Colin Cowherd’s Week 7 Herd Hierarchy: Rams, Packers, Lions, Eagles, Chiefs top | THE HERD NFL

Colin Cowherd’s Week 7 Herd Hierarchy: Rams, Packers, Lions, Eagles, Chiefs top | THE HERD NFL

Welcome to the Herds official YouTube channel. Make sure to like and subscribe. Don’t forget to check out the Colin Coward podcast, all of our NFL instant reactions, and more football content. All right, here we go. It’s hour two. It is great to have you back. I’m not in the greatest mood. Um, the Seattle Mariners for most of my life have been knocking on the door of history in sports and a lot of times nobody lets them in. And uh last night I I was just defending majoring managers. Like they get eaten alive. Dave Roberts is always getting criticized, but we’ve muted the power of majoring managers, right? The analytics guys upstairs make a lot of the calls. They don’t get as much money as they used to. I mean, think about like when I grew up with like Whitey Herszog and you know these guys had Billy Martin had big personalities. Earl Weaver, it was like they were the most important guy in the entire organization. That’s not the way it is anymore. So, I tend to defend major league managers, but I did think Dan Wilson, I mean, listen, he pitched to George Springer. I would have put him on base, but Vlad Guerrero was coming up and a couple of batters. It wasn’t ideal. I would have gone with Munoz because to me, that George Springer at bat, that inning was the biggest inning in Mariner history. That was the biggest inning in Mariner history. If you can get out of that one and you can get past Springer and you can get past Vlad, easier part of the lineup coming. Munoz is your guy. So, you know, whatever. I you can second guess managers all the time. I tend to defend major league managers because they don’t have the pull and the um leverage they used to, but that that was that was dicey. But again, Dan Wilson, a former catcher, super smart guy, knows it better than anybody else. But um that was something else. All right, here we go. It is Tuesday. Here’s the herd hierarchy. [Music] Herd hierarchy time is now. Let’s go. The top 10 NFL teams according to college. number 10. I put them in this morning. I bounced the Seahawks out because after those four giveaways, I I’m just can’t trust Seattle. Seattle’s 11. I put New England in at 10. They don’t beat themselves. Four straight wins, top 10 offense, uh top five scoring defense. Mike Vrabel, this was our prediction. The team that would double their win total. We said it before the season. We had them as a playoff team. Their remaining schedule is the easiest in the league. six straight games with a 100 plus passer rating. I like Drake May. I didn’t think he would be this good this quick. They feel like a oneanddone playoff team that’s winning a lot on energy and focus and enthusiasm and youth, but I put him at 10 and bounce Seattle out. Number nine, the ners. I think Kyle Shanahan’s in the running for coach of the year. No, Brock Pury, Brandon Iayuk, Ricky Pierol, George KD, uh Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, but Robert Saul has been a monster as a defensive coordinator. They have the number seven scoring defense. They are very Christian McCaffrey dependent. Uh 30 touches or 31 touches. Don’t love that. But they’re kind of trapped. Six of their next seven games against very weak opponents. They should be favored in most of them. Um but I I think M. Jones and Brock Perie feels a little bit like a wash to me. One’s expensive, one’s kind of free, but I think you got to put them in the list. Nobody’s been as resourceful as Kyle Shanahan and the Niners. I put them at nine. Number eight, Green Bay. They keep leaving me wanting more, but they are undefeated when scoring more than 10 points this season. Um, I just feel like I I want more, but they’ve been a little banged up at wide receiver. Uh, Josh Jacobs, three straight games with multiple touchdowns. Jordan Love this year, and nobody likes Jordan Love, and he’s completing 69% of his throws and 108 passer rating, and you can’t find anybody that likes him. Their their run defense is excellent. Uh, Micah is the perfect closer for a team that often leads in the fourth. I have Green Bay eight. I think they will get better. They’re still really young. Number seven, I still like the Bucks a lot. I mean, they were playing, you know, living dangerously coming from behind and that was a buzzsaw they ran into last night. Four of their five wins, one-sore games, but their defense, multiple games with takeaways. Um, I just think they got playmakers. And again, like the Niners, they’ve been incredibly resourceful. I’ve always thought Todd Bulls is underrated because he doesn’t really have a profile. probably the best blitzing coach in the NFL. Baker, Ibuka. I I think they’re going to be fine when they get cleaned up and healthier, but I I wouldn’t drop him too far. I have Tampa at seven. Number six, I love Denver’s roster. I don’t think their defense has been as good as I thought, but they lead the NFL in sack differential. They have the number one third down defense and the number one red zone defense. And yet, I feel like they should be better. Bonicks when trailing this season a very Momeslike stat, 11 touchdowns, no picks, and a 102 passer rating. And obviously a great head coach. Denver at six. Number five, Detroit. Detroit’s run game jumps off the TV set. They’re five and one over their last six games and they got rocked by the best team easily in the league, Kansas City. Their defense takes the ball away. uh gets to the quarterback. What I like about Detroit is they get leads and then they get sacks and that’s the way to win in the postseason. They’re much better obviously at home, but I have Detroit thumped Tampa last night at five. Number four, Colts. I’ve been into the Colts for a month. They should have beaten the Rams. Best outright record in the league at 6-1. Their only loss to the Rams and they outplayed them. Great offensive line, playmakers at running back, tight end, wide receiver, excellent head coach, most efficient offense in the NFL, most tied for the most touchdowns. I mean, Daniel Jones, I mean, it’s like Dak. We can say, well, he’s not elite. Well, I’m watching and it looks elite to me. They’ve scored on 63% of their drives. And I think they’re absolutely for real. I’ve always said my final four teams are teams I think that can get to a Super Bowl. I have the Colts at four. Number three, Rams. It’s not really just Stafford and McVey. That defense