, Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast, Hollywood. Handbook. Each week we talk to someone in show business and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us. Everyone has a good time and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman,

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Welcome in. It's hour two. It is a Tuesday. Boy, the weather's, I don't know where you're at, but the weather's getting crisp. This weekend I got college football. Belichick and Carolina debut. I'll be sitting down with a cold one. You know, once you get to Labor Day, I want clarity. No fuzzy eyes. But this weekend, Jay Mack, I may open a cold one and give myself a little breathing.

A cold one. Riggedy, root, crack a brew, baby. Let's go. All right. So, Notre Dame, I have playing for the national championship this year. It is called college football, and Notre Dame takes the college part series. Seriously. I like that. There is a standard at Notre Dame. I had a Notre Dame fan come up to me Saturday morning. He said, I appreciate the kind words. Those who really get it, understand you are pro Notre Dame. I have always been pro Notre Dame. I think their schedule this year is weak, but they're kind of semi-independent. So it's hard because now with the Big Ten and SEC power conferences, not that many people want to go to South Bend in the middle of October in the middle of a conference schedule. But I will say this. If you go to Notre as a student, if you choose Notre Dame, there will be four years of accountability and academic

standards and rigor. And I like that. Notre Dame is very hard. It's very high-minded, but they also got over themselves. They opened up the wallet. They're allowing some transfers in. So they're not too precious about the world we live in now. College football not only feels, I think, better when Notre Dame is near the top, but I feel like it's more centered and has a purpose. Since the NIL came around in 2021, year one of the NIL, Notre Dame has the third best point differential. Better than Oregon, better than Texas, better than Clemson, better than Michigan, better than LSU. So they matter. And I totally hear you when a lot of people say, hey, Colin, college football feels a little more like the NFL. A, I'm okay with that.

that it was a little regional for my taste. B, I hear you, I think it is. But as long as touchdown Jesus and the gold helmets and the fight song and South Bend is packed on a Saturday and beating or competing with the best, it will always be college football. Always. There is a standard,

and I'm not against Texas and Miami flourishing. I love the canes. I love the longhorns. I always have. Plus, you know, I like my Northwest Ducks or USC. I like all that stuff. But from Rudy to Riley Leonard, touchdown Jesus, academic standards, college football will never be the NFL if Notre Dame is at the top.

If they can't compete against the best, I didn't say beat, if they can't compete against the best, then to me, the sport feels a little off. That is not a knock on any other conference or anybody else, but when no. Notre Dame and academics, the gold helmets, touchdown Jesus, playing in South Bend, college football was built in South Bend. Okay? And I hear this all the time. Ah, college football. There is no tradition.

Brother, you're staring at it right on the screen. Notre Dame. Here's Marcus Freeman on the expectations this year. If we're too obsessed with listening to the good noise and we're probably not obsessed. with listening to the noise that's going to help us improve. And that's what your coaches are there for. And that's what, you know, the messaging has to be is the noise that their coaches put in their head

has to be louder than maybe something they're reading on social media. Because at the end of the day, it's great to hear whatever you just said to people talking about us. But at the end of the day, we've got to be obsessed with being that thing. Colin, how can you love USC in Notre Dame? I don't think it's that hard. I like excellence. I think college football, there's three or four.

four programs. When Miami, Texas, USC, Notre Dame are great, Ohio State's always great, right? They're always great. But when those four are big, there's something, it's either the academics of Notre Dame and touchdown Jesus or the LA vibe, Miami vibe of the Trojans of the hurricanes, or it's just the state school of Texas. It's just, it feels great. I love where college football is right now. Jordan Palmer is the founder of quarterback summit, a program that helps quarterbacks reach their potential. He's dealt with everybody. Josh Allen, Donald, Burrell, Gough, Trevor Lawrence, Boe, Nix.

Great to see you, my friend. As always, you look fantastic. I hope you've had a nice summer. What have you done this summer? Oh, Paris, San Sebastian, B. Reitz, and Majorca, and now I'm back and ready for football season to start. Well, you look thin for a guy that was in San Sebastian. I'd have put on 15 pounds, so good for you.

I want to ask you about Sam Darnold. So you've always been a fan of Darnold. And I thought when he came out of college, the one thing you and I had talked about privately was, I think he has to speed up his delivery. He had a little bit of a hitch. But I think we thought he was coachable, tough, big, physical, athletic, all that stuff. When he went through the playoff run, and you've been teaching him forever, when he went through the playoff run without a turnover, because I always thought he's a little Andrew Locke.

