Colin Cowherd Podcast - Jets Upset Eagles, Niners Lose, Stroud Shines, UW vs Oregon, USC

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early windows in the NFL. John Middlecoff three and out at the Volume will be joining me in about twelve minutes. Let's talk about the Jets upset of the Philadelphia Eagles. Well, Philadelphia, as the saying goes, had been playing with their food for the last four or five weeks, not putting people away, struggling. I do think they missed Shane Stike and the offensive coordinator from last year who is now the head coach

of the Colts. We all recognize that coordinators matter. I don't think the Niners defense is quite as good as last year. Demiko Ryans is now the head coach of the Houston Texans, who won another game with rookie quarterback c J.

If you looked at the box score outside of the turnovers, you would have thought the Eagles won. Well. If you look at the box score USC Notre Dame, you would have thought USC one. It doesn't matter. Limit turnovers, limit the trouble Zach Wilson can get you in play great defense, take the ball away. You know when I watched Philadelphia, and I think Julian Edelman was on my show about four or five days ago, three or four days ago at Fox, and he said, every September, you know, Bill

Belichick's worst month of his career. With September, He said, every single team, even super Bowl winning teams, the next September, if you had ninety percent same roster, he goes, every team had a different identity. And Bill believed the first four to five weeks of the season, you found your identity. Philadelphia can't find one. But they're really, really talented, and so the quest is can we figure out exactly what

we are? Obviously Jalen Hurts made some mistakes today. Also makes you know Philadelphia usually is a very good, big moment team with this roster. But it's not a surprise. Matt Ryan had an MVP with Kyle Shanahan. Kyle Shanahan leaves slowly. He's not the same quarterback Philadelphia is. You can be two things, very good and lacking a true identity. For years, Michigan under Harbaugh was really good, but it wasn't until about two three years ago. They found that

true Michigan identity. We're going to physically, at the point of attack dominate you. Ohio State may have better players last couple of years, they feel like they've kind of lacked a little identity compared to Michigan. So I think that's where Philadelphia is. I think they'll be fine eventually. They've got a playmaker, a quarterback. AJ Brown's room remarkable. They have so many talented guys in that front seven defensively,

but good for the Jets. I think they've kind of figured out and come to terms with what Zach can do and what he can I think Zach's playing with more confidence now. He's put game after game after game three in a row where he's played pretty well. First it's Kansas City, then it's Denver. Philadelphia did the best of his opportunities. You don't have to win pretty, you

just gotta win. Good for the Jets. There's been this discussion about San Francisco having the best roster, but brock Purty's excellence is due to the roster and the coach, and I thought there was a moment at the end of the game that proved what Brock Purty is which I've claimed is good. I don't know if he's pretty good. I don't think he's very good, but he's good. So last drive of the game against Cleveland's defense, and that is a big boy Cleveland Brown defense, top five in

the league. It's fast, it's got size, it's relentless, doesn't have Christian McCaffrey most of the game, doesn't have Deebo Samuel. Last drive on the road, marches down and gets the team in defeat goal range and the kicker misses. The rookie kicker misses. He did his job. If Tom Brady was missing Gronken Edelman against this defense, drove down, got the field goal kicker in range, and the field goalkicker missed, you'd be crushing the kicker. You want to root against

Brock Purty. You wanted to acknowledge Brady was the goat. Depends on where you come from. Perty's good, not great, I don't think, but he's good. That was a tough environment. Pressure on every pass attempt of that final drive on everyone. A couple of big plays by Brandon Ayuk sits in the pocket, he recognizes who's open and accurately delivers the ball,

and that's that's what really good franchise quarterbacks do. Ninety percent of the people who play this position are dependent on those around them their protection, their weaponry, their head coach. Even Mahomes benefits from Kelsey and Andy Reid. So I thought that drive, even though it was a losing effort, was an example of what pretty is not intimidated, doesn't panic, can handle a pass rush, got it to the right people. McCaffrey debo not available right, but McCaffrey wasn't available most

