THE HERD - HOUR 2 - Chiefs Offense Exposed?

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0:26 Hour number two. We are live in Los Angeles, which is the home of the Super Bowl, and the Chicago Bears made an aggressive move a couple of hours ago to try to help ensure they can get there. Jeffrey Simmons, a dominant defensive tackle, now joins the Chicago Bears. They give up two first-rounders. Again, these are late-round picks. It's different.

0:54 And just to give you a sense, we talked about this last hour. So the Bears get pressure on opposing quarterbacks, but they have the fourth highest blitz rate. So Dennis Allen, the defensive coordinator, he and Brian Flores, they bring heat, they put eight in the box, high blitz rate. The problem with that is the Bears defense has the third highest explosive plays allowed rate. So Chicago... You can ding the Bears for big plays on the back end with their young secondary, but they'll also get sacks. Well, with Jeffrey Simmons and Montez Sweat coming back, you don't have to take those risks. It's going to speed everything up for opposing quarterbacks. So their defense for the Bears, if you watch them, and I live in Chicago, so I'm

1:41 watching every snap, is they create pressure, but they sacrifice everything. the back end to do it, and they give up a lot of big splash plays. Now you don't have to take as big of swings. And with that, 47 years at NFL Films, our friend Greg Cosell is now joining us live. Listen, you're somebody that watches interior O and D line play. So, you know, you watch Quentin Nelson and Jeffrey Simmons battle a couple weeks ago. By the way, Simmons had his way in that one. But when you watch Jeffrey Simmons, I've said... that everybody knows it's hard to find great quarterbacks. There's a scarcity, right?

2:18 There's like one per draft. Defensive tackle may be the only position, a great one. There's a reason we can all name the great ones. Aaron Donald, Reggie White, Jeffrey Simmons, they're hard to find. So to me, edge rushers feel easier to find. I like the move by both teams. Titans need more players. I think it does change the Bears defense a little, does it not? What's the film say?

2:43 It does.

2:44 Jeffrey Simmons is the best defensive tackle in the game, Colin. And I had no problem saying that. I see the film every single week. And you made a great point in your lead in. Dennis Allen is really, really good with pressure schemes. And he's been doing such a great job with that. And he's been manufacturing pressure. We've seen what he's done the last number of weeks with Kyler Gordon coming off the edge.

3:04 As you said, you live in Chicago. You see all this.

3:07 But now, when you pressure, it's a numbers game. Pro football is a numbers game. The more people you send at the quarterback, the fewer you have in coverage. So sometimes you can compromise your coverage the more people you send. So ideally, you don't have to blitz quite as much because Jeffrey Simmons.

3:25 as the best.

3:26 D-tackle in the game, now gives you an interior pass rush.

3:29 And just one final point.

3:31 In speaking to a lot of coaches at the Combine this past year and over the summer, there's a lot of people who now believe that the importance of the D-tackle position has been greatly enhanced because so many more teams play out of a too-deep shell. So now you don't have that extra safety in the box in the run game, so the D-tackle position, in the minds of many, has vastly increased in importance.

3:54 Okay, let's talk Chicago at Seattle. These are really good teams. So Caleb Williams is going to be facing a Seattle team that may have the best tackling corner and best tackling safety. So they can play nickel and not get exposed. It's really an interesting defense, Seattle. What will Caleb deal with that he may not deal with on a weekly basis?

4:17 Well, Seattle plays a high percentage of too high safety structure. They don't play a lot of single high because they can stop the run as they did versus Kenneth Walker a week ago. They can stop the run basically with seven in the box. And we all know that Nick Imanwari is a special player. But because they play too high, they play a lot of zone coverage. So now you have Caleb Williams, who... I love watching Caleb Williams, Colin.

4:41 He's got arm arrogance. He is willing to turn it loose into tight windows. We saw that a week ago against the Patriots. So now that to me is a major matchup here because Seattle plays their zone coverage really well. Julian Love is one of the best safeties in the game, smart, savvy. Even Ty Okada is a really good player, the other safety.

5:01 And we know about Jones, the linebacker, how good he is and underneath his own coverage. So there's going to be a lot of tight windows. But Caleb Williams has shown that he is willing to make the kinds of throws that the NFL demands.

5:13 And he makes them. I mean, he's really a fun player to watch. He's just growing and growing as a quarterback.

5:19 Are you surprised he's become this accurate with tight window throws?

5:25 You know, I've always believed, and this is maybe my personal interpretation of watching tape, that the quarterbacks that do that, that that's kind of innate.

5:33 Because you have to see those throws, Colin, as viable.

