THE HERD – HOUR 3 – Jonathan Taylor On The Move?

0:00 Thanks for listening to the Herd Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday on Fox Sports Radio and noon to 3 Eastern, 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. Find your local station for the Herd at foxsportsradio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Fox Sports Radio or FSR.

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0:26 Baylor's got a job opening. Lincoln Riley, former Big 12 coach. Oklahoma said they were so happy to get rid of him. Well, Oklahoma's got their own problems. Who would have known Kentucky football in UCLA would be, you know, Will Stein and Bob. From Oregon, right? Yeah. No, and Oregon's not been the same.

0:49 They just fired their.

0:50 OC or displaced him or whatever you call him.

0:53 Well, AI is going to do that, if not the coaching staff. J-Mac with the news.

0:58 No, no, no, no.

0:59 Turn on the news.

1:00 This is the Herdline News.

1:02 All right, here we go. Monday Night Football, Cowboys-Eagles tonight. It's a mad game.

1:07 It's a mad game.

1:08 Tanner McKee at quarterback.

1:09 Don't you like Dallas, though?

1:11 No, I don't like Dallas.

1:14 I don't know.

1:15 What is there to like about this team?

1:16 Isn't Dak, CeeDee Lamb... George Pickens, Ferguson, Javante Williams. Isn't that good enough to be a third-string quarterback?

1:25 Well, they just got boxed in Green Bay. They couldn't do anything.

1:28 I know.

1:28 They couldn't move the ball. And now they've got to face a better defense. Eagles in kind of like a last stand to save the season, right? They haven't won a game in a while. I don't know. I mean, listen. People are throwing out all kinds of wacky stuff. There is a, hey, what if we did a Dak Herbert quarterback swap along the lines of Stafford for Goff? You know, people are just saying crazy stuff at this point. I don't know what to say. I do know this. If the Eagles win, it's a really bad sign for Schottenheimer.

1:56 I don't think he'd be fired tomorrow.

1:57 I hadn't heard the Dak Herbert swap.

1:59 Well, I'm trying to push some, I don't know. What do you think? I mean, listen, Goff for Stafford was earth shattering. You don't see a lot of headline quarterback swaps anymore. Maybe just have Dak as a stale.

2:11 I think Dak is a real stabilizing force in Dallas. I think that would be a mistake.

2:16 I mean, I think it's preposterous to move Herbert, but, you know, there's some other people who think, oh, he's not good. I mean, that would be a huge move.

2:22 Will Madison go with him?

2:25 Yeah, she would love Dallas, right? She could take her act on the road. Let me ask you, though. I think that makes the Dallas coaching job, because we think Schottenheimer's gone, super attractive if you've got Herbert as your starting quarterback, as opposed to an older Dak at $ 60 million.

2:42 Right.

2:43 Yeah.

2:43 You're not getting Mike Tomlin to go coach Dak in this team. Mike McCarthy walked away. You're not getting Tomlin.

2:48 I think that's fair. I think it's fair. What you're saying is fair.

2:50 Would you do Herbert for Dak?

2:52 No, I would not. But I didn't know where you heard this story. I thought it was from the New York Times.

2:57 They don't want me to say. I'll say that. It's not the New York Times. It's our radio host in New York who I've bashed before. Former Jet. Anyways, let's move on, Colin. Listen, this is spicy. Kirk Cousins is under fire. The Raiders have lost four straight. Cousins, he wasn't awful, but he's just limited. He's not advancing the team.

3:15 It's time for a Mendoza mania.

3:17 It is.

3:17 And Kubiak said afterward, the team will look at everything, including a quarterback change. The media, I can't believe this. They asked Kirk Cousins if it was Mendoza time. Here's what Kirk had to say.

3:29 If I'm not the best option, then I don't want to be out there either. I want our football team to have the best chance to win games. The organization will do what they feel is best, but I feel that Fernando's done a great job and has a bright future ahead. I'm going to try to go out there and play as well as I possibly can, help us win, and give him a great example to learn from until he does go out there eventually.

3:53 He's such a classy guy.

3:54 That's just a tough question. Also, I question the... Wardrobe choice for Kirk.

3:58 I liked it.

3:59 Very Midwest.

4:00 He's a very Midwestern guy.

4:02 It's not a Vegas look, though.

4:03 Come on.

4:04 He's in Sin City Sunday night off a loss. Hit the tables, maybe.