of the game. Debo not available at the end. Got it to the right people, moved the ball up the field and put them in a position to win. And he did his job. The Patriots dynasty was built on do your job. The kicker didn't do his job, okay, and San Francisco got some heat for drafting the kicker where they drafted him. And to this point, you know, the Trey Lance thing didn't work. The kicker thing has had its ups and downs. They've done a very good job to build a roster. But this was going to

be a really hard day for San Francisco. Right they come off this dominating national TV performance over Dallas. We know in the NFL. One of the things I've always done is bet against the team who has this dominating performance the previous week, and bet on the team if they have a capable quarterback who gets blown out the previous week. So it was one of those circle games. You know, the line changed dramatically because of the quarterback play.

I thought, you know, Cleveland moved the ball enough, deserved to win. But to me, the story was another example of Purdy is more than capable of at home or on the road against an elite defense without all of his pieces, moving the chains and getting you in position to win the game. I want to talk about the Houston Texans, and I infrequently do they beat the Saints. So everybody always makes excuses for their young quarterback Daniel Jones,

Mac Jones, Justin Fields, Desmond Ritter. But I want you to think about this, what box As the Texans beat the Saints a very good defense and a well coached defense, what box did CJ. Stroud have in his favor when he got there. Did he have a clever offensive coach in twenty twenty three to soothe and enable the process. No, he not only had a defensive coach, he had a defensive coach that had never been a head coach, Demiko Ryans. He's a first time play caller, a shaky offensive line,

limited weapons, and he entered it unstable organization. Much of this is what Justin Fields has faced in Chicago. But Justin Fields is in year three.

got certain gifts. I could argue c J. Stroud has fewer gifts than any of them. The defensive coach, the rookie play caller, the unstable offensive line, the messy organization, a losing culture. What did he have? At some point, you have it or you don't. And c J. Stroud has He makes really good decisions, and he's really accurate with the football. It's like I said about Justin Herbert. Justin Herbert walks In has the thirty second ranked offensive line his rookie year and a coach that got fired

after the season, and he set rookie records. Well he had good receivers. Well, everybody's got something, but generally speaking, rookie quarterbacks with egregiously bad offensive lines, unless you're Justin Herbert or Andrew Luck, you're gonna lose, like you know, seventy five percent of your games. You have it or you don't.

to keep winning games. Philadelphia lost today but Philadelphia had to move off all sorts of people, all sorts of people in the offseason. Right, they're getting older, right, they just keep winning a bunch of games. I mean, what is Jalen Hurts won twenty two of his last twenty four starts. So the good young quarterbacks Josh Allen for years. They still don't have a good old line. They still don't have a dependable running game. And Buffalo keeps winning

every week. You have to be able to overcome. And see j Stroud when I watch him, recognizes coverage, throws the ball accurately, almost always to the right spot. I thought he was really good today, not great, but that Saints defense is for real and that was a real test and he passed again and again and again. For a limited time, you can save up to forty percent off on an NFL Plus Premium annual subscription when you

sign up through plus Play from plus Play. It is a platform where you can shop, manage, and save on the subscriptions you already love. Like NFL Plus. With NFL Plus Premium, you get access to live games on mobile, NFL red Zone, NFL Network, and more so you can watch multiple games all at once for any screen around you for updates, never miss a touchdown. That's simple. And for fantasy players, NFL Plus Premium makes all the difference.

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They'll play again, I think for the Pac twelve championship, and I think Washington has a better quarterback and wide receiver talent, and they're more of a big playoffense. I think Oregon's got a better roster. I think Texas Oklahoma will play again. Texas has the better roster. Oklahoma at a really good afternoon and beat Texas.

