Sean McVay on Stafford for MVP, Rams to Super Bowl + USC’s Lincoln Riley | THE HERD w/ Colin Cowherd

Sean McVay on Stafford for MVP, Rams to Super Bowl + USC’s Lincoln Riley | THE HERD w/ Colin Cowherd

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. Well, I said Friday, I thought it was the game of the year. Two great coaches, really good rosters, all sorts of pass rush and youth. Uh the Rams in one of the wildest games. I want to give you a glimpse of Shawn McVey in the post game. It was it was not an artistic masterpiece, but it was wildly entertaining. Here’s Sean after. How about that? [Applause] Never take for granted finding a way just being able to be so resilient defensively. What a blessing offensively for us to be able to learn from this and continue to grow. But man, this group finding different ways to be able to win. Can’t say enough about it. Cam Kitchens, get one, man. And he joins us live. Sean McVey. Uh, I gotta tell you, I one of the things that jumped through the TV screen was the energy, Mike. And I said this last week, I said this, John Snider wanted to hire you. He was looking for Shawn McVey and he kind of found you on defense. I do think your intensity actually it’s like a baton to your team. Your team plays with your energy. I think Seattle plays with Mike’s energy. What jumped through the TV to me is the game had mistakes, but you’re on the sideline of that game. It didn’t feel like a lot of games I’ve seen this year. It felt juiced. It felt energized. Did it to you? Yeah. Well, I’ll tell you what, I love this group. They energize me, Colin. And I tell you, just the way that these guys stay connected. It was a unique game. There wasn’t a lot of possessions and plays that the offense had, but our defense kept making them snap it one more time, forcing turnovers, tightening up in the red area, being good in crunchtime situations, guys stepping up, Ethan Evans, you know, so we’re finding different ways to win. We’ve had examples where we put it all together and then we’ve had examples where we have to be able to play off of one another and ultimately come away with more points than the other team. And that’s a great football team, but I was fired up for our group and and I just love the resolve of this team and and the way that they stay connected most importantly. And I was fired up. My mom’s going to be yelling at me for the curse words. I got to be careful having a two-year-old around. He repeats everything I say. So, I got to clean up the language. Yeah. Those two-year-olds are like they’re parrots. They say everything you say, you’re going to hear back later. the um when you you guys have had success with Darnold and Sam sometimes can play a little fast, a little frenetic and coach Schula has done that on your staff. Um did I thought a couple of times my interpretation was Sam saw stuff late. He was just a beat late. Is that scheme coverage pass rush? Why the success against Sam? Because Sam had played mostly clean this year but he was late on stuff. What do what do you credit that for? Yeah. Well, I think Sam has done a great job and I totally agree how well he’s played. I think it’s the epitome of Russian coverage playing together and that’s why I always think stats are for losers because we had zero sacks, but those four interceptions were such a great combination of he gets sped up with rushing coverage. You feel that pocket collapse. He has to deliver the ball earlier than he wants. I mean, you look at Puna Ford coming free that forces Darius Williams pick. We had a bunch of examples on all four where it was a combination of he’s sped up or he’s having to accelerate his process of reading with his feet and then guys are in windows that maybe they shouldn’t be because he’s not able to see it and play on the time and rhythm that he wants. But, uh, it was a great job by our group as a whole bringing it to life. And I think you see on all four of those interceptions, the consistent theme is there’s a push in the pocket, there’s somebody flashing across his face, and there’s guys connected and in their spots on the back end. Yeah. When you were in the second and third quarters, you guys barely had the ball. When you would talk to Stafford, was your sense, listen, let’s just play clean, let’s not give them any short fields here. They’re athletic enough. Or were you getting frustrated because that I mean, there was a but an hour and a half period where you didn’t have the ball much. Is that that that cycle that that period what are you what are you doing as a coach? Are you like you’re making defensive plays? I’m comfortable with it. or are you on the headset with Matt and saying, “Let’s try this, this, this.” Are you staying on the game plan? Yeah, I’m I’m with the defense during those things and then we have dialogue. It was it was frustrating just when you look at it from an offensive vantage point cuz, you know, you have the first four drives of the game where you go right down, you end up, you know, missing on a fourth and one, then we end up scoring, you score again, and then our fourth drive represents a three and out where we didn’t do what we were supposed to do. Then the then the next time we touch that’s with eight minutes left in the second quarter. Then you come back midway through the third quarter and you have a two-play sequence where we turn it over. So you’ve had five plays in what’s probably real time an hour and a half like you mentioned. It is frustrating and it can get a little misleading when you