4:10 I think it's Mendoza time.

4:12 They're not going to the playoffs. The 3-0 stuff was a mirage.

4:15 There's no game-to-game pressure of we're battling for a playoff spot. I think Mendoza's going to be a quick read, a quick learner. I think it's time.

4:24 He's against the Jets this week.

4:25 I think that's the perfect time. Can I see the schedule?

4:28 Early line movement on that.

4:29 Because you and I made a prediction.

4:32 I said after the bye.

4:33 So let me look at it real quick.

4:35 Jets, the Niners who are on a bye. So that's not an ideal one on the road.

4:40 I think I got to be honest with you. I think this is the time. I mean, the Patriots, the Bills and the Rams is a tough lift. Now you're going to get the Jets.

4:50 By the way, the Browns in Cleveland, their defense is much better at home. Go ask Bryce Young and everybody else.

4:55 It seems to me, if you want to move the football forward, let's get this kid eight, nine starts.

5:01 I'm 100% with you. Just throw him into the fire. I do want to ask, is there any trade value around the league for Kirk Cousins?

5:08 Could you move on?

5:09 He hasn't been terrible. He looks healthy. I just jotted down the only team I could think of.

5:14 Minnesota.

5:15 That was number two. The team that I think that makes the most sense is the Eagles. But if they win, like if they win 10-7 tonight, hey, we're a quarterback away. I'm reading something from Breer Online right now that's basically like the Eagles are rebooting regardless of what Tanner McKee does. So maybe the Vikings make sense. Go back to Minnesota.

5:33 They got Wentz. Listen, they just need a game manager there. That's all they need.

5:38 Yeah.

5:39 That defense is that good. Anyways, final story. This is the spicy one. Jonathan Taylor and the Colts suffered the loss yesterday. Taylor was pretty damn good. A couple of explosives.

5:50 He's a great player.

5:51 He's elite. I checked his age. He's still well under 30. Colin, there is a lot of noise about a potential fire sale. Now, remember, they moved off Ballard. So I don't know who's calling the shots. The owner probably is.

6:03 Well, you need a quarterback in this organization. So if you can get a second and a third, I mean, I don't know what Jonathan Taylor would get. Would he get a second and a fourth? He's expensive, and he's got some wear.

6:14 It could be a bidding war for him. At that point, maybe you could get a second and a fifth.

6:17 Maybe. Yeah, if you could get a second and a fourth or a second and a fifth for him, you're going to go big game hunting at quarterback. So I think it's the time to do it. And if I'm Jonathan Taylor, I've had Anthony Richardson. I've had Daniel Jones. I would like to be in a playoff team. Now, what team would be interesting?

6:34 Here we go. There are four being mentioned right now from Ian Rappaport. The Green Bay Packers, who have nobody.

6:39 I love that.

6:40 Jacobs looked good yesterday.

6:41 Yeah, but I loved it. This is a two running back league.

6:44 Yes.

6:45 They did lose their center yesterday. And I think he went to college in Wisconsin, right?

6:50 Okay.

6:51 Seattle needs a running back. Wilson looked good last night. Holani, eh. Price is eligible to come off the IR. The Denver Broncos.

6:59 No, they have Coleman and Harvey. And Coleman's going to be a stud next year. Taylor would instantly walk into that room and be the guy. I think they're getting expensive at the top. Seattle's an interesting one because Charbonnet's always been a two, and we don't know if Price is anything more than a two.

7:17 Yeah, Wilson is like a career backup. And then the last one is interesting. The Vikings, who did lose Jones yesterday to an injury.

7:24 Yeah, Vikings makes sense.

7:25 Mason came back and is good. I think the Vikings is the landing spot, right? I mean, again, Jonathan Taylor is a potential game changer.

7:32 I don't think Seattle would bite because they let Kenneth Walker go. Why not just keep Kenneth Walker?

7:37 Don't you like to say once you realize your mistake, you quickly get over it?

7:40 Well, I don't think watching Seattle last night without their top two backs, that didn't look like a mistake to me.

7:45 Fair.

7:46 Okay.

7:47 I think Minnesota makes a ton of sense. You're also limited. You know, you're limited in Minnesota at quarterback, so why not be powerful in the running back room?

7:55 And if you face the Bears in the playoffs, you know what... ben johnson wants to do we want to run the ball and keep it away from uh hold the ball keep it away from you guys well i don't want caleb will williams having a million processions i love jonathan taylor round the ball i think the vikings are sneaky like they're in for me super bowl in the.