Phil Knight the visionary behind it, despite both of them having NFL players all over the roster, first round quarterback talent, Bo Nicks, Michael Pennix. The star is the program at Colorado and USC the stars, the coach and the quarterback. And I think when I watch USC, if you looked at the box score, you would have thought they won. But if you watch the game, which I did, they are completely dependent on Lincoln Riley's play calling and Caleb

Williams making magic happen. What else do they do well? Not much. Colorado's got a really talented quarterback and a really inspiring coach. What else do they do well? Is that college sports is different. Even with nil. Not everybody gets paid. It is about the program. When Alabama was dominating college football, it was about Nick Saban's suffocating defenses. Saban was a well known coach in the architect, but

they didn't have star quarterbacks. Even when they have good quarterbacks like Tua, he's not the star of the program. It's the program, Ohio State, it's the program. Washington and Oregon were a testament to that. It felt like a college game, not a pro game. It wasn't about the NIL even though we know Oregon is very well capitalized in the NIL space. It was a really refreshing game, and it was I think those are both top five

or six teams in the country. I do think Oregon's got a little better talent, but I think Michael Pennix is a really special player. And Washington may have the best receiving goal in the country. Their number two receiver didn't even play, and Oregon's corners, who are good, got beat on several occasions. But it was refreshing. USC has always been, uh, you know, Pete Carroll was a bit of a rock star when he was here, and so

it was Reggie Bush. But the difference if you look at New England's dynasty through the years, it was about Tom Brady taking pay cuts. It was do your job. It wasn't about the star quarterback. And there's nothing wrong with having a great quarterback. Tom Brady is the goat. Mahomes is. But when I think about Kansas City, I think about Andy Reid's play design. I think about Brett Veach, the general manager. I think about them managing the cap,

managing Mahomes's salary. I think about Travis Kelcey, I think about Spags the uh, the instive coordinator who's been around forever, Chris Jones. It's a collective with a great quarterback. I feel like USC football is about the quarterback. They don't do anything else well, and Washington and Oregon do a lot of things well. And it was just refreshing. It felt very collegiate. It's one of the best football games I've ever been to in my life, Pro or college

USC Texas I was at. Obviously there was more at stake, but just an absolutely wonderful environment to really really talented young coaches, excellent rosters, first round quarterback talent, NFL players everywhere, And I just I'm so excited about the future of college football because I think when you add Washington and Oregon and UCLA and USC to the Big Ten, it's going to give us like eight to twelve more massive college football Saturdays. Like the one I watched in Seattle.

It was about as much fun as I have had at a football game. And you know, I try to go to a couple year live and I do a lot of TV viewing, But what a wonderful environment. And there's a reason those two teams are significantly better than USC because they do a lot well and they're not just about their first round quarterback. And now our segment called making it Look Easy, brought to you by Morgan and Morgan, America's largest injury law firm, TUA once again

made it look easy? Is it me? Or is every Miami Dolphins game in the end look like a Big twelve matchup? Their track meets trailing, leading, coming from behind, blowing out opponents to again leads the NFL in pass touchdowns. Scuffed a little early, but the Miami Dolphins continue to be one of the great television watches. Fun watching them again, Just like TUA, Morgan and Morgan makes it look easy.

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Let's let's be honest San Francisco off that Dallas when Deebo gets hurt, McCaffrey not there for a big chunk of it. It did in Cleveland's defenses loaded. So I kind of felt like, if you're gonna lose, you know, the kicker had a makeable field goal missed it. That's about as good a loss. And let's be honest about Philadelphia. They've been screwing around for weeks. I said this before in my preamble. They're a really good team that doesn't

quite know what they are. And that's where coordinators come in, like they sync it up. A good coordinator and you find an identity. Edelman told me last week on the show. He said, every September, Bill's trying to find the identity. You could bring the same roster back, you'd have a different identity. Philadelphia doesn't know what they are. They're just really talented, and eventually they got bit. After all these weeks of winn they got bit.

