THE HERD – HOUR 2 – BLAZIN’ 5 I DANNNY PARKINS

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0:26 Hour two on a Friday. Danny Parkins is joining us. Blazing five around the corner. What a showcase last night. World Series starts tonight. Joe Maddon next hour. Yeah, I was saying, um... Whenever you get these generational athletes, I want to go watch them as often as I can live whenever somebody's in my city. So last night I went to the Bears game. It's a Thursday night game.

0:53 I can't go to games on Sunday because I have to watch the entire league. So I was going to go to the Bears-Eagles game, but Caleb wasn't playing on that Monday where the Bears won. Caleb was playing on this one against Vrabel in New England, so I thought this is going to be the best game I get to see live all year. And it really lived up to it. It had a very big game playoff feel to it. I think you have to be fair as a fan and as a media member. It's a Thursday night.

1:16 There were 19 penalties. It's not like we're asking them to play 24 hours before they normally would. We're asking them to play... like 40% less prep time than you would get, 40% to 50% less prep time as a pro athlete than you would get normally. The Seahawks, Denver, played on Thursday. It was one of the most unwatchable games of the year, and those were good teams. So last night, a lot of penalties. But when you watch certain athletes in person, the TV does not do it justice.

1:45 Your average right guard in person on TV is the same guy. You get to watch Caleb in person, and you're like, some of those... The velocity on his arm. I mean, I'm just talking about if you look at him, you know, as an asset, as a if you if you right now could pick every player in the NFL to start your franchise with, most people would say Josh Allen.

2:08 Josh Allen played that New England defense, ended up with a passer rating in the 80s. And Caleb on a short week with a very young team ended up with a 117. They both have offensive coaches like, you know, everybody's a little afraid to say it. is Caleb, just say it, he's the most talented quarterback in the league.

2:27 Not the winningest, not the most productive. I get all the Josh Allen, but I don't get the picks. And I've said this for years, Caleb does not throw a lot of picks. He really doesn't. You know, when he got injured, when he came into the league, because I'd watched him at USC, I'm like, he doesn't get hurt, and he doesn't throw picks. So you get the big upside, a little like Aaron Rodgers early in his career in his prime, you're like, you get the upside, He doesn't throw picks. I mean, Manning threw picks. Namath threw them.

2:53 Elway threw them. Everybody throws picks. Mahomes throws picks. But it's pretty special. It is something else. All right, here we go. We've had, was it four to five weeks? We've had winning weeks. Kind of stumbled last week. We didn't know what we were doing last week. Feel really good about the picks. Here we go.

3:11 That's a hot one. Let's blaze it up.

3:14 Fire it up.

3:15 It's Collins blazing fire. 49ers at Falcons.

3:19 I like Atlanta plus two and a half at home number one rush offense and leads the NFL with 14 offensive touchdowns since Penix became the starter in week three Drake London leads the NFL in receiving yards since Penix became the starter in week three and now Kyle Penix has been reborn with Penix as the starter also they get a very good pressure rate On San Francisco, 43% pressure rate this season is near the top of the NFL.

3:45 San Francisco coming off short rest, 15 players on the injured reserve list. They've lost time of possession in five straight games. I don't love that. I think this is one of those bad matchups for a really, really good team. The Niners are not going undefeated. I'm going to take the points and the Falcons to win 28-27. Bengals and Ravens.

4:07 I like the Bengals, plus one and a half. They're coming off a bye, and the Ravens are coming off a tough divisional road loss. Lamar Jackson, back but limited at practice. Burrow has played really, really well against the Ravens. His last four games, 98 passer rating, 300-plus yards, and targeting Jamar and T. Higgins this year's passer rating is 115.

4:33 So I like the matchup. Ravens played five straight physical one-score games. If Snoop starts, they'll give you about 19 points. I just think it's the spot. It's off a bye. I get points. I'm going to take the Bengals to win Moneyline at 27-21.

4:52 Browns hit Titans.

4:54 I actually love the Browns here. Could be my favorite pick, minus one and a half. They've won four of their last five. They've outscored the Ravens, 13-0 in the second half. They dominated Baltimore. Okay, Deshaun Watson, for all my issues with him in the fourth quarter this year, has been exceptional.

5:09 And over his last five games, he's got six TDs and a pick. Deshaun's playing well with a couple of great rookie wide receivers. You think the Titans are going to win back-to-back games? You really going to go there? You're going to have the Titans on a two-game winning streak. They've lost 12 straight games after a win. You suddenly are going to buy into that nonsense. They've been out gained by almost 650 yards this year. So even last week, their win was, I mean, Cam Ward, home or away, six of his 11 losses have been like by 13 plus points. And home, Titans don't have a home field advantage.

