The Herd with Colin Cowherd - THE HERD – HOUR 3 – Don’t Trust The Cowboys, Notre Dame Will Win The National Championship

Episode Date: August 25, 2026

Fox Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt joins the show to tell Colin why Notre Dame is his pick to win the National Championship.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human. 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. 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.

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,

Adam Scott, Danny 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio in noon to 3 Eastern 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day in the Iheart Radio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Well, Joel Klatte's going to be calling the Indiana game September 5th.

This weekend there's some games as well. Joel Klat, the voice of college football. at Fox is now joining us. I was thinking about this the other day. One of the reasons I always defended Shador Sanders is because at Colorado they had no running game and they didn't pass block particularly well and I think

it's reasonable to say that Dion's a good promoter but he's not Kurt Signetti. It wasn't a highly functional offense couldn't run. A lot of it was Shadur running for his life. So I thought he was underdrafted.

I thought he didn't work with much. I mean, again, it's a big advantage to have an elite coach, an elite run game, an elite offensive line. That seems to matter for quarterbacks. But you did a lot of Shadur games. To you, was he underdrafter? Were you ever a fan of kind of the whole thing with Shadur? Well, gosh, there's a lot of layers to that.

Was he underdrafted? Of course he was. He was, at a minimum, the second best quarterback in that class, minimum. Maybe the top quarterback. if you just look at the football, his ability to throw the ball accurately. He was the most accurate pastor in that draft. He's shown that ability even at the NFL level. Yeah.

Hyper-accurate with the football, quick release, very smart in terms of the schematics and understanding the game and where the football should go. All of that was absolutely there. That's why in a lot of our estimation, he was in the conversation in the top five of the draft, maybe even the top overall pick in the draft. I think his play warranted that. Now, it's not just your play that everyone's going to draft, and they've got to also, if you want to put it this way,

can marry everything else that's coming along. And there's always some sort of balance between the baggage that they perceive you bring and the value that you bring to the team. So there's going to be some sort of weight to that. Wouldn't you agree, Colin? And at that point, I think there are a lot of teams that passed on the baggage or the extra curricular, if you will, from Shador Sanders. They didn't like the hype machine and the way that he went about interviews. And that's not to say that it's absolutely wrong, but I think it absolutely hurt him.

There's no doubt. I still maintain, here's the thing, Colin, in the NFL, you have to own the game from the pocket. You've got to anticipate. You've got to be accurate. You've got to be tough. He's all of those things. I still believe, I know this may sound crazy, he's going to work out somewhere someplace. I think the same thing. It might not be Cleveland, but as we've seen with Darnold and Mayfield and others,

it doesn't have to be in that team. And let's face it, you might just need to leave Cleveland. Because that place, you know, historically has been an absolute dumpster fire when it comes to quarterback play. Yeah. You and I agree on that. I still think there's something there. I just, you know, I've missed before, but the idea that he can't play at this level, and I thought he was kind of at worst, like a mid-second round guy, is interesting. So I was saying this earlier, is that when people say the NIL and the transfer portal ruin college football tradition, I'm like, no, it's called Notre Dame. They built the sport.

You know, the sport got built largely on their back. the four horsemen touchdown Jesus you know there's been some wonky stuff and I mean now you got pros playing college the big 10th that I said not we're not going to allow that which I'd like to see all conferences do that

I doubt they will good for them good for the big 10th yeah but I look at Notre Dame and I said this earlier when Notre Dame can compete for the title I'm not saying they can win it but they can compete there are top 16 which they are the Brian Kelly teams were not

they just got there, but they didn't have the players. This team can play with anybody. I think the sports better because I think there is a certain standard. It's called college football. The college part, it's important. I think that's the separator. So my take is I love what Notre Dame's become. Some people are going to say, well, the media likes them.

So you guys talk about, I look at their defense, Joel, I think they have like five pros. Oh, yeah. I think they're going to play for the national title. Do you think that title? I do too. I just came out with my bracket prediction. I filled out a bracket to start the year.

I picked Notre Dame to win the whole thing. They're going to be my national champion. And in large part, due to their defense, there's an entire litany of reasons. Listen, I really like CJ Carr. I think he could be the best overall quarterback. Same. Same.