5:36 And not every quarterback sees those throws as viable. And in the NFL, those are throws that have to be made at some point. Maybe not in every game. Every game is its own weekly entity. But there are games where that is demanded. I mean, you look back to what Caleb Williams did on that third and ninth throw to Adunze, where he hit him on the back shoulder.

5:55 That's where that ball had to be.

5:57 A lot of quarterbacks in that situation, deep in your own territory, on third and nine with a six-point lead, would not have made that throw.

6:05 They wouldn't even have attempted that throw.

6:07 Yeah.

6:08 All right.

6:08 There's some really good matchups. Bills, Ravens, Bills off a bye. I'm sure you've done a deep dive on this. I, because I talk a lot of quarterbacks, you know, everybody knows the quarterback. When I look at the defense for Buffalo, I think it all starts with Josh. But you look at film. Is that necessarily true?

6:30 I would say it's not necessarily true.

6:33 Keep in mind, and this was true a year ago, and it's absolutely true this year because the numbers bear it out. James Cook has the most first down rushes and the most first down rushing yards in the league.

6:44 Their offense really starts with James Cook.

6:46 Now, because their defense hasn't been very good, Colin, what we find out is we get into the third and fourth quarters of games and the score is high and it's close. and then Josh Allen becomes a major factor. He's a great player. But they don't really go into a game with the idea of let's have Josh toss it around the yard. This is a run-first football team, and they have two staple runs. They run duo, which is an inside run, and then they run kind of mid-to-outside zone, which obviously attacks the perimeter more. So they're kind of a run-first starting offense, and then because their defense gives up a lot of points, Then it becomes a Josh Allen game. The more the game progresses and the more Joe Brady sees what has to get done.

7:28 So I'm watching Joe Burrow. Basically, it looked like one of those high school seven on seven camps in the summer when and I always think this with Burrow. It can't just be his talent. He's got to be good pre-snap. He has to be when you watch the films. Can you establish very quickly with all your expertise, oh, that was a pre-snap success story, not just post-snap? Sure.

7:55 Sure.

7:56 And he's a master at both, by the way, pre-snap and post-snap. And there's not many quarterbacks like that.

8:01 But pre-snap is critical.

8:02 You have to research the defense and innately have a feel for what it looks like. Now, it might change, but you have to have a feel pre-snap. And there is no quarterback in this league who who is more aggressive throwing the ball outside the numbers than Joe Burrow. Now, yes, he has Chase and he has Higgins.

8:18 No question. Great receivers.

8:20 But if you're showing him that outside the numbers, it's man coverage, whether it's a zone call or a man call, it's outside the numbers. Corners have to match up. He is going to throw the ball. And we saw that last week. See, the thing is, a team like like the Ravens, they line up with Wiggins at left corner, Humphrey at right corner.

8:38 You know who you're working against.

8:39 So in the second half, he just worked outside the numbers so effectively, but he does that every single week. He works outside the numbers with more confidence and more assertiveness and decisiveness than maybe any quarterback in the game.

8:53 Another interesting matchup, Detroit, Minnesota. Now, Brian Flores can unravel young quarterbacks, but the Lions O-line is better. Goff's been around. Goff doesn't throw a lot of picks. So I look at this, and I think it's a close divisional game, but do the tricks Brian Flores does, do they work against Goff in a solid O-line?

9:15 Well, golf's had success at home against the Vikings, and that's where this game is, but there's always going to be negative plays against Minnesota because what they essentially do is they'll put six, seven, sometimes eight players on the first level of the defense in pressure fronts, and you have to account for people. whether it's your protection or the quarterback. You have to account for people because you can't make assumptions about who's coming and who's not. So what they do is they force you to play your protections a certain way. They often force the running back to be part of it. They'll force the tight end to be part of it. And then it's a numbers game, Colin, because then if they drop people out, you're only sending

9:52 out three receivers as primary route runners. And if they drop people out, they might be playing with seven in coverage and you're only sending out three primary receivers because you had to account initially for the six- or seven- or eight-man front.

10:05 So that makes it difficult. Now, they play a ton of zone behind this.

10:09 They're not a man-heavy team, so there are voids, and that's why once in a while.

10:13 They will give up big plays.

10:15 If you can protect, you can make big plays against that defense at times, and as you said, Goff's a veteran, and they'll have some plays against this defense.

10:25 So everybody keeps waiting for the Browns' balloon to pop. And my take is Andrew Berry, the GM, has had three straight drafts where he has hit. Faneuil can play. Boston can play. Concepcion can play. Judkins can play. Fannin, the tight end, they're all excellent players. You're not paying him. So that even helps with the Deshaun Watson salary cap issues.