5:44 I like Cleveland here, 24 to 20. They're playing well. I think they've got a lot more talent. Packers and Lions. I think this is a really tough spot for Green Bay. So the Lions are at home off a bye. Green Bay played on Sunday night football 77 defensive snaps. That is a huge number. So Lions' fewest giveaways. Goff doesn't have an interception. Number one rated offensive line. They're going to eat. They're going to score points. Off a bye, they're going to score points. Green Bay in this three-game heater has faced two backup quarterbacks. They're the most penalized team in the league. They make mistakes. Only team bottom five in time of possession with a winning record. I don't love that because Detroit, Jameer Gibbs can take the

6:28 ball away from Jared Goff. I think this is a rough spot. I think 77 defensive snaps for Green Bay last week. I like the Lions here to win and cover minus three, 33-28. Chiefs at Seahawks. I like the Chiefs plus two and a half. I do. If Seattle didn't have a run game, they're not moving the ball against Kansas City. Chiefs have been outscoring teams by almost 12 points a game. Number one total offense. Number two rushing offense. When you go on the road, what do you want to do? Time of possession. Take the Seattle crowd out of it. Seattle can't. They can't run the football.

7:06 Kansas City can. The Seahawks have lost three of four. They're giving the ball away. Darnold is pressing because on third down and seven, he's got to make plays. They're rushing great this year by PFF is 30th. I see Kansas City. Time of possession, quieting the crowd. Andy takes an early lead. I'm going to take them plus the points to beat the Hawks 24 to 23. I like him.

7:35 I'll be honest with you. I didn't love my picks last week. Love them this week. Now it's time to bring on former Chicago radio legend Danny Parkins.

7:49 Calling all sports fans. Calling all sports fans.

7:55 It's time to park it for parking. I had no idea he called old Brooklyn Dodger games in that video.

8:05 I didn't either. I didn't either. And now you tell me that you didn't like last week's picks. Now you tell me.

8:11 That's good.

8:13 Classic gambling move. I said, everybody's afraid to say it because they'll get picked on by the blogosphere. It's like, Caleb's the most talented quarterback in the league. I said it. I'm okay with it. I'm going to live with it now. Josh Allen's got more reps, probably a little more refined, I think. Then I look at the pocket numbers. I think the better coaches in Chicago. I think Chicago's drafted better on offense. I mean, is it crazy to just say, if you could literally take any player in the league, he's one or two? Am I overshooting it here? When I watched it live last night, I'm like, what am I watching?

8:52 There is something special to watching him live. I remember being at Bears-Packers in the playoff game last year in the snow. I wasn't in a cushy box like you. I was out there with the people. And when Caleb rolls to his left on fourth and eight and does a jump pass to Roma Dunze for 27 yards, I'm like, whew, that is pretty impressive. Now, that one translated well on TV, too, but it is kind of a unique one-of-one type talent. Listen, you're not going to find me arguing against Caleb Williams.

9:18 He's a superstar. He's an elite talent with an elite coach. And he's taken a lot of crap in the blogosphere and in shows like these about his Instagram bio saying that he's inevitable. I think he is inevitable. I think it is inevitable that the majority in consensus opinion will one day be that Caleb Williams is a superstar. You and I are already there. What I would say is pedigree matters, accomplishment matters, longevity matters. So I have no problem with people who say Mahomes and Allen and Lamar are ahead of Caleb Williams. I have no problem with that.

9:53 But if they were playing in a game next week and it was Caleb Williams against Josh Allen, Caleb Williams could outplay him. I believe that this version of him at this moment can go toe-to-toe with any player in the league. And I want to congratulate us, Colin. We lived through maybe the single dumbest era of And it was only like four days in the history of sports opinion because I was thinking about like things that I've been concerned about in my life. The happiness of my children, parents getting older, turbulence on an airplane, zombie apocalypse, AI, rational, irrational.

10:31 We're all worried about stuff. People were actually worried about whether or not Caleb Williams was a check down merchant.

10:37 They were like.

10:38 Average depth of targets, like as if Caleb Williams, who has maybe the strongest arm in the history of football with a coach, Ben Johnson, who like lives, breathes and all he thinks about is explosive plays. They're like, I don't know, maybe Caleb Williams doesn't throw the ball downfield enough to Eight completions of 20 yards or more last night against the Mike Vrabel defense. I think that take lasted about 90 hours.

11:03 Yeah, I texted Vrabel this morning. I'm like, listen, man, that was a tough spot. Road game Thursday night. I mean, there was 19 penalties. I saw Denver-Seattle play on Thursday. These are brutal. I mean, listen, I'm for more football. This is a tough ask for a game where 300-pound men that can bench press a state tackle you. It's a tough ask. I will say this. There was a moment.

11:24 I want to shift to Drake May because we sold C.J. Stroud stock. It's like, guys, I saw him as a rookie. He's really good. And then we sold Drake May stock. And let's be honest about this. New England has 23 first- or second-year players. They're still a draft away. Chicago's not. If Chicago went and got Khalil Mack... at the trade deadline, I'd be like, okay, that's a top four Super Bowl team.

11:48 New England's not there. I'm watching last night. They don't have a number one back.

11:52 A.J.

11:52 Brown is now a bodybuilder. I'm not sure he's a number one. Their tight ends are okay. Nothing resembling Colston Loveland. O-line guys. I was blown away by Drake May last night that what he is carrying this off. He's not Caleb. But I don't know. I came out of that game. I'm like, that's as good a loss as you can have in a short week as a young kid.

12:17 Drake Mays, excellent. I never sold a share of his stock. I mean, going into the game, he had the highest pass rating in the NFL the last three weeks, the most touchdowns in the NFL the last three weeks. That game very easily could have gone the other way.

12:32 Drake is the one. Drake made the mistake, right?

12:34 Like Drake had the brutal interception in the end zone. And I have no idea why he didn't put more air under that ball. Fourth and two, first play of the fourth quarter, Patriots take the penalty. They were going to go for it on fourth down. They're down 27-21.

12:50 They were driving.

12:51 Maybe they convert that fourth down, and then they play the fourth quarter from out in front. Instead, they had to punt instead of going for it on the fourth and two. And then Cairo Santos makes a career-long field goal at the end to put it on ice. He misses that field goal. Patriots get the ball at midfield.

13:07 Drake may easily could have been the hero last night. And then everyone would have been killing Ben Johnson today for trusting Cairo Santos to kick that ball and for handing off to Joe Tooney and seemingly not knowing the rules that you can't hand off to an offensive lineman. So there's a razor thin margin and edge in the NFL most weeks. But I don't know anyone killing Drake May today. But if they are, that's silly.

13:28 Yeah, you know, it's interesting. In the division, you have Lions, Packers. I think it's a tough spot for Green Bay. I talked about this yesterday. I said, guys, Bears are going to win this game. You cannot ask an injury-riddled O-line with 23 young guys to go on the road short week and win. Like, if they win, it's unbelievable. Detroit rested.

13:48 Green Bay, 77 defensive snaps. They still don't have Micah.

13:51 I can't.

13:55 I look at Detroit and I think, okay, that's a Superbowl team to me. Potentially. Do you, do you think either one of these is a Superbowl team?

14:04 So I feel like I know what Detroit is. Excellent offense, horrible defense. And I don't know that there are reinforcements coming for Detroit on the defensive side of the ball. Like they just kind of are what they are. Golf has been amazing. It's him and drew breeze. The only quarterbacks ever, uh, to have 13 or more touchdowns with zero turnovers through the first five games in NFL history.

14:26 Jared Goff in that offense is humming. Jameer Gibbs has been arguably the best offensive player in football. So they're going to score points. But what I would say about Green Bay is... Jordan Love's numbers aren't great, but to me, he is passing the eye test.

14:41 His rating would be higher.

14:42 His touchdown perception percentage would be higher. Guys are just dropping touchdown passes like in that game against Dallas last week. And they've gotten the least amount of production of any team in the NFL at running back. They're getting Josh Jacobs back. Their secondary has been good. They've been 10th in the NFL in points allowed. Now, some of that is they played Jalen Daniels in Tampa. They played Tyson Bajent in Chicago. But they did it against Dak, and they're going to get Micah back. So if Jordan Love with Matthew Golden and Christian Watson and Tucker Craft getting Josh Jacobs back is playing that well, their offense should be really good. And their defense has been pretty good, and it's been really good the last three weeks. And

15:22 they're eventually going to get Micah back again. I think Green Bay still has a very high ceiling and can get rolling. The NFC North just top to bottom, I do think is the best division in football. And I still think there's an outside shot that all of the wildcard teams from the NFC could come out.

15:36 Of the North. So Kansas City's playing Seattle. I like Kansas City in that game because until Seattle can run, Darnold won't play on play action. He's very ineffective. Just like the previous two years with Mahomes when he had no run game, you're just not as efficient. It's just harder to throw on third and sixth than third and two.

15:52 Stafford last year, the Rams, I think, had the fewest yards on third down in the league. Stafford's MVP. This year, it's more third and sixth, and he looks old. Kansas City's interesting. Are you shocked? I don't like, because I think some of this, not luck, but some of it is there's a rule in the NFL. Don't pay a running back who's been dinged up and has a lot of carries a second contract. And Kansas City's like, we will.

16:21 And now everybody's like, I can't believe Seattle let him go. And it's like, well, there's kind of an unspoken rule in the league. But Kansas City did something, which I respect. We're kind of desperate. He's really good. Whatever the price is, we're going to go with it. Are you surprised that Kenneth Walker has literally changed Andy Reid's career offense?

16:42 Listen, I think that when Andy Reid has had great running backs, LaShawn McCoy, Brian Westbrook, he has used them. And Kenneth Walker is playing amazing football. And I had no problem with Seattle letting Kenneth Walker go. And then they used a late first-round pick on Jadarian Price, who looked like he had some burst.

16:59 He had the two fumbles.

17:00 But then he got hurt.

17:01 And I assume when Price comes back, Seattle plus Charbonnet coming back, Seattle will have some balance back in their offensive attack. But listen, the Chiefs, obviously things are going very well.

17:12 They're undefeated.

17:14 I don't look at them as being a dominant team and I'm opposite you in this game. I actually think this could be, and I know Mahomes is unbelievable as an underdog against the spread historically. So betting against Mahomes when he is an underdog is a losing proposition and I have done it and I am prepared to do it more going into this game, but I can see the chiefs losing this game by double digits, Colin, and I'll lay it out here for you. You say that the chiefs are going to be able to run the ball.

17:38 No one runs on Seattle. Seattle has not allowed a running back to run for over 100 yards since week eight of 2024. So we are going on two full seasons since a running back has gone off on Seattle. The Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons is out. Jalon Moore, their right tackle concussion protocol probably out. You're going into Seattle at night with that noise. The Seahawks are fourth in the NFL yards per rush against. So they're the fourth best rush defense. They're the best pass defense in terms of yards per pass against. We know Taequann Thornton's out.

18:10 Rasheed Rice might be out because he didn't practice again yesterday. I don't know how the Chiefs are going to score in this game. And then you add in Seattle needs it more. You mentioned they got three losses by a combined total of eight points. I feel like the desperate team at home at night that's healthier, that never gets gashed on the ground, I think this is a bounce-back spot for Seattle.

18:32 So, you know, as I have moved to Chicago, I'm going to L.A. next week, so I still go back. But as I move to Chicago, you explore the city. And I want your Chicago perspective on this because I've been to Soldier Field now twice. And I love it. Now, it's not one of the reasons I like it. It's not overbuilt. It's relative to the size of the city.

18:54 It's not that big. And it feels I'm sitting on the standing on the grass last night. And I'm like, oh, it's it's there are no bad seats. Like, it's really there's no bad seat. I mean, you go to SoFi. It's just a monstrosity. It's gigantic. You could have two games at once. And everybody bangs on Soldier. I got out and back to my place in 18 minutes. The weather was perfect. How does a Chicagoan, now I had North Orange parking lot. That's why I did that. But the point is, how does a Chicagoan think of Soldier Field?

19:25 Because when I moved here, like nobody liked it. And I'm like, I think it's way better than you people think.

19:32 I've never heard of anybody getting out of Soldier Field in 18 minutes. I don't know what special parking lot that you've created for yourself. I don't know if you took Air Herd and you got out of there on a on a helicopter. One time I left a Jay-Z and Beyonce show and it was like the coolest thing I've ever done. My buddy had a boat and he had a boat that took us up to Belmont Harbor.

19:55 So everybody was going, you know, West into the city and we just got onto the water and escaped soldier field. So I feel like it is logistically a very difficult, uh, Uh, to get in and out from, you know, you get right there on the Lake shore drive and it's not the easiest, uh, you know, egress point, not a lot of parking. So not a lot of tailgating people got mad at soldier field for the renovation. It looked like they dropped like a flying saucer into the old colonnades. Uh, no, no roof, not, not big enough to host a super bowl or a final four. Uh, The Bears don't own it, so there have been historic stories about high school soccer tournaments there on a Saturday tearing up the field and then the Bears having to play there on Sunday or

20:32 Kanye West lighting his childhood home on fire at Soldier Field during a concert. So it's a weird stadium that the Bears don't own, but it's got some charm to it, I'll say. A little charm.

20:46 A little charm.

20:48 Little charm.

20:49 But again, I know the Waldron lot. I've never, you have some, 18 minutes? You must have stayed after the game and had some cocktails in the suite. There is no way you left at the final whistle, walked out with everybody, and got off Museum Campus to your condo in 18 minutes.

21:06 It's impossible.

21:09 Impossible.

21:09 I don't believe you. I don't believe you. I've never gone to a stadium that a city hates more than I thought it was incredibly charming. It was a fixer-upper. I thought it was an adorable piece of real estate.

21:19 It was an hour and 18 minutes. You forgot to check the hour hand on your clock. It's an impossibility what you just said.

21:28 Danny, as always, it's great seeing you on a Friday.

21:30 All right, buddy.

21:31 We'll talk next week.

21:32 Thanks, Colin.

21:33 All right. No, it's just everybody in Chicago loves Wrigley. And they love the United Center. And all they do is bellyache about Soldier. And I'm like, I don't know. I think it's kind of charming. It's not overbuilt. It feels everybody's kind of on top of everybody. I like it.

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22:09 Two pros and a cup of joe. Dan Patrick. Colin Cowherd. Stu Godson Company. Live. Covino and Rich. The Odd Couple with Rob Parker and Kelvin Washington. The Jason Smith Show with Mike Harmon. And the Ben Maller Show. Fox Sports Radio.

22:23 On YouTube. Subscribe, hit that thumbs up icon, and comment away. Joe Maddon. Coming up next hour, we'll have the Cubs to the World Series in 2016. Wild night in Chicago. Danny almost talked me into that Seahawks win. When they don't run the ball, it is, you know, darn old presses. It will be one of the, you know, that field, that stadium is as loud as it gets. I never thought I would say this. Browns minus one and a half at the Titans is my favorite Moment of the weekend.

22:59 I know you can say what you want, but I look at the last four games Deshaun Watson has played. Like nobody thought Todd Munkin was like this hot coach. He's done a great job. They got a GM that drafted two receivers, Concepcion and Boston. Deshaun's got protection, got a run game. He's not making a ton of mistakes.

23:16 He's not throwing a lot of picks. Would he be doing that with a defensive coach? I don't know. I don't know. Just seems to me, I don't have to love the guy, but I like how he's playing in the last four or five weeks. J Mac with the news.

23:29 No, no, no, no.

23:31 Turn on the news.

23:32 This is the Herdline News.

23:35 That is one for the books.

23:36 I think I've been at this network for a decade, and I've never, ever once heard you say the Browns are your favorite pick of the week.

23:44 That is crazy. But let's go to the Seahawks.

23:46 You touched on them, and your boy, Sammy D, he is on the struggle bus, Colin. The turnovers continue to plague him. Three games with two picks, and they've lost all of them.

23:57 All right?

23:58 The big matchup against the Chiefs on Sunday. He knows he needs to put the team in a better position for them to get the win.

24:05 A couple of picks that I threw just, you know, when, when, when that time clock starts to go off and, you know, just being, being careful with the football and sometimes that's throwing the ball away and other times that's knowing, you know, just when I'm kind of under pressure and, and even maybe even taking a sack in those situations. So I think just understanding, you know, or not understanding, but being aware of the situation and, and you know, not making a bad play worse.

24:36 He's your guy.

24:37 It's funny. When he's good... Swear to God, you've got a power outage. Your Internet doesn't work when he struggles. Oh, my God. You got all full voltage. Everybody's attacking him on the interweb. It's just Darnold's one of those guys. People have made their mind up. And so when he's good, everybody just crickets. Nobody talks when he's bad.

24:55 Oh, look.

24:57 So like during the during the playoff run, it's like, well, their defense, the coaching, Kenneth Walker. It's like he hoisted a trophy six months ago. Just want to remind everybody. Jalen Hurts wasted a trophy, too.

25:09 You know, it's the playbook that you used to operate out of for Brock Purdy. When they win, well, he's got Shanahan in a stacked deck, of course. And then when they lose, see, Brock, it's cloudy. You know, Brock Purdy's struggling. But you have to be honest. Darnold has struggled this year, and the defense is not giving him the leads that he was getting last year.

25:27 He was playing in front a lot last year. It's a lot of the same Stafford issues. It's what are they doing on first down? When Sam is throwing on third and seven, like Mahomes the last two years, it's really difficult. So, I mean, you can look right now. Herbert not getting a run game. You know, like what quarterbacks are flourishing? Jared Goff, a pure pocket quarterback. Oh, I wonder why that would be. Jameer Gibbs. I mean, suddenly, I mean, honestly, what quarterbacks right now are crushing? You know, it's the quarterback. Jared Goff is off to a historic start. Oh, he's probably got the best running back in the league behind him. It's not a coincidence this stuff works. And by the way, Mahomes is reborn. he's got a great

26:12 running back. Like it's not, this is all part of a reality. When everybody said running backs are done in this league, you and I were like, what are you talking about? Everybody needs my homes needs them. Rookies need them. By the way, when, when Swift got hurt for the bears last night, you see him limp off the field.

26:29 My take was they're in big trouble. They went on to give him the ball between catches and hands and touches. He had like 25 touches last night.

26:39 It was good.

26:40 So, and by the way, Caleb had a back that all of a sudden it loosens things up. You're, you're throwing on third and three running backs. Sam's running back room. The Charbonnet could play this week. I think that's essential.

26:52 Have no fear.

26:53 Zach Charbonnet is here. You know, they're calling him Walter Payton in the Northwest.

26:57 I mean, he's back.

26:59 The immortal Zach Charbonnet doesn't have a 1,000-yard season on the ledger, but he's going to save the day in Seattle. Now, I think this game is in headlines at the end of the show. I have flip-flopped on this game like a politician, man. I love the Chiefs getting three, but if you're not giving me the field goal— I don't know, by the way, Myers, great kicker for Seattle. Your guy Harrison Butker, a little struggle there for KC. But that's a great freaking game Sunday night. All right, let's go to another good game. And this is Houston and the G-Men.

27:32 Big spread in this one. It's on Fox and J.J. McCarthy's getting the start. He has been with the Giants for about a month since getting traded from Minnesota. He spoke to why he's confident in his ability to handle things.

27:46 For the Giants.

27:48 I believe just experience does wonders. You know, being able to be in that same situation where you might have made a mistake the last time, this time, you're just going to react better and make a more, you know, well-rounded response decision in that, you know, situation. And, you know, just being around great talent and great coaches, you know, absolutely love everyone on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball does a tremendous job of just, you know, giving us opportunities and you know, always making sure we stay in the game and, you know, fight till the last, you know, seconds.

28:21 Way through for 240 plus yards in the fourth quarter. Only Josh Allen, you know, garbage time, you know, well, it is, but he did make two really nice throws.

28:32 He did.

28:33 So sometimes guys need my, my concern is if you can't make it work with Kevin O'Connell and Justin Jefferson, I have doubts going forward. It's like Trey Lance in San Francisco of Shanahan can't solve your, dilemmas and issues. I don't know if anybody can, but I mean, no quarterback out of that draft is yet officially a miss. So, you know, Yeah, you're right.

28:58 Technically, McCarthy has some legs.

28:59 It's interesting. If you remember that Houston Buffalo game earlier this season, Josh Allen gave the Texans linebackers fits with his legs. I'm assuming the Giants think, hey, JJ, we're not forcing anything here. First read, quick second, and then just tuck and run. That's my guess here. And he could do some things with his legs because you've seen him move.

29:19 He can scoot. Dating back to his Michigan days. Well, I was going to say, is it possible he just needed another Harbaugh? Did well with Jim, got John. That personality works for him. We'll see.

29:32 Houston off an emotional London game against a division rival.

29:38 This was the model's number one pick at 9.

29:40 And a half, but now it's ten and a half.

29:41 I mean.

29:41 Yeah.

29:44 It feels like there could be a letdown from Houston here.

29:46 I think they win.

29:48 It's a big number. Final story, Con.

29:49 Let's go to Major League Baseball. The World Series begins tonight. Game one on Fox. Brewers manager Pat Murphy. Did you know he's a huge Bruce Springsteen fan? And apparently got a call from the boss ahead of the World Series. Springsteen is in his corner. Murphy talked about how Milwaukee matches up with the Rays and how both teams have a similar style.

30:13 I mean, I respect the hell out of them. They've done an incredible job of winning baseball games. Similarities on the field and that kind of, I mean, yeah, I mean, they win a lot of games. They've got some real talent. Tampa Bay has been good before, so it's not, I respect them. And Kevin Cash, I've known for a long time, not so much personally, but I've just respected the job he's done.

30:39 Well, it should be a base runner series that people can get on. The pitching is good, but it's this is not a strikeout home run. This is ground ball, singles, doubles, base runners, stealing bases. So you're going to have a lot of activity, which is when baseball is at its best.

30:54 Did you ask your guy PCA for a pick on the World Series?

31:00 He thinks Milwaukee's a really, really good organization. He thinks they're excellent.

31:05 Which was the organization, the road trip he didn't like? Do you want to reveal that or no?

31:08 I don't want to pick on any city. It's an obvious city that's been in decline for a long time.

31:13 A city that's been in decline in the NL.

31:15 Oh, yeah.

31:16 How about this?

31:18 San Francisco.

31:20 No, no.

31:21 Everybody likes San Francisco. I love San Francisco. Ballplayers like it, yeah. So it wasn't that. I'm not going to... Listen, we don't want to pick on cities. PCA.

31:30 I mean, he's a big deal now.

31:31 You know, he's about to win the MVP. He is going to win the MVP. What did he hit in the playoffs? Was he 0 for 11 or something? It was a rough one. It's hard to hit great pitching. Otani couldn't hit in the playoffs either. It's a little difficult. J-Mac with the news.

31:48 Well, that's the news.

31:49 And thanks for stopping by.

31:51 The Herdline News.

31:53 Yeah, the. Drake, you know, so funny about the NFL. You have to. It's hard.

32:02 Right.

32:02 And, you know, the NFL puts you in Melbourne. It puts you on Mondays. It puts you on Thursdays. And they're very intentional with their scheduling. And one of the reasons, you know, we always talk about it being overreaction Monday is there are things that you do see. I remember years ago I was on the air at the other place and Randy Moss was a Patriot. And there had been some rumblings. You know, he'd been great for New England.

32:28 And they played a Monday night game against Miami. And, like, he was targeted once. And I said, oh, Randy's, they're done with Randy Moss. And I remember everybody, this is when I think I took emails for, I don't even think X was around or I wasn't on X. And they said, you're overreacting. And I'm like, no, no, no, I'm not overreacting. If you have Randy Moss, you target him more than once on a Monday night game. That was a statement by the Patriots. And there are times that people overreact. There is a difference between overreacting and what I just saw is amazing. Watching Caleb Williams last night and saying, that's the most talented quarterback in the league.

33:11 If he's not one, he's two. You see him live. It is sensational. And that's not overreacting. I mean, there are times where you see stuff. And you get into the emotion of it. And there are times it's just that's what you watched is real. And that was a lot of real last night.

33:30 Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the iHeartRadio app.

33:40 Foxtoberfest rolls on tomorrow with a huge college football doubleheader. As number six, Indiana faces Michigan on big noon Saturday, followed by undefeated second-ranked BYU in a road test against UCF. Then on Sunday, America's Game of the Week has an NFC North battle between the Packers and Lions. It's a weekend made for Foxtoberfest.

34:10 You know, I was thinking of this. I was just writing this down. So when I went to the game last night, I've always kind of felt like my entire life, I go back to watching the end of my first NFL game I ever watched was in 1972. It was George Allen in Washington. I can still name most of the players that were stars against the Miami Dolphins, Bob Greasy, Paul Warfield, Larry Zonka, Mercury Morris, Jim Kick. Dolphins won 14-7, probably the most boring Super Bowl at the time. And It always feels like, to me, going through football, there's always like six or seven really good coaches, quarterbacks, top GMs.

34:50 And I honestly feel like we've doubled it. I feel like there's twice as many good coaches. You used to always have five or six. You're Jimmy Johnson. You're Bill Walsh. Maybe I'm undervaluing how good quarterback play was, but I can easily name ten quarterbacks who I think, two of them last night, who are just great talents. But I was thinking about how many great elite coaches where most of the time you go into a game and you feel like you have a coaching advantage. Andy Reid, most of the time. Shanahan, McVay, Ben Johnson, Vrabel. I think Mike McDonald, D'Amico Ryans, Liam Cohen, Dave Canales, I think at Carolina is the best coach nobody talks about. I think John and Jim Harbaugh are really good. You know,

35:31 Jim's having a bad year. Sean Payton, obviously. Am I missing anybody? I just, watching those guys last night, the composure when they melted down at the end of the first half. For a Thursday night game, there were penalties, but I felt like that offense with Ben Johnson and that defense with Vrabel, you know, they just, New England made more mistakes. But I just feel like I was watching really, really good coaching. And I just, when it comes to Thursday night games, I'm not real punitive on, you know, you know, Loveland had a couple of drop passes.

36:05 I still think he's great. Caleb had a bad scramble. Drake may had a bad pick. I mean, but I feel like there's, and I could be missing somebody here. I mean, I won't say great yet with Clint Kubiak, but it's working. I think the guy down in Atlanta, Stefanski is very, very good. I'm sure I'm missing somebody, but I feel like I don't know. I think the coaching, I think the NFL's gotten smarter, and I think there's just more really, and it's harder. Owners are more impulsive.

36:34 They'll fire faster. You know, there's some guys, Dennis Allen's a great DC, not going to be a head coach. You know, I didn't put Kevin O'Connell on this. So how many would that make? I think Kevin O'Connell is, so 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. That's a lot of elite coaches where I feel like I've got an elite guy. Is Matt LaFleur in there?

36:53 I'm a little hot and cold on it. I think he's pretty good. That would be like 13 or 14 coaches. It's almost half the league. I never felt half the league had an elite coach. So speaking of coaching, you know, the Texas situation, now ask yourself, I've said this before. So USC has to go to Wisconsin. That's going to be a close game. Camp Randall at night is something else.

37:16 And Texas in trouble. Do I think Lincoln Riley and Sark are good coaches? Offensively, I think they're excellent. You know, Riley can't create defense culture-wise. I mean, it's pretty proven. And right now the top defensive coordinators don't want to go under Riley. DeAnton Lynn left, and that hurts. It's like you make the call, you end up with Gary Patterson, who's an older coach who was out of the sport.

37:37 And then Sark, I think, is a very good coach, play caller. Now he's got the Manning situation where there's a lot of talk this week. He was asked at a press conference, would you bench Arch Manning? I mean, that is a big ask of a Manning. Here's Sark.

37:52 Would he only be removed in some kind of blowout situation?

37:56 It just depends. Every game's different. So I think Arch has had a good week of work. He's prepared himself well. But like the team, we need to play well. So we'll go from there.

38:09 Yeah, I think. So it's funny this weekend. If Lincoln Riley loses at USC against Wisconsin and they're healthier now, they should win. I mean, it's going to basically you run out of excuses because then it's Ohio State next and you'd have to win that game in Indiana. It feels like or USC would write a big check. I wouldn't.

38:31 But I think that would be a real discussion. So I think we're going into a Saturday game. It's a big Saturday for Lincoln Riley and for Sark, who I think are excellent offensive coaches. One struggles to build a defense. One has a manning issue, quarterback issue, and a team that's not running the ball, and they're loose. In big games, Sark's loose. I said before the season, I thought this schedule was outrageously hard. This is before, if they made the playoffs and had to face three other Ohio State-level teams, Ohio State at Tennessee, Oklahoma, Florida, Ole Miss at Missouri, at LSU, at A & M. Give me a break. College, I don't care how good you are. There's a reason Saban never wanted to face good teams out of conference

39:14 on the road. You know, like the world's changed now with NIL. Everybody's within arm's length of beating you. I mean, everybody thought Lane Kiffin's leaving Ole Miss. It's like, well, the quarterback stayed. He got another year. My guess is Ole Miss. I think Ole Miss is... the bet of the weekend in college. I think they're going to win.

39:32 So I do.

39:33 I do.

39:34 But it's just funny. We're going into a weekend, and we watch that great coaching, and Ben Johnson and Vrabel feel like they could coach for the next 15 years and never move. You know, college with the NIL now, what's funny is it's harder to win in the NFL than ever in everything's always been smushed together and there's more great coaching. And like Ben Johnson, Brable, you wouldn't even, they're like 10 year guys in college. These big USC, Texas guys with these big bankrolls from their schools. And it feels like this is the weekend. I mean, what are you going to say Saturday night? If USC loses, that is a lot of heat. That is like, everybody always says the biggest game for him, but this is

40:15 the biggest game. Penn State was no good. That was mandatory. And I'm not saying Wisconsin's good, but this could end up being, it doesn't look like on paper it's going to be a fascinating college football weekend. If USC and Texas lose, oh, it's going to be combustible. Sunday morning is going to be combustible. It is a big, big Saturday for college football.