Yep. I really love what they have on the outside at wide receiver. Jaden Greathouse is back. They've got guys like Quincy Porter transferred from Ohio State, Mylan Graham as well. They've got real players out there. They averaged over 40 points a game last year. That should go up.

I do believe that their offensive line is good enough where they can plug and play in the running back spot. Then you go to their defense. I think it could be the best defense in college football, if not certainly in the top three. And you look at who wins the national championship. you look at every single year. Georgia had great defenses. Michigan had a great defense. Ohio State, number one defense in the country.

Last year, Indiana, I believe it was two defense in the country. You've got to play great defense. They're going to have that. All those returning guys on their front seven, a defensive-oriented head coach, and maybe the best defender individually in all of college football and Leonard Moore. I think Leonard Moore, the corner for Notre Dame is not only going to win the Thorpeboard, I think he could get selected in the top three of the NFL draft. That's how good he is on the outside. side. He's one of the only guys that I've watched and he can play with guys like Jeremiah Smith.

And I'm like, okay, that, you know, it looks like you can do that. So I'm a big fan of what Notre Dame has. I don't love their schedule just for the best interest of college football. It's great for them, but it's not great for college football. They've got that Miami game. But let me just, real quick, and you made this point on my show, it's not just that the sport might be better when, Notre Dame is good. It's that Notre Dame is, I think, a symbol of the game being a national sport and not a regional sport. And you made that point on my show. I think it's an incredibly astute and really good point.

And I know we're not in the business column of complimenting each other, but that was strong. And, you know, obviously with the Big Ten doing what they're doing and the SEC still having a great league and Notre Dame being good and Oregon being good. and USC, maybe on the resurgence. And the SEC is still good. The SEC is still good. They're still really good. Texas is outstanding. Georgia is still, they still have Kirby Smart.

Let's see what Alabama is able to do. So now for the first time since, Colin, 2006, the sport feels really national. Yep. I agree. No, I think it does. The, you know, years ago I said this about the NIL. I told Urban Meyer this. And he

kind of laughed because I don't think he'd thought of it. I said, NIL is going to save all you coaches because I can't, because I got to pay my roster of $35 million. It's too expensive to fire him. That's what you're saying, right?

I got to buy you out for 70 and hire the next guy for 80. I'm like, you guys are going to get a, you know, the citrus bowl is going to get you an extension. You guys are, I mean,

you think you're doing well now. You're unfireable. There's no money left. Yeah. And I look at USC schedule. So my take is Ohio State and Indiana are bad matchups. Very good on the outside. USC's pass rush has been hit and miss, and I don't love their corners.

I don't think they can beat Ohio State. I do not think they can, I think those receivers for Indiana are special, bad matchups. Oregon, they can compete with. But again, secondary, it is at home. It's a, you know, a lot of the players, you recruit. or Eugene last year. So I don't think that that's out of the question. And they're very good in the Coliseum.

They were undefeated in the Coliseum a year ago. So let's just, so we both say, if they run the table except Ohio State Indiana and make the playoff, Lincoln's fine. But what if they do lose Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana? There'll be dogs to each. You can't move on. No, no, no, no. And to your point, it's.

And don't make the playoffs. No, no, no, no. He would not be fired. Okay. Nor should he. Nor should he. Remember, they have the number one recruiting class in the country. I believe they just built that brand new football building.

So we need to talk about money. This is not just about the money that you would have to pay him, which is substantial. You'd have to buy out the rest of the staff, buy out the next coach. You just spent well over nine figures building a beautiful football building. Then you have to spend probably close to 40 on a new roster. Okay. so you're talking about all in order to move on from a guy like let's just say he goes nine and three which is a good year with that schedule i mean yeah that's what i think yeah you know an excellent

year with that schedule to move on from him it would cost them a hundred and 20 give or take they're not going to do that after building a football building like they're not going to do that it would be irresponsible and you would have to start from scratch because once you start over. Look at Penn State, for example. They got to this point where James Franklin, they felt like, nope, like there's a ceiling, we've got to move on. It wasn't the greatest transition. They fired him early.