He's a big, he's a far. He's got a little bit of that at his best. He's a little, not reckless, but just a little. script. Were you surprised by Sam's playoff run? I was not surprised. I'm not saying I picked the CL CLC Hux to win the Super Bowl before the season started. But I was not surprised at all at the level that they were playing at. Because that, you know, just my brother playing in Arizona, I've known, you know, John Schneider a long time. I know the infrastructure that they have there.

And then you start to better understand the personnel on defense and realizing that this is not an offense that needs to score, you know, 35 points a game in order to win. but when you're in a bad situation, when he was with the Jets, you know, the Jets, you know, personnel and what they were like and then Carolina, the quarterback's got to make it happen and to be able to win.

And that's just not the recipe for the Seattle Seahawks. They don't put it all on the quarterback to throw for 350 to have a chance to win. They play great defense. They ran the ball. They were really creative in play action. Sam, I've been saying for a long time is one of the best off-platform throwers in the NFL,

meaning just on the run. And they put him in a, bunch of different scenarios where he had a clean look outside the pocket. And I don't really remember too many misses for him over the course of that season. So him staying healthy. And I think a lot of times you learn you can learn how to win and be a winner if you've been through a lot of losing because you kind of learn what not to do and what creates a loss.

So I think the reasons I was not surprised by the level that he played and maintained throughout the season was just a combination of all those elements. Yeah, it's such a likable guy. It's for an NFL quarterback, I bumped into him in Rhode Island. He was at a wedding, Christian McCaffrey's wedding a couple years ago. He's the most unassuming, relatable, likable. You know this, because you've dealt with him for years. He came from a very humble family.

I think that's part of his charm. He's a very well-like guy. Not every quarterback is well-liked, as you know, Jordan in the locker room. Sam feels like to me could be a linebacker, his personality. And this is a strong compliment. I've been around these guys forever. I think I met him when he was in high school. I think of superstar, multi-millionaire quarterbacks.

I think Sam Darnold, from when I knew him when he was young, to today has changed the least out of all of them. Wow. That's awesome. He is the same person he's always been. So I don't know if I've gotten an update. So I go crazy on these quarterbacks. So I really like Fernando. I think he's a combination of about 25% Herbert.

Smart, big, strong, a little bit mechanical, maybe, a little bit of Matt Ryan. I think he runs okay, but that's not who he is. I think also he hasn't done a lot of under the center stuff. That'll be a little wonky. The O line last year in Vegas, not great. It's going to be bumpy. I like him. I think he's a B plus plus prospect.

but his humility, his hard work, his obsessive nature could make him like an A-minus prospect. Do you view him to that standard, or am I a little hyperbolic here on his, on his traits? I've got big expectations for Fernando Mendoza and I've been around the last few years. I've heard a lot of takes, right? So a lot of people, I feel like all the guys who used to play defense in the NFL that are on TV, I'll say that he should start right away. You know, why sit him, every rep's valuable. I get that.

I don't think it's a bad take. You've also got people alluding to Aaron Rogers and Jordan Love and all these guys sitting and how valuable it is. So I actually think there's a case to be made for both of them. But I'll make a different case. And this is, I do have expertise on, is how long of a year it is between your last year of college and your rookie year. I help guys with this. I do draft prep. It goes into it.

It's essentially like a 19 month long year. Okay. So you get ready for spring. ball going into your last year at Indiana and you know he transferred so that's a lot of throws getting on the same page with the new players at Indiana with the new offense he ran in Indiana playing in a new conference in the big 10 so there's a lot of newness when he went to Indiana so you got to think February he's throwing a lot a lot of volume a lot of effort long hours long days and then the season ends 15 game season which there's only two teams in college that played 15 games last year

plus the Heisman, plus the draft, plus getting ready for the private workouts and all that. So he kind of won the national championship, and I did this with Burrough and Deshawn Watson when he won the national championship, getting into draft prep. It's a long year when you play at the end. And so then you go right into that,

and you go through the draft process, and then you get picked, and you go right to rookie minicamp. So I also have the context of, my brother was the number one pick in the draft and did not play a snap his rookie year, year as a healthy scratch and how helpful that was to take a year off of just learn and sit and watch, but also just not the volume of hits and throws and the long hours and the strain on your body.

Look, if you're the Raiders and they got Tom Brady helping make decisions there, you're playing the long game when you take a quarterback at one. And I don't think anybody would bet on the Raiders to win the Super Bowl this year. So I'm with all of that, I'm more on the, yeah, let's let him see what he can extract and learn. from Kurt Cousins and from just the travel and the weekly schedule and being a pro and all of it. I think there's a lot more value in having him sit and wait and when he's ready or when the time comes than to rush him out on the field to extract value out of those reps with what you're risking. Boy, that's really well said.