10:46 You can mitigate some of that when you draft particularly well. And I just, when I watch that... offense, I see explosive perimeter players. When I see the Browns' defense, I'm like, I'm not sure the balloon's going to pop. They're fast. They're a fast. Maybe not Seattle fast, but do they match up with the Steelers, that defense?

11:07 Well, they played week four, and they gave Aaron Rodgers and then offensive problems, and they beat them, as I'm sure you recall.

11:14 Yes, they are a fast defense.

11:16 I don't necessarily compare, but their two linebackers, Schlesinger and Williams, are as fast a duo as there is in the league.

11:22 And there's no mystery to how they play, Colin.

11:24 They play the highest percentage of single high safety in the league. They play the highest percentage of cover one in the league. And they stunt an awful lot up front with multiple stunt concepts.

11:35 So there's not a lot of mystery to them.

11:37 But, man, they are fast, and they've got a lot of good players that people may not be aware of.

11:43 So it's a really great weekend. Kansas City, and Denver. So there are times, I said this, there are times when you throw the tape away, and you go to Seattle, Seattle's desperate, and Kansas City's not as desperate, and you could just, it was a wave of blue, there's no run game. I mean, it was just one of those games, and you may, as a good team, You may have one a year, and it feels like to me, let's not go crazy criticizing the Chiefs. I mean, how do they tweak their offense? Because it's not like Denver is passive defensively.

12:21 No, Denver's a different defense than Seattle. Seattle is able to stop the run playing out of a too-high shell. They did not have to bring a safety down into the box to stop Kenneth Walker. And I hear people talk about blueprint. People can't do what Seattle does because of the quality of players and the way in which they play. So that's not a blueprint for stopping Kenneth Walker.

12:42 The Broncos' defense is different, but they're very, very good. And Vance Joseph, as you know, this is not his first rodeo. So they're a pressure defense. Yeah, they bring a lot of people from different spots. He's another one of those defensive coordinators that does a lot of movement pre-snap to post-snap. In fact, I know you remember the Sam Darnold interception in overtime, which was a really cool way that they got to cover two. It was totally unconventional, and Darnold did not pick it up. And it made it look like a really bad interception, which at the time obviously it was.

13:13 But the Broncos are very, very good at that.

13:16 And now that they have Jonathan Cooper back with Benito on the edge and Cooper on the edge, They're a very difficult defense to play against.

13:23 And we'll see.

13:23 I mean, the Chiefs have not been a great offense. They've been a splashy offense, but not a great offense for the last couple of years.

13:31 Yeah, I think they're going to go get a receiver at the trade deadline. I just don't think you can trust. Worthy's a gadget guy. Rice, I don't trust. Travis is old. I think, listen, we kind of knew the Bears were looking at D linemen. We kind of know the Chiefs are looking at wide receivers. It could be downs from the Colts. We don't know, but it feels like they need another guy in the room. OK, so let's talk the other side of this game, Bo Nix. Now, they had more chunk plays last week. They sure did. Historically, you can't play from behind every week and win. Denver does for two years. So I give up trying to rationalize it. They just do. Bo Nix, though, I thought last week, and maybe it's the competition, what did the

14:11 film say? He looked more comfortable and a bit more aggressive to me.

14:14 He sure did. And I thought that Sean Payton made a statement with the first play of the game. He put him in empty, and he demanded basically that he make a tight window throw in the middle of the field. And on the very first play of the game, he hit Courtland Sutton for 21 yards on a difficult throw between people. Tight window versus zone coverage. And I thought Knicks looked far more comfortable last week. They threw the ball down the field more. They still need to do more of it, in my view, but they clearly did it.

14:43 And I think that, you know, look, Nix has had two really good seasons. Obviously, there were more issues with this team through the first part of the season than just Bo Nix. But Bo Nix played much, much better last week. And I thought that the play we're going to get to, which actually came, I think, early in the fourth quarter.

14:59 Which is very reflective of how they play.

15:01 They lined him up in empty a couple of times, and we can go to that play now. They lined him up in empty a couple of times, and he actually had really good success. Because empty really odds the quarterback to see things differently. He can see what the defense is doing. So here's the play. Nix is in an empty set, as I said. But the cool thing is they have 21 personnel. That's two backs and a tight end. So now they take both wide receivers and they're inside the formation. So now what you're going to get, and this is what Nix is looking at, he's going to get a two high structure and you can see how expanded those safeties are. So the middle is open, and they're gonna run a basic concept, what we call

15:42 four verts, all go, four vertical routes. The player obviously you wanna keep an eye on here is Jalen Waddell. Now because these safeties are so expanded, His seam route has to be carried by the linebacker. And this is where Nix does a great job because he sees the linebacker, and this is what quarterbacks are taught. You see the back of a linebacker who's running with a seam route, you throw the ball. But it's all about ball placement.