did about eight hundred times a day. That puts the Jets in advantage. And I understand some corners are out. Who cares their defensive lineman Lane Johnson's in the locker room. So it makes it even easier for the ten defensive linemen that the Jets have the guy they drafted last year in the first round. Johnson's playing fantastic. They got several other guys. Their linebackers were flying around. I did not understand and listen, they've struggled Brian Johnson to get

a rhythm with this offense. Like Shane Stiken had last year. It was pretty clear today just run the ball, run the ball, run the ball, and they just kept passing it. And that ultimately, obviously Jalen has had some off games. The pass at the end of the game was devastating. We could nitpick letting them score. Right, you had a minute forty If you stop them twice, you only need a field goal to win. But regardless that pick and that spot and really the reason they were there, they

just were obsessed with passing. I didn't understand why they didn't just run it down their throat.

The Jets are down a corner and they kind of live in a tunnel, and it's very It's like, this is why, by the way, john As, you know why some coaches like to have control of their offense or their defense is that you know, special teams coaches, you get paid more if you have more block kicks. But right, like, but there are times you don't want to go for a block kick and get a penalty and give a team a first down. And so I think sometimes Philadelphia,

remember Sarahanni struggled when he was play calling. He struggled, and then he gave it over to Stikan, who's brilliant, and they flourished. So then they hire Steichen's replacement, and he's not as good as Shane, so the offense isn't as good, so they don't need to go back to Sarahanni. But I thought they got a little exposed today. And I also think in this league is nobody's going seventeen to zero and Philadelphia how many weeks in a row.

They hadn't played a complete game all season. They had a really good second half against Tampa. They had halfs, they had series, and they tend to be really good in moments because they've been in so many big games. Philadelphia is a big game, big city, loud media. They're a pressurized organization. You know that they've been in big spots. The Jets usually fail in those spots. But I think eventually in this league, you screw around, you mess around.

You know, you know, when you're a little kid and your mom don't play with the oven, don't screw around with the electrical sockets and put a nickel in there. You get shocked. Eventually in Philadelphia did.

really good. Brisaw, I mean he's a star. And the defense, but I give Zach Wilson some credit, Like Justin Fields for just staying mentally tough when both guys could have tapped out early in the season.

a howitzer. He was a bad thrower initially with a lot of turnovers, but because he is so he's such a power thrower that we don't we still consider him thrower first runner second, even though in previous two years he ran at Lamar's level. Lamar was so profound and had a quirky delivery right like he couldn't play from behind. I watched that first half and I'm like, Jesus, I if you told me a dark horse to the super Bowl Baltimore, say Flowers keep getting better. Odell had a

catch today. Agalar, It's amazing. Agalar with New England and Mac Jones looked like it's over. I know he had a play they where he almost busted it for seventy yards, and it's like, as we know, the quarterback makes the receiver Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona. The better the quarterback, the better the Larry. I know a lot of people didn't watch it, and they have struggled in the red zone with injuries. Boy Lamar, he has become a legitimate pocket guy with movement.

a pure pocket quarterback. He was not a runner. Michael Vick and I saw it firsthand in Philly was such a reckless runner because he couldn't slide, so he took a lot of shots. Lamar, to me, has become kind of the total package of a lot like Jalen Hurts, they know how to avoid hits that they are not getting molly wopped down the field.

get a million guys injured. But he's proven and last year was weird with the money, the contract going back and forth, the no agent. They've clearly got that figured out. And he to me when I watch him right now, all season long, he's been fantastic. I think he's definitely I wouldn't even call him an MVB dark horse anymore.

in the NFL. I got to give credit. Two things can be true that the Rams would not have won a Super Bowl with out Matt Stafford and Jared Goff and the Lions. Outside of Philly and San Francisco, they have the talent people think Dallas does. I watched them today. I mean they don't have great corners, pass rush playmakers, O line coordinators, Brad Holmes upstairs and that executive suite. This is a really good roster. It's not San Francisco,

but I think it's in the class of Philadelphia. And again, if you had Brock Purdy and his contract, you could have two more stars, So you can go buy a star corner like they can go. You know, they can buy a McCaffrey. They can keep two great linebackers. I think Stafford's good and mcbay's having a great year. But I watched Detroy today and I'm like, hey, are the Cowboys. They have the better quarterback, right we talked Dan Quinn. They have Ben Johnson, they have a better pass rush,

they have a better offensive line. I think Detroit's really good.

with Stafford. Think of the players that netted them even last year.