So I made an argument a couple weeks ago. I said, Bear fans have been so beaten down for years that they're like, after he had a bad series this last week, Caleb Williams. People are like, oh, here we go again. And I'm like, guys, you were great on third down. You were the second best rushing team. You had the second most big plays. You got to the playoffs.

A play away from beating the Rams. You're okay. The analytics said you got better as the season went. First year, Ben and Caleb. I said the offense actually was better than Green Bay statistically, analytically. So take a deep breath. It does have to be cleaned up.

But if you look at the numbers, could I not say this? Last year, he averaged 19 of 31 in the game. If he just got the 21 of 31 in the game, that's like 66, 67%. It sounds very pedestrian. It sounds very easy. But when you're as gifted as him and you have Luther Burden, Colston Loveland, Roma Dundze has been healthy and looked very good. I went to a practice.

I went to a game. Is 19 of 31 to 21 of 31 just as easy as it sounds? Or will there be new challenges because of higher expectations? and Ben Johnson adding layers to the offense, perhaps? I don't think it's crazy, and I don't think it's too much to ask for somebody who works as hard as Caleb does to improve from year to year. But I actually don't think it's going to come down to accuracy

or even just the players around him. I think it's going to come down to just discipline on the play. I remember when he was coming out for the draft, and another guy had been around since high school. And I think you and I might have talked about this. There was this highlight he had at USC, where he drops back and looks to the left, and then he rolls right and he stiff arms a guy and then he cuts back and then he rolls right

and running full speed and he throws it 52 yards in the air in the back of the end zone it was like the best play any college quarterback made that year and he watched the tape and you go the hitches open to the left first guy look at it's first and 10 on the 30s year line and then i saw dan oloff make the same point and it's like so it's going to come down to that discipline and what allowed Jared Goff and Ben Johnson to have success that they had on offense was not running around, making a play, jukeing a guy, and throwing out of your mind play across your body. No, it was detailed accuracy, discipline, trusting what your eyes see you, and being able to consistently put the ball in the money.

I think Caleb has the ability to get there, and I think Ben is the type of personality from what I know that can draw that out of him. And so it's going to be, I think, more avoiding the temptation of making a play, which made Caleb the number one quarterback in the country in high school, made him a Heisman trophy winning college quarterback, and the number one pick in the draft. So to sit there and say you need to be more discipline and boring and take what they give you is a lot to ask for somebody who's built a career off of making a large percentage of some of the best plays I've seen young quarterbacks make. So I don't think it's too much to ask, but it is the number one

thing I'll be looking at as I watch Caleb play this year. By the way, he not only founded of the quarterback summit, but thread performance and nutrition company that exists to help young athletes. All right, Bo Nix. So I liked Bo Nix out of Oregon. I thought he was, I went to two Oregon games. I thought he was cut. I thought he was more athletic than the critics gave him credit for. He plays bigger, though he doesn't have huge physical trait stature, but he plays big. He's highly competitive, feisty gets after Sean Payton. He's an obsessed, competitive kid. Dad's a coach. I like so much about him. Played a ton of college games. But when I compliment him, I've had people in the league text me.

I think it's a lot of Sean Payton and the offensive line. And my take is, well, he's a young quarterback. Sean Payton and the O line do help. Don't blame the kid. But there are those that are like, listen, he scores late, in efficiency. He's got a brilliant play designer and caller in Sean Payton. The O line is very, very good. Now they had Jalen Waddle.

But how much credit, Jordan Palmer, do you give Bo Nix. What do you see or not see that stands out to somebody who does what you do for a living? Yeah, I see one of the best young players in this league, and I don't like ranking, and I know you have to,

but, you know, this guy, a lot of times when you lose in the playoffs, you contributed to the loss. But this is one of the weirdest deals how his season ended, not the Bronco season, how his season ended last year. I mean, the injury, what was it after the game? We were rolling it.