16:07 You cannot throw it inside. You have to throw a back shoulder ball. And he does that here, and it's a beautiful throw.

16:14 It's 27 yards.

16:15 And you're going to see it again, and you really can see exactly where he placed the ball here. And this was, as I said, in the fourth quarter, and you nailed it, Colin. He was much more comfortable last week. And again, he's a good player. He's been a good player. He's not all of a sudden going to be a bad player. You know, they just had to work through some things, which was really a part of their whole offense and not just him.

16:37 Greg Cosell, NFL Films for almost five decades. Great segment here on a Thursday. Appreciate it.

16:44 Thanks, Colin.

16:45 Appreciate it.

16:46 So Quinton Nelson goes to the Seahawks. The Bears say, let's get Jeffrey Simmons. They just played two weeks ago head-to-head, and Simmons was dominant. Quinton Nelson had some good early success paving the way for a Jonathan Taylor touchdown run, and then it became very much about Jeffrey Simmons. So this is, if you're a Bears fan, this is the most talent they've had since the 85 roster. I mean, it really is. There is no reason they can't compete for a Super Bowl. Offensive coach, star quarterback, nice weapons.

17:18 O-line's pretty healthy now. D-line's going to be legit. Now, people worry about the secondary, but I think the safety out of Oregon, Malik Muhammad's been good as a rookie. He may be their best corner this year.

17:31 I don't know.

17:32 I don't have PFF in front of me, but I look at Chicago now, and I love these young GMs. First of all, nobody used to make trades. I mean, just it just I'm talking to, you know, to Phil Sims. Remember, Phil Sims came on. Was it yesterday or the day before? And Phil Sims is like, you know, before Jimmy Johnson came into this league, I think Jimmy told me one time when he made that Herschel Walker deal, like the Giants had only made a couple of trades like in their history, like people just didn't trade. So now young baseball GMs and young NFL GMs. It's interesting. The Tennessee Titans have a young GM. He came from the Chiefs.

18:10 He wasn't shopping Jeffrey Simmons. They weren't shopping him. It's the best player. And also, Simmons is a six-time captain. Jeffrey Simmons is a great locker room guy, and that's hard to do in Tennessee because not a lot is fun. He was the locker room captain. So Chicago's also getting a guy you can put in midseason or 40% through the season. He's a quality guy. big time leader. So you don't want to, what you don't want to do if you're Chicago, you don't want to disrupt the momentum.

18:38 You don't want to bring in some guy that's great, but he's chaotic. He's not trustful. Simmons is like great leadership. You're getting like, you know, you're getting like a, you know, an Aaron Donald guy, like he's the son and everybody kind of revolves around him. And he was not on the block. And then According to the story, Ryan Poles, the young GM for the Bears, got on the phone at night and said, I'll give you two firsts. And then the GM goes to Robert Sala, and the GM and Sala go to the owner, and they're like, yeah, I think it's time. Because Simmons is beloved in Tennessee.

19:16 It's very rare when the defensive tackle... is the cornerstone of the franchise, but that's what Jeffrey Simmons is. This makes so much sense for Chicago. They're going to be drafting at the bottom of rounds. He's a quality guy. They're getting a lot of success from a blitz rate that's high, but they're giving up stuff on the back end. Also, Chicago's going to get back Kobe Bryant in December. That's another piece to the secondary. I'm telling you right now, if you ask me who's in the Super Bowl, here's what I know. Seattle, Because the Niners are falling apart.

19:47 Bears in Seattle, NFC Championship. game those are the odds I would take today that is nothing against Shanahan but we are not close to Thanksgiving and San Francisco had trouble getting 48 guys to suit up in Atlanta that's the reality of an older roster Want.

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21:42 All right, welcome back. All right, trading deadlines not for a couple Tuesdays from now, but the Bears, Seahawks went out and got Quentin Ellis a couple days ago from the Colts. Colts having a garage sale. And then the Niners get DeForest Buckner. He's a very, very solid all-pro defensive interior lineman. And the Bears last night, he wasn't on the block, but went and got by far and away the best defensive tackle in the game to go along with Montez Sweat that's coming back. And again, young GM Ryan Poles, like, we're going to go for it.

22:12 We just saw Quentin Nelson, Seahawks now, against Jeffrey Simmons, Titans then Bears now, a couple weeks ago, and Simmons dominated. So, and that's, you know, listen, as Greg Cosell said, it goes back and forth. Safeties now are very important in the league. Were they 20 years ago? Defensive tackles now, very important because of the you know, the two deep safeties.

