THE HERD - Hour 1 - Broncos Proving Doubters Wrong, Lions Fall Apart

Good Friday show, Blazing Five coming up, and Chicago’s finally thawing out. Quick NFL note from last night: Denver went into Arrowhead, ignored aesthetics, and beat a division rival by a score that matters; Sean Payton put the game on Bo Nix and RJ Harvey, and it worked, while the Chiefs looked like an aging power that can no longer flip the switch.

None of the chatter matters; it’s us versus the Chargers next, at our place, and the building’s going to feel like the playoffs.

On Detroit, this slide is more than injuries; lose a top-tier schemer and the offense loses its edge, and once Dan Campbell took over play calls, the crisp, inventive feel faded—his record with Ben Johnson versus without tells the story.

NBA takeaway: it’s a wings-and-switching league, and the Lakers are built like a different era—too many ball-dominant creators, not enough rangy defenders, and LeBron’s on-court impact has slipped on defense; JJ Redick is challenging stars, and outside of JJ and Luka, you have to be open to calls if you’re serious about fixing this.

Cowboys handled Washington, but I’m not sure what we learn from that, and I’d at least consider sitting Dak.

What stood out was the receiver room—Turpin popped, CeeDee was sharp, and the young guys are real, so splurging for George Pickens is not a must; use resources on edge, tackle, and corner.

I’d start Joe Milton to see what’s there; worst case, you lose and your draft slot improves.

Milton is exactly what he’s always been, a half-to-half roller coaster; if you want to protect Dak, fine, and around the league we’re seeing heavy backup usage anyway.

In Chicago, Ben Johnson keeps praising Caleb Williams’ competitive gear as much as the arm; face-of-the-franchise vibes.

Caleb’s toolkit is obvious—big arm, movement, durability—and yes, he’ll miss some gimmes, but on a rookie deal you can win a lot while you polish the rough edges.

Spurs swept OKC and Wemby was talking at the line; this wasn’t a 40-and-20 night, just total control.

Stephon Castle is a two-way tone-setter who fits anywhere and pairs beautifully with Wemby, and the West is a gauntlet with OKC, Denver, Dallas, Houston, and Minnesota all surging.

On the Lamar noise, I’m not painting him as a villain, but he’s moved from automatic no-trade-call to at least pick up the phone, and the Jets should be first in line—they have picks, they can’t develop quarterbacks, and the production gap since 2018 is massive; Harbaugh can push back publicly, but you still have the internal meeting.

If Michigan lands Kyle Whittingham, that’s a clean culture fit—no nonsense, player development, tight ends and trenches—Utah has played Big Ten football for years without Big Ten recruiting.

You have to buy a ticket to win the lottery; making the playoffs is our ticket, and we’ll keep the backs-against-the-wall mindset, one week at a time.

Buffalo needs to reach the AFC title game or face hard questions, because this is one of those narrow windows; and yes, Blazing Five is next—I’m on all underdogs this week with weather and motivation tilting the board.