go back and you watch it. You know the margin for error is slim against a great team like that. But our guys stayed in the fight and I thought Matthew did a phenomenal job of being able to play the game the way it needed to be played. we didn’t able to we weren’t able to sustain drives and just you know the possession was how it was so he didn’t have as many opportunities but he took care of the football got the ball where it was supposed to go didn’t take negatives we did some things pre- snap that’s uncharacteristic but we’ll look forward to being able to clean this up and and like I said in that locker room it’s a blessing for us to be able to learn from it against an excellent outfit like yesterday was last seven games 22 touchdowns no picks for Stafford could I that’s crazy could I argue Could I argue facing your defense in practice with its mobility and flexibility and dexterity that it actually benefits Matt because he’s not facing a defense on the field that’s as good as practice. Does that help in your opinion? Yeah, I think I think it helps him, you know, when we do do the few plays a week, but I think he’s just playing really well. I think the guys around him are playing well. I think he’s really understanding how to be able to play. Like this is where you see the 17 years of experience and understanding, you know, where are those spots that I can be more aggressive? Where can I be smart with the football? I think guys have played well around him. And, you know, the best part is is is so grateful to be able to get the win. And I thought he did really what he could relative to how the game unfolded. There was a couple bad plays that I had on some G on some second down and 10 situations that I didn’t help us, but he’s just doing a great job of understanding the totality of how the game’s supposed to be played. Uh, you know, through the quarterback, but from a coach’s vantage point and and it still is aggressive, but it’s not reckless. I want to ask you before we go, uh, you’re very progressive. You very much follow the analytics, but there are moments in games where I’m I do I always call it manalytics where I just I just want to see men make plays. I’m not going by the book. I trust my team. How I want you viewed as one of the smarter guys in this sport with analytics. Are there ever times that you literally get on the headset or you talk to Matt and you’re like, “Yeah, we I’m just going to do this. I I I just feel this.” How do you weigh analytics? 100%. I I well here’s the thing that I would say I have tremendous respect for taking all these things in for the input but in a lot of instances they got all the answers and no accountability to the outcomes you know and and so I do think there’s a feel for the flow of the game there’s 22 moving parts that are unpredictable and it’s not just these decisions aren’t made in a box but you’re betting on people you’re betting on different scenarios situations what are the matchups based on what you’re projecting schematically you know and so all those things weigh into it. But I thought our fourth down conversions offensively were key and critical that led to scoring drives. Whether it’s our first touchdown from two yards out from Kairen, whether it ended up being a fourth and one run where he goes for 34 and then we end up hitting Devonte two plays later. So guys have done a good job, but it’s a part of it. It’s not the only part of it. Uh because I just think this game has so many moving parts with 22 variables every single snap. Who’s your leader on defense? It’s Young. Who’s your leader? Well, we’ve got great leaders across the board. I think what’s cool is we’ve got captains on all three levels where Kobe Turner, Nate Landman, and then Quinton Lake. Um, you know, they’ve done a great job. I think in, you know, innately some of these guys that are thrust into a leadership role with the communication. Land man’s such a great communicator. Quinton Lake’s been outstanding, but those three captains, but I could name some other guys that stepped up in a big way. I think the cool thing is we got a bunch of guys that have leadership capacity. Those were the guys that were voted on with captains. But there’s a lot of guys, you know, you don’t have to be a captain to be a leader. And I think, you know, our team’s got a lot of guys with those natural traits and characteristics. All right. Eight and two. You’re humming. You are humming. Uh I would say get some good rest, but that’s not you. It’s the football season. Four hours. Four hours a day max probably. It’s great seeing you. Hey, good to see you, too. Appreciate it. All right. Sean McVey on a wild crazy not a lot of games look like that. just had a ton of juice and a ton of energy and great young players everywhere. Two teams that have drafted extraordinarily well. Shawn McVey, uh, Colin Wright, Colin Wrong. Top of next hour. The, um, just such a wild game. You know, we Jmack and I were talking about this. I thought the ners yesterday played really well. Um, offensively, Brock brings in a dimension they don’t have with Mack. But I I think what’s happening in the NFL right now is if you have a star quarterback, like Stafford’s a pretty big cap hit, how do the Rams have such a great roster when Stafford’s a big cap hit? They’ve drafted well. It all comes back to the draft. You watch Seattle, man, they have not missed on a lot of draft picks of Philadelphia. Go look at that defensive line. Those early draft picks, they have hit on a lot of those. And we can