8:12 Mix i think well here's the thing would you get a bidding war between the packers and the vikings.

8:19 It's possible i guess if lafleur thinks he needs to save his job does he push the gm to make a move I don't know.

8:25 I don't think it's a big risk to get Jonathan Taylor for the next two to three years.

8:29 Well, if a second and a fourth is the high price to pay. McCaffrey was traded.

8:33 Jonathan Taylor will be better than any second-round player in the draft next year. Now, that second-round player... may end up being very inexpensive for four to five years. But are you sure you're going to get a player in the second round better than Jonathan Taylor?

8:46 Probably not. Now, they do need to make up for their first round pick that they traded away for Saul Skardner. You're not going to get a one for Taylor, but you do need draft capital if you want to get in the first round.

8:55 All right. That's interesting.

8:58 I like that.

8:59 Jay Mack with the news.

9:01 Well, that's the news.

9:02 And thanks for stopping by.

9:03 The Herdline News. 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.

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10:34 It was, you know, I didn't think it was a great Sunday slate. Packers-Lions was such a weird game with so many mistakes and poorly called penalties. I didn't think it was good. cinematic television. I do think I, you know, if Seattle and San Francisco are the two best teams in the league, and that would be my argument today, the runway looks so much better for Seattle because Seattle just decimated Kansas city and they don't have their number one or number two running back yet. Whereas the Niners lost. And, and though that's not the end of the world, You're looking at a team where McCaffrey's coming off a 400-carry season.

11:21 And the Rams suddenly look like the Rams from last year. With that, Robert Griffin III, RG3, Fox Sports, does NFL and college, is joining us. Has Arizona State BYU Saturday on Fox. So let's attack college football here first. So Baylor fires their coach. There's a lot of talk. Bruce Feldman at The Athletic came out and he said, listen, Lincoln Riley is a big 12 coach. He may not be built for the big 10. You know, I've said Lincoln Riley feels like a convertible in 37 degree weather.

11:53 It may be cool, but it doesn't work. That's a good analogy. And so, I mean, the USC thing, it's the reality is when you're in a conference with Ohio State and Indiana and Iowa and cold weather Washington. And I mean, it's a reality is you're playing cold weather games. You have to have a running game. They couldn't run it.

12:10 So let's just start with that. Um, if Baylor was open, I mean, USC's problem is, do we have to write a $ 70 million check? He does not. Riley does not curry favor with the right people at USC from donors to administrators. He does not. They'd like, honestly, I feel like they'd like it to just get solved. If you're, if you're Baylor, would you hire Lincoln Riley?

12:34 Yeah.

12:34 I mean, if you're taking the best candidates out there, right, for Baylor, I do think that Lincoln Riley is one. Spencer Danielson, the coach at Boise State, is another great option. Jeff Traylor at UTSA, I believe, is a great option. But Lincoln Riley in particular knows how to win in the Big 12, knew how to win in the Big 12 when there was also Oklahoma, Texas.

12:56 Texas A & M still in that division.

12:58 So he knows how to recruit the center of America and he's going to have just a pool of talent in Central Texas alone that he can go and recruit and get to come to Baylor to restore it back to the times when it was winning back-to-back Big 12 championships. So I know from my own experience with the university, they're not going to pay his buyout, right?

13:22 But there's a.

13:23 Way for USC to recoup some of its money and for Lincoln Riley to get a very lucrative deal from Baylor University to go there and build a sustainable winter.

13:33 So I think it's a great job. Are you close to the university? Yes, I'm close to the university. So listen, they're going to call you. Would you throw your name in?

13:45 Would I throw my name into the, into the bucket to be a coach?

13:48 Yeah. Yeah.

13:49 A hundred percent.

13:51 Yeah.

13:52 It's, What I think that a lot of what's been going on in past years at Baylor has just been shots in the dark. Hey, we think this guy can do it because he's done it over there. We think this guy can do it because he's a great guy and he can do it there. But there's a certain way that you have to win in Waco, Texas. There's a certain way that you have to bring excitement. And that, to me, is only going to be accomplished by people who have seen it or experienced it in a big way.

14:15 So, yes, I'd love to be the head coach at Baylor University.