They thought they had a plan. All of a sudden, Signetti gets the contract extension. Matt Ruhl does a contract extension, and Kalani Sataki goes all the way down to the altar and says no. And then they land on Matt Campbell. It took them a long time to do that. Well, guess what happened in the meantime? The roster was totally decimated to the point where Matt Campbell had to bring in 40

Iowa State players. So they're just, Penn State is basically just Iowa State East at this point. So if you're USC and you go nine and three, you just had the number one recruiting class in the country, you just spent nine figures on a football building, you've got to pay $120 million to change your coach and build a new roster. Why would you do that? That would be malpractice. And I don't think Jen Cohen would do that, the athletic director,

nor should she. So nine and three is safe. I think eight and four would be really frustrated and they would, get trigger happy, but I would caution them against making that move even at 8 and 4. Listen, I think one of the things we have to own in college football, Joel, is that with these power conferences, you've added Oregon, Washington, Oklahoma, Texas, USC. Okay, now these conferences have gone from tough to kind of ridiculous for like Ohio State schedule, brutal, Texas schedule, brutal. So fans have to just...

In particular, when it's compared to Georgia or Penn State. both in the same conference. Like Penn State's conference schedule, very easy. Georgia, very manageable. It's compared to Ohio State and Texas. So not to interrupt you, but it's the imbalance of the scale. It's not just that these conferences are very good and very deep. It's that who you miss matters most.

And it's the schedule lottery matters more than anything right now in college football, in particular as it relates to a conference crown. Hey, let's talk Indiana. So you did, how many Indiana games you do last? year. Gosh, was it five? I think I did four or five? Yeah. Okay. So when you did those games, did you say, whew, that personnel, or did you say, man, that coach? Because I liked their personnel, but they were in trouble against Oregon, Iowa, Penn State, Miami. That team got lost four games. And I don't think they look like Ohio State. And I don't think they were as good as Miami

in terms of overall talent, and I'm not sure they have the talent that Notre Dame does this year. So my take is, now Mendoza leaves, you get a quarterback that's good, but he's not Fernando Mendoza. He's not a first round quarterback.

Well, you think he's Fernando Mendoza? Well, hold on for a second, because he might not be Mendoza right now, but was Mendoza Mendoza right now? Yeah, but he... Last year at this point, did you think Fernando Mendoza was like, man, that guy, he might win the highs,

Well, when I started watching him, Mendoza was big. And he was kind of like big, thick, aggressive. Like Hoover, I watched him at TCU. He's a smaller guy. He doesn't, you know, he's okay outside the numbers. He's not Mendoza. Like Mendoza, once you started watching him. Let me push back.

Let me push back. And it's not, let me, let's throw the players out. Throw the players out. You just, you just said something like, did you, when you called the Indiana of games, you asked me, did you think, oh my gosh, what an incredible roster or oh my gosh, what an incredible coach? Listen, truth be told, coach. And that's what every other, but, but, so to that point, if you would agree with that, don't you have to trust that Kurt Signetti, who got Curtis Rourke and got Fernandez Mendoza and Keelan Black and Roman Hemby and, you know,

kept Charlie Becker and got Elijah Sarad and got all these guys, don't you have to trust that he saw something that he deems perfect for his system and Josh Hoover. 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. 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 IHeartRadio 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, 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 the 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 book, podcasts. See you between the pages. I'm Hoda Kotbby, host of the podcast Joy 101 with Hoda Kotbby. 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. Well, yes, but he's still not as good as Mendoza. He can be the best fit. I think Mendoza's going to, I think he's pretty good. I think Mendoza is special. So you're telling me if you were taking before Indiana,

you had Curtis Rourke, Fernando Mendoza, and you had Josh Hoover, and you got to pick them. Before you knew anything about what they did at Indiana, who would you pick? Well, that's not fair because I do know about Mendoza. You're telling me to unseeing. What are you talking about? I'm saying I've watched Mendoza play at the highest level.

I watched Hoover play. I like Hoover. He's not Mendoza. He's not that big and strong. You're not that guy. But you have to compare Hoover to the Cal Mendoza. This is my point. I would take Hoover if Cal football.