talk about free agency and stars and quarterbacks. The way to win in this league when you have a star veteran quarterback, the Rams are an example. You got to hit on Pukanu in the fifth round. You You’ve got to go look at the Rams secondary. I mean, they got a safety in the third round. Well, they have a safety that plays that’s undrafted. You just have to hit in April on picks. Otherwise, all it takes is a couple of misdraft picks. You’re paying a quarterback. You look up and you just you just don’t look fast. You don’t look twitchy. So, Colin right, Colin Wrong, and next hour, we’ll get to the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen’s incredible. Um, and and it’s it’s you’re watching that game yesterday and I I know it’s historic, but my take is with Josh Allen, he almost normalizes three touchdowns, running, three passing. Oh, no, not quite, but he almost normalizes it. That’s how gifted he is. After that loss to Miami, Colin, it feels like they’re saying, “Josh, take over. We’re don’t let us lose. You run the show. do whatever you have to do. Hour two, we’re in Chicago. It’s the herd. Well, they have the number one total offense in the Big 10 and seven and a half yards of play as second in the country since he arrived at USC. They score a lot and they’re going to need it this weekend. They’re facing the Oregon Ducks. Probably be Windy and Rainy up at Austin. And Lincoln Riley is joining us live. Um, I got to be honest, I I’ve said this on the air. I I watched Jaden Moff at UNLV and early last year and I said I said on the air I’m like I’m not sure that works. He’s an athlete. He is just exceptional. When did you watch him and think he could be this? Cuz it wasn’t a year ago. It didn’t feel like 12 games ago it looked like this. When was it? Yeah, we were we were excited when we took him out of UNLV. We thought he was really raw and and the way he produced there um still being so new to the game was impressive. And then, you know, Colin, he got a chance to play the last four games for us last year. We went three and one in those games. He he made a lot of big plays against four really good defenses. And I think that was when we all kind of said, “Man, we might really have something here because this kid can develop um the way that we think he can. You know, there there’s the makings of something pretty unique here.” And and he was just he was so much more raw than any maybe any quarterback that I’ve ever brought in anywhere. um including like freshman and and but to see what he was already doing despite being so new to the game was impressive. And yeah, he’s just he’s worked hard. He’s gotten better and better better. He’s got the trust of our our staff, our team, and he’s playing at a high level. Well, that Iowa game, and I had said it during the week, it’s going to be Iowa weather. It was a me I mean, I’m in Chicago. Our weather was better than yours. It was a sloppy mess. And you got very emotional at the end of that game. And I mean, you were that’s the most emotional I’ve ever seen you. What was it? What What was it? The week of practice? Was it It was a rainy, sloppy Iowa game that it it felt like a Big 10 win. What was all that excitement from? It was for a team. Uh, you know, we didn’t play very good in the first half. Uh, it was, like you said, it was a sloppy game. It was a good opponent. Um, and to to have the resilience and toughness to come back and win that game was was important because we all know, you know, what was riding on that game and the opportunity that we’ve created by by having a good season and and so to see the way our guys responded to see us shut them out in the second half defensively uh to make big plays offensively on special teams and get it done kind of in that moment was I think a great step for our program, our team and and yeah, I was I was fired up about it. To beat Oregon, um, Indiana did it. You got to keep that offense off the field. Can you Oregon’s really good up front? Like like first round level defensive line talent. Do you got to I mean, do you have to bring in extra tight ends? Can you block Oregon? You have a very talented O line, but it’s young and you’ve got some depth. For the first time in 10 years, USC has really like like Sunday looking players. You have depth. Oregon’s a handful up front. Can you block them straight up or do you have to make them guess? Bring extra people in. Well, we’ve needed the depth. We’ve played with about 10 different O line combinations all year. And uh our guys have done a really good job responding. And listen, we know a really good football team, uh really well coached team, uh you know, talent across the board. And so, you know, we understand going in that it’s going to be a challenge and it’s our job to make it a tough challenge for them, too. So, uh it’s going to be two really good football teams going at it. A lot of times, as you know, games like this, obviously the the front, the battle up front on both sides of the ball is always a key, and our guys are going to have to go in there and do a great job against a talented group. When you go on the road at Ots, it’s the loudest stadium I think I’ve ever been to. Gainesville, Florida, Oregon. I used to cover it. What do you have to do offensively to just keep that noise from interrupting your flow and rhythm offensively? Well, play good. That helps, right? Uh, no, that’s part of going on the road. And I think the fortunate thing in the in this league is, you know, just about all the places that you go