22:34 So you have a lot of things culturally are changing year to year. So here's Jonathan Taylor now to me is the next great player that can change the calculus. Keep your eye on the Vikings. Keep your eye on the Bengals. Keep your eye on the New York Giants potentially. Here's Jonathan Taylor this morning as there's a fire sale in Indianapolis. Here's his thoughts on the trade deadline.

22:57 I haven't heard anything. And I can't control that.

23:00 Obviously, like you guys know, that I'm always proud to wear the horseshoe, proud to be here. And similar to Quentin and Buck, they were proud to wear the horseshoe. They were proud to be here. But obviously, circumstances may cause otherwise. So hopefully that day may not come, but I can't control that.

23:19 Again, quality guy in the locker room, hard worker, dependable, big-time speed. He's in the top five running backs in the league. He's done it with a team that offensively can struggle to consistently throw the ball and pass protect. I think he's a game-changer. Again, I've been saying the NIL is weakening the NFL draft, especially fifth round on.

23:43 It's weakening it. Guys are staying in college longer. To me... Jeffrey Simmons, two first-rounders. You're talking about a modern-day Reggie White, of course, especially when it's bottom of a round pick. Here's J-Mac with the news.

23:57 No, no, no, no. Turn on the news.

24:00 This is the Herdline News.

24:03 All right, Colin, Micah Parsons hasn't played in a long time. Still not even on the practice field, but he's got a podcast. And you know what the podcast entails. Hot takes galore. Here's Micah Parsons out of the blue, off the top rope, taking a cheap shot at the Kansas City Chiefs.

24:19 The Chiefs don't, they don't scare me.

24:22 You know what?

24:22 Watching them yesterday, I was not impressed.

24:24 I was not scared.

24:25 I was not, like watching that game, I was not scared. They need someone to be able to take the top off. And it's crazy.

24:30 They got Xavier Worthy.

24:32 4-2, whatever that is.

24:34 It doesn't play like a 4-2.

24:35 I'm going to be honest with you. We have to stop this. We have to stop this madness. Just because you buy Tyreek Hill speed don't mean you're buying Tyreek.

24:46 Jeez.

24:47 What, you don't like that?

24:49 I mean, I've been saying that on the show for months. He's just stealing my takes. But it just feels like, dude, you're not even playing football. You're not on the field.

24:56 What are you doing?

24:57 By the way, I know he was slouched, but did Micah Parsons look like he was ready to get back on the football field? Aaron Donald, all the videos in the offseason, he's just grinding. Micah Parsons is just laying back. Yeah, Chiefs don't scare me. Are the Packers a playoff.

25:11 Team right now?

25:12 No, I don't think they're.

25:13 No, no, I don't.

25:15 No, his take's not wrong. I mean, I don't think the Chiefs scare anyone.

25:19 People just watch him put up three points, couldn't get to the red zone against Seattle.

25:23 Well, I mean, very rarely... I mean, Milwaukee was the best team in baseball. Did they scare people? You know, Mike Tyson at 23 scared people.

25:32 Yeah.

25:33 I mean, I think Jeffrey Simmons, if you're the offensive coordinator. Okay, this is not. Caleb Williams, we have to prep for him.

25:39 Lawrence Taylor scares people.

25:41 You get these occasional teams where it's like, oh, this looks different. Like I've said with Seattle, turn the sound down. It doesn't look like anybody. Texans defense a couple years ago was like that. It's like, bro, they got the best corner covers. They got a pass rush. You can't. So I don't worry about scaring people. New England got to a Super Bowl last year. I don't even think they scared the people in their division. So just win games, be efficient, be well coached, try to stay healthy, cross your fingers on health in November, December, and January.

26:08 Let's move to the Steelers-Browns game. Sneaky good one, Colin. Two 5-2 teams. I know people are thinking a slobber knocker.

26:15 Under. Under?

26:16 Okay, all right.

26:17 Well, Jared Versus chimed in. He's the new Browns edge rusher coming over from the Rams. And he's saying after that earlier meeting, he didn't have respect for anybody who plays, quote, dirty. Mentioning the Steelers double teams and slides. Okay, so I guess Cam Hayward did not like that. Cam Hayward, the defensive end of the Steelers. And he fired back at Versus.

26:39 Double teeing, sliding, chipping. Are those not allowed in our game? I got the bruises to prove it, but we don't whine about it, baby. It's part of the game. And so, you know, I'm looking forward to this game. It's going to be a fun game. Both teams are in position to, you know, do a lot of work in this division.

