Colin Cowherd talks Super Bowl w/ Lions' Aidan Hutchinson, Liam Coen, Ryan Fitzpatrick | HERD NFL

What this episode is about

Colin Cowherd discusses the Super Bowl with Detroit Lions player Aidan Hutchinson, who reflects on the drive and ambition to reach the championship after experiences of watching from the sidelines. The conversation also highlights Lions head coach Dan Campbell's unique coaching style and physicality, drawing parallels to NFL coach Mike Vrabel.

Key takeaways

• Aiden Hutchinson's Super Bowl absence fuels his fire—greatness is a hungry beast that demands sacrifice.
• Dan Campbell: the NFL’s gentle giant; he’s not just a coach, he’s a motivational tower of authenticity.
• Sam Darnold’s journey is a testament to resilience; a quarterback's value often lies beyond public perception.
• Detroit’s roster boasts hidden gems; it's a mix of fourth-round grit and first-round talent in a playoff-bound mindset.
• Winning isn’t just expected in Detroit; it’s woven deeply into the team's fabric—losing feels like a personal failure.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Colin Cowherd (Host) · 24 min speaking
• Aidan Hutchinson (Guest) · 12 min speaking
• Liam Cohen (Guest) · 4 min speaking
• Ryan Fitzpatrick (Guest) · 4 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Dan Campbell, Aiden Hutcherson, Sam Darnold, Mike Vrabel
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Max Crosby
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Aiden Hutcherson, Liam Cohen, Z Biotics, Trevor Lawrence
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Trevor Lawrence, Liam Cohen, Sam Darnold, Mike Vrabel
5. 20:00 – 25:00: Mike Vrabel
6. 25:00 – 30:00: Sam Darnold, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Liam Cohen, Trevor Lawrence
7. 30:00 – 35:00: Sam Darnold
8. 35:00 – 40:00: Aruba, Ryan Fitzpatrick

Notable quotes from "Colin Cowherd talks Super Bowl w/ Lions' Aidan Hutchinson, Liam Coen, Ryan Fitzpatrick | HERD NFL"

• It was kind of up and down a win, loss, win, loss. We couldn't we couldn't really find a streak and he was really imploring us to just stay in the fight like we're going to…

  about Dan Campbell · at 2:51

• I just want to say congrats to Sam, cuz I think he's he's had a crazy ride in the NFL and to be where he's at and having a good chance at winning the Super Bowl like that is.

  about Sam Darnold · at 4:15

• Point. That's why I'm I'm really since college since I when I was kind of in the middle of college, I prioritized longevity. I prioritized diet and my health cuz I knew, man…

  about Aiden Hutcherson · at 8:58

• Without sacrificing your productivity the next day, Zbiotics pre-alcohol has you covered. Start your night with pre-alcohol. Wake up ready to show up for work the next day.

  about Z Biotics · at 13:40

• Weren't always clean. And then you So, when you take over him, do you break him down? Because it was a massive jump. He played much cleaner with you and Ben had to do this with…

  about Trevor Lawrence · at 15:17

• Mike Vrabel we were talking about very few coaches like have a brand and it usually takes years to develop.

  about Mike Vrabel · at 20:20

• All right, Liam Cohen. yeah, it's it's former college assistant and I see all these Northeast schools. Chip Kelly did a lot of that, too, before he was discovered by Oregon. So, it's it's.

  about Liam Cohen · at 25:01

• Starting quarterback for nine different teams, which is a record. You know what's really interesting is I always think when guys go to Harvard and then end up in the NFL, they always get.