have a really good uh home atmosphere and have that challenge and and going on the road’s always tough. You got to be able to handle it. You got to communicate. Uh, you know, their crowd and all that do a great job up there. That’s what’s going to make the atmosphere fun. And we our guys have got to go in and handle it well. So, when you um you have a receiver, Mai Lemon, and I I was talking to an NFL guy and he said, “What do you make of him?” And I said, “It’s just amazing.” I said, “Any go either way ball, he’ll catch. I don’t know what his catching radius is. I don’t know what his speed is. All I know is when you throw it and if it’s within his sphere, he will catch the ball, which tells me he’s tough. He’s physical.” Have you ever had a player quite like him, which I know that the measurables are good. He doesn’t look like a burner, but he doesn’t Nobody ever catches him. What What do I What do you make of him as a a receiving talent? He’s really unique. You know, I think the two things that stand out to me is, you know, one you mentioned is how fearless he is. I mean, the guy is just absolutely fearless to to make any play over the middle, on the perimeter, big blocks, um u you know, big catches and big moments. He’s just absolutely fearless. And I think the second thing is how smart of a receiver he is. Um he he understands defenses. He understands, you know, really how to set up routes, how to work them. He’s one of those guys that you can coach him at times even a little bit different than other guys in the room because of his knowledge and feel for the game. And so his ability to adjust routes on the fly and understand how to attack people is is really unique and uh that you know obviously gives us a lot of confidence to use him in a lot of different ways. Yeah, he reminds me a little bit of JSN, the Seahawk kid from Ohio State where everybody said, “Well, he didn’t run that well.” And it’s like all I know is he’s open and never nobody’s catching him and he’s always open. um when this playoff spot is on the line, I feel like this year um you’ve always been great offensively. Nobody questions that. But I do feel like year two in the Big 10 felt different. I think you addressed it. I think you’re bigger. I think you’ve recruited the interior Dline. If I said go back one year, how are you more Big 10 capable or prepared this year than last just based on the weather, the games, the travel, and all the nuances of the conference? Yeah, I mean, we made some adjustments, I think, in travel. We made some adjustments in our approach. Um, I think, you know, you mentioned the depth. I I think had our team had the amount of injuries or or guys missing time that we’ve had this year, I don’t know that we would have been able to to withstand that as much. And so, each year that goes on, our roster gets more talented and and gets deeper and you and you need that in this league. when you play the schedule that we do, uh, you’re just you’re going to have to have different guys step up throughout the year and continue to play at a high level because it’s a challenge every single week. And so, yeah, I just think every part of our program just continues to get better and better and and you know, when you do that, you’re more ready for these games and you have a chance to finish more of them. So, we’re doing that now and and it’s just going to continue to grow from here. Minute left. I don’t know if you’ve noticed your former quarterback’s in Chicago. He’s on a little bit of a heater right now, coach. Have you noticed that? I have noticed that. Yeah. All the people that wrote him off, right? He can’t play ball. Uh now look at him. Yeah. No, he’s hot. They’re at top the NFC North. He’s playing well and he’s great in the fourth quarter, which is really hard as a young player. You notice that? Yeah, I do. And I think, you know, I think Ben coming in there has given him a lot of confidence. I think it’s added a lot of stability to the situation. And for any quarterback, especially a young quarterback, um like having that stability in a coaching staff, um and and and I think just that confidence to bring into the offense to him, the entire team. I know talking to Caleb, you know, the entire organization feels that, he feels that, and I think that’s why you’re seeing them, you know, win some of these close games and and yeah, I think both he and that team are just scratching the surface. It’ll be fun to watch their run. All right, it is going to be at least it’s on the West Coast. No, you’re not losing time zones. It’s going to be probably a little wet, but it’s going to be the game of the year on the West Coast for sure. And one of the games of the year in college football, Oregon and USC. And I can’t wait. And it’s great seeing you. Thanks, Cole. Fight on. Um, yeah, that’s going to be a good one. You Hey, I’m I’m telling you, J-Mack, that Mai Lemon kid, he’s got a little JSN like he is average I I just saw a number here. He’s averaging 109 yards a game. And he’s not a burner. And that’s what they said about JSN. I mean, listen, JSN is this kid’s a mock first round draft. All the mocks have him in the first round. If the ball is in his sphere, he catches it. He wins every 50/50 ball. All of them. You know, I like most about the USC comeback was they were down early and it was like, “Oh, here we go again.” And they fought back. Impressive uh victory. I’m not ruling out the uh the up upset against Oregon. I know we got some Oregon staffers here. I I know Oregon’s better. They’re