27:01 As they say, the AFC North is on fire and I'm glad I'm in the kitchen.

27:05 Because I like it that way.

27:08 But those are words that were said and they will be addressed.

27:12 Well, the Steelers are a team where their best players, Cam Hayward, TJ Watt, Aaron Rodgers, are veteran players. Cleveland's best players all feel like kids because once they traded Miles Garrett to the Rams. So you're asking a very young team to go into Pittsburgh. They beat them the first time. I think Pittsburgh, it's a divisional matchup. So anytime you can get the hook on two low water jobs, I mean, nothing against Pittsburgh. Aaron, but it's a one-man offense, Jalen Warren. And Cleveland going on the road. Pittsburgh tends to, it always feels like they're a little better defensively at home.

27:45 So to me, this is a, I would take Cleveland in the hook. I have a feeling Pittsburgh will win, but this feels like 17-16 to me, 20-17 all day.

27:55 Who's the better quarterback right now in this game?

27:58 I would take Aaron.

27:59 Yeah.

28:01 Final story, A.J. Brown, Colin, he's really off to a stinky season. Obviously injured in the opener, multiple drop passes. But now, Colin, he's, I don't know if this is excuse making or what, but obviously missed time with an ankle injury, was on IR. And yesterday said to the media, yeah, my ankle's still bothering me.

28:21 Yeah, sometimes.

28:22 You know, sometimes, you know, I see it, and sometimes, you know, I'm pushing through.

28:27 But none of that stuff even matters.

28:29 I'm out here, so I'm going.

28:31 Obviously, I know I've been out a month, but, you know, just getting my body prepared. Man, two games in five days is a lot for anyone. But it's the league. That's what I signed up for. And, you know, I appreciate the.

28:44 Couple days in the back end.

28:46 He'll be fine. Will he be great again? I don't know. He'll be better than he's been.

28:51 Yeah.

28:51 It's interesting that the move has not paid dividends yet. Obviously it's been a clunky start with the injury. What do you get hurt in like the second quarter? I mean, the season opener, I don't, this game's perplexing to me. Miami has been feisty.

29:05 These big muscular receivers like AJ Brown and DK Metcalf, these bulky guys there. It feels like, I don't know why this is. It feels like they slow down faster. You know, it's, I don't know, like, like, like, Maybe it's because when you have that, this is just my supposition here, when you're big physically, Mike Evans, A.J. Brown, when you're a big receiver, is that you are willing to take on more hits. You're not going to run out of bounds. You'll lean into physicality. DK Metcalf, come hit me. Same with Cam Newton and Big Ben. Josh Allen, the bigger the quarterback, no, I'll stay in there. I'm not going to, I'm not dirting the ball. Well, in your prime, that feels great, but you age more quickly.

29:49 I feel like AJ in the last year and a half, two years, it just doesn't look the same. It looks a step slower. I mean, how about DK Metcalf now? Does it really separate? I mean, we all remember that video when he ran almost the entire length of the field.

30:00 To catch someone after the interception. Yeah, it's like an Olympic speed.

30:03 And now you watch DK Metcalf and you're like... Well, he was never a great route runner.

30:07 Right.

30:08 And it's like, well, when you lose a step, it's like it's not the same. DK is worth about one big catch a game. That's what it feels like. I mean, JSN is worth one big catch a drive.

30:17 I don't know. I'm not sure. Are the Patriots a playoff team?

30:22 Oh, absolutely.

30:23 Just just remember.

30:24 Love them.

30:25 The North is pretty loaded. There's four teams in the mix right now. I mean, are the Patriots better than the Ravens?

30:31 No.

30:32 Jacksonville blow the doors off New England.

30:35 I think New England.

30:35 First place schedule. Look down the stretch, Colin.

30:38 I see a lot of wins. Really? I think they're going to blow out Miami. I think they're going to beat Green Bay soundly at home. I think they'll beat the Lions at home. They'll beat the Chargers. Bills at home will be close. They beat them in New England. I mean, they're getting all the tough games at home.

30:57 Green Bay home. Detroit home, Buffalo home, Minnesota home, Denver home. That schedule works in their favor.

31:05 A lot of primetime games there.

31:06 We've seen Drake Mays somewhat shrink when the lights get very bright. Open her fourth quarter against Chicago. Had the red zone pick.

31:16 We'll see. We'll see. Didn't even cover against my Jets a couple weeks ago.

31:20 I think if you told me, you know, last weekend when Tampa destroyed.

31:25 Yeah, Carolina.

31:26 What did Baker have?

31:28 Seven of 11 for 64 yards.

31:30 And they won because Carolina was awful. Everybody loves Miami now.