14:18 I think the fans deserve a winner, deserve a team they can be proud of, deserve a team they can be excited about. and have faith that when they go into big-time games or games that aren't considered big-time games, that they're going to perform at the highest level.

14:28 And I know that that's something that I could bring to the university.

14:31 It's just a matter of if they see it that way and if they trust a guy that doesn't have any head coaching experience to come into there and really take care of the university the right way.

14:41 I know I could do it.

14:43 All right. So you told Dan, Patrick, my staff tells me, and you told me you're interested. Let me, why, I mean, let's just, It's supposition, but I think it's reasonable to say that Lincoln is in big trouble at USC. Now, they may beat Ohio State, but there is a sense here it's not great. There's all sorts of rumors out.

15:05 If I said to you, primary issue, why Lincoln didn't work at USC, what would be your answer?

15:12 My answer would be twofold, but the first answer is the most important one, I think.

15:16 And it's not necessarily on the field, Colin.

15:19 I think Lincoln hasn't been able to be as successful as you thought he would be because he's not a California guy.

15:29 You know what I mean?

15:30 Like what it takes to recruit in California and get those guys to play at the highest level and understand the traditions of the university. I think it's harder for coaches who are not from a particular area to be successful than at some of these.

15:45 Bigger time programs.

15:47 And I think NIL and the transfer portal has actually hurt a school like USC. I don't know if there's as much pride in the state from the players who make that state great to go to USC anymore. And I don't think that has to do anything with Lincoln Riley and his ability as a coach. I think the way that college football has shifted in recent years makes it a lot harder for a guy like Lincoln Riley to succeed in California.

16:15 Yeah, you know, listen, Sark, Lane Kiffin, and Lincoln Riley have not worked. And Sark and Lane Kiffin we know can coach because they've had success elsewhere.

16:25 So, I mean, right?

16:26 And I don't doubt for a second if Baylor hired Lincoln in a 2014 playoff, he'd get there occasionally. I don't doubt it for one second. So let me throw this at you. And I've said this to USC fans. What if it's not anybody else? What if it's USC? We have two NFL teams here. It's a distracted market. If not for Big Ten teams coming in, they'll sell the Ohio State game out, but they can't sell a lot of their games out. It just doesn't matter as much here. You know, L.A. people have so many options to spend their money. It's not Alabama. Like, oh, I've got to spend money on my college football team. Or Norman, Oklahoma.

17:08 You have a lot of money here, but they're... I mean, a lot of the money here, they own NFL teams. They can own a casino. There's a lot of ways to spend your money in California, not on a local college football team. UCLA knows. They've been struggling for years with NIL. So my take is... What if USC is a brand in the new world of college football that's just not ever going to be Georgia? It's a different world.

17:35 It's a harder job than people think.

17:38 Yeah, and that's exactly what I'm getting at, Colin. We talked about this earlier in the year, right? When USC fans didn't show up for the first game. Everyone said, hey, it's Todd. They've got other things to do. But if you're a player putting on that uniform and it's like, who are you playing for? but I can't tell you, it was a lot better playing at Baylor when the fans were, when the stands were full than it was when there was no one at the game. So I honestly feel like a lot of times the players right now are playing against tradition. They're not playing for the tradition.

18:12 They're like, well, Back 15 years ago, the stands were packed, and we had this guy, we had that guy. It's like, yeah, but from a player perspective, we need to see the fans in the stands when we're 6-1, when we're 5-1, and we're winning ballgames. That's just not what's happening there.

18:27 So I agree.

18:28 I think USC is kind of handcuffed right now in this new age of college football, and it's going to take– it's going to take a minor miracle for them to get back to where they want to be and i'm not sure that lincoln riley is the guy that's going to do that although i do think he's a hell of a coach.

18:44 Yeah you know it's just like the new york jets players and coaches leave the jets and have success elsewhere i'm watching lane kiffin and sark leave usc and they seem to have a lot of success maybe it's usc more than it is we keep blaming all these coaches so um I got to ask you about J.J. McCarthy. So I said when that draft came out, I love Caleb.

19:05 I love Jaden. I like Bo Nix, Mike Penix. I liked all the quarterbacks, Penix. I was not a J.J. McCarthy. He didn't initiate offense. You know, a lot of handing off, dominant Harbaugh defense. But yesterday I watched. He had a run game, and he looked different. He looked good. His feet, he looked different. He was confident. And I'm sitting there thinking, okay, Darnold did it. Baker got better left Cleveland. Like, I can't, I have to, I have to be honest about, I can't try to confirm my earlier opinion. I've got to see something and say it. And I watched him, Robert, and I'm like, oh, he can spin it. There were some big time throws. I mean, what do you make of what happened yesterday?