Like, this isn't a category of, no, a chance to play in the Super was actually taken from him. You know, different than you turn the ball over. And if you'd have made these three decisions, he won the game and then was hurt and then couldn't play in the next game. And so I don't know what else you want him to do. And I think for people who give too much, you know, give all the credit and say it's all Sean Payton or it's all these people around him, it's the same people that used to, say the quarterback, too, is not going to be that good in college because he plays at Bama. that's not his fault he went to Bama that their team's really good and there's a long list of those guys I think Bose in a situation right now particularly with Davis Webb as an offensive coordinator who in the quarterback NFL quarterback circles is one that all those guys thinks going to be a great coordinator

yeah I think he's set up success and the only other thing that changed is adding jelid wattle a guy who can you know the way that they're going to scheme him open and then the way that he's going to command you know a second set of eyes on defense I think it's going to be easier this year for Bo to play at a high level than it was last year. And last year, I mean, I think he won as many regular season games as anybody. So I said this the other day. I said, you know, we were talking J.J. McCarthy and I said, only six of 57 quarterbacks drafted. Don't count last year's draft, this past draft. Don't count that one.

There were 10 quarterbacks drafted. I love Juan Mendoza. The hit rate for quarterbacks in the previous five drafts. All quarterbacks drafted, six of 57 are four. franchise quarterbacks, and Bo Nix and Stroud get nothing but criticism, and they count on that list. So it's really, really hard. The hit rate with all these brilliant coaches and GMs is 10.5%. With McCarthy, and I didn't love him coming out of college, one of the things that jumps out to me is everything's a fastball. Not a lot of nuance with it. Also, he tends to be, Baker Mayfield has

a little bit of this where I can tell when he's confident and I can tell when he's not. But And Baker's confident stepping into it. It's like, wow, that's a Pro Bowl quarterback. And he's getting a little protection. Can you, I think you probably see a little bit. I don't see the nuance, the pacing. It's a lot of heat. It's a fastball.

Can you work on that? Can I mean, is that something that, oh, yeah, in year five, a guy suddenly got nuanced. Is there anything you see with J.J. McCarthy that you do put your arms around and go, okay, that works. He's doing that well. Because I don't see a ton of success from me. No, I don't. I mean, I was on the other end of thinking he was the top pick in the draft.

And part of this is not him. But, you know, at Michigan, I might have talked to you about this privately. But when you, though that season they had, essentially every time he stepped on the field, they knew beyond a shadow of doubt they're going to rush the ball for at least 250 yards that day. That's not NFL. That's not the Baltimore Ravens might have the number one rushing attack this year. They might not find out at half time that they're not going to be able to run the ball today. You know what I mean?

Like that's not how the NFL works. And then I don't want to get into it. But when you get into the allegations of, you know what I mean, the corner side, it's like, no, that's a pretty good advantage if you know what the other team. So I think that year coming together to then get thrust into a high pick, I almost feel bad that he was drafted so high based off of what he did in college and what's going to be asked of him to do in the NFL that clearly wasn't ready to step into. do. And the part where I don't, you know, I don't, you know, release some of this is it's a pretty

good setup, man. I mean, you got to sit there and watch Sam Darnold do that, you know, and then have a chance to take it over, and then it didn't. And then you get to compete against somebody where you're in the offense for multiple years. This guy's coming out of a other situation, you know, moving all that, and to have the competition be over before, you know, anybody really thought it was. It's a missed opportunity. look, we can sit here and say, poor this guy, poor that guy, but when you're talking about pro athletes that are paid millions of dollars and you're giving an opportunity, there's just too many players that are really good players in this league that had to create their own opportunity.

And there's too many people in our lives that we know that are really successful that weren't given an opportunity. They had to create the opportunity. And so I think the bucket I would put the whole thing in is a missed opportunity grab. And my hope is that the next opportunity he gets if he gets one, because we've seen the same thing with Zach Wilson. You know, he's on his He's bouncing around. He's getting opportunities, had an opportunity to compete with Bo Nix and Jared Stidham, and he ended up third string. You know, had an opportunity to compete in Miami. Now he's a new... So I think he's got to make a decision on which direction this is going to go. And I can say that because Sam Darnold would back up, signed with San Francisco to be the backup. Yeah. To Brock Purdy. And we know how that story, not has ended, but has gone since then. So it is, at some point, it is a decision of what you're going to do about it.

a Jordan Palmer, quarterback consultant, founder of quarterback summit, look that up. It's a very unique brand in this country, founded Thread Performance Nutrition Company that exist to help youth athletes fulfill their physical and mental potential on both sides. I don't tell you guys about all the times he texts me with information because I'm privy to some pretty good gems, but he is as smart as it gets. Am I one of your league sources? because I'm not going to have been you have been

I have said before I have to watch out with you because everybody knows that I rely on you for quarterback opinion so I have I've given a murky tip to you on more than one somebody I trust who's never

steered me wrong I think I've said that twice with you that's pretty nice all those GM steering me wrong at one point yeah I don't have an angle Yeah. That's right. You don't have an angle.