is suffocating. Now, it may not be suffocating if they face a Momes or, you know, again, it may not be suffocating against the great quarterbacks, but man, Trevor Lawrence, good luck. They lead the NFL in big plays. No puka, no problem. Number two scoring defense, number two in sacks. And remember, their defense is young. These guys, a lot of them haven’t even hit their prime. Rams at three. Number two, I don’t even know if I like Philadelphia. I honestly, they can’t run the ball anymore. They don’t get to the quarterback, but they have I mean, let’s be honest. Jaylen Herz wins a lot. Devonte Smith and AJ Brown, when they can’t run, can take the top off. They’re a hard team to defend and they’re a hard team to figure out. They don’t get to the quarterback. They’ve been outgained in every game. Um there’s a French term for beautiful yet ugly. I think whatever that term is, that’s the Eagles. But I love their roster and I keep just saying they’ll figure it out. But I have them at two. Number one, and I think they’d get smoked if they played Kansas City. I said it a month ago. This This is as good as Kansas City’s been. Hollywood Brown, Guju, Worthy, Rice, Travis Kelce. I mean, keep your eye on Bashard Smith. The offensive line hasn’t been totally healthy. I think Mahomes is playing at an absurd level. I think this is as good I I’m serious here. I think this team I do wonder at the trade deadline if they would go find like a situational pass rusher maybe. And they’re not a great run team. They are so deep now at wide receiver. Here you go. My top 10. Seattle 11. I had them in last night when I texted Kyle on our staff and this morning I’m like, “No, I’m disgusted. That was awful. Take him out.” Seahawks 11, Bills 12. Here we go. It is a Tuesday. We are ready to roll. Oh, I’ve been in better moods. Mariners have a way of doing that. Seattle sports teams have a way of doing that. Greg Olsen, Nick Wright, both stop in the herd hierarchy. One hour from now, Jmack, Baker Mayfield, and the Buccaneers had been tempting fate for weeks. And uh let’s just say that’s a dangerous place to live in the NFL. So Tampa Bay come from behind wins despite a five-2 record they have the same point differential is two and five Arizona. And last night Tampa from the first series by the Lions got punched in the mouth. uh Detroit’s offensive line and Jir Gibbs um they had a they had a different level of energy and they control the game and I mean it they’re deep and they’re talented and Jir Gibbs remember when he was picked in the first round and everybody’s like you can’t pick a running back then. I mean Tampa’s fun, they’re feisty, uh they’ve got experience, they’re exciting and Baker Mayfield’s a perfect fit but that roulette style of football does not work long term. They had 58 total yards in the first half and were lucky to be in the game midway through the second quarter. And here’s the thing about Detroit. Between their talent, Brad Holmes upstairs, a great GM, and Dan Campbell’s Ted Lasso positivity. Let’s be honest, Dan Campbell is Ted Lasso. If Ted Lasso benched about 375 pounds, and between that talent and Dan Campbell, they are a monster at home. They should organizationally request a Super Bowl there. Cross their fingers they get in. Baker Mayfield was fighting uphill all night long. And here’s the thing, the secondary for the Lions has been banged up. It seems like for years they lost both coordinators. And yet Baker Mayfield was the most uncomfortable he had been all season long. He looked cooked 0 for9 throwing the ball down the field. And that’s what Baker has lived on. And coming from behind is what Baker has lived on. And they didn’t like the calls they got and Detroit’s defensive line dominated Tampa up front. Lions are now number two in the NFL in point differential. Unbelievable. 3-0 at home. And once again, Dan Campbell’s culture building Ted Lasso with biceps energy on display on Monday Night Football where they’ve won five straight standalone games. Here’s Dan Campbell after. We got a special group. We got a special group of coaches and players. And I just think we’re we’re they’re competitive. They want to win. they’re able to to really focus on what needs to be fixed. Don’t lose confidence, just fix it. And I think that’s where our guys are really special, man. We just go to work, we fix it. They’ve always been that way. Um and and then the lights come on, man, and guys show up. Yep. They did. Dan Campbell. I thought he was, I’ll be honest, kind of a meatthead, biting kneecaps in his first press conference in the history of calling right, calling wrong. This is probably the most wrong I’ve ever been. He is literally as Baker Mayfield is a perfect fit for Tampa. Dan Campbell should be the Lions head coach forever. He is a home run. And I’m telling you, you get him at home on a fast track, nobody’s touching him. Well, last night was the American League Championship Series. And when I was a little kid, the Mariners arrived in the mid to late 70s in Seattle. I was at the very first game and I can recite J-Mack knows this. The entire roster from Rupert 2P Jones to Craig Reynolds to Bruce By eventually Danny Meyer, Bill Stein, Bob Stim uh Bob Stinson, opening pitcher Diego Sige. This was my team. Lee Stanton, Leon Roberts. This was my team when I was a little kid, 12, 13, 14 years old, right? Fallen in love with baseball. I’d fallen in love with the big red machine. And then they got a little old and here came the Mariners. And last night, game seven, ALCS. And it was going so great for the Mariners. Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh. They were at the top of the order. Julio Rodriguez, how about that? a double and a home run in his first two at bats. He’s been in Seattle for years, three or four years. An all-star, always delivers. The big dumper, Cal Raleigh, was in the MVP race. Also homerred in the fifth. Seattle led 3-1. They’re great with a lead. Always great with a lead because they have so many arms and so much flexibility in the bullpen. And when Cal Raleigh homers, the Mariners are 41-13 this year. They were leading three to one heading into the seventh. George Kirby, Brian Woo had done a solid job to keep that Blue Jays batting order in check. Felt so good. This was going to be a special night for Seattle sports. Hoist that trident. And then in the bottom of the seventh, the Jays got a couple of guys on. There’s a base open and George Springer was stepping up. Now, George Springer, his entire career has been he hits bombs in the playoffs, a World Series MVP for Houston. Now, he’s in Toronto, and he just hits bombs all the time. And Dan Wilson, the former Mariner catcher, very good defensive catcher, and a good skipper, right? And he decides, and nobody in Seattle agreed with this, cuz I was watching, and if you’re from the Northwest, you were watching, and you were saying, “Yeah, don’t pitch to George Springer. Don’t do that. Put him on. Take your chances. And Dan Wilson decided to pitch to Major League Baseball veteran George Springer. And here’s what happened next. The wild pitch. Highf fly ball left field. A Rose Arena. Where does it go? Yeah, that was super awesome. Congrats to the Blue Jays. Super cool. Another Seattle sports moment on the doorstep of history and it’s locked. Why pitch to George Springer? Why are you waiting to put in Muno’s your elite closer? What in the name of whiffs are we talking about? This had a refuse to give the ball to Marshon Lynch at the doorstep Super Bowl feel to it, did it not? This had a let’s throw from the two feel to it. Afterwards, here’s Mariner skipper Dan Wilson. You make your decisions and and uh you know, sometimes um uh you know, you have to live and die with it. and and uh you know I think uh again the ways Zardo has thrown the ball all season long we were comfortable with where we were and um you know uh it just uh again didn’t didn’t go our way listen I’m super happy for Toronto super happy but if you’re from the Pacific Northwest this had an extra sting to it if you’re from Portland it felt a little bit like that Laker Blazer series game seven Kobe Shaq the alleyoop even though the Blazers had controlled long stretches in the series. It felt like that interception by Russell Wilson at the two yd line at the end zone eventually Butler with a play. Why pitch to George Springer? But hey, there’s always next year. The Trident thing was fun. Dodgers Blue Jays World Series. The Dodgers will be seeking a dynasty. The big red machine in this mid70s won two championships. Not a third. They didn’t win until like 1990. It was considered a dynasty. Baseball has that kind of unique feel to it. Hard to win three straight with arm injuries and pitching staffs and ligaments and elbows. So the Dodgers are seeking a dynasty and the Blue Jays are seeking relevance, respect, whatevers. So here we are. JM Nick Nick rightight one hour, Herd Hierarchy 1 hour. It was um I sat there and watched it and I thought it when you grow up in the Pacific Northwest now the the Huskies won a national championship. Seahawks did win a Super Bowl blowing out uh Denver in that Super Bowl. Pton Manning, remember that? Uh, the Seattle SuperSonics won it. The Blazers won it back in the 70s. Oh, 70s. Okay. The Bill Walton teams and the Gus Williams DJ Jack Sigma teams. There have been times, there have been moments, few and far between. But listen, it it I did think whoever was going to go against the Dodgers. Um, I thought the Mariners pitching could make it an interesting series against the Dodgers, although LA is going to be a massive favorite. M so if somebody’s got to be in congrats to our uh friends, our neighbors, our friendly neighbors to the north, uh Canada. Well, you and I like Canada. I don’t know if Canada feels the same way about America right now. Uh but that being said, Colin, I was going to text you last night when Springer went yard, but I I decided it probably would have been too much, you know, like thoughts and prayers, one of those deals. That’s a tough one for you, man. Listen, I wouldn’t know that as how it feels as a Jets fan. We haven’t been close to anything uh in, you know, since in like 15 years. But uh that’s a tough one. But uh I’ll go Dodgers in five. Um yeah, I mean the Dodgers have extinguished the Reds quickly. Uh the Phillies surprisingly quickly uh swept the Brewers, which did anybody predict that? So they’ll be the favorite. Um say this for the Blue Jays. You get you get to the top of that order, man. They they uh just remember this. Look how they extinguished so quickly the Yankees. So, it’s not not a surprise. They were a good team all year. Yeah. I’m I’m really happy for them. I mean, couldn’t be more elated for the Toronto Blue. You sure sound like it, Colin. Um, yeah, a lot of stuff going on today. All right. Today’s show is brought to you by our new presenting sponsor, Hard Rock Bet. They’re a great partner on Hard Rock Bet. You don’t have to wait for week eight to kick off to get in on the action. There’s always something to bet on. If you haven’t tried your first bet on Hard Rock Bet yet, there’s still time for you to get 150 bucks in bonus bets. If you win, just place a $5 bet. That’s it. Five bucks. If it hits, you not only get your winnings, but you get $150 in extra bonus bets. The NBA is back, which means it’s time to shoot your shot on Hard Rock Bet. Your home for all the hoops action all season long. If you need a little help with your first bet, check out the streaks heating up inside the Hard Rock Bet Stats Hub. You can find live odds to bet on all of these streaks right in the Hard Rock Bet app. Download the Hard Rock Bet app today and make your first deposit. You know, the first few weeks of football are beautiful out. September, early October. The field is green. The air is crisp and clean. smells like late summer and early fall. And then one morning, you walk out onto the driveway, you trip and fall on the ice, you dent your Yeti coffee mug. Uh, that morning happened to the Seahawks last night. It’s officially late October. That was ugly. No longer September 15th. Warm air, crisp feeling. That was awful. Sam Darnold was inconsistent. Four total giveaways, 12 penalties. They called a dumb trick play. Cooper Cup throwing the ball. The good news, their defensive line, Seattle defensive line for three and a half hours. Manto man dominated Houston. I feel bad for CJ Strad. CJ Strad sits in the pocket, throws a beautiful ball. He’s under total duress. They can’t get the offensive line right. And Seattle’s defensive front dominated. But Seattle was up 15 points at home in the fourth quarter. And what followed was a punt, a fumble, an interception, and a punt. So the, you know what Seattle’s trying to do? They lead the NFL in rush attempts. They want to be a rush and a playaction pass team. But they also lead the NFL in giveaways. Last night they had four. And they are just too mistakrone at this point to be an excellent team. They’re a good team, but they should have won last night 33-6. A Darnold fumble, a Darnold pick