favored. I Let’s just take a deep breath. USC is going to be in this game. This will not I don’t think this will be a 30-point blowout. No, no, no, no, no, no. I think it’s I I watched I watched Oregon play Iowa, USC play Iowa. I think it’s a very very competitive game. If you can hear, it’s hard to hear at Oson. Uh hour three next. You know, it’s interesting when the NIL and a transfer portal emerged in college football, and the media does this all the time, and it’s irritating to me as somebody that’s in the media. Uh and I push back on this all the time. It’s it’s the end of the world. Are the rich are going to get richer? Run for your lives. And it’s never true. Our political media does this. Our sports media does this. All I heard when the NIL came out, the rich are going to get richer. What’s going to happen to Purdue? I don’t know what’s always happened to Purdue. You know, good basketball, weak football. The bottom line here is the NIL and the transfer portal expanded the field. Ohio State feels like they’re the best team, I think, and they won the natty last year and yet lost as a 20-point favorite to Michigan and lost Oregon. So, the five best teams I’ve seen, and I think Ohio State’s the best team, and then everybody else on any given Saturday can beat anybody else. I would do Georgia second, Indiana third, Miss fourth, Oklahoma fourth or fifth, Bama sixth. I don’t buy Texas&M. I watched the entire game this weekend. They trailed 30-3 at half to a really average team. They came back at and won at home, but I just don’t buy them. I nice win, but I I think they’ve played a pretty weak schedule. I don’t buy them. I think they’re like sixth or seventh best. Oklahoma to me has been really surprisingly good. Um, but I I mean I we always do this and the media is to blame on this. It’s always the worst scenario possible. It’s always tariffs are going to ruin the economy. Well, maybe they’ll puncture it a little. They’ll be ruin the econ. We survived a pandemic. We shut the economy down for 6 months and survived. Take a deep breath. The end is not near. We do this in sports. This is going to Oh, the transfer portal is going to be just fine. Just fine. I mean, right now, Indiana football is better than LSU. Miss football is better than Alabama. Did you think that is what the NIL and the transfer portal were going to create? I I don’t I don’t know what tariffs do to the economy, but good, bad, who knows? Probably not great. I I just think the media tends to exaggerate uh what’s going to transpire when there’s new stuff introduced to the market. AI will eliminate all jobs. I bet it doesn’t. I’m going to go with it doesn’t I’m going to go with we survive it and it expands the economy eventually. But I’m watching college football the last two weekends and I mean it it’s I watched Iowa USC came down to a play. I watched Michigan Northwestern came down to a kick. You know, I’m watching all these games. I mean, the only thing I know is if Georgia plays Texas, Georgia’s going to win. That is all I know. I think Ohio State’s the best team in the country. U it is, you know, just to show you how college football has changed. Ohio State used to be linebacker territory and running back territory. It’s all wide receivers and quarterbacks now. So, but I I think that college football to me there’s no gap between Clemson, Indiana, Notre Dame, USC. It looks very close to me. It It all looks mushed in in the middle. Oklahoma’s better than I thought they would be. Indiana’s obviously emerged. Um but I I don’t see a big gap between Oregon and Iowa. I did 5 years ago. I don’t now. Jac with the news. No. No. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. All right, Colin. Let’s get started with this Lamar Jackson kind of clunker against the Cleveland Browns. Browns did cover the spread. Very nice showing. Obviously, the injury to Gabriel hurt and Shador wasn’t great. But let’s let’s focus on Lamar for a second, Colin. I don’t know how closely you watch this. He does not have the same juice he once had. Four carries, 10 yards. I get it. The Browns defense is scoring. Miles Garrett was tremendous. We’ll get to him shortly. Here’s Harbaugh on uh the Ravens climbing back into the AFC North. We’re five and five. Our head’s just above water. We’re just above water. We’re breathing. We’re not even out of the water. It’s a typical AFC North battle. And I’m proud of the guys for the way they played and what they had to do to find a way to win that game in the second half the way they did. Yeah, I think it’s realistic that a quarterback and he’s not Josh Allen or Big Ben big. I mean, look at it. Cam Newton and Big Ben got old very fast and they’re huge athletes. 