Tag: Colin Cowherd

NFL insider compares Steelers’ legitimacy to 8-1 Detroit Lions

Jordan Schultz compares the Steelers to the 8-1 Detroit Lions, highlighting their ability to wear down opponents after a loss.

Surprisingly enough, on a recent episode of The Herd, hosted by the ever-polarizing Colin Cowherd, there was a Pittsburgh Steelers love fest taking place.

Cowherd hosted NFL insider Jordan Schultz, who was asked what he believes the true ceiling for the 7-2 Steelers is. It felt like before Cowherd could finish asking, Schultz was off to the races, singing the Steel City’s praises through 11 weeks of football.

Schultz claimed that Russell Wilson had further solidified the Steelers as contenders, going as far as to compare Pittsburgh to perhaps the best team in the National Football League—the 8-1 Detroit Lions.

Schultz argued that Pittsburgh and Detroit both seem to leave opposing teams in worse shape once they defeat them. His claims were supported by Washington’s recent collapse against Philadelphia on Thursday Night Football in Week 11, only four short days after the Steelers’ Week 10 28-27 victory over the Commanders.

Fans of the Steelers are hoping the same can apply to a potential Week 11 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, as the AFC North rivals are closing the distance in a tight divisional title race.

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Colin Cowherd admits wrongful perception of ‘tone-deaf’ Mike Tomlin, Steelers

Media personality Colin Cowherd admits he was wrong about Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers heading into the 2024 NFL season.

It takes a real man to admit when he’s wrong. Despite what you think of Colin Cowherd, he’s done just that.

One of Cowherd’s biggest topics heading into the 2024 NFL season was the state of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I think I was really wrong on Pittsburgh… We’ve always thought he’s incredible, but I think what Mike Tomlin has shown over the course of this season — and I’m wrong on this — is that I always felt he was a little tone-deaf to offense,” Cowherd said on Thursday’s Colin Cowherd Podcast. “But by pivoting off Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph and Justin Fields — who had a winning record — and settling on Russell Wilson, I think it shows that he is more aware than I gave him credit for.
Cowherd continued by saying that he knows defensive coaches can struggle with quarterback urgency but that Tomlin understands the weight of the situation. He gives Tomlin his just flowers for making a move that many Steelers fans and media were against.
“I think even though they were winning… it’s hard as a coach when you’re winning to make changes, right? Like you’re going to disrupt things; we’re four and two; I’m not going to disrupt the locker room. That takes a pair by Mike Tomlin at four and two to go in and say, Guys, we should be five and one. We’re a better team than this.
Cowherd knows, as Steelers Nation does, that Wilson isn’t what he once was but is capable. Though he favors the Baltimore Ravens slightly, Cowherd feels the Steelers can win the division.
While the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals aren’t who we thought they were, records are thrown out the window when rubber meets the road between division rivals.
The Steelers have a daunting task ahead to come out of the other side unscathed and playoff-bound, but with Tomlin at the helm and Wilson improving, the sky is the limit.

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Colin Cowherd calls Chiefs a no-excuses team: ‘They just make it work’

Colin Cowherd praised the #Chiefs’ resilience this week after Kansas City’s win over the New Orleans #Saints on “Monday Night Football.”

After the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the New Orleans Saints on “Monday Night Football” in Week 5, FS1 commentator Colin Cowherd gave his two cents on the defending Super Bowl champions’ efforts this season.

In a segment on his show “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” the veteran broadcaster explained to his viewers that while every other team in the NFL seems to be affected by different sets of circumstances, the Chiefs seem to be immune to the ups and downs of the regular season.

Check out the full clip of Cowherd’s comments below, which was posted by Herd w/ Colin Cowherd’s official Twitter account on Tuesday:

https://twitter.com/TheHerd/status/1843710449663258878

Kansas City will have a week off after dominating the Saints in Week 5. It will resume regular season play against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on October 20.

Stay tuned to see if the Chiefs can keep their undefeated season alive and stay immune to the circumstances that Cowherd talked about as they look to complete the NFL’s first-ever Super Bowl three-peat.

Ex-Giants, analysts continue to pile on embattled QB Daniel Jones

Several ex-New York Giants and a familiar analyst continue the pile on of embattled quarterback Daniel Jones.

The New York Giants are 1-3 to start the season following a Thursday night loss to the Dallas Cowboys, and quarterback Daniel Jones is not playing like a superstar.

Although Jones is performing at a higher level than he was a season ago, he has not quite returned to 2022 form and appears to have a sudden issue with underthrowing the football.

That has allowed Jones’ critics to resurface and attack, which they’ve done in spades over the past several days. The latest is FOX Sports radio host Colin Cowherd, who believes the Giants are a quarterback away from being Super Bowl contenders.

The piling on of Jones is the path of least resistance but the Giants are not just a quarterback away from being contenders. Even Cowherd doesn’t believe that, as he outlined in March but apparently forgot.

Jones may be an issue but he’s far from the only issue. The Giants lack depth at multiple positions, have problems at cornerback, are terrible on special teams, can’t handle personnel properly, and have concerns from the top to the bottom of their organization.

Still, it’s all DJ all the time. Retired Giants running back Tiki Barber has also returned to his criticism of Jones.

Even retired defensive lineman Dave Tollefson agrees.

What does all this commentary mean? Absolutely nothing. General manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll are committed to Jones for at least this season and are not even remotely close to moving off him. In fact, Daboll has publicly praised DJ for being “locked in.”

The criticism is easy clout and nothing more. Even those of us here at Giants Wire are guilty of it but the team has made their bed and now we all have to sleep in it.

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Revisiting last year’s freezing cold take on Steelers by Colin Cowherd

The anniversary of Colin Cowherd’s infamous take on the Steelers 2024 draft plans takes place on Week 4’s game.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are finding success early in the 2024 regular season, starting off their campaign undefeated.  They will look to improve their record this Sunday against the Colts.  However, the game also marks the anniversary of one of the worst takes anyone could make in the National Football League.

Last year, on September 29th, 2023, avid Steelers hater Colin Cowherd made an icy-cold take on what the Steelers should have done leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft.  Cowherd is known for his jealousy-filled tirades against the Steelers, mostly due to Ben Roethlisberger owning his Bengals for many years, but this particular analysis couldn’t have been more terrible.

It’s safe to say that the Steelers are more than satisfied they kept their elite players and premium draft selections, as well as trading for Justin Fields, instead of ending up like the Bears’ current situation—1-2 on the season.  Maybe the Bears took Cowherd’s terrible advice to heart.

Fields looks to continue proving to the Bears that they made the wrong decision, and will continue to solidify the fact that Omar Khan is one of the greatest GMs in the league.

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Colin Cowherd ranks the Seahawks at No. 8 on his NFL rankings

Colin Cowherd ranks the Seahawks at No. 8 on his NFL rankings

The Seattle Seahawks are flying high to start the season, as the only team in the NFC West with a 2-0 record. Their lone status in first place has fans in the Pacific Northwest feeling great, but it apparently has not impressed everyone. ESPN recently listed the Seahawks as “pretenders” when they went through all the 2-0 teams in the league.

However, one who is impressed is Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd. During the NFL season, Cowherd gives his weekly rankings of who he believes are the Top 10 teams in the league. He calls it his “Herd Hierarchy.” Making the Hierarchy for the first time this season are Cowherd’s hometown team, the Seahawks.

Cowherd has Seattle ranked at No. 8, which is right above the San Francisco 49ers and just behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Cowherd sang the praises of quarterback Geno Smith, the emergence of head coach Mike Macdonald, as well as Seattle’s top weapons in DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Tyler Lockett.

Could it be possible Geno Smith is finally gaining some national recognition? His play through the first two weeks has been nothing short of stellar, as he is carrying this inconsistent Seahawks offense.

Seattle is 2-0 and have a great opportunity to improve to 3-0 this weekend against a Miami Dolphins team without their starting quarterback. Miami will still be a challenge to face, but if the Seahawks defense can shore up their ground defense and Smith stays hot, the team in the Emerald City might continue getting a little more national love.

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Colin Cowherd suggests Bo Nix is best rookie QB from 2024 class

“Hot take: Bo Nix is the best quarterback this year out of this crop,” Colin Cowherd said.

When Colin Cowherd picks a side, he picks a side. And he is standing firmly on the Bo Nix hill.

Cowherd is openly all in on the Denver Broncos‘ rookie quarterback, his pairing with head coach Sean Payton, and his wide-open offense. Nix, the 12th pick in the 2024 NFL draft, became the QB who would pick up the pieces of the Russell Wilson debacle that may have set the Broncos back. 

But according to Cowherd on his “Colin Cowherd Podcast” via The Volume, the Nix draft pick will help the Broncos rebound from the last two years.

“Hot take, Bo Nix is the best quarterback this year out of this crop,” Cowherd said on a recent episode of his podcast.

That’s right, Cowherd thinks Nix could be better than Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy and Michael Penix.

John Middlekauf, a frequent guest on the show, also noted how Payton spotted the talent of Patrick Mahomes early and was keen on drafting him before the Kansas City Chiefs drafted him in 2017. That said, Payton may know he has a diamond in the rough. Cowherd believes it, too.

Here’s more from Cowherd on Nix from his TV show:

Here’s to hoping Nix is spot-on with his Nix assessment.

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Colin Cowherd comparing Bo Nix to Tom Brady isn’t as bad as it sounds

“It’s like naming [Tom] Brady the starter in New England in Year 5 — it’s obvious,” Colin Cowherd said of Bo Nix winning Denver’s QB battle.

After the Denver Broncos named Bo Nix their starting quarterback, Colin Cowherd compared it to Tom Brady being named a starter, which understandably drew plenty of backlash on social media.

At first glance, that sounds like an outrageous comparison, but there was nuance to Cowherd’s remark.

“Big news, Sean Payton officially named Bo Nix as the starting quarterback,” Cowherd said Wednesday. “It’s like naming [Tom] Brady the starter in New England in Year 5 — it’s obvious.”

Cowherd’s point: Nix being named the starter was something we all saw coming. Brady being named the Patriots’ Week 1 starter five years into his career was obvious, and Nix winning Denver’s QB competition was easy to predict. He’s not calling Nix the next Brady.

Cowherd then praised Nix for beating out the competition.

“That’s pretty early to name him the starting quarterback,” Cowherd said. “He separated from excellent, talented backup Jarrett Stidham, who’s not cheap. [And] Zach Wilson. Those guys are way above average backups. Way above average backups.”

Cowherd worked with Sean Payton at Fox Sports when the coach took a year off from football, and it’s clear that he has a good relationship with the coach. Cowherd ranked Payton as the NFL’s fourth-best coach earlier this year and he has been a Boliever since the pre-draft process.

Cowherd may be generous with his Broncos commentary, but the Brady “comparison” wasn’t as outlandish as some have suggested. It was simply a throwaway comment about Nix being expected to win the QB1 job.

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NFL Films producer swats down Drake Maye critic’s ‘raw’ assertion

NFL Films producer Greg Cosell is a big believer in Drake Maye

There was a massive overreaction to New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye’s early training camp practices. FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd even went as far as suggesting Joe Milton III could potentially start ahead of Maye.

He has seemingly changed his tune a bit since that first take after Maye’s impressive performance in the Week 2 preseason matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

When speaking with NFL Films producer Greg Cosell, Cowherd admitted he saw shades of Justin Herbert from a physical standpoint, but he also claimed Maye was still “raw” for an NFL quarterback.

Cosell pushed back on the notion that Maye is raw.

“I’m not sure he’s quite as raw as people think. He had a few things he had to clean up. He tended to drift to his left in the pocket. …But I think he’s comfortable,” said Cosell. “…I got a chance to speak to some coaches at North Carolina, where he played, and they told me, in their mind, ‘There is no bust factor at all with Drake Maye.’

“You have to know the kid, know the way he works, know how he sees the game, know how his teammates respond. I like Drake Maye. I thought he was the toolsiest quarterback in this draft.”

The quarterback competition in New England is still open heading into Sunday’s preseason finale against the Washington Commanders.

Both Maye and Jacoby Brissett are expected to get playing time. Even if Maye doesn’t start right out of the gates, he is clearly closing the gap on Brissett as a future starter.

All quarterbacks develop at different intervals. So there isn’t a manual on when exactly everything will click well enough for Maye to be the guy in New England.

But you can certainly see the flashes of promise on the football field. Maye not only has the potential to be a good quarterback in the NFL. If everything comes together, he can be a great one.

Colin Cowherd predicts Dennis Allen will be the first coach to be fired in 2024

Colin Cowherd predicts Dennis Allen will be the first coach to be fired in 2024, says Panthers are ‘undoubtedly better’ than Saints after 2-15 season:

Longtime NFL media personality Colin Cowherd shared his five bold predictions for the 2024 season, and he started out a little negatively — predicting the New Orleans Saints won’t wait long to fire head coach Dennis Allen.

“I think Dennis Allen, Saints, is the first coach to be let go,” Cowherd said. “They’ve missed the playoffs back-to-back years. The NFC South, Atlanta and Carolina are undoubtedly better teams. No question. The Falcons and the Panthers are much better teams. Four of the first six games for Denis Allen are against playoff teams from last year. I just don’t see the juice offensively. I think Dennis is the first coach to be let go.”

Saying the Panthers are “undoubtedly better” than the Saints is kind of wild. They won seven fewer games than the Saints did last year while cycling through a couple of head coaches before rebooting yet again this spring. You could argue that Dave Canales is a better coach than Allen because he’s an unknown quantity rather than known for getting poor results, but that case wouldn’t hold much water. Canales could be just as badly out of his depth as Allen has been.

Maybe Cowherd misspoke and meant the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won the division last year, are up there with Atlanta. The Falcons finally addressed their terrible defense by trading for Matt Judon and signing Justin Simmons but they’re betting big on Kirk Cousins overhauling the league’s most disappointing offense in recent years. It’s fine to be down on the Saints given their lack of success, but the teams in this division are stacked much more closely than you might think. Look at their records over the last three years:

  1. Buccaneers: 30-21
  2. Saints: 25-26
  3. Falcons: 21-30
  4. Panthers: 14-37

We’ll see how it goes. The Saints have never fired a coach in-season since Tom Benson bought the team in 1985, and it hasn’t happened at all since Dick Nolan was let go in 1980. It would be awfully bold of Mickey Loomis, the longest-tenured general manager in the game, to decide it’s time to pull the plug on Allen even after something ugly like a 2-4 start. But if Allen’s defense folds and his handpicked quarterback and play caller don’t mesh quickly, Allen could be on the outs sooner or later.

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