Great seeing you. Yeah. Thanks for having me going. You bet. Quarterback Summit and thread performance. Yes, he has been from time to time somebody who does not lead me wrong. He's very good at what he does. Okay.

Have you guys been to San Sebastian? I'm one of the guys on my staff. He just travels nonstop. I mean, sometimes I'm just, do I get in this week? Ryan, have you been there? Ryan, Jay Mack, have you been to San Sebastian? I was just there. It is incredible.

And by the way, Jordan Palmer, great guy. When I posted on Instagram, hey, here's a video of me and my family. He's like, I missed you by a day in Mayorka. I was like, this guy's all over the place. It's supposed to be the best food. No, San Sebastian's incredible. We did a Michelin Star meal there. It was off the charts.

I mean, a little pricey. I'm still paying for it right now. But it was phenomenal. San Sebastian, you could retire there and just have like the best life. Walkable City. You've got the old. I'm a great weather. You know, the beautiful people in Spain.

By the way, you know, any single guys out there looking for a wife, Spain, I can definitely recommend to say country that is just the beautiful people, the weather, the water. And they like their wine early and often. It's not a wonderful thing. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Hey, it's me.

Rob Parker, check out my weekly MLB podcast Inside the Parker for 22 minutes of pipe and hot baseball talk, featuring the biggest names and newsmakers in the sport. Whether you believe in analytics or the I-Test, we've got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday, so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the Parker with Rob Parker on the IHeart radio app or wherever you get your podcast. Get Bell Pure Fiber Internet with Crave, Netflix, and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on Internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.ca for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months.

I survived, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up, without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. but these aren't stories about what's taken from them.

There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsessives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having.

I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. From bestselling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table. It's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters, then that is a Trojan horse. Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations, or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, you're in the right place. Listen to Pro Society on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

See you between the pages. I'm Hoda Kotteby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby. If you know me, you know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. So this podcast lets us uncover those things together through meaningful conversations with fascinating people. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space with you. You have something in your guts.

You go with it. And Sean Johnson recalled the moment she realized her now husband, Andrew, was the one. He was just so unapologetically himself and knew nothing of Hollywood. He hadn't been on a plane before without his family. It was so pure. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back. Joel Clat last hour. Show Hey, O'Hanee.

Pete Crow Armstrong, very close MVP race. Looks like the experts are leaning. to the Cubs star, J-MAC with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Just let the audience know

you're contractually obligated to mention a Chicago sports team every hour. Oh, they're pretty good. So that was the Chicago reference. We're out of, no more, no mass. Let's go to regression candidates in the NFL. So every August we do this, we look at regression candidates,

and an NFL writer came up with five teams that will dropped significantly. And they backed it up with decent arguments. Here are the teams that are primed for regression as regression candidates. I'll start with the New England Patriots, the Carolina Panthers, the Jags, Denver. And wait for it. The Chicago Bears.

Apparently strength of schedule is one of the keys. Obviously, one score games is another one. Colin, what do you make of the Bears going from 11 and 6 and pulling back significantly, according to this right? they'll be better, but it's very possible. They're a 10-win team. I have them as a wild card team. I have Denver out of the playoffs. I have the Jags out of the playoffs.

So I think, you know, I think the difference is I trust Caleb more than I do Bo Nix or Trevor Lawrence. I think he'll just win games and make plays because I think he's a remarkable talent. But I think all those regression stats historically are accurate. Yeah. I think there are two or three teams that you know will be much better. teams that are good, like, the Colts, but maybe they're not great in one-score games,

but they're well-coached. Those things will turn around. So I think Bears, Broncos, Jags, two of those I agree with. I think the Bears, a lot of people think, oh, they'll be better this year record-wise. I don't. I think they're going to be in the same spot

because the schedule's tougher. Yeah, I mean, I'm sure you saw that Patriots on a short week. That's a tough one. And listen, when you have Caleb starring and a team that, you know, won some exciting games last year, you get a lot of prime time games. I'm very curious to see how Caleb performs in these prime time games.

They are all over the prime time networks because, you know, Caleb Williams is a potential start. I would just finally say, I agree with almost all these. I don't think any of like the Broncos, come on, everybody's been on that. But regression is fun to talk about. Less fun to talk about injuries, Colin, Philadelphia Eagles. They drafted Mackay Lemon, talented wide receiver out of USC. He's been out for a while with a hammy. However, good news is he returned to practice yesterday.