66 260. Lamar’s pretty slender. How many years can you take hits? So, I mean I mean Cam is as big a quarterback, Ben as big a quarterback as you’re going to see. Michael Vic once told me about year four. He’s like he took a hit from London Fletcher and he’s like, “Yeah, I don’t want to do this anymore.” I think it was London Fletcher. So, I I mean, my take is Lamar is still amazing, but it’s not You age and when you take hits for a guy, I don’t know how much he weighs, 215, 218, 220. I don’t know how big he is. He’s gotten bigger, but I think it and I also think we have to give Cleveland credit. They have a really good roster. They just don’t have an elite quarterback. Cleveland’s got dudes. They got a really good defense. They show up at home. Uh let’s drill down on Miles Garrett for a second, Colin. He is unbelievable right now. Four sacks. Second time this season he’s had four sacks. Here’s my thing. Miles Garrett’s playing on an awful team going nowhere. They’re not suddenly making the playoffs next year. Miles Garrett turns 30 in December. Colin, I’m just curious. If I’m Cleveland, I go into this offseason. We got a lot of questions. I’m looking to trade Miles Garrett. Somebody is going to give up at least two ones for him. He’s at a at a level that’s higher than Micah Parsons right now. I think if you’re you’re a Kansas City Chiefs, I mean, heck, you’re you’re a Buffalo Bills, you’ve got to kick the tires and say, can can we just get Miles Garrett and go in? Because you’ve got a game plan. What if what if the Rams would have done that with Aaron Donald? Aaron Donald, there was no duplicate. When you have the best player in the world at his position, and it’s a key position, I don’t think you trade him. But the Rams were always a contender with Stafford. Oh, no. No. The f with Jeff if you go to the last couple years of Jeff Fischer, they weren’t and they That was early early in his career. I mean, like, you know, you get late like 30 years old for Miles Garrett, I think you you get what you can for him at this point, don’t you? No. If somebody comes to you and says two ones and a four and a five, aren’t you doing that instantly? No. Cleveland’s already got enough ones. Cleveland doesn’t have a first round pick shortage. Cleveland has a quarterback shortage. They don’t have a short. When you have the best player in the world at any position and they’re still performing at an elite level, I’m not trading them. But Dallas just did that. No, no, no. You’re not listening. Mike is not close to Miles. How many four sack games does Micah have? Miles Garrett is literally next to LT the most dominant edge rusher in the history of football. Mike Micah is a fourth, fifth best. I take Max Crosby. I would take TJ Watts better against the run. I’d take Miles G. Micah is a really elite edge rusher. He’s not the top three in the sport. I’d take Aiden Hutcherson over Micah Parsons. Absolutely. Oh my. Okay, I did not expect it would go there. Uh, okay. Let’s move on to the Bears and Vikings, Colin. Bears get lucky once again. Hey, better to be lucky than good sometimes. Let’s focus on JJ McCarthy for a moment, shall we? 16 of 32 for a buck 50, spraying the ball all over the yard and showed his frustrations on the sideline throughout. I mean, he’s just missing throws. That was a terrible one right there. Um, I don’t know. Kevin Oonnell was asked about JJ after the game and uh I don’t know. Listen to this. He was frustrated and I just I just kept telling him, you know, feet and eyes, feet and eyes and and the and the things that we saw throughout the week on the practice field, uh, you know, make it about that. You know, with a with a young quarterback, there’s going to be a lot of things that we’ll uh we’ll pinpoint and continue to highlight and tie that preparation throughout the week and our plans to uh, you know, what he does well and and continue to coach the things that uh, where we feel the emphasis needs to be on. Is there a level of performance that he would get would need to get to for you to consider whether he’s just be replaced in the game? Yeah, I don’t I’m not going to get into any of that right now. Oh, that not a resounding vote of confidence. That being said, Wentz is toast for the year. The backup is this kid, the rookie from Minnesota, Braz Colin, again, McCarthy wasn’t good. And you look at the numbers this season, these are Jared Gofflike with Jeff Fischer if you remember those days. You referenced it earlier. I would just keep playing him till the end of the season. You’ve got to get an answer. Maybe it pops. I don’t think there’s any reason to bench him. I just think, listen, you you gave up a fourth and a fifth. Just play him the rest of the season. This is not a situation where he’s got a defensive coach and no legitimate receivers. Now, Jordan Addison had two ugly drops, but this is this this is a good tool belt for a quarterback to have. All the weapons are there. I would just give him another how many games left? Six, seven starts. If I just keep starting them, keep playing them, get the reps, maybe it clicks. There’s no reason to rush. Kevin Oonnell’s job is not in danger. Justin Jefferson still in his prime. It’s it’s a good operation. Sometimes you just you don’t ha again, it’s my media criticism. You don’t have to rush anything. Just let it play out. You’re not a Super Bowl team with him. Sometimes you need to get answers and you have to have them solidified so you can go back to the owner and GM and go, “Okay, we have a definitive answer.” If you if you just try to mess around with him now, some people in the room may be like, “Well, he deserves it.” Just keep starting him, keep giving him reps. So, at the end of the year, three or four people, owner, GM, head coach, coordinator can all go in a room and all agree yay or nay. That’s I think you just have to find the answer. There’s no hurry. So, Michael Pennix, remember, started like four or five games down the stretch last year. He’s the starter this year. He has not been great. He’s gonna start next year when he comes back from this injury. You got to give these guys time. You can’t be like, “Hey, five games bench him.” Like that. I don’t know why the media is so focused on McCarthy like that. Final story is the Cowboys tonight, the big Quinnon Williams debut. Yes, the new defensive tackle they got