The way Goff's playing right, I mean, he's a top ten quarterback in the NFL. Aiden Hutchinson has a chance to be one of the better pass rushers. They have a bunch of Pro Bowl high end guys and when you have that on it, they destroyed Tampa. I mean that they shoved that game. To me, was and Tampa's maybe not be bad. I mean, Tampa has a lot of high end players too, and they shoved him around on the road off a bye.

I think he moves a little better, stronger arm number one pick. You know what it's again. I think people forget Goff got to a Super Bowl. Goff couldn't beat San Francisco. Well, hell, the Rams can't beat him with Stafford. It's a bad matchup. You start looking out like the Rams got the ring with Stafford.

one running back. They moved off Van Jefferson. They'll probably get another wide receiver. They don't have a lot of money still because of Stafford, unless he redoes his contract and he didn't want to do that in the offseason. Would you if you were the Rams, you're less snee would you say to yourself, I'm going to trade down in the first round and get two forced two fists, whatever, and give Matt one more run at a super Bowl, or we're going to take the quarterback or even move up.

We're not going to be a super Bowl team. We've got a few players, but may have to give up a second pick or a third pick and then just realize Matt's going to have another nine win season and then we're going to move on. Would you give Matt the extra year like a not draft in this quarterback class, not go draft, move down in the draft, get multiple players, and say Matt, we're gonna give you one more super Bowl run.

Stafford's healthy, And that was my biggest question mark because last year you get the Elbowl thing. We saw a couple of years ago with Big Ben it just fell off a cliff. Well, you're watching Stafford this year. He looks fantastic. I mean, he's slinging that around like he did in Detroit. So to me, you just get a little more talented up front because in the NFC, think who you're gonna have to be. Obviously the forty nine ers, why do they struggle with him? Camp pass block Dallas,

Philly all great pass rushes. Now Detroit with Aiden Hutchinson their defensive line. So to me, I have no problem running back with Aiden Hudson. I also think, I mean with Matt Stafford. But when you look at some of these other teams, you can draft guys in the middle round at quarterback because part of having Sean McVay. Now they did it with Setson Bennett. I don't know all

the details. Something's a little weird there that that looks like they regret that one, right, But I don't mind the mindset taking a guy third, fourth, fifth round, held the forty nine er serving quarterbacks in the seventh round.

But this quarterback classes, and you saw, you know on Saturday. The talent you pass the first two guys is pretty elite.

but that's not what he is. Very much to meet Derek Carr where professional, accurate, but didn't wait an extra beat, played with much cleaner pocket, didn't wait the extra beat, got it out, got it completed underneath stuff where I thought he could have waited another half second to a second. Panix, We'll just sit down there until his guys get deep. I said this earlier. What I don't look about what

I see with Colorado and USC programs. This is still college football, and I'm for the nil, but they become very coach quarterback dominant. I'm the man Oregon Washington have first round quarterbacks. They're about the program, and it was so refreshing to go. I want there to be a gap between pro football and college football, like I like the cheerleaders, the bands, the collegiate field. I don't have a problem with an il, but I think USC has

gotten sloppy. I think they're about Caleb making great plays too much. Heisman talk. I think shaduer Sanders, Dion Sanders. I love the mission, but again like it's not a complete football program. And I I love college football, and part of what I love about it is its history and Penn State's uniforms and the big House. And I think USC feels a bit booge to me. And they've gotten a little They've fallen in love with the brand USC, and they don't really do anything well. They don't run well,

they don't pass block, they don't tackle well. And in a strange way, as I watched them play Notre Dame, I said, they deserve this. They've gotten a little too much love too quickly. And Washington and Oregon, having sat there, those are buttoned up, do multiple things well Kaylin de boor Dan Lanning really well coached excellent NFL players. But it's about the community, the programs, the stadium, the fan.