19:47 Well, Colin, first I got to say, that's a great admit.

19:50 By yourself of not trying to confirm previous takes. Totally different. He's pushing the ball down the field. He's creating explosive plays. He's protecting the football. His decision-making has been on point. And this is why sometimes a change of scenery can be the best.

20:13 Thing for you.

20:14 A lot of times when quarterbacks are struggling, Colin, guys say, man, he's just got to grip it and rip it. Well, when you go to Minnesota and you're a high draft pick and they let go of Sam Donald and Sam Donald goes on to win a Superbowl, there's a lot more pressure on that draft pick to, to grip it.

20:30 And rip it.

20:31 He might've been, I don't want to put words in his mouth, but he might've been playing a little too cautious and in the wrong times and too aggressive in the wrong times. Well, now you come to New York and you got the starting quarterback goes out, they trade for you. So, you know, they want you. You're no longer in that mental battle of, do these guys want me to play here? Do they want me to be successful?

20:51 And you got Jameis Winston making everybody laugh, but not playing great on the field. So when you come in the game, of course, you're going to grip it and rip it. You got nothing to lose. Your career is on the line and you have to make a decision. Well, how do I want, how do I want to go out? And over the last five quarters, JJ McCarthy is showing you the franchise level quarterback that many people thought he could be coming out of the draft.

21:14 Yeah, it's, it's interesting. So I asked Matt Hasselbeck this, I said, Matt, did you ever play for a team college or pro RG three? You can, you can, you can go either way. The Packers cannot catch the ball. They lead the NFL in drops by a mile. Yesterday was brutal. DBs, receivers. And I'm like, this is so bad.

21:37 And I'm thinking, now it's feeding itself. Now everybody's thinking about it in Green Bay. Did you ever have high school, college, or pro?

21:45 A year?

21:47 The year of the drops. It could have been Washington. It could have been Baylor. But I'm watching Green Bay, and I'm like, guys, these are... These are fundamentally not droppable balls. And I mean, you know, so much of this world we live in athletically is confidence. It's like great golfers get the yips. They can't hit short putts.

22:05 Did you ever have a year like what I'm seeing with Green Bay?

22:08 Yeah, I don't know if I ever had a year like that, Colin, but I do remember a game in perspective and specifically.

22:14 And I don't want to throw my guy under the bus, so I'll leave his name nameless.

22:19 But we were at Baylor and we were playing against Oklahoma State in Stillwater. And back then, 2008, it was a really tough place to play. They routinely top 15 team in the country. And we knew we can beat their best corner on a goalball to start the game.

22:36 So all week.

22:37 We're pressing this, we're pressing out our fastest guy over here, he's six foot four, you know, can run like the wind. And we run that play on early play in the game and he's wide open. He's run past their first round DB. He's got them beat by five yards, balls.

22:51 In the air.

22:51 We're going to start the game off seven to nothing and he drops it. Now, what that did for us for the rest of the game is we got blown out, Colin. It demoralized the whole team because everybody was focused on this one moment. And we didn't accomplish that moment. And I think that's kind of what's happening in Green Bay right now. They're getting schemed open. And their talent is allowing them to win. And then they're dropping the passes.

23:15 They're not completing these plays. And it demoralizes and deflates the team completely. especially when you're coming off of a win the previous week where you're like, all right, we got it figured out.

23:26 And then boom, you get the dropsies.

23:28 So, I mean, if I'm the Packers, if I'm Jordan Love, the one thing he can do is continue to stay in those guys' ears because I still had to throw the ball to the guy who dropped the pass at the beginning of the game and let him know that I've got the confidence that they're going to make those plays.

23:41 And eventually they'll get out of the rut.

23:44 All right. So, again, the Baylor job is open. And you're close to the university, and if they ask, now would you go there as a coordinator or only head coach?

23:56 No, I'm not going as coordinator. Listen, I love being on this show with you, Colin, way too much. And calling the games with the crew that I get to call the games with. We had that BYU classic. I mean, what was going on in that game? It was a wild one, but it's a core memory. I think it's probably a game of the year. And I'm just really proud of our broadcast team being able to cover it forward, backwards, side to side in the way that we did.