late in the fourth quarter. The only thing if you look at it this year, they should be 7-0, but Darnold had the fumble against the NerS, and then Darnold had a late pick in a game. Otherwise, they’re 7-0. That and and I love Sam, but Reckless is what not only Darnold’s history is, it’s what Seattle feels like now. So, I mean, Denver has back-to-back ugly wins. It’s a skill. I will give Seattle credit. They played very poorly, especially in the second half, and won. And I don’t think Houston’s bad. I really don’t. I think Houston’s got good players. They’re just so bad on the offensive line that they they can’t create they can’t keep the defense off the field. They can’t create long consistent sustained drives because they get manhandled up front. And here was Sam Darnold off an atrocious looking win. Um, you know, obviously I think the first half, you know, was was really solid for us as an offense. Um, you know, and then the second half it was just, um, a different story, you know, and I think, you know, we just got to hold on to the football, you know, having a game like that offensively. Um, and you still win the ball game. Um, can’t ask for more than that. And, you know, we’re just going to continue to learn from from our mistakes and get better. Hey, last year Kansas City was 11-0 in one score games and eight or nine of them they looked like the losing team. Denver this year Jets Giants outplayed in stretches by both. I mean that I mean at least the Giants outplayed him for three quarters. So there is a skill to playing poorly and winning and Seattle illustrated that last night. That was a great example. Uh it saved what would have otherwise been a disastrous night in the Pacific Northwest. I’ll tell you, JSN, Ohio State wide receivers, and they got another couple in college right now. I mean, if you watched Ohio State beat Wisconsin this weekend, they got nothing but star five-star receivers. JSN is a stud. Coming into the season, we don’t we don’t know if he’s a number one receiver, right? Like, he is. And he’s one of the better ones. So, he and Darnold look like they’ve been playing together for 15 years. So, I’ll give Seattle credit. Darnold had some experience in Minnesota. This is the second youngest offense. And like Green Bay, which has the youngest offense, it can be a little, you know, a little uneven. Seattle can be really uneven, but they’re a Darnold fumble and a Darnold pick away from being 7-0. So, you got to iron those wrinkles out, but a win’s a win. Jay Mack with the news. No. No. Turn on the news. This is the Herdline news. All right, Colin, we’re on to week eight and we’re going to go to Green Bay and Pittsburgh. The most anticipated matchup of the weekend. Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. First time Rogers will face his former team, the Packers. Everyone will be talking about the matchup, but Matt Lafleur isn’t stressing the significance of his return. We’re playing the Pittsburgh Steelers, who happen to have Aaron Rogers. I mean, it’s as simple as that. That is for you guys to talk about. Granted, I mean, we’ve got a lot of respect and love for Aaron. I mean, what he’s done here, this game is not about that. It’s about going to Pittsburgh, Sunday Night Football. Our guys will be jacked up. Their guys will be jacked up. It’s about the Green Bay Packers versus the Pittsburgh Steelers. And that’s for you guys to talk about. You know, I actually I actually think Pittsburgh this is a good spot for Pittsburgh. Really? Yeah. I mean, first of all, they go on Thursday Night Football. They’re a little humiliated. Tomlin has struggled on Thursday Night Football, so they go play the Bengals. The defense gets humiliated by Joe Flacco, so they’re going to be in a bad mood. They’re at home where they’re a better team. Uh Mike Tomlin has always been a great underdog coach. Fair. And the Packers are playing with their food a little bit. You know, they’ve been in close games. Packers are the better team, but they, you know, I think everybody feels the same way about the Packers, including their fans. you you feel like they leave you wanting more. Like they’re good. Shouldn’t they be really really really good? I mean, they open up crushing Detroit. And I thought that’s that’s the best team in the league. And they haven’t been able to really give you that feeling since. I I think Pittsburgh and Aaron keep it really close. I always love when teams that are very prideful, like lose to a bad team the following week, watch out. Like I I love Detroit last night, but they lost to Kansas City. I think Tampa being humiliated next week. Watch Tampa play one of their most focused games of the year. So when a team gets humiliated or they lose to a team they should beat like the Steelers losing to the Bengals on Thursday night. Watch Pittsburgh be inspired and give Green Bay everything they can handle. Interesting. So at three and a half, you you lean Pittsburgh. I like I like Pittsburgh’s one of my second or third favorite bets of the week. So here’s the thing about the Packers. You touched on it. So that after they won, they beat the Lions in the opener. Impressive. Then they beat Washington on Thursday and everybody, my me, you, everyone who watches football crowned them as the best team in the NFC, right? You beat the two NFC powers from last year. Since then, they have not covered the spread in any games, Colin. They lost to Cleveland, tied Dallas, messed around with the Bengals, didn’t cover, and then last week didn’t. So is it that they were kind of feeling themselves after those first two wins, and they haven’t locked in? No. I mean, I think Green Bay and Seattle are the two youngest offenses. And now I I think Seattle’s much more turnoverprone than Green Bay is, but the the similarity between Green Bay and Seattle’s offense is really explosive, really good teams, but they make a lot of mistakes. They Seattle makes a ton of mistakes, and I think Green Bay is just one of those teams where you they leave you wanting more. Now, Green Bay’s had some injuries, but I I they’re both really good teams. I would take Green Bay over Seattle right now. I had Seattle in the herd hierarchy and I took them out this morning after that ugly performance last night. Really? Wow. Uh harsh. I I don’t have anything on this. I kind of want to go counterintuitive and go Packers at three and a half, but that could be foolish. Well, we’ll talk about it all week for sure. Let’s move on to the Dallas Cowboys, Colin. They are starting to get spicy. Big blowout