I mean Oddston and Husky Stadium are about as loud as college football cats And so as I watched that game and then I watch USC Notre Dame, and I'm like, I fell Washington and Oregon really easy to root for, and USD increasingly kind of a hard watch and hard to root for.

you in. And the one thing I've heard about Oregon and Dan Lanning, where does he come from? Kirby Smart, who's a knick NFL operation. You go to their practice last year, you go to their practice this year. It looks the same same thing. With Washington, it's a very consistent place. And I think sometimes in this transfer world, and I've talking to a lot of scouts that go to these practices, They're like, you never know what you're gonna get from year to year. Think about Pete Carroll's

in their heyday or Chip Kelly or hardball. The same group of players were there three to five years. Right, So the rivalry the Notre Dame game mattered well, Listen, I mean I would have signed Lincoln Riley too, But Lincoln Riley is a Texas guy, right, It's where he's from, Texas Tech, Oklahoma that the USC Notre Dame rivalry means a lot to a lot of people, but to him that you know, does it to Caleb? Does it mean the same? You saw Oregon, Washington some of those players

and listen, they got transfers too. But where does think about bo Nicks? What's he used to rivalry Alabama Auburn?

But still that's a bad loss to me. Forty eight to twenty column forty eight.

when I went to Washington Oregon. I feel like there was so much depth in the programs. The players care, they're crying, they care so much, they're so into everything, fight song on and Washington and Oregon have transfers, but USC is like a transfer program. Yeah, And I think the longer the season goes on, their O line play gets worse. They don't tackle, they don't run the football consistently. I don't blame it all on Caleb. He's running for

his life. They can't. I mean, it's just he has to be a superhero.

saying this for a while. You can see the Kaylan du boor thing coming from a mile away Ohio. Now they're going in the Big ten. He's gonna be placing these big programs. Ryan Day loses to Michigan again, the rumbling start. That's a guy that some of these big programs, not that Washington isn't, but they've never had those one hundred million dollar coaches yet. Maybe it's time. But the Ohio states of the world are gonna start looking at him when you win games like that. I mean, that

guy's a star. Dan Lanning's pretty damn good too.

than I like the NFL. I will say it was a national TV game, so there was a lot of TV timeouts and you're sitting there, Thank God, Lake is so beautiful. So when you have nine minutes, you know, you're knocking down a beer. You're looking at the crowd, and you're looking at the you know, the water.

that guy was relentless. And and to me, the Dan Landing going for it in the middle of the field, the momentum you give another team when you turn it over on downs, you just give them life, you know. And to me, so it's a double whammy. It's one you give them the ball back in the middle of the but you also the excitement that goes to that other sideline. And I understand it's his mo to be kind of brain and stallyish, but in that spot, you

would really dominated the second half. Just make him go eighty five yards well.

Peterson is behind the scenes. So they got de Boor and then Chris Peterson's right behind the scenes, and they I think they took their ops guy from like Michigan. They spent like seven figures on him. I think I'm right there. So let me tell you something. Washington's got money. They may not have Phil Knight money, but they've got they got money, and they're gonna have to start saving their pennies because Klen de Bor is gonna get big

time offers. And Washington may not be Ohio State or Michigan, but they are in that somewhere between like seven to twelve program where Environment history. I don't know where Oregon's probably, you know, Washington's got the natty. Oregon doesn't. You can look at Oregon, go Phil Knights the program, or it never exists. Washington was great with Don James. They were good with Jim Owen, Don James, Rick Newheisel, pretty good

with Sark, Chris Peterson, now Kaitlyn de Bor. Like Washington is like Ohio State, maybe a little lesser that when they get the right coach, they win nine ten games and they're in, They're in the playoff picture, and this team's good. They're good.