Sounds like he'll be ready for the opener. Here's Mackay Lemon. I feel like it's definitely tough. You know, I'm real competitive. I ain't ever want to be away from this game. So me knowing that, you know, the hamstring again, just making sure I take the right precautions. I'm learning from it, so it don't happen again.

Taking the mental reps, you know, it's just important as being on the field. So I was super locked then, you know, out the field. I'm making sure, you know, I'm in the playbook, you know, taking the mental rift. So when I got out here, it wasn't too crazy. Very well-spoken for a rookie. Listen, I give out fantasy colonels here on this show on my podcast. Oh, he's going to be good.

Well, let's hold up. Who is the new play caller for the Eagles? Sean Manion. Where was he last year, Colin? Green Bay Packers. Who else did the Eagles pick up from the Packers this season? Wicks. Dantavian Wicks.

I think he's probably. Probably going to pencil in as the number two. Devante Smith, the number one. Can he be a number one? Can he make a major leap? Devante Smith? I don't know. Wix is a bigger body, tougher.

He's looked really freaking good. Listen, I'm not saying lemon is toast, but I do think he will, it's going to take him a little while to get up to speed off the hamstring. I think Wix is the guy you really want to look at. Sometimes these offensive coordinators, they go places, and they bring their guys, right?

I would keep an eye on Wix. In Green Bay. Lemon's a good player, but I do think as a rookie, it's going to be a little more steep of a learning curve. By the way, where are you on Devante Smith? Can he be a one? I like him. He's a one. Yeah, yeah. I like him. I mean, the guy's like a buck 75. I think he weighs about what I do. Now he's twitched up and he's fast. No, I like him. I think Devonte, I mean, I do wear his body, you know, his body compositions thin. But I think he's a really good player. I think he's a one. I think Wix is a two. I think Lemons probably an NFL high end too. Yeah. A really, really high end two. So with Tyreek Hill out, obviously, the injury, I think Smith pencils in as the smallest height and weight-wise,

number one wide receiver in the league. Well, Zay Flowers isn't real big. I don't know that he's a one. He might be a two. Say Flowers? Yeah. Look at his numbers. He's on.

Because they didn't have anyone else. And now they got the young kid Jacoby Lane who looks amazing. But again, rookies. Rookies are also. Yeah. All right. Final Story, Kong. College football.

it's list time. Now, our producer, Zach Prime me, like Jason, relax. I know you get worked up about lists. Here's a list, the athletic, your favorite outlet, has the list of the top 100 football players entering the college football season. This is not an NFL draft list or NFL future or anything. It's college football.

Best players in college football. Jeremiah Smith won, no surprise. Leonard Moore, the cornerback of Notre Dame, two, Trinidad, Chambliss III. Do you want to guess? where Arch Manning checked in. No, he's not in the top 10. 15.

He's not in the top 20. Oh, no, I don't know. He's not in the top 30. The best players in college football, the athletic, has Arch Manning. Heisman favorite as 32nd. Now, this is what's crazy. Jaden Mayava at USC. Where's he?

34. God, I like him. Are there 33 players in college football better than Jaden Mayava? Now, listen, Dylan Storriva. South Carolina, he's awesome. I don't have many criticisms. I've watched all these guys play. They're all great.

Okay, let me give you a couple notable names. Julian Sayan, 13th best player in college football. To that, I say GTFO as the kids said. That is insane. That's a little high. I mean, he had, like, he cooked during the season, sure against weak opponents, and go look at his game against Indiana.

He was terrible in the Big Ten title game. And I know that's just one game. Julian Sanchez fine. Darian Mensa from Miami 11. Yeah, he's good. He'll be good. What does best player in college football mean? Well, he's just telling you, these are the best college.

They're not projecting to a draft. They're the best college players. Now, in Jeremiah Smith's case, he's going to do very well. C.J. Carr and Notre Dame, Leonard Moore. Notre Dame's got the best corner, maybe the best safety, and maybe the second best linebacker in the country. So Notre Dame's defense is going to be all-time stuff this year. So I'm told Texas has six.

I'm sorry, not six. Indiana has six in the top hundred. LSU has six. Oregon has six. Indiana has a couple good receivers. If you look at your list, Indiana's got a couple of receivers that are ballers. Do you want to guess how many players are in the top 100 from USC besides Jada Mayava? Two.

Just him and one other guy. Zero. We had a guest on here just said, This is Lincoln Riley's best team. There is some big disconnect out there with USC. I've said nine and three. Nine and three. Well, Clat is coming on.