24:23 That makes me enjoy my job. So congratulations.

24:25 No, I'm not taking any coordinator jobs or position coaches jobs at any level over being here and working with you guys and continuing to build.

24:34 But head coaching, I would I would consider strongly. Yeah.

24:37 But I tell you what, this the last two Saturday nights in America have been this whole NIL portal thing. I can't tell the difference. Honestly, I'm watching games. I cannot tell the difference. The last three weeks, we've had a number one or a number two team lose to an unranked team. And everybody's bellyaching about the NIL and the transfer portal. I'm like, guys, it is incredibly healthy.

25:00 Just like on Sundays, I have no idea. I mean, I watched Carolina yesterday. I stopped watching. They're down by 30. And I'm like, I really like Carolina. And then I watched Cincinnati get 50 yards in the first half and then go touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown, touchdown. You have no idea on Sundays what you're watching. Now it's the same on Saturday. When in that game did you know BYU was in trouble? Games are often close early. Was there a moment you thought, BYU's in big trouble?

25:30 It was Keywon Jenkins, the quarterback. They called him Lights, and he played Lights out. He started making plays off schedule, using his legs, using his arm, keeping his eyes down the field. And BYU never felt like they were truly in control.

25:48 Right.

25:48 BYU had the opportunity to go score before the half and then come back out of halftime and score again. And they and they kind of blundered that when UCF was able to go get a touchdown and go up at halftime. That's when I knew like, oh, we got ourselves one. They're in the bounce house.

26:02 It's homecoming.

26:03 They got the number two team in the country in the building and it's a game. They earn the right to be in the game. And now as BYU, the pressure's on them. UCF was able to play free the entire time, whereas BYU constantly like, oh, my God, we got to protect our ranking.

26:18 We got to protect our ranking. They put themselves in that position.

26:21 Now, I will say that the one call that was missed, you know, there's the debate about the 10 second runoff. But that roughing the kicker call in overtime was certainly not roughing the kicker and shouldn't have been thrown.

26:33 But it didn't.

26:36 Use way with some of the calls that call kind of bounced the right way for UCF. But, you know, just I'll say this, Colin, you know, in closing. college football has more parody than it ever has. And it looks more and more like the NFL, like you're talking about. And it's because of NIL and transfer portal.

26:54 No question.

26:54 Backups at Georgia, Alabama, Ohio state. They're playing at other schools now. And people thought the rich would just get richer. But what it's done is that if you ever show up to a game and you are not ready to play, Anyone in the country in the power four and really the group of six can beat you on that day.

27:12 Yep.

27:13 That's how much the talent has spread out across the country. And it makes coaching so much more important. The guys that connect with their guys, the best that have the best pulse on their team that are great schemers on offense and defense. They're the ones that are able to win. And I think you're seeing coaching rise to the top again.

27:32 And I think that's a beautiful thing for college football.

27:34 Yeah. I mean, you start looking at the top 10 teams in the country now. Look at the coaches, Kalen Nabor, Will Stein, you know, Bob Chesney, Freeman, Signet. You're right. There's no just talented team with an average coach. I mean, you go your top 10, write the names down to the top 10 teams in the country. That's 10 of the top 15 coaches in the country. So you are right on. Robert, as always, your money. Thanks, man.

27:58 Appreciate you, brother. Talk soon.

28:01 No, I mean, go look top 10. Those are all, all elite coaches. BYU to Georgia, all elite coaches. It used to be you could kind of stockpile talent, and we got kind of a B coach, but boy, we recruit well. Not anymore. This game is so situational now. I'm sitting there Saturday night, because I didn't think Saturday was going to be a great college football game. Texas Ole Miss. And that was kind of like, okay, I've got to watch that one. Tennessee, South Carolina is nuts.

28:31 Tennessee football, for the record, is cursed. like the Red Sox goat or something. Tennessee football is cursed.

28:38 The Herd.

28:42 Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

28:50 I've got to get my curses figured out. Chicago's a goat, and the curse of the Bambino's Boston. I remember Steve Bartman's Chicago, but that's not really a curse. Not much for sports history, except for the 70s NBA trading cards. I had all those. I can tell you all the Spencer Haywood stats and the Kevin Greasy stats.

29:14 Did you see the injury to the OKC star last night?

29:17 SJ.