  about Ryan Fitzpatrick · at 28:02

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Aiden Hutcherson — Person · Main guest · 4 mentions · first at 0:11
  Interview subject discussing the Lions, Dan Campbell’s coaching style, and his own mindset/longevity as an NFL edge rusher.
• Sam Darnold — Person · Referenced player / discussion anchor · 10 mentions · first at 3:07
  Used as a case study for quarterback development, adversity, and how coaching/situation changes perception and performance.
• Liam Cohen — Person · Guest (coach interview) · 5 mentions · first at 14:47
  Discusses his approach to QB development (Lawrence), offensive structure, and building a physical team identity; positioned as a fast-impact coach.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick — Person · Guest (analyst interview) · 5 mentions · first at 26:59
  Provides perspective on Darnold’s journey, QB aggressiveness, and Mike Vrabel’s authenticity; discussed as a successful broadcaster post-career.
• Mike Vrabel — Person · Referenced coach (comparison/leadership archetype) · 3 mentions · first at 1:20
  Serves as the template for a ‘tough, authentic’ coaching brand; compared directly to Dan Campbell and discussed by Fitzpatrick as authentic/consistent.
• Trevor Lawrence — Person · Referenced player (development example) · 5 mentions · first at 14:43
  Central to the Liam Cohen segment: discussed as a high-upside QB whose mechanics/footwork and decision-making improved quickly under new coaching.
• Dan Campbell — Person · Referenced coach (key comparison point) · 3 mentions · first at 1:28
  Highlighted as an unusually authentic, physically imposing, culture-setting head coach; compared to Vrabel and discussed by Hutchinson as uniquely motivating.
• Max Crosby — Person · Referenced player (comparison/trade-value example) · 3 mentions · first at 4:42
  Used as an elite pass-rusher benchmark and as an example of draft-value variance; also used as a stylistic comparison to Hutchinson.
  But like we talk quarterbacks, we have got some pass rushers in this sport that are all time good. Jay Glazer reported this week Max Crosby is done with the Raiders.
• Christian McCaffrey — Person · Referenced player (testimonial source) · 1 mention · first at 3:31
  Mentioned as a player who vouched for Sam Darnold’s ability based on their time together in Carolina, contrasting fan perception vs player evaluation.
  Sam Darnold's initial impressions are, oh, he can't play. But every time Christian McCaffrey came on my show yesterday, he's I played with him in Carolina. And my first…

Places & events

• Aruba — Place · Setting · 2 mentions · first at 38:12
  Described as a vacation destination by the guest, highlighting its beaches and activities.
  Aruba is incredible. It's great. They gave me this shirt and I pretty much already had the same one in my closet.

Sponsors

• Z Biotics — Product · Sponsor · 1 mention · first at 12:56
  Promoted as a probiotic drink designed to prevent rough mornings after drinking, with a call to action for listeners to purchase.
• Head and Shoulders — Product · Sponsor · 1 mention · first at 11:13
  Mentioned in a light-hearted conversation about hair care, with a subtle endorsement from the guest.
  Staying consistent with them. Keep keeping that dry scalp nice and moisturized. We've been good, man. Hey, you look like you've been using it to yourself, man. You look like you got a good head of hair, man.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 Welcome to the Herd's official YouTube channel. Make sure to like and subscribe. Don't forget to check out the Colin Coward podcast, all of our NFL instant reactions and more football content. Speaking of great players, uh he has been as advertised, Aiden Hutcherson of the Detroit Lions. He is uh joining us now live. I'm not sure if I've ever a Michigan man through and through is joining us live. You know, it's interesting. you um when you when you go to an event like this and you're watching Seattle and New England, do you have mixed emotions? I mean, do you are you sitting there thinking, "Oh my god, this is my whole dream. This is my whole life." It's like playing at Michigan, if you know, if you can beat Ohio State, it's great. And Michigan's great, but if you if somebody went four years to Michigan and never beat the Buckeyes, you're like, it feels a little unfulfilling. Do you when you're at the

0:51 Super Bowl, Aiden, are you like, "This makes you hungrier." It's It's kind of How do you feel this week?

0:59 Yeah. I mean, at this point with this being my fifth Super Bowl without being at the Super Bowl, you know, it uh it pisses you off a little bit because we know the talent we got on our team and we know like what we're capable of. We just got to put it together and play complimentary football and we'll be all right. So, um that's that's what we got to do next year if if we want to be in the big show.

1:20 Yeah. Um, we talked a lot about Mike Vrabel this week and that his physicality, his size, it's hard to duplicate Mike Vrabel. Dan Campbell's probably the one guy in the league that is sort of Vrabel NFC version where there just not many human beings the size of Dan Campbell. And I don't think you can be I don't think you can coach like Dan unless you're Dan, right? like that kind of I mean to me he's such an authentic guy. Have you ever in your entire life and all the coaches you've had high school college pro? Have you ever had anybody that's even like Dan Campbell?