By the way, I hear Clat's a good golfer. Is that accurate? Well, I mean, he works half the year. I mean, good guys. These guys, the season ends, and they just disappear into the ether. I'm out here, you know, living on half and half and peanut brittle here, bringing out 15 live hours a week. We're dropping truth bombs in August, and Clats, you know, playing 70.

two holes this week. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. Yeah, I don't think, I think Notre Dame's going to play for the national championship, and I think USC is going to go nine and three. They're going to lose Ohio State, Indiana, and Oregon.

I don't think that's, they're going to beat Washington. They'll beat Penn State on the road. They'll beat UCLA. They're not beating the Buckeyes. The Hoosiers. Hoosiers are a bad matchup for them because USC is very average at corner and safety. They're not being the Buckeyes, the Hoosiers or Oregon. Oregon game in L.A. will be fun.

That'll be fun. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Get Bell, Pure Fiber Internet with Crave, Netflix, and Disney Plus from $94 a month. Price guaranteed for two years on internet with a two-year term and auto pay credit. Visit bell.com for details and to check availability. Bell, connection is everything. When I was 14 years old, I was kidnapped and held captive for nine months.

I survived, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are the Survivor Files. I just remember this low, taunting voice next to my ear saying, shut up, don't say anything. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable. I knew if he woke up. Without a doubt, he was going to hurt me. I started feeling that there was someone at the end of my bed, and I just started screaming. They are abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced.

But these aren't stories about what's taken from them. There's stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your for-you page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. This is Prose Society, the weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for thought daughters, pop culture obsesives, and anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. I'm Eli Rallo and every week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and the conversations everyone can't stop having. I'm going to have to look up this story. I'm obsessed.

That's so upset. From bestselling authors and your favorite book talk creators to the latest pop culture moments, nothing is off the table. It's like if you can hide some real messages inside compelling characters, then that is a Trojan horse. Whether you're looking for literary deep dives, smart pop culture conversations, or a community of readers who love to think a little too much, you're in the right place. Listen to pro society on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. See you between the pages.

I'm Hoda Kotby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby. If you know me, you know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. So this podcast lets us uncover those things together through meaningful conversations with fascinating people. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space with you. You have something in your guts. You go with it.

And Sean Johnson recalled the moment she realized her now husband, Andrew, was the one. He was just so unapologetically himself and knew nothing of Hollywood. He hadn't been on a plane before without his family. It was so pure. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcasts. Saturday night is baseball night in America on Fox

and this week, historic rivals make their push for the playoffs as Wilson Contreras and the Red Sox take on Ben Rice and the Yankees. Saturday at 7 Eastern on Fox. So the MVP race, the odds are in, they keep leaning more and

more and more to Pete Crow Armstrong of the Cubs. It's a two-person race. Otani against PCA. Right now, Now PCA has more runs, hits, extra base hits, home runs, stolen bases, better war, win above replacement. And I think that, you know, it's called most valuable, not most gifted. So I think PCA is just more necessary for the Cubs success. If you look at Otani, when he goes hitless, the Dodgers are still 25 and 16.

The winning percentage for the Dodgers doesn't fluctuate. Otani gets a hit, doesn't. It doesn't fluctuate. If Pete Crowe Armstrong doesn't get a hit, the Cubs are sub-500. So they're not even a wild card team if he's not on the team. They really rely on him for everything. I would say Otani is more KD to the Warriors. They won a title with him before him, and they win titles with him.

He makes the Warriors the best version of the Warriors, but they won pre-KD and post-KD. If Otani left, the Dodgers could still win a World Series if they got enough healthy pitching. O'Tani is KD. Makes the Dodgers greater, really, really when healthy, unbeatable, but they can win with him and without him. That's not what the Cubs are. You know, he's more LeBron James with the calves. They're not even getting to the finals. I mean, Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, a lot of people viewed him as a guy that couldn't stay healthy. He was kind of a bust. And then he becomes, you know, great. So Alex Bregman, who got brought over this year to the Cubs on PCA.

We've got one of them, probably the most dynamic player in baseball leading off and he can hit the ball of the ballpark, you steal bags, so you can battle up and slap a good bat on you. I mean, O'Tonnie has two hits in the Dodgers' last five games.

Dodgers won all of them. So it's just, I would say Pete Crowe Armstrong is more essential, therefore he's more valuable. And he's kind of pulling away in the odds. Also, he's the best fielder, arguably in the sport. And I'm not talking just outfield. He may be the best fielder in Major League Baseball.