over Washington. Offense is looking like one of the most dangerous units in the league. Dallas ranks among the top teams in points and yards per game. And Dak says things can only get better. Confidence is earned. Like you don’t just wake up and say, “Yeah, I know I can do this.” No, no, no. You got to go do that. Prove it to yourself. And then, you know what I’m saying? You feel good about talking about it and walking the walk. So, this this group practices the right way and and they’ve earned the confidence and they go out there and we play with it. And um it’s fun. It it really is fun. Who knows what we can accomplish? Like the sky is the limit. We’re just going to stay focused each and every day at getting better. Huh. This is a really good game. This Dallas offense, which is elite, this season against the Denver defense, which we’ve been hearing is elite. Yeah. But their results don’t match the hype. I mean, Jackson Dart went up and down the field against them. I I look at earlier this season, Daniel Jones cooked them. I mean, other than, you know, walloping Jake Browning and Justin Fields, Colin, is this Denver defense that good or is it in name only? It’s my favorite game of the weekend. affordable defense, the best offense, two quarterbacks who are newsworthy. Um, I it’s my favorite game of the week. I don’t have a side yet, but in terms of wanting to watch it, I think it’s really, really entertaining. Who do you give the edge to? The Dallas offense, which has Pickkins and Lambback. Well, when I saw initially the line was three, my take was I I, you know, I always guess the line in my head before I see it, and I thought it would be Denver minus 4. So when it was Denver minus three, my take was Broncos are the side, the slight side. So it’s moved up to three and a half. At least I saw it at three initially. So yeah, um I I I feel Denver, you know, when a team is a four-point favorite, I almost always take the favorite cuz Vegas doesn’t want to make anybody a four-point favorite. They want it to be three and uh when they have to give up that extra point. So I think if this moves up to four, then Denver’s really my side. So Dallas on the road this season, ready? Lost at the Eagles, lost at the Bears, beat the Jets, which kind of doesn’t even count, lost at the Panthers. So, you go away from the fast track indoors at Jerry World, outdoors, and they have not been as good. Um, all I know, all I know is if Dallas wins this thing, they get Arizona at home buying the Raiders. So, I mean, you you come out of this weekend 43 and one, Cardinals by Raiders. You are you are in a really interesting situation. Well, Dallas and Chicago, no joke, could be fighting for that a wild card spot and Chicago actually has the tiebreaker. All right, final story. Let’s go to this. I I’m stunned by this news. Uh Lamar Jackson is still not practicing. What? I was ready to hammer the Ravens in this spot against the Bears. The market has set Baltimore as a 6 and 12 point favorite. Yep. I’m absolutely floored that Lamar, who hasn’t played in two games and had a byee, did not practice yesterday and we don’t know if he’s practicing today. That that line tells you the respect for John Harbaugh off a buy. Yeah, he’s 14 and three off a buy. I I just looked that up, but uh Baltimore reminder, 1 and five now. Rocoan Smith expected back. Um I I don’t care. I I need to know if Lamar’s playing or not. I mean, yeah. So I think what the odds makers are telling you is that Baltimore has to go on about a fivegame winning streak and John Harbaugh off a buy. This team is going to play with its hair on fire. This is not a good spot for the Bears who have been winning ugly for four weeks. I mean it feels like to me this is this is a bad spot for the Bears. And the Ravens, they have no breathing room. They have to win five straight games. They they have to be they have to look up and have a fivegame winning streak or they’re like out of the running because Pittsburgh is gonna end up, you know, Tomlin’s going to end up with a winning record because he always does. So, you got to get to a positive record to get into the playoffs. How’s this scenario? Ravens win and uh the Steelers lose to the Green Bay Packers. And oh, by the way, Baltimore still has two against the Steelers left. I don’t think it’s over. One of the smart bets. Would you do this, Colin? Bet the Ravens to win the division. I think it’s good. I think it’s an interesting bet. Yeah, if this weekend is a big swing. Now, if Lamar’s not playing, I’m not touching it. But I do believe Lamar, he’s got to play a hamstring for 3 weeks. I thought this guy was a young extraordinary athlete. He can’t get can’t come back from a freaking hamstring. Come on. Jac with the news. Well, that’s the news and thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. So, the NBA season starts tonight. I will give you my five bold predictions after the commercial, but I want to touch on this. So, NBA writer Yarn Whitesman has a new book. It’s called A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers. And in the book, Westbrook um is very critical of LeBron James. He shouldered a lot of the blame when he joined the Lakers and they struggled. Um, basically he calls out LeBron James for being a phony. And um, so Russell Westbrook is runs hot. He’s very intense. He’s highly emotional. He always feels um, how can I put this? Kind kind of slighted and but he’s no phony. Westbrook is as real as it gets. Um, I I in fact I would argue Westbrook in his career has been real to a fault. He would have benefited greatly. sometimes being a little bit more of a politician and a little bit um uh less emotional and outburst capable even with fans. Um someone pretty close to LeBron’s circle told me one time, h Westbrook hates everybody. I don’t know if that’s true, but LeBron is a very rare athlete globally. He’s a billionaire. He’s in that Michael Tiger, Ronaldo, Otani space. And I think a fair criticism of LeBron, and maybe if I was LeBron, I’d be in this space, too, is that he’s hyper aware of his brand and is largely at this point protecting it for he and his family. So sometimes he comes across a little bit um insincere, a little um more aware of every tweet, uh that he’s seeking popularity and brand protection and that it’s kind of phony and it’s kind of insincere. I’ve heard that criticism a hundred times about LeBron. But again, if you go back and look at this whole relationship, it should have never been fostered. It should have never happened. Russell Westbrook