Best of The Herd

Here we go, hour two on a Wednesday. Brooks Koepka heading back to the tour is a win for viewers; I just want the best on my TV, no matter the league.

With eight teams standing, I see four that can actually win it: Rams, Patriots, Seahawks, and Bills.

The Rams are healthy and explosive, New England is balanced with no real holes, Seattle makes you throw and can win ugly, and Buffalo closes games behind Josh Allen.

I’m out on the Bears, Niners, Broncos, and Texans for now due to big-play leaks, injuries to stars, a soft schedule with a stuck offense, and Houston’s red zone issues and missing weapons.

Houston’s defense is playing at a throwback, suffocating level; the pursuit to the ball makes it feel like there’s always an extra hat in the frame.

The concern is a very young offense with injuries; they flash, but drops and first-year growing pains could hold them back right now, even if that defense can carry them far.

On coaching jobs, the Ravens are the crown jewel; I think the Giants are next, ahead of the Steelers, because you inherit real pieces and can fix tackle immediately in a strong draft, while Pittsburgh’s older, heavy on defense, and still lacks a quarterback in a brutal division.

I agree, and how attractive each opening is hinges on how you grade the incoming quarterbacks; the Giants have cornerstone talent up front and in the secondary, while Pittsburgh faces an aging core and a longer rebuild.

As for candidates, it’s deeper than people think: Harbaugh, Stefanski, Tomlin, and McCarthy are strong; Saleh, Flores, and Daboll deserve another look; Kubiak and Hafley are intriguing; and I’d hire Mike McDaniel as an OC in a second.

Saleh’s edge is staff-building from the Shanahan tree; there’s a wave of ready defensive coaches like Jesse Minter, Jeff Hafley, Anthony Campanile, Matt Burke, and Ejiro Evero, while offensive options like Clint Kubiak or even Davis Webb are more upside bets.

On Aaron Rodgers, I’d nominate him for comeback; he maximized a thin Steelers offense, but I think he steps away unless a perfect fit, like Minnesota, calls.

Inside Pittsburgh, the expectation was retirement after this run; he rediscovered the joy of just playing, which brought closure, and unless the right situation pops, he’s probably done.

Buffalo’s win at Jacksonville changed my view; they looked composed and ready to stack another tough road win.

This Bills team is resilient; McDermott’s measured fourth-down choices signaled confidence they’d win tight and lean on Allen late, which has been their formula for weeks.

Quick hits on openings: Tennessee could land Stefanski if he doesn’t go to New York, with Saleh also in play; the Raiders might go conventional with Minter or swing on Davis Webb; the Dolphins fit Clint Kubiak’s collaborative style; for the Steelers, Chris Shula fits their mold, and yes, Marcus Freeman would too if he ever left Notre Dame.

Freeman was gauged by the Giants and Titans and does have NFL ambitions; Shula’s resume and presence check the boxes Pittsburgh typically values, and he earned every step.

He dropped a bunch of bombs there; Freeman to the Steelers would be wild, and that roster’s thin with no quarterback.

The runway’s there, though; Pittsburgh holds premium picks and major cap space, and a coach with deep college ties could supercharge back-to-back drafts.

And Davis Webb as a head coach? That rumor is spicy; the carousel’s getting fun.