from my Jets. Uh he is itching to go. Here’s Quinnon Williams on his debut tonight against the Raiders. I’m super excited. I’m like you said, man, I haven’t played a game in in a long little minutes. I’m super excited not only to play a football game, but to play for this organization, man. To play for this team, to play for the guys in our defensive line room. They took a chance on me and traded for me and um did the things that they feel like I can come in to contribute and help this organization go in the right direction. And um that’s all I plan to do. So, wasn’t there a movie called Escape from New York? That’s what this is. Sauce Gardner and Quinnon Williams. Escape from New York. I’m excited to watch him play. I It’s a weird game. I mean, I I the nurators don’t do anything right. Three and a half the hook. Be careful. But I You got to score. Come on. Let’s Let’s hear it. Um 28-24 Cowboys. Wow. Close. I’ll go 2717 Cowboys. By the way, more excited for Quinn Williams tonight or Sauce Gardner against the Chiefs Sunday. Colts. Chiefs. Which? Yeah. Um Chiefs are favored in that game. I think Yep. They you got to factor in Sauce Gardner, Colin. Oh, I can’t wait. Hey, it’s nice to see Jets, you know, itching toward maybe the postseason. That that’s that’s fun. I I can root for them cuz the team ain’t going anywhere. Jac with the news. Well, that’s the news and thanks for stopping by. It It’s interesting when he talks about uh analytics last night. As Jac pointed out, Detroit kept going for it on fourth down. And I a lot of times I watch these games and I’m like, are you home or are you away? Like I think it’s very difficult to me. I don’t love Detroit last night. Keep going for it. Keep going for it. Why? Because the interior Dline of the Eagles is the best in the sport. And there analytics Dave Roberts in the World Series, you know, there was some stuff that that that he didn’t buy the book. He went with, you know, Miguel Rojos. I trust him. I kind of feel like he’s going to make a play. And you know, I guess politics has some of that too where there’s some instinct. You’ve been around. you’ve run a lot of campaigns. You kind of have a feel for stuff, but um yeah, I mean I I I I always use the term manalytics. Something else has been brought to my attention. I don’t really pay attention. I don’t keep track of this, but I’ve been told that the Blazing Five went five and0 last week. The Heater continues. I am hitting on a 61.8% clip. That’s the good news. The bad news is I don’t like the lines at all this week. I like the Green Bay line and that’s about it. If CJ Strad plays, I like the Texans getting a bunch of points against Buffalo. But both of us had a very good weekend. But I I want to go back to the manalytics part again. I believe in getting all the information in. I whatever it is, politics, sports, Wall Street, tech, just give me all the information. But there is a moment in G. Analytics doesn’t weigh momentum. Analytics doesn’t weigh, well, I’ve got an injured right guard and the Eagles defensive interior is the best in the sport. Am I home or away? What’s the weather like? Are we playing with a ton of momentum or confidence? And like last night, I thought it like you said, the line was Dan Campbell was on tilt. I’m just going to go for it. And I’m like, I I and Greg Olsen and I would argue on this. There are times in games I just want the points. I like playing with leads. Yeah. I like when you play with a lead, you force teams to make decisions they wouldn’t have trailing or or wouldn’t have leading. So, I like to lead football games early and late. The NFL isn’t blackjack. People are trying to act like it’s, hey, play by the book. You know the rules. This is what you’re supposed to do. That’s not what the NFL is, Colin. For example, you know, you and I on this show, we have certain topics. We’re going to cook and they’re going to be awesome. But the analytics say, “Oh, you can’t talk about that team or that sport. It’s not going to work.” No, we understand each other and know what can pop. Look at Mike McDaniel. Did you watch that? Yeah. Uh, Dolphins. I was losing my mind. Okay. All you need to win the game is a field goal from like the two yard line. Oh, the line was two and a half. I was on Dolphins. And he goes for it and they fail and I’m like, “What the hell are you doing?” And they go to overtime. and they get lucky. But like sometimes you just got to like go and be smart. Forget the analytics. That reminded me that Mike McDaniel move reminded me of a Brandon Staley move when he went for it against the Raiders deep in his own territory. Oh, that’s right. And you’re like, bro, what on earth are you doing? Even if you pick the first down up, you’re still three to four first downs away from a field goal attempt. Like, so you you have to weigh the pros and the cons. Am I taking a risk here? Like then the Miami game. My take was, “Dude, you’re in Berlin. It’s an It’s an ugly game.” Wait, was it Berlin? Yeah, I think it was Berlin. You’re in an ugly game. Washington doesn’t have much. They’re on a backup quarterback, kick the field goal, take the lead over in Europe, and if they beat you, they beat you. And that was a prime example where it just drove me absolutely crazy. some of these coaches make really puzzling even uh what’s his name? um uh Eagles coach Sirriani last night like some of the decisions he was making in his own end the tush push was not working Colin he still went to it with I think the backup center it failed and now you gave