is literally the opposite personality of LeBron James. It was never going to work. He’s a trapeze artist. You’re not quite sure with Westbrook what’s coming next. And LeBron is is more uh consultant from a distance. Uh not going to put his toe in the water unless he knows it’s safe. And these two are never going to work. one is pretty easy to play with in terms of almost every star that’s played with LeBron has been good, right? He like it felt like he kind of salvaged J.R. Smith’s career. J.R. Smith in New York was kind of out of sorts. And he goes to Cleveland, he plays with LeBron and all of a sudden everybody loves J.R. Smith and he got to a final with Matthew Delivadova and everybody was out on Kyrie and then he fixed the Kyrie thing in Cleveland and eventually they didn’t work. But I mean, LeBron’s made everything kind of work. plays with AD, played with Wade, played with Bosch, played with Kyrie, played with Kevin Love. He kind of plays with everybody. Westbrook struggles to play with anybody. But to Westbrook’s credit, he’s sincere. He’s honest. Uh he’s loyal as the day is long to the people that are close to him. And I know people that love Westbrook. He just runs hot. And LeBron doesn’t allow I mean, I’ve always said it’s very interesting. LeBron’s never gotten into a fight in the NBA. One of the biggest, strongest guys. He never got into a fight. I mean, I mean, Michael Jordan punched teammates. I mean, just different personalities. So, I I just I I think LeBron’s a very measured, calculated, brand protecting global superstar. And Westbrook, what you see is what you get. And this puppy was never going to work ever. Some dudes are never meant to be roommates, right? I mean, you can have buddies in college. You’re like, somebody’s a partyier. You’re a serious student. You can be friends. You’re not meant to live together. And Westbrook and LeBron, had the Lakers really, really thought about it, should have never happened. Deal should have never happened. So, it’s hard for me to blame Westbrook or LeBron. I’ll have my five bold NBA predictions, a Colin uh herd hierarchy, top of the hour, plus Nick Wright, Greg Olsen, too. He’s got a very interesting game Sunday. The Bills are in no mood to fool around. there at the Panthers Sunday. Greg Olsen will be calling it Fox Sports and he is uh joining me live. You know, I I was um it’s interesting when you have a great I mean, you play with Cam Newton. When you have a dynamic quarterback, everybody thinks, well, things are easier, but you know, a lot comes with that. And I I look at Buffalo, the team you’re doing, and I’m I’m like, oh my god. You you want him to be Superman, but not too often. as you you break down the film on Buffalo, what is is it just they need another perimeter weapon? Is it that simple? Diagnose the problems what you see in a team right now that feels they’re a little lost. They’re a little offc center. Yeah. So, I I really just dove into their game, especially the most recent game, you know, they had the buy. So, the week before and the loss against Atlanta and um so I saw the Bills in preeason up in Chicago. None of the real stars played. Josh didn’t play, but had a chance to spend some time with Mcder, Joe Brady, and a lot of those guys from our Carolina days that we know. And I I think they know how good they can be. I think they understand they have to continue to try to offload as much as possible off Josh Allen. And now it it goes without saying he’s the best player in the league, the reigning MVP. The ball should be in his hand, right? And when you look at what they’ve been over the last couple years compared to what they really tried to do, especially in the most recent game against Atlanta, I actually really liked it. You know, you saw in the Atlanta game, they’re back, they’re under center more. They’re trying to do some more under center play action. First and second down, playing with some bigger bodies, multiple tight ends, jumbo tight ends, and trying to just get out of the mode where Josh Dan’s in the shotgun, every ball snapped to him. It’s very hard to get play action out of the gun. You’re seeing a lot of the really good teams. You’re even seeing Mahomes do it now more in Kansas City. Teams are starting to understand the best downs to throw the ball are first and second and the best way to do it oftent times is through play action. So, I think Buffalo is still trying to figure out what is that blend between keeping Josh in the gun, snap it to him, and let him create both as a scramble runner, a designed runner, and of course as a passer, but also unloading some of the pressure and putting some more on Cook in the run game and putting some more on the offensive line and generating some free open receivers and the play action layers and whatnot. So, I think Joe Brady is still trying to figure out what that balance is, but I like the again, it didn’t result in a win, but I actually think going forward that’s going to pay them some dividends because I don’t care how good you are, every single play the ball being in the hands of your shotgun quarterback to just expected to make magic, especially like to your point, you don’t have like a Justin Jefferson, a true star single receiver. Um, I think teams are finding it more and more difficult in today’s NFL. So, I said I I watch body language a lot with quarterbacks and coaches and I watch Ben Johnson with Caleb Williams and there’s a resting discouraged face. Um, I look at this offense and I think Caleb’s good at the podium. I like the run game. I like the defense. I think Ben’s excellent and smart. Is it possible that Caleb’s going to be a franchise quarterback? He’s never going to be 68%. You’re going to get a lot of big plays. You’re gonna get a lot of horsepower. Um I think he’s a good kid. But when I watch that offense, man, do they leave a lot on the floor. There are a lot of open looks. He’s, you know, this was the knock in college, consistent accuracy. It’s the knock in the NFL. Is it possible? And I guess you could go back to Cam that it’s like, hey, listen, we just know what he is and we know what he struggles with and let’s just build around it. And I think you also have to look at the point of where he is in his career. I mean, you look at last year as almost a lost year, right? I know he played a lot of games, but there was a lot of dysfunction. There was a lot of turnover. There was coaching changes. So, you look at, you know, you look at the year prior and you say, “Okay, what what really was the benefit