But this is my point is that if you were just taking the pre-Indiana player of the three quarterbacks that now Cignetti will have at Indiana, I would take Hoover. he's he's the he's the better player before he got to indiana but tc u's got better players than cal maybe so maybe so i think that team's going to be very good and to your point i'm going to go back to the coaching it's not just me who thought that um every single opposing coach offensive coordinator head coach defense a coordinator they would lead with the exact same thing in our production meetings That's the best coach team I've ever seen. That's the best coach team I've ever seen. That's the best coach team I've ever seen.

They're the most sound team I've ever seen. Every single one of them, to a man, Colin, to a man. That's what they started with before they would play Indiana. Yeah, I think, I'm not doubting Signetti. I just, I think my whole take is Mendoza ended up being just... You don't like Hoover. That's fine. You don't like them.

You're doubting Indiana. No, that's fine. Listen, I think they're going to be a very solid six and five team. Oh, wow. I'm joking. I'm joking. They're going to win like 10 games. That team's going to the playoff.

Wouldn't you agree? That team's going to the playoff. Well, Oregon and Ohio State are going. I don't know what to do with Michigan. Let me watch the Oklahoma game. Sure. Yeah, Indiana is going to go because they're schedule. So three teams I know, Oregon, Indiana will go.

I think Washington and USC are very improved. Michigan will obviously be improved. approved. Yeah. Were you surprised, no, Texas or Georgia didn't get a first place vote? I was surprised Texas didn't. I think Georgia's offense is kind of pedestrian to me. You lose Ladd-McConkie and Brock Bowers.

It's never quite felt the same. They're both so good. I was surprised Texas didn't, but I think, and I would always have trouble with this, if you're a writer and you do a preseason top 10 or top 25, and I was voting. I look at Texas's schedule and I'm like, well, I don't want to give them a number one vote because there's no way in heck they're going to run the table on the schedule. So am I voting for who you are now or am I voting for what I think it's going to end up?

Because I think Texas is going to lose three games because their schedule is brutal. This is why I thought I was shocked when the AP put Ohio State number one. Not because Ohio State isn't good, but because of their schedule. They have to play at Texas. Texas at Iowa, at Indiana, at USC. Brutal. Brutal. Is it at Indiana?

Yeah, I believe it is at Indiana. It's brutal. Did I miss that? I know they're at Texas, at Iowa, at USC. I know that for sure. I think they play, yeah, at Indiana, and then they still have to host Oregon. Yeah, it's at Indiana.

Look at that schedule. that's crazy. By the way, the three weeks, look at the three weeks, I know they have an off week kind of in the middle of a, but they've got a three-game stretch in the middle of their season

at Indiana, at USC, Oregon at home. Jeez. That's incredible. Honestly, you know what? USC is looking at that, licking their chops. Right. I mean, you play Cignetti one week.

You're looking at Oregon at home the next week. USC just slithers into the Coliseum, and they have to go, all the way out west in order to do it. That's why I was surprised the riders gave Ohio State the number one ranking. I was surprised at that. All right. Listen,

I don't mean to interrupt your golf game. I know you pretty much take eight months off of year after you do some college football around here. Then it's just, wow. Well, I mean, literally. We are,

I tell you what, this is now, we're getting close to the regular season because of the chippiness went up. That's how I know we're in, in like regular season form. We don't need preseason. All right? NFL, Colin and clat?

We don't need preseason. I don't even know where my golf bag is. I don't see it eight months a year. Listen, I mean, not all of us have to play every day to be great. I don't know what to tell you. Whatever. That felt personal. All right, buddy.

Good seeing you. You as well. You as well, bud. Yeah. That Ohio State schedule, is that ridiculous? In a row at Indiana. USC. That's insane. Oh, God.

Hey, man, listen, if you run through that schedule with only one loss, you deserve all the love. 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.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 best-selling 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 Kotbby, 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 I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome back. I've got a lot today. The show is moving right along. Isn't that amazing? Caitlin Clark has more 30 plus 10 plus games, points and assists, five, that in the rest of the league's history combined, four. Isn't that the stat? That's crazy. Jay Mack with the news.

No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. You know what else is crazy? The L.A. Rams battle for the backup quarterback job. It's Ty Simpson versus Stetson Bennett. A couple SEC lifers. And McVeigh has made no decision yet.