Detroit three free points I’m like man what are you thinking I yeah ah wrap it up in Chicago next the hurt Sunday a Fox NFL double header starts with Justin Jefferson and the Vikings taking on Jordan Love and the Packers or other regional action. Then in America’s game of the week, Jaylen Herz and the Eagles battle Dak Prescott and the Cowboys or Falcon Saints. Check local listings for the game in your area only on Fox. By the way, uh is it just me or is Matt Hasselbeck still got his doubts with Caleb Williams? I know he likes Ben Johnson. Uh, but here was Matt earlier on if he buys Caleb Williams and the Bears at 7 and three. Caleb is a young player learning on the fly and as he’s learning, they’re winning. He’s morphing into Ben Johnson’s kind of quarterback. Is he there? No, I don’t think he is. He’s really not. Uh, but they seem to find ways to win. That’s what happens with DNA culture setter type coaches. You set a standard and an an expectation for the details and the discipline that are going to happen in your organization every single day. Do I think this is their year without after I say all that? No. They haven’t really beat anybody. But the schedule’s getting tougher here. We’ll find out who they really are. You know what’s interesting when you say they haven’t beaten anybody. It’s so funny because the teams with the best records, Philadelphia doesn’t really have an offensive identity, Rams are really, really good and a very clean version of the best team in the league. Patriots have an identity but are really young at quarterback. And Denver is uneven but great late. it it’s been I mean one of the teams that week in and week out the the in the last six weeks there’s two teams that just look like the best teams Rams New England have beaten teams mostly soundly play clean football don’t make a ton of mistakes everybody else I mean it there are variations of why you shouldn’t like them Saquon Barklay’s inability to hit on big plays this year what’s Philadelphia’s offense Well, they keep winning. Denver, you don’t quite know what you’re getting. They’re uneven. Great late struggle early. Yesterday, they scored in an opening drive. They hadn’t done that in two months. So, I still think like I still think Seattle is a handful. I think they’re young and kind of reckless and make mistakes and have giveaways. I I would I would I would have no, you know, the two teams I wouldn’t want to play in the playoffs, Seattle, because they have knockout potential. you could find yourself down 21 nothing fast against Seattle. They’re just going 100 miles and and the Colts because everybody would say, “Well, it’s Daniel Jones. You’d go in as a favorite and all of a sudden you end up going to Indie. You know, you’re Buffalo. You’re a wildcard team because the Patriots, you know, you look at the NFC playoff picture right now is the the team that would just horrify me because if you played the Rams or the Eagles, you would be an underdog, right? You’d be like, “Well, you shouldn’t beat them.” Everybody thinks you should beat Seattle if you win your division. Like like Tampa wins your division and they’ve got to go play, you know, they they they get to go play Seattle at home and you think, “Oh, we’re a favorite. We’re at home.” Yikes. Seattle is a total handful. If you go over to the AFC, it’s similarly with the Colts. The Colts are going to win their division. They’re going to play a home game. You know, if you’re the Bills and you go to Indie, everybody in the world thinks or you’re or or you’re Baltimore, you’re Pittsburgh and go to Indie, right? Everybody thinks, “Well, it’s Daniel Jones.” I’m telling you, the Seahawks roster in the Colts roster. Young, athletic, getting better, ascending, little mistake prone. Daniel Jones can be a little mistakrone. Sam Darnold, a little mistake prone. That keeps you out of the Super Bowl, may keep you out of a conference championship. But I look at the Colts and I look at the Seahawks and no thanks, those those teams have dudes everywhere and and most of the the Seahawks may be a dog in their first, you know, they’ll go to Tampa and be an underdog and everybody’s like, “Oh, Bakery’s at home.” Yeah, I wouldn’t I would not want to face Seattle at all. And um Oh, by the way, we mentioned this earlier. Uh Philadelphia, very interesting. Lane Johnson is going to be out for probably a month. It’s not season ending. Jaylen Herz without Lane Johnson 5 and9 and a passer rating in the 70s. So, you think the Philadelphia offense is struggling to find an identity before the game last night? Uh he’s a fivetime allpro offensive tackle, arguably best right tackle in the sport in a long time. All right. Well, um, first things first, kind of a rough Sunday for, uh, Nick Wright. Old friend Nick Wright. A little wobbly. Little wobbly on the ropes. Nick Wright next.

Colin Cowherd is joined by Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay to react to the Rams’ win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11 of the NFL season. Sean tells Colin how Matt Stafford continues to play at an MVP level and how this team can contend for a Super Bowl. He discusses how they were able to shut down Sam Darnold and the Seahawks’ dangerous offense. Next, Colin is joined by USC head coach Lincoln Riley to discuss their big win over Iowa, Jayden Maiava, and the Big Ten division. Finally, Colin discusses the AFC and NFC playoff picture.

0:00 Sean McVay
11.09 Lincoln Riley
20:18 Playoff Picture

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