from that?” Well, now in comes Ben Johnson. And I I think you’re seeing more and more franchises adopt. You know, there’s a very famous phrase, right, that franchises fail young quarterbacks more than young quarterbacks fail franchises. And I think you’re seeing it with what Kevin Oonnell is doing with some of these rebirth of Sam Darnold, who now continued it in Seattle. And you know, you’re seeing what goes on with so many of these quarterbacks that were left for dead. They, you know, they couldn’t play. Daniel Jones was was thrown out of New York. And you can make an argument Indianapolis is the best offense in the league. If not, they’re in the conversation as the top two or three. So fit is such an important part of all this. And then you factor in just how young Caleb is and how fresh he is in his NFL career. I think there’s been great growth. I think Ben Johnson is obviously wonderful at what he does. Um I think his energy, not only from an X’s and O’s, I think he’s highly demanding. I think he comes across as this nice guy, but I think he is a real he is highly disciplined, holds guys to really high standards. He’s very clear in his communication. Um, and I think that’s been good for Caleb. So, I think we’ve seen a ton of growth here through the first half, you know, call it rough third to, you know, 40% of the season, uh, thus far. I think the expectation is he continues to improve. I I don’t think anyone in Chicago right now should be having any conversations about looking anywhere else for quarterback for the foreseeable future than Caleb Williams because he should just continue to improve. Now, what is the ceiling? Is he Patrick Mahomes? Is he Josh Allen? Who knows? Very few guys are, but I think the trajectory, the improvement, the turnaround we’ve seen already with, to your point, a lot of room left to grow. I think if I’m a Bears fan, I’m I’m highly encouraged. So, uh, you’ve been doing the, uh, tight end university, uh, uh, down in I think Nashville. Isn’t that what you hold it every year? So, I saw I I watched him play all last year at Penn State. Uh, Tyler Warren, I saw him have 17 catches against USC. He walks into the league. I mean, even Antonio Gates, it took him a year to find his space a little bit or I don’t I remember Grank being very good very early, but he had some injuries in college. I didn’t know much about Grank. This kid has walked in and pretty much I always say it’s one thing to be productive. It’s another to be open all the time. Did you spot this kid years ago? Did he come out of nowhere? Did you know about Tyler Warren years ago? Yeah, I was just surprised that he wasn’t the first tight end taken. I’ll be honest. I know, you know, the Bears took Love. I’m pretty sure the Bears took Loveland, if I have that right, um out of Michigan. So, I I thought the assumption was that Warren was going to be the top pick. I think I think Indianapolis from the very beginning did a really nice job. Chris Ballard, obviously Shane Stiken identifying just the value that a kid like him bring. I think we all remember him from college lining up at Wildcat quarterback and some of the funky formations where he’s lining up like I think there was the one play he was the center in an unbalanced and he ended up catching the ball. Like they did a lot of really creative things with him. But I think Shane Stiken is as good of an offensive mind. You think back a couple years ago under Sirriani, his offense, his offense and that evolution of that team for their first Super Bowl run when they ended up losing that game we covered. Then obviously he went and got the head job with the Colts kind of disappeared maybe from the national scene as like the offensive guru just because the Colts weren’t overly, you know, uh, competitive and and and had some struggles. But I think now with Daniel Jones, the job he’s done, I think Tyler Warren coming into the league, you’re exactly right. When I came into the league years ago, there was an assumption that tight ends took a couple years to adopt the NFL game. But you look recently what Brock Bowers did last year in his first year with the Raiders and what Tyler Warren’s doing. I mean, we’re starting to see a faster evolution, a faster growth. I think part of that is just the tight end position in college is a little bit more. It’s less guys making a position change. It’s less guys ch, you know, were wide receivers when they were young or running backs. These kids are now growing up. A lot of them maybe, you know, I know Warren fights some other positions, but they’re growing up understanding the position, playing true tight end at the college level. I think the the job that Penn State did with with Warren, and now the job that Shane Stiken is doing with him, he’s leading the league for tight ends and receiving yards, I think he’s like third in catches, um, is just unheard of from a rookie. And it seems like every game you watch, he’s open. He’s open in the end zone. He’s dynamic with the ball. Um he’s good enough that he can be on the field on first and second down and get his nose bloody and get in there and compete in the run game. Um yeah, he he’s I don’t know if he’s as dynamic as Brock Bowers from just like a speed and just that top end, but from a production standpoint now the last two years we’ve seen tight ends really take the NFL by storm and that’s that’s pretty hard to do. So, um, when I watched Bo Knicks and Jackson Dart this weekend, um, I mean, neither’s got a huge arm. I think Jackson Dart’s arm is pretty good. Um, there’s something to be said about confidence. And I when I watched that game, my takeaway was more than anything, they’re not overwhelmed by it. They’re totally confident guys. Like Jackson Dart’s like, “Bring it on. Bring that D.” I mean, he made a bad pick. I always said my favorite part of Andrew Luck, he would throw terrible picks, laugh, blame himself, grab his helmet, and throw the ball right at you again. Like had a short memory. I think I don’t know. You’ve been around pro aletes your whole life. I watch Dart and Bo Knicks. I can see the selfbelief as a consumer watching on television. That’s what I saw Sunday. Dart’s not afraid going to Denver on the road. altitude that defense you played there. Brady struggled there. That’s a rough place to play. Yeah. I mean, watching that game, I was in the airport in Minneapolis getting ready to fly home from my game and just, you know, it was 19 nothing. They go for two, they don’t get it. We could discuss whether that was right or