2:02 Yeah. You know, I mean him and Harbaugh were similar in that way for their love for football, but Dan is is different in the way that you said it. It's um it's like he for one, he's like towering. like I I I feel I don't feel small in front of many people, but like when someone's like kind of like has broad shoulders and like standing toe-to-toe with me, um he makes me feel a little bit small for sure. But um so there's that factor, but it's also the way he lays it he lays it on the line. Like even post games, like if it's a tough loss or even a even a great win, the authenticity of the reactions and the emotions it like you you feel that as a player and even when you know stuff wasn't going right for us this year. Um it was kind of up and down a win, loss, win, loss. We couldn't we couldn't really find a streak and and he was really imploring us to just stay in the fight like like like we're going to

3:01 catch fire at some point and you know we ended up missing the playoffs but man I I I think there's there's no lost belief in him. Well, you had Sam Darnold in your division um a year ago and um I' I've always said we were talking about on the show today, whatever the initial impressions are, it could be of an actor's first movies. If they're both great, you just think great actor and they could go 12 years without a hit. Sam Darnold's initial impressions are, oh, he can't play. But every time Christian McCaffrey came on my show yesterday, he's like, "I played with him in Carolina." And my first impression was, "That's one of the best players I've ever played with." So the fans are like, "Yeah, that guy interception."

3:42 Players I've talked to are like, "Oh, I love Sam. Sam is a baller. He could be a linebacker." What were your impressions um when like Minnesota moved off him? Were you actually I mean, he was so good. Were you kind of surprised?

3:57 For sure. That situation is one that Minnesota situation is just it can go either way and it's whatever way the owner and the GM they want to take that team and they ended up wanting to move on from him and um now he's in the Super Bowl. So it's uh you know I all I got to say is I'm not going to we're not going to I don't want to talk about Minnesota. I just want to say congrats to Sam, you know, cuz I think he's um he's had a crazy ride in the NFL and to be where he's at and having a good chance at winning the Super Bowl like that is um talk about an adversity story, overcoming adversity and and looking your obstacles in the face and just not not caring about failure and just keep moving on like that. To to him, he embodies that.

4:38 Yeah. The um you know, it's the NFL is crazy. Max Crosby was a fourthround pick. That's just crazy. Brady was a sixthround pick. And then there are guys like you that are just physically look different, play different. You're you're an easy comp. It's like, okay, that guy's a first round pick. That guy's top first. But they're not many. After about 15 picks, I've had GMs tell me for years, it's kind of 15 guys that are different and then it's a bunch of really potentially good players. Is I look at Detroit and I've said this many times. I think your front office is excellent. I'm like, there's a lot of dudes on that team. There are a lot of dudes in Detroit.

5:16 Does that make losing tougher? Does that make disappointment tougher knowing in that locker room you got fourthround guys like Omaron St. Brown? Like you got guys everywhere. Did that make it tougher this year?

5:31 Absolutely, dude. That I mean that's it's um we're no longer it's no longer 2022 where if we win a game, everybody's screaming in the locker room cheering. It's uh it's just the expectation at this point. And when we're not doing that, and not even I don't care what people say about us. I don't care what reporters say. Like the overall expectation for what guys believe we should be capable of is that it's winning every week. It's playoffs. It's Super Bowl. Like the fact that we haven't made one, it does piss me off at this point because I know what we can do. And I and I know, but don't get me wrong, I know in my whole heart, I believe that that that we're going to go and u and we're going to win it one day.

6:11 And do do I know when that will be? No. But I do know it will happen. Yeah. You know, I look at this Super Bowl and I think these are very similar teams, defensive coaches, athletic quarterbacks that like to throw the ball downfield, really good secondaries, front sevens with a lot of dudes that have got range and can move. Offensive lines. Okay. Okay. There's a couple player each O line's got like an really good Gray Zable for Seattle is a dude. Charles Cross pretty good. Um, it's just interesting when you look at these two teams, and I know you're concentrating on the Lions, but when you look at these two teams, do you think there's one team you go, "Oh, that team has an edge here." Do you see it that way?