So when he shows up to the park, he's their best base dealer. He's their best hitter. He's their best defensive player. He's the leadoff guy. He's the spark plug. He's the only All-Star they have. I don't think it's that particularly close. So we had Jordan Palmer on.

one of the things that it's obvious, but personality matters a lot with quarterbacks. You have to be a uniter. You're often the highest paid guy. You get the most press media. Not that you're coddled by the coach, but you can't really hit a quarterback in practice. You know, they wear the certain jersey. So like being humble and grateful and being gracious goes a long way. I mean, Kirk Cousins is making a fortune.

You can't hit him in practice. He's not really one of the guys. He's closer to the coaches than most players. Like, Jay Cutler always had like a chip on his shoulder. And like Jay was talented, but that doesn't work in locker rooms. Like, right? Like, get along with people. I've always thought that was one of the keys to Sam Darnold.

And it was interesting to talk about Fernando Mendoza. I think one of the things that I really like, he's got kind of a Kirk Cucson. cousins. He's, you know, some will say a little corny. It just seems like a grateful, humble kid. And in all of pro sports, that matters more at quarterback than any other position. I didn't know if Jordan Palmer was a big fan or not. Here he was earlier. I did this with Burrow and Deshaun Watson when he lost, when he won the national championship, getting into draft prep, it's a long year when you play at the end. And so then you go right into that. and you go through the draft process and then you get picked and you go right to rookie mini-camp.

Let's let him see what he can extract and learn from Kurt Cousins and from just the travel and the weekly schedule and being a pro and all of it. I think there's a lot more value in having him sit and wait and when he's ready or when the time comes than to rush him out on the field to extract value out of those reps with what you're risking. All right. So I'm excited for it. Put the Raiders schedule up. Now, they open with Miami.

Fernando's not going to play. Then it gets a little tougher. I remember Lamar Jackson came in and I hit the prediction. I got very lucky. I said, week 11, Flacco's gone. Lamar's in. I'm going to predict. Are we taping this, Ryan?

Are we taping back in the studio? Here we go. I'm going to tape this. All right, we're taping. I'm going to say, okay, hold on. Let me think this. They're going to go 1 and 0 because cousins will be competent. I am going to go, I'm going to go week, I'm going to go week 12 at Cleveland.

I think week 12 at Cleveland, Fernando Mende, why are you laughing at that? Fernando Mendoza gets his first start. Well, Kirk Cousins, you know, I don't know that he survives that long. He's immobile. And you're starting him before the by week? What's that all about? On the road? No, you start him at home.

No, you start him a very winnable game against Cleveland. you get film, and for two weeks, he can work on what he's got to work on as the Chargers come to town, and Denver comes to down in division, back-to-back weeks. You want him to play? You don't want to baby him? You want him to play? Okay, let's think about the mistakes and the problems. Jared Verson had defensive front.

Let's look at what we did wrong, what we did right. Got a couple of weeks to prepare for division games at home, back-to-back division games in Vegas. I would just start him in week one. At home, a lay-up against Miami. But that's not going to happen. Well, if Kubiak's smart, it'll happen. The Dolphins will project as one of the worst defenses in the league. Then in week two, Chargers, let's be real.

They lost their defensive coordinator, and they don't have an incredible, like, their defense is not incredible. Who's their superstar pass rusher? And then you've got the Saints. They do not have an amazing defense. So right out of the gate, there is a chance for Mendoza to have success. Now Spagnolo, that's going to be a tough one, but it's at home. Spagnolo's defense is being rebuilt. Chris Jones, come on, he's washed.

His cornerbacks are weak. I think he could do well in the first month of the season. And no, I'm not his agent. You're acting like one on TV. We'll see. Hour three. I survived nine months in captivity. And I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them.

I'm Elizabeth Smart. And these are the Survivor Files. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silent. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture.

with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Listen to Pro Society on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Hayes Davenport. And Sean Clements. We host the podcast, Hollywood Handbook. Each week, we talk to someone in show business and try to help them with their careers and see what they have to offer us.

Everyone has a good time, and no one gets mad at their publicists for letting them do our show. We've had a lot of great guests like Sarah Sherman, Adam Scott, McBride, Ben Stillard, and a lot of other big shots that wouldn't be where they are without us. Listen to Hollywood Handbook on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Hoda Kotbby, host of the podcast, Joy 101 with Hoda Kotbby. You know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. You're not hired just to fill time and space.

you're hired to fill the space with you. Listen to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotby on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.