Tag: the herd

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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NFL reporter tells Colin Cowherd that the Jets ‘have been humbled’

Are the Jets a more humble team this year?

Following the disappointment from last year, veteran NFL reporter Diana Russini believes that the New York Jets are a new team.

A Jets team that Russini, a reporter for The Athletic, believes has changed not just on the field but in terms of their mentality.

In an appearance on ‘The Herd‘ on Tuesday, Russini talked about the Jets rebounding from last year. A season with high expectations came crashing down in the first quarter of Week 1 following an Achilles injury to Aaron Rodgers.

But Russini believes that some of the bravado from the Jets last year has been replaced.

Here is the complete takeaway from Russini about the Jets in her conversation with Colin Cowherd:

“They were all in last year, we know what happened. It didn’t work out. So here we are now.

“The Jets have done an incredible of just quieting the noise. Colin remember this time last year? We were going bonkers. I was on your show every other day talking about the Jets: ‘Aaron looks amazing in camp’…He’s going to put on a show in Florham Park, we’re going to see it again.

“He’s going to be making these throws that social media is going to click…and slow-mo it…and add the most beautiful Top Gun music to it. It’s going to be perfection and beautiful. But in terms of tempering the emotions and expectations, were not going to hear Robert Saleh talk Super Bowl like we did last training camp, remember that?

“They’ve learned, that is the one thing – that’s my biggest takeaway from the offseason in my conversation with coaches, with players. They’ve been humbled, they’ve been humbled. They know it is going to take more than what they were doing last year.It’s going to talk a lot more than just talking about it.”

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Here is the complete conversation with Russini and Cowherd, including some other notable NFL points:

Jason McIntyre unveils his Super Bowl contenders…where are the New York Jets?

Jason McIntyre believes in the New York Jets.

The New York Jets are among the elite teams in the NFL. So says Jason McIntyre during a recent appearance on ‘The Herd.’

McIntyre lists the Jets as among his favorites to make the Super Bowl. They are alongside the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Detroit Lions and Cincinnati Bengals in his top tier.

For those who are interested, the New York Giants are in the bottom tier. So to are the New England Patriots.

McIntyre, who created The Big Lead, is a noted fan of the Jets. But he is absolutely bullish on the direction of the organization and the potential for not just a return to playoffs, but a deep postseason run.

“I have them as favorites in 13 of 17 games. Pro Football Focus has their offensive line, they 31st last year. They are fifth this year because they’ve gotten so much better,” McIntyre said on FS1.

“Obviously Aaron Rodgers is everything but the offensive line is way better. Pass defense, No. 1 in the NFL. A guy at ESPN said that the Jets linebackers graded out as tied with the Niners as the best in the league.

“Folks, this team is stacked, ridiculously stacked.”

The Jets have not made the playoffs since 2010. The hope is that with a healthy Rodgers and a revamped offensive line, that the Jets can once again be in the postseason.

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And the compelling case from McIntyre certainly speaks to the optimism around the team.

McIntyre ended the segment by saying of the Jets that “they will be in the mix, one of the top five…one of the five favorites to win the Super Bowl.”

NFL analyst on Saints’ Super Bowl chances: ‘Need a prayer’

NFL analyst Jason McIntyre on the New Orleans Saints’ Super Bowl chances: ‘Need a prayer’ after underachieving 2023 season

NFL analyst Jason McIntyre hosted “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” recently and shared his list of NFL teams organized by Super Bowl tiers. And he has the New Orleans Saints ranked inside the second-to-lowest tier, characterizing their title chances as needing a prayer to succeed. That’s going to be the case when you haven’t even made the playoffs three years in a row.

“Folks, the Saints are a team that irked me last season,” McIntyre said. “I was all in on them. Schedule, everything. I just looked at the offseason ranking for offensive lines, the Saints are 32nd, according to one report. 32nd. And we know Derek Carr stinks under pressure. Saints, they’re not gonna be good.”

He wasn’t the only one irked by Dennis Allen’s team. The Saints were massive underachievers in 2023, having been dealt one of the NFL’s easiest schedules and multiple games against teams starting backup quarterbacks, only to barely finish the season with a winning record at 9-8. Pete Carmichael’s offense was a disaster and Allen’s defense didn’t live up to its reputation

They can’t repeat that performance in 2024. Derek Carr must play at a higher level with Klint Kubiak calling plays, and the offensive line can’t be a weakness like it was last year. Allen’s defense needs to better hold up in run defense and more effectively get after the quarterback, having underwhelmed in both phases. The good news is the Saints have another favorable schedule, and Kubiak’s system should relieve some of the pressure on the offensive line (and Carr). But that’s all theory right now. We need to see it to believe it’s real.

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Former Jets head coach Eric Mangini slams Aaron Rodgers for ‘all the noise that is brought into the building’

Eric Mangini slams Aaron Rodgers for missing mandatory minicamp.

Former New York Jets head coach Eric Mangini believes that Aaron Rodgers’ absence from last month’s minicamp is the direct opposite of what the organization needs heading into the season.

Rodgers missed mandatory minicamp last month to take a trip to Egypt. For Rodgers, it was the first time all offseason that he missed a workout or a practice at the Jets facility.

And because it is the Jets, the situation is now a huge talking point and one that is under the microscope. Rodgers, a future Hall of Fame quarterback, is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury that he suffered in Week 1 of the regular season.

Despite the injury, Rodgers did not take time off from the team and has been fully engaged in offseason workouts. But the optics of the trip, according to Mangini, is what matters the most right now.

But Mangini, who coached the Jets from 2006-08, sees the timing of the trip as something that the Jets as an organization simply don’t need ahead of a season of expectations. In speaking on ‘The Herd,’ Mangini believes that the minicamp miss by Rodgers is an important issue for the team.

“It all matters and I really like Aaron Rodgers as a quarterback, and I predicted that the Jets would win the division last year if Aaron had played – and I do believe that he still has the ability to win,” Mangini said on FS1 this week.

“What’s disappointing about that situation is he was the one that talked about the importance of limiting distraction. He was the one that would talk about the importance of focusing on only football.

“And all the things that he preaches in the press conference. And then you get in this situation where he misses the mandatory minicamp, and I get that he was at the voluntary part and I think that’s great. But it’s not a secret when mandatory minicamp is. This year was actually a little bit earlier than last year’s mandatory mini-camp for the Jets. And then you understand when vacation is and if you have a trip that’s planned, you can set it up in a way that it doesn’t disturb the one thing that you’re required to do in the off season.

Mangini then went all-in on the importance of Rodgers missing minicamp in terms of the big picture for the Jets.

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“So it does it matter, in the grand scheme of things, in terms of him missing those two days is going to dramatically change how he performs, or the other group performs? No, but it’s more indicative of all the noise that’s brought into the building that’s so unnecessary and distracts from everything else that they’re trying to get,” Mangini said.

“And at the end of the day, if he doesn’t win this year – he’s gone. The coaching staff is gone. And the Jets are starting – probably the GM is gone. Everybody’s starting over.”

Mangini led the Jets to the playoffs in 2006, their only postseason appearance in his three years with the organization. He has an overall record of 23-25 from his time in New York.

Colin Cowherd: No chaos to overcome in Seattle for rookie QB’s

A positive word from Colin Cowherd? About the Seahawks!?

The Seattle Seahawks have received a compliment from one of their somewhat-regular critics. Fox Sports’ Colin Cowherd, host of The Herd on FS1 spent some time earlier this week discussing how Seattle is likely an ideal landing spot for one of these rookie quarterbacks.

Despite being native to coastal Washington, Cowherd has often been critical of head coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks, especially when it came to quarterback Russell Wilson. However, his tune has changed slightly when it comes to Seattle in this upcoming NFL Draft.

Cowherd is not in love with many of the quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft. It doesn’t seem like he thinks any has the potential to be a Patrick Mahomes/Joe Burrow/Trevor Lawrence caliber signal caller who can overcome a dysfunctional franchise.

But when compared to many of the other teams in the Top 10, the Seahawks are clearly not like some of these other franchises who are routinely tire fires. Perhaps drafting a quarterback, even if they re-sign Geno Smith, would be a wise move for Seattle.

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Colin Cowherd co-host guarantees Broncos better than Seahawks in 2023

Sounds like someone didn’t learn their lesson.

The Seattle Seahawks were (in)famously doubted all last offseason after they traded away franchise quarterback Russell Wilson. Many believed they were going into a full-blown rebuild season, and the only thing they would be competing for would be a top five draft pick.

Well, the Seahawks got their top five draft pick… courtesy of the 5-12 Denver Broncos. Meanwhile, Seattle returned to the postseason.

There was a lot of crow being eaten about the Seahawks, but none more than Fox Sports’ Jason McIntyre, who had to shave a Seattle logo in his hair because he lost his bet the Seahawks would finish with a sub-.500 record.

However, it seems McIntyre hasn’t learned his lesson. On Monday’s edition of The Herd, where he is co-host, he and Colin Cowherd were discussing the bombshell Russell Wilson report in The Athletic. Neither McIntyre nor host Cowherd were thrilled at the report, as both believe the media is unfairly piling on Wilson.

But when Cowherd said “but Pete (Carroll) got the last laugh this year,” McIntyre made another bold claim:

“Well, for now,” McIntyre exclaimed. “You can take the short term win, but I guarantee you Denver is better than Seattle next year. C’mon, Sean Payton and Russell Wilson?”

Sounds like perhaps another bet is in order. The full segment can be be found on the February 27th edition of The Herd, Hour 1, at the 29:00 minute mark, wherever you listen to podcasts.

Colin Cowherd co-host shaves Seahawks logo in hair after lost bet

It’s certainly seems like Jason McIntyre has learned his lesson.

The Seattle Seahawks surprised a great deal of people this season. After trading Russell Wilson and cutting Bobby Wagner, many expected Seattle to engage in a full-blown rebuild. Instead, the Seahawks went 9-8 and made it to the playoffs. Seattle ending the year with a winning record made many 12’s happy, but at the expense of one TV personality.

Back in late August, FS1’s Jason McIntyre – co-host of The Herd with Colin Cowherd – was fairly confident the Seahawks would not be making much noise. When discussing the possibility of adding Jimmy Garoppolo to the Seahawks in the summer, McIntyre proudly proclaimed “if the (the Seahawks) get to above .500, Colin, I’ll shave a Seattle Seahawks insignia on the side of my head.”

Well, Seattle did finish the regular season with a winning record. After defeating the Rams 19-16 in overtime, receipts were kept.

To his credit, McIntyre is a man of his word and did not back down from his own bet.

The Seahawks under Pete Carroll have routinely proven they should not be underestimated, even when it appears they are at their lowest point. It’s certainly seems like Jason McIntyre has learned his lesson.

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‘Outstanding hire’: Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt endorses Brent Venables hire for Oklahoma Sooners

Fox Sports color analyst Joel Klatt joined The Herd with Colin Cowherd and said Brent Venables is an “outstanding hire” for Oklahoma.

FOX Sports color analyst Joel Klatt joined Colin Cowherd on The Herd yesterday and shared his thoughts on Oklahoma’s hire of Brent Venables as the Sooners’ head football coach.

Klatt was one of the first to congratulate the Sooner fan base Sunday night when the hiring became official.

“You got a real one and the future should be as bright as the incredible history for #Sooners,” Klatt tweeted at the time.

He expounded on those thoughts with Cowherd.

“I liked the hire of Brent Venables a lot. I think that when you look at Brent’s success over the last 20 years, he’s basically been in half the national championship games over the last 20 years. He is outstanding and he also has the history. I think that this was in large part a nod to the alumni and fan base, because that’s who they wanted right away because of his history there. He had won a national championship, he had been with Bob for a long time and he’s got great energy,” Klatt said to Cowherd.

Klatt was asked about Oklahoma’s upcoming move to the SEC and how that would impact Venables’ tenure at OU. One of the parts of the move that Klatt likes for Oklahoma is that the Sooners don’t have to sacrifice access to their recruiting base.

“Oklahoma is one of the great brands historically in college football. They are not losing their recruiting base while they move to the SEC. It may be a little bit more competitive on the field, but this is not a Nebraska move where they’re losing ties with the one recruiting base that really helped them become a great and maintain a great presence in the sport. So, I think it would be totally naïve to think that Oklahoma will not continue to be Oklahoma under Brent Venables. I think it’s an outstanding hire and I think that they will continue to be a great program,” Klatt said.

Klatt swatted away Cowherd’s attempts to suggest that Oklahoma could become an afterthought in the SEC.

“It is a good conference, but their record against the SEC is also very good. I think it’ll benefit Oklahoma that they don’t have to play nine conference games anymore. Now, they can play the eight conference games and a softy in November. You can play this game all day long. Yeah, but the SEC has been incredibly top-heavy over the last five or six years. The top is elite and the best in college football. There’s no doubt. It is the best conference. There’s no doubt about it. You mean to tell me that all of a sudden Texas A&M after being linked with Oklahoma in the Big 12 and being definitely in its shadow for all of that period of time is all the sudden going to be the big brother on the block? Texas A&M has basically no history as it compares to Oklahoma,” Klatt said.

Cowherd was less optimistic about the hire.

“Brent Venables is interesting. So, I have a program transitioning to the not only the toughest conference, Kentucky now is good, Arkansas is now good. The difference between the ACC, the Pac-12 and the SEC, you can play well and lose regularly on a Saturday night. But, here’s the other thing. Even Saban acknowledges, yeah, you can’t stop anybody anymore. I mean, Georgia can’t stop [Alabama]. Venables is not only a defensive guy, his connections are defense, his world’s defense, his sensibility is defense. The best offense is winning. Bryce is the best offense, Cam was the best offense, Burrow was the best offense. In the defensive conference, the best quarterback, the best offense wins. I’m not sure if Venables is a home run. I have my reservations,” Cowherd said.

Maybe nobody passed along the news to Cowherd that Oklahoma hired one of college football’s top offensive coordinators in Jeff Lebby.

Contact/Follow us @SoonersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oklahoma news, notes, and opinions.

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Russell Wilson thinks offense was too passive in second half of 2020

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson joined The Herd with Colin Cowherd to discuss the offense in 2020 and their goals for 2021.

Russell Wilson joined The Herd with Colin Cowherd for a virtual interview to discuss the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive performance in 2020 and their ambitions for the 2021 season.

Wilson relayed how Seattle jetted out to a 5-0 record on the back of the offense, an effort spearheaded by none other than himself, setting himself up for NFL MVP candidacy early on.

“I think the thing for us, we had such an electric, amazing start at the beginning of the year,” Wilson said. “We were able to do everything. We went for it every game, every play, every possession.”

However, as every Seahawks fan who watched last season knows, opposing defenses figured them out, Wilson became a turnover machine, and injuries started piling up. All of this contributed significantly to the offensive struggles down the stretch.

“We hit some bumps in the road,” Wilson continued. “I could have played better. I should have played better. I can do my part, too, obviously, as well. I think what happened was that we had several guys go down up front, we didn’t have our starters, necessarily, and everything else.”

After the first five weeks, defenses of opposing teams frequently gave the Seahawks two-deep looks among other things and they failed to adjust.

“I think on offense, we didn’t adjust great throughout those tough (games),” Wilson said. “We had a couple games we could have adjusted better. That was last year, and I think that ultimately this offseason is really about ‘How can I be the best version of myself?’ And across the board. Ultimately, like I said, my mindset is we should be playing today – or I should say this weekend – so I think that’s really what matters most to me. When I wake up every day, every morning, you have that itch.”

Although they were occasionally out-schemed, Wilson believes the Seahawks’ offense became passive in the second half of the season and could have been more aggressive with their talented skill players despite his issues with turnovers.

“I think we got a little bit passive,” he said. “And we got to make sure that never happens again. We got to make sure we do everything we can to be playing this Sunday. That’s what it takes. We got great players, we got our best players, we got to let it go, go for it and everything else.”

The Seahawks must find ways to consistently succeed on offense in 2021, and a new approach with Shane Waldron could assist with that.

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