31:35 Oh! I don't know about love.

31:39 Now here comes New England off extra rest. and a loss in a bad mood, Buffalo's favored to win. Watch the.

31:50 Check the temperatures before you put that one in the... What is it, 77? In South Florida, no, it's not.

31:55 What is it?

31:55 In the 90s.

31:56 That heat in Florida for New England soft boys.

31:59 It's late October.

32:01 It's hot in Florida.

32:02 Guys, what is the temperature in Miami? I guarantee it's hot.

32:04 Sunday.

32:05 They're talking low 90s, Colin.

32:06 Okay, well, what's the humidity?

32:08 Well, that's a good question. We're still three days out.

32:10 90 degrees.

32:11 Go Dolphins.

32:12 Without the humidity, it's pleasant.

32:14 It's not that bad.

32:14 Yeah, pleasant.

32:15 Not for the soft boys from New England who are loving their fall colors and all that nonsense. Let's go for a drive.

32:23 Seasons are overrated.

32:24 Well, all right. J-Mac with the news.

32:27 Well, that's the news.

32:28 And thanks for stopping by.

32:30 The Herdline News.

32:31 Seasons are overrated. That's going to leave a mark right there. In L.A., it's the Herd.

32:41 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.

32:50 This is how you open a season.

32:52 Villanova and Notre Dame men's and women's hoop teams head to Rome for the first ever Eternal City tip-off. Catch the doubleheader Sunday on Fox and FS1.

33:06 You been to Rome?

33:08 Not yet.

33:09 I don't have the travel budget you do.

33:11 Well, I'll tell you, it's a little hot in the summer, but if you can get there in May or maybe September.

33:16 I have seen Gladiator.

33:18 Oh, that doesn't count.

33:19 Did that make your top of your list?

33:20 I didn't do all the touristy stuff. I ran into Vespas and I traveled around.

33:24 You just rode a Vespa around Rome? Did you wear like a GoPro?

33:28 The parking in Rome is, hey, good luck. It's not great. People park right in front of the restaurant on the sidewalk.

33:33 Just not a lot of rules and regulations there. Oh, I love that. I love no rules.

33:37 So congratulations to the Milwaukee Brewers. You know, I've been preaching. I said in the middle of the season... It's been archived. I said, what's going to happen if Milwaukee and the Rays make the World Series? Because you've lectured me on that you can't compete when you have a small payroll. Well, that's what we got. And Milwaukee's not just a good team.

33:59 They're a powerhouse. I mean, they've been great for six years, seven years. This year, it was everybody hit. Everybody.

34:09 Bullpen.

34:09 Bullpen. 105-mile-an-hour throwing ace. Here's Joe Davis with the final call.

34:16 2-1 pitch.

34:19 Palacios.

34:20 Grounds one softly.

34:22 Unshakable.

34:23 Unstoppable.

34:25 And champions at last, the Milwaukee Brewers.

34:37 Uh.

34:38 with the only old guys on the team christian yellow it's like one of the only guys that may get into a little gray here in the next seven to ten years here he was after uh.

34:49 i don't know if it is a long time for this and we're so happy to bring home home can't wait to get back there and celebrate and i wish everybody could experience of this is like it is amazing and i'm just.

35:03 So proud of this group of guys It's so nice to win a World Series at home, and that's what it sounded like. It must have been 70-30 Brewers fans. There were legendary stories down there. The beer consumption, and yes, Wisconsin, you can look it up. Use Claude, GPT, or whatevs, chat GPT. Wisconsinites drink more beer on average than anybody in the country by far. And so congrats to all the bar owners in the Tampa St. Pete area. But I found them an easy, easy team to root for.

35:35 The postgame, it was like watching the College World Series. I said that earlier. Just a bunch of kids crying. It was just wonderful. So, often in football, in college football, you will see a wounded team. And they will rally around their coach. And as an underdog pullout, An unthinkable win. And Lincoln Riley at USC is the definition this week of wounded. This is a moment. The Buckeyes are starting.

36:09 Not only a backup, but a first-time starter. It's in L.A. where the Trojans have been pretty good. It's going to be sloppy and rainy weather. That could help. And it's also 2026 college football. You don't know what the hell is going to happen Saturday to Saturday. If the Buckeyes roll USC... It's not competitive. That will tell us a story about how much the players believe in what Riley is preaching. And Ohio State's one of the more physical football programs in the country. That has been a very fair criticism of USC. Some of the criticisms aren't fair.

36:45 The lack of toughness and physicality is totally fair. So it's a new day in college football. Two weeks ago, five of the top seven teams lost. Last week, three of the top ten teams lost. And the number one team, or the number two team in the last couple of weeks, has lost to an unranked team. So, and again, this is one of those games where... USC's at home. They have a veteran starting quarterback off a bad game, so he'll probably be very focused. I think it's the best offensive line they've had at USC, so they can hold Ohio State defensive front always a factor, a little at bay.

37:24 USC is healthy. Again, they come off an embarrassing loss, so that can often help. Ohio State was inactive last week. Will they be a little rusty early? But, I mean, you know, It's interesting to watch when and if programs rally around their coach. Ryan Day was in trouble a couple years ago. He lost to Michigan again. He lost to Harbaugh again, and everybody wanted him fired. The Buckeyes totally rallied around their coach and played perfect football for the next month and won the national championship. So this is Project Hail Mary for USC. Ohio State's been the better program for the last 10 to 12 years. Saturday night is the last chance for Lincoln Riley. He beats Ohio State and he beats Indiana. A lot of the

38:14 people are going to look up and go, well, it is a $ 55 million buyout. Here's his left tackle, one of his best players, on Riley and his leadership.

38:24 I know he's the right guy. Coach Riley is actually the reason I came here. I believe there's not a better leader in the country, and I love going to war for Coach Riley. I believe that everybody in the locker room and this entire building thinks the same thing.

38:39 So we'll see the, the, this is the classic upset where you got a star program off a buy in the NFL. You know, it's funny about buys. Andy Reed is great off a buy, but we've found this in the NFL playoffs. You know, they, the number one seeds are the only teams that get buys. It doesn't necessarily make you a greater team. It's a great time at the end of the year to get healthy, but college kids off a buy, you know, I think it helps for some coaches. We'll see if it helps for Ohio state. Um, but USC off an embarrassing loss at home, going to be wet, sold out crowd, according to the PR people who send that out. And you've got a veteran quarterback off probably a shaky start in the last couple of years,

39:24 so he's ticked off. So USC schedule, to me, there's too many losses on it to retain, you know, the position as head coach. I, I, I, I think Ohio State-USC is going to be very, very close. I would take Ohio State. Would not be shocked with a backup quarterback who hasn't ever started if they won. This is a tough spot for Ohio State, but I think their defense, special teams, coaching, physicality will prevail. Indiana's a bad matchup.

39:52 At Indiana, USC has not played well in November on the road in the Big Ten. Indiana's receiving core is a problem. Maryland's a W at home, but UCLA now is undefeated. So you've got an Ohio State, Indiana, UCLA schedule going forward. That's rough. That is rough. But this will tell us a lot. If they come out and lose, you know, overtime or it's competitive, that tells you the team's still buying into Lincoln. If they get rolled and pushed around or perform like they did at Wisconsin, they have too good a talent to do that, too good of a quarterback. That'll also tell you something. All right, NFL schedule is out already. I think tonight, Green Bay and I know Milwaukee's feeling great right now with the Brewers,

40:32 but I think Carolina got humiliated last week. I would take the points and Carolina tonight at Green Bay. I think it's a really, really interesting Sunday. Minnesota-Detroit is going to be excellent, and it's going to be close. Lamar Jackson, we think, playing against Josh Allen, a defining game. I think Chicago at Seattle is fascinating. I told you, upset.

41:04 Alert if there's one. I don't know. I don't really consider Cleveland winning at Pittsburgh as an upset.

41:09 Well, I think Pittsburgh has won something like 22 straight in the regular season at home against the Browns. They did have that playoff loss to Baker. I think Ben had like five interceptions. But a lot of divisional matchups this weekend, Colin.

41:23 All over the board.

41:24 You know what the public likes. Give me the home team in the division.

41:28 Favored.

41:29 What about that Washington-Philly game?

41:31 I've seen that six and a half, seven. Are you laying seven with Washington against the Eagles? Even though it's Tanner McKee, I mean, maybe Joe Milton.

41:41 Do you and I trust Washington?

41:44 Well, that's the thing.

41:45 Some of these guys take pride, right? Tennessee just traded Jeffrey Simmons. I don't know what the locker room's like. What's your best guess? Right now, today, that was your locker room leader the last five years.

41:55 He's out the door.

41:56 I think Cincinnati's the play, but the numbers, but.

41:59 The numbers like 11 and a half, but do the guys quit when the, who does somebody step fill into that void as leader?

42:05 It's cam word. Or do you think that's over guys? They don't, they don't trust us. They're building for next year.

42:11 Trade deadline. Is it nears? It's interesting outcomes. It's interesting reactions by players who are in the paper. They're going to get traded. How do they play? Are they showing off or big? Not showing off.