7:00 Honestly, um I haven't watched a ton of these teams, but like you said, it's like if you say the offensive lines are okay. Like I think really good quarterback play with mobile quarterbacks, like they can in in football now, like that can really like when we played Baltimore for example, like it doesn't matter who the O linemen are, you could beat them, but you got to then get Lamar down and it's and that's a whole another task, you know. So, it's uh um offenses definitely make it challenging now with their mobile quarterbacks. Even if you win on the rush, you then got to take down a quarterback who's running a four or five and and can juke you out, you know. So, it's um it's it's a tough task, but again, you're right, defensive-minded teams, this is going to be very defensive game and um it's going to be fun to watch as a defensive player myself. you know, you had you you played and you're playing all the games and you

7:51 show up every week and you would come off an injury the previous year and for players like you like it's one thing like in baseball I guess pitchers have arm injuries but a shortstop can play for 20 years in the NBA you know guys play for a long time your position is so violent and you're literally I mean the collisions you are in weekly are just like I don't I've said this before to fans you have no idea what football's like from TV. Go stand on the sidelines. It's I mean I I'm 6'2 one. I'm I'm a bigger than average American. It's terrifying. I'm like, God, do you do you think about that? That you are living a dream. Michigan, first round pick, got the financial set. Do you think about that when you play this game as man, I I better cherish every freaking snap now.

8:42 You have a good coach. You have a good front office. half this league doesn't. How do you like in how do you think of yourself and your career and your future because you're still young in a sport where you age quickly?

8:56 That's right. That's that's a great point. That's why I'm I'm really since college since I when I was kind of in the middle of college, I prioritized longevity. I prioritized diet and my health cuz I knew, man, if this game that I love so much really depends on my longevity and how long I can stay athletic, how long I can stay injuryfree, like why don't more guys than take care of their body, you know, if you really love this game. So, um, man, I have so much passion. When I got that taken away from me last year, it it it hurt, you know, not being able to go out there, especially with a good ass team, number one seed in the NFC last year. like um that hurt. And so being able to play this year with a really fun defense, really good guys. It was um it felt like I was back and and again to your point, it's um this NFL experience is very fleeting and I understand that and that's why I really try to do

9:48 everything I can to play as long as I can. And so at the end of this career, I'm going to look back and go, I'm good. I did it all.

9:56 You I when I you remind me of Max Crosby and I I know Max and I love Max. I just and that you're you're willing to talk a little bit during a game like you like you're a verbal guy. Do you I mean not even maybe intimidation not do you find yourself verbalizing stuff during games. Is this like almost it's a performance for you? It's three hours of being relentless. I mean does your I've had I've had pass rushers tell me this and I haven't had other players tell me this. I've had pass rushers tell me bro I have to change personality.

10:29 It is. I am a different human for 58 snaps on Sunday. Is that you or are you kind of just the same intense guy?

10:38 No, man. That that that switch flips. And um to me, I'm not as vocal on the field. I'm like I like to be more of a quiet killer. Like like I I like I won't say anything to old linemen, but if I'm when I'm beating them, getting them, getting them, getting them, like you see the you see the wear down. you see the um the demeanors change a little bit and to me like that is the war within the war. You know what I mean? It's not necessarily what you say. It's when you start cooking like that that that when the demeanors change, momentum's flipping and you feel it. That's when football's fun, man.

11:13 Uh you got quality hair. Head and Shoulders must be helping you with that quality head of hair. Aiden, that's all I got to say. That's a good look.

11:21 They are, man. They are, man. I'm out here with Head and Shoulders tackling dandruff with every wash, staying consistent every day. Um, they've been a great partner with me and u, man, staying consistent with them. Keep keeping that that dry scalp nice and moisturized. We've been good, man. Hey, you look like you've been using it to yourself, man. You look like you got a good head of hair, man.

11:40 I mean, my my age starts with a six and I still got hair. Okay. Hey, if I could be like that, I'd be blessed, okay? cuz cuz uh you know and luckily I think genetically I might be all right but you never know but I think I'm looking good for 25 right now. We still got everything intact.

11:58 A couple good this is this is a hairpiece. I just don't let anybody know. A little too bad. Yeah, that's right.

12:05 All right. Good to see you buddy. Good to see you man. Aiden Hutcherson great great player. Um, man, we right now in the NFL, we got some pass rushers. Like I I understