Colin Cowherd Podcast Prime Cuts - Super Bowl Preview, Belichick Hall of Fame Snub? Broncos Win With Bo Nix, NFL Coaching Carousel

Alright, who knows where this goes. I tossed this out to Danny: during the Patriots run I was one of their loudest defenders, but we all remember the taping scandals and the deflated balls—lost picks and huge fines. With three stains on the resume, it’s fair to pause; suggest a one-year wait and people act offended. Fans want a clean ending, not turbulence, and suddenly everyone forgets what happened.

There’s no written morality clause in the Pro Football Hall, so leaving him out on the first try felt silly. It’s 50 voters and you need 40 yeses, but Belichick’s resume clears the bar. The Polian ‘I don’t remember’ bit is wild for someone holding two percent of the vote, and Vahe Gregorian at least explained his procedural choice to back the senior candidates over Belichick and Kraft in the same pool. If cheating was the reason, no one has owned it publicly.

I’d have slept on it and still voted him in, but I get tapping the brakes. On the game, Seattle’s young core could feel the weight, while New England’s older group with Vrabel and McDaniels has been here and carries underdog calm. Everyone wants Seattle; that pressure plus their splash versus New England’s efficiency makes me think the Pats can give them real problems.

I grabbed Seattle at three and a half the second it posted. They’re deeper, more tested, and didn’t live off an easy path; New England benefited from schedule luck and opponents’ injuries and meltdowns. This isn’t a knock on Drake May—it just feels a year early. Darnold’s surge is real, but the sudden ‘you can’t doubt him’ drumbeat can flip fast if he throws an early pick. Play it ten times and I’ve got Seattle winning about seven.

Here’s what still blows my mind: Brady hit the market and half the league shrugged; Darnold was out there and only a couple teams leaned in. Early labels stick. If Darnold wins the whole thing—since that Carolina benching he’s stacked wins and hundred rating games—what box do we put him in?

I wouldn’t vault him into the Mahomes, Allen, Lamar, Burrow, and Stafford tier off one ring, but he’d belong in that next cluster where reasonable people debate rankings. The bigger lesson is context: at 21 to 23 he was asked to rescue chaotic teams, then finally got a real coach and weapons and took off. That should keep hope alive for guys like Daniel Jones and even Kyler if the support improves. At 28, Darnold could be a top ten fixture for years.

Seattle drafts so well they aren’t paying most of their stars yet, which lets them pay a quarterback without the typical roster dip.

There’s a massive gap between 65 million and 35 million at quarterback, and Darnold on mid-tier money with top ten play is a roster gift. Big, mobile, live‑arm quarterbacks who aren’t knuckleheads deserve a longer runway before we sell all the stock.

About that ten to seven grinder in Denver: even before the whiteout, I’d have taken the chip shot to go up two scores with a backup. In January I want points, not bravado.

I’m with you. Early fourth downs in low‑scoring playoff games make no sense, especially with a defense‑led team and a backup under center. First drives are scripted mirages, and the wind turned the night into survival mode. For all the schedule chatter, New England still took out Buffalo, then beat Harbaugh, Payton, and the league’s best defense. That’s a real run.

If Bo Nix plays, I probably lean Denver, but we got a fun Super Bowl. You’ve got Kraft back with Vrabel and Drake May, plus the Darnold redemption arc. And John Schneider keeps hitting on college talent; he rarely misses.

The proof is all over the field, from the small‑school guard to Jackson Smith‑Njigba, who let them pivot off DK and feature him. Vrabel could become the first to win a ring with the Pats as a player and then coach them to one, and they didn’t drop a road game. That’s big‑boy stuff.

On the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy: it fits their DNA. He’s Tomlin on offense—motivator, wins plenty—but against an elite coach with a real quarterback, you feel second best. Pittsburgh loves Pittsburgh, and this keeps them in their comfort zone; I still think they could’ve aimed higher.

I wasn’t surprised. The Rooney line about never punting on seasons told you they’d pick stability over a reset. McCarthy can call it and keep them competitive, but this is his first stop without an inherited quarterback and the market is thin. With Minter in Baltimore and chaos in Cleveland, they’ve got a lane, yet it’s a tougher lift than Dallas. Still, coaching the Packers, Cowboys, and Steelers is as big as it gets.

First order in Pittsburgh is flipping money from defense to offense. They’ve got young pieces on the line, in the backfield, and at tight end; draft defense in bulk, let some vets walk, and mirror the Chiefs, Rams, and Seahawks by paying offense and keeping the defense young. Then go solve quarterback.