wrong. And then the series of events that played out from that moment to obviously how the game ended on the field goal was just I couldn’t even believe what I was watching just from a game flow and the back and forth. But as far as the two young quarterbacks, yeah, I mean there there’s a notion in the NFL the only guys that aren’t going to have bad days and the only guys that aren’t going to play and have bad, you know, have bad moments are the guys that stand on the sideline. Like if you’re afraid to make mistakes, if you’re afraid to throw picks, if you’re afraid to drop the ball, fumble, whatever your position is, if the fear of failure paralyzes you, you’re going to find yourself standing on the sideline quite a bit in this league because bad things are going to happen. Things are going to go against you. And the and the guys that have this uncanny ability to rally and to get their get their confidence back, you don’t know if they’ve thrown three picks or three or three touchdowns. their command of the huddle, the way they interact with their teammates on the sideline. I mean, Jackson Dart, and I know they lost, but when he came off the sideline after his, you know, little quarterback design run on the goal line, which was a great play design, um, that he, you know, he extends the ball, he gets the touchdown. I know it ended in heartbreak and Boon Knicks deserves a lot of credit, but like when he came off the sideline, the way he greeted his coaches, the way he greeted the veterans on the team, you can just tell they don’t look at him as like, “All right, you’re a fun story, you’re the rookie, but like you go stand over there and let he is arguably the ring leader of that group and he’s only started now a couple games.” So certain guys have that personality. They have a little charisma. There’s a belief that when they’re on the field, we have a chance. And um I love his energy. Is he gonna throw picks? Yes. Is he gonna have bad decisions? Of course, he’s gonna continue to get better. You can’t teach competitive spirit. You either have it or you don’t. And I think both those young quarterbacks have it. The Chiefs look like the best team in the league by a touchdown, do they not? It’s I I said this, it’s amazing. They do a great job of Everybody makes mistakes. Every GM whiffs it’s impossible. They identify very quickly mistakes. They don’t let pride or ego get in the way. You know, it’s it’s it’s they’ve got a sailboat mentality. Even though they’re an aircraft carrier, they can turn very quickly. Like, doesn’t work, doesn’t work. Let’s bring Guju back. Doesn’t work. I I watch Kansas City and I’m like I feel so much of their successes upstairs is before the snap. Um, I don’t know. You’ve been around a lot. You talk to a lot of players. I I think sometimes they’re functioning at just a higher level than everybody else. Yeah. And I And I think the part the part that you nailed is just their ability to reinvent themselves and don’t feel like they need to play the same cookie cutter approach week in week out, let alone season in season out. You know, if you take a look at the last handful of years, right, that the year they won the Super Bowl when they beat Philadelphia, we we covered a bunch of those game. Obviously, we covered the Super Bowl. We covered that part. They transitioned themselves through that draft and and obviously Spags the defensive coordinator is one of the best in the business. They went from a quarterback le offensive offensive head coach and Andy Reid and Mahomes and superstars offensive driven. They knew they needed to invest themselves in all those young defensive talent and they took their lumps early in that year and that young defense got better and better and better and then it kind of flipped on its head. The following year, the offense really struggled. Is does Mahomes have enough weapons? And all of a sudden, this young this young defense, you’ve now become a defensive team. And then they went from a shotgun, we’re going to throw the ball in every down and put the ball in Mahomes’s hand to, you know what, we’re out. We’re out. Rasheed Rice, Xavier Worthy’s out. We might have to get under center a little bit more. And that’s not really what Andy and Patrick Mahomes have been in their Kansas City Chief days. They’re throwing it 35 times a game from gun. But they don’t have to play the same style of game to beat you. It could be offensive. It could be defensive. When one is struggling, the other seems to always kind of elevate their game. I think now as you see them get healthy, I think now as you see them start getting some of their offensive weapons back, you’re starting to see that offense click. I think from a I’m with you. I think from a well-rounded, balanced offense, defense, youth, superstars at the correct positions, I think. And then obviously Andy Reid being one of the all-time greats a as a head coach play caller. I I think when you add it all up, if they continue to stay healthy and they continue to keep these guys on the field that they’ve gotten back, I’m with you. I I don’t It’s going to be very hard, especially some of the AFC teams that we had high hopes for coming into the year that have really had disappointing seasons with the exception of Buffalo. Like, who do you really feel confident in the AFC with the game on the line is ready right now to beat them? And I think the answer is nobody. Yeah, that’s how I feel. Greg Olsen, Fox Sports. Uh, as always, it’s great. It’s great chatting. I love talking to you, man. Appreciate it, Colin. It’s always good to be on in.

Colin Cowherd reacts to the latest in the NFL. He starts by giving his Week 7 Herd Hierarchy top NFL teams featuring the Los Angeles Rams, Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and others. Next Colin reacts to the Monday Night Football double header and discusses Baker Mayfield’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sam Darnold’s Seattle Seahawks, Jared Goff’s Detroit Lions, and C.J. Stroud’s Houston Texans. Then Colin talks about the current NFL playoff picture and reacts to the World Series matchup being set between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Finally Colin is joined by Greg Olsen to discuss the biggest storylines from Week 7 and what to look out for in NFL Week 8.

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0:00 Herd Hierarchy
8:34 Detroit Lions
12:34 Blue Jays
20:44 Seattle Seahawks
24:34 NFL News
33:19 LeBron James
37:30 Greg Olsen

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