It seems like it's probably Ty Simpson. But just remember, Stetson Bennett has been in the program for years. Well, the franchise for years. Here's McVeigh on how he, looking at the backup job. Ty's definitely going to play. I don't know exactly I'm going to allocate those reps. That was different.

We had our backup spot set last year. We've got two guys who have played really good football throughout the course of camp. I'm just truly taking things a day at a time. Today, Setzen took nine of the 15 reps. Ty took six of them as far as what we're doing with the game. We haven't even gotten into that. So, you know, for all the critics of this move is,

feels pretty good that Ty Simpson's been great. Stetson Bennett, my guess is, I read it, it's not even a guess, I read it this weekend, Stetson Bennett leads slightly. I think Simpson's the better athlete in terms of mobility, maybe Stetson ahead of him because he knows the offense better. I think Ty Simpson's the better talent. But for all the people that knocked it,

like what you've seen in the preseason, Ty is an athletic kid who can move the pocket a lot with him. Stafford's your veteran, and Bennett's been in the system now three years, so you can bring him in and he's competent to run it, like they've got a deep quarterback room, which is, for the record, 55 quarterbacks minimum will play in the NFL this year. Like backups play a lot by late October. Yeah, no, that's fair points.

And Stafford is one of the oldest starters in the league, right? I will just push back a little on this amazing preseason Ty Simpson's head. There's zero correlation. I was looking it up between preseason. success and regular season play. Of course, traits and understanding the system, that stuff matters. So I'm not going crazy for Simpson. They did spend a very high pick on him.

I would be shocked if he were the third stringer. And what does that mean? Not active all season, the emergency quarterback? So I don't see how Simpson's not the backup. That's what I thought until I read an article two days ago. So the problem with that is, you just wasted a first round pick on guy who's not going to help you at all this year. No. Or they're going to play Stetson

Bennett more in the preseason. Show him off to the league. Put him on tape and somebody's going to come get him and give them a six-round pick next year. My guess is what they're doing is they want Stetson to play and get reps. They're going to say great things about him. He made one really beautiful

throw this week and they've kind of rebuilt his confidence and he's got his life together, which is cool, and he looks good on tape. And then somebody, you know this is true. Somebody's going to come and get him because some backup is going to be pushed to be a starter by week eight. And then people will go, oh, well, McVeigh's guy, you know he's been well-coached. Let's bring Stetson-Benned is our backup.

You know that's going to happen. Because McVeigh alone, it's like Darnold backing up, Brock Purdy with Shanahan. Minnesota's like, well, he didn't play much, but he knows Shanahan's system and we run a version of it. Let's go get him. There is value to, like being in the McVeigh or Andy Reid system as a backup. It's fair. I guess I will just say the Stetson Bennett, like somebody is interested. There's a lot of smoke that J.J. McCarthy is going to be on the market, too, as a potential trade piece.

I don't know. Who would you rather have J.J. McCarthy or Stetson Bennett? Price Stetson Bennett at this point. 63 different quarterback started games last season, 60 in 2024. All right. Let's move on to the NFL Top 100 list. We've been doing it seemingly for a month. They're just dragging this thing out.

Patrick Sertain checking in at 10 yesterday, Jemir Gibbs at 9. But what our staff noticed was there's only two quarterbacks left that have not been revealed. Who? That would be Josh Allen and Matt Stafford. Incredibly, this means that of the top 100 NFL players, more than a handful of people think Drake May is the third best quarterback in the league. And I'm sorry, I don't care what stat you can give me. that just is not true.

On no planet is Drake May right now the third best quarterback in the league. That's not true. Come on. You think there's a world where he is? I think he's somewhere between five and eight-ish. What don't you like? Big, move, smart, obsessed, accurate. I loved him coming out of North Carolina.

He was middling to below average in his first year with a terrible head coach. He made a Pro Bowl. With the bad sound. Doher Sanders was a pro bowler. Just stop with the pro ball, okay? So May had one good season. So did Jaden Daniels. A lot of people can have one good season.

Yeah, but Jaden Daniels can't stay healthy. Drake May's Big Strong never gets hurt. He hasn't been hurt. Daniels was hurt last year. Let's see if he bounced. Again, CJ Stroud had an amazing year. Has that kind of plateaued. Has he gotten better?

If this is the NFL's top 100 players, Derek Henry, 15 still. God, been around on. Eric Henry's collecting social security and he's at Patrick Mahomes. I don't think there's 11 players better than Will Anderson at Houston. I don't. I mean, Brian Burns is good. What?

Burns is great. No way. He's a really good defensive end. He's great. He's not good. He's great. Top 15 player in the league? He's great.

He and Abdul Carter potentially could be the best end rushers in the sport. See, this is the problem. You know, I need to pivot to becoming you or I'm just like, oh, everybody's great. Yeah, top 14, sure. There's 47 guys that are great. I don't think everybody's great, but I'd rather, wouldn't the audience in August, isn't it better to be optimistic? I mean, I'm excited for football. Who wants Debbie Downer on the air?

Brian Burns, a great Hall of Fame level rush end in the NFL. He's been great for years. He was great in Carolina. He was making a quantum leap to Hall of Fame? Brian Burns had 16 and a half sacks last year. Wow. And by the way, played for a team. that trailed.

I mean, if you really think about the Giants, they trailed in a lot of games late, right? They weren't very good. Meaning teams were running the ball against the Giants in the fourth quarter, not giving Brian Burns a chance for sacks. Teams were killing the clock. Why don't you make a list tomorrow

of the best edge rushers in the league? Brian Burns is top three. No way. Miles Garrett. Miles Garrett. Will Anderson. Max Cross. Ozby.

You're top three. Come on. And Brian Burns. Stop it. You know, there's a boss out there somewhere who's really, really good. There's a billion edge rushers. Brian Burns is very good. He's, you know, an elite player at his position.

But top five, top 14th best playing in the league? Second in the league to Miles Garrett and Sachs. You're all into this one-year wonder stuff. Gosh, come on. Brian Burns has been good for seven years. Last year, he was second in Sachs. Final story is Deshawn Watson. You know, it's funny.

We went heavy Browns yesterday. Today, nothing. Here we go. Shadur is officially the backup to Dishon Watson. Todd Munkin had to break the news to Shadur that he's the backup. And the conversation was moderately interesting, Colin. He was awesome. I mean, you talk about somebody that really understands the long game. He understands that as well as a quarterback, right?

Where he was at, where he's at now, where he wants to get to. That is what's so awesome about Shadur understand. that really he doesn't. We met this morning for a good long time, and all he had was a smile on his face, because he understands what really is in front of him, not really a short-term, maybe long-term

decision. Yeah, I don't know. Can we get Todd Munk in a lozinger, or tell him to stop smoking? That's his voice. Every time he talks to the podium. Like his voice is dead. Maybe he's yelling at football players. He's just screaming. He's one of these

yellers. Well, you know what? If you had the Cleveland Browns, you'd be yelling too. I probably might. But every other coach who gets to the podium is just so calm, composed. I don't know. I'm sorry to bag on the Browns. You got me being all negative now. You're a negative guy that you don't like coach's voices.

Munkin's fine. Sederer Sanders is the more I hear about him, the more I watch him, the more I like him. Yeah, I agree. You know, probably Hall of Fame track soon, just like Brian. Jay Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The herd line news.

The, uh, all right, my AFC, I may make AFC predictions earlier today. Let's just, let's just roll them. I'm going to do NFC tomorrow. And I gave you the reasons earlier. Bills win the division. Ravens win the division. Texans in that defense dominate their division on the defensive side. Chargers, Patriots, Bengals, Chiefs, uh, end up being wild card teams.

So that's three new teams in the playoffs in the AFC. Ravens, Bengals, Chiefs, at least four new teams every year make the playoffs since, I mean, I don't know, you go back 36 years. I mean, the average is about six, at least four, dating back to like 1990, I think the number is. So, Jaguars and Colts are two teams that I think could get there, but I don't feel as good. Cincinnati, you start looking at what they added to the defensive line. and they, by the way, they didn't have any new coaches or coordinators.

A lot of continuity. They bring back all their offensive starters. Go bingles. 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 silenced. These are stories about what is.

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