29:17 J-Dub. It's like the Gordon Hayward injury.

29:21 I will say about the Lakers. I will say about the Lakers. Luka had a huge night against Utah, but. It doesn't take that long to figure it out. I'm a Bulls season ticket holder. And literally, they got rid of a bad front office. And already, it's like, we've got veterans that can hit shots. Buddy Heald, Norman Powell. Mm-hmm.

29:40 We get Caleb Wilson. We have Nick Claxton. We have a kid, Miller. He's a big. We have three bigs. A lot of length. Three bigs that move. Two veterans that can shoot. Josh Giddey. Literally, in one offseason, It's a team that you can look at and go, okay, he's the assist guy. He's the rim protector. They run well.

30:00 It feels like a basketball team. Bulls went 10 years with just a bunch of disparate parts that were never connected. They were hard to watch when I got season tickets. I'm like, they don't do anything well. And now it's like size and length and run it and giddy and distribution and shot makers. It doesn't take much like the Lakers in one off season. We're going to let LeBron go. Well, now we can afford a rim protector, Walker Kessler. We can get like catch and shoot bigs and, and, and 3d guys. It's not that hard. This stuff, sports isn't calculus.

30:32 It's hard to win titles, but, but it's not that hard like Lincoln Riley. It's not USC. We're five years in. They can't play defense. UCLA is seven games in with Bob Chesney, and they do. It's not that hard.

30:46 I thought you were going to make this about you move to Chicago and the Bulls start to turn it around.

30:50 No, but it's a real roster. Cubs.

30:52 Northwestern is in the top 25 now.

30:54 White Sox made the playoffs. But it's amazing to watch the Bulls because when I first got season tickets, I went and I'm like, they don't do anything well. Nothing fits. Billy Donovan would get criticized. It's like, what is he working with? They flush out the front office. They bring in new guys. And I don't know much about new guys, but they're younger guys. And you watch the team and you're like, three bigs. They all run well. They can all back each other up. Oh, two veteran shooters. Oh, oh, Josh Giddey distribution. It's like, oh, that's a team. I understand where... When you watch teams... Can you see what they're trying to do? Yeah.

31:33 Ben Johnson's bears that they have the, I think they're one of the best teams in the league.

31:37 Oh, they are.

31:37 They got Seahawks this week in what is a massive game. That is the NFC championship.

31:43 Offensive talent versus maybe best defensive talent. I don't know if we have that one. Do we have the bears and Seahawks, man? I am hoping we do.

31:51 I don't know if McDonald's face Ben Johnson yet, but I am fascinated by that matchup. It is two of the sharpest guys at head coach in the league.

31:57 Is that in Seattle?

31:59 I think it is, yeah. So it's edge to Seattle, obviously. But can the Bears' defense get enough stops? Like, who's going to guard JSN? He just cooked the number one pick from the Chiefs. I just roasted him.

32:10 He's got no chance.

32:11 Charbonnet and Price are not available.

32:13 Charbonnet's expected back next week.

32:15 Expected.

32:16 We'll see.

32:17 He's a two. He's not a one. He's a two. He's a goal line guy.

32:20 But Ben Johnson will do his thing. If you get Mnangai back, they play keep away from Seattle.

32:24 Chicago at the Seahawks next Monday night. That could be game of the year stuff. Now, Chicago, by the way, played on Thursday. So Chicago has the year. Ben Johnson gets extra days and Monday. So you're talking about two and a half, three practices, advantage to the offensive coach in Chicago.

32:46 That was a huge game for Seattle, the Kenneth Walker revenge game.

32:49 I would say Seattle's favored by one and a half, and I would take the Bears.

32:53 It's going to be more like three.

32:54 Oh, I would take the Bears. That's my pick of the week.

32:58 I want to see what 6'1 Caleb Williams can do. By the way, I had to look that up. Because Arch Manning, I believe, is going to measure bigger than Caleb Williams.

33:06 Yeah, Caleb's better than Arch.

33:08 Yes, I would agree with that. But I don't know how much coming out of college.

33:12 Not close.

33:13 You don't remember the discussions Caleb led? Oh, it wasn't great in his final year at USC.

33:18 Chicago didn't even interview another quarterback.

33:20 Fair.

33:21 That's fair. That was also the class.

33:23 Arch right now is not a first-round pick.

33:25 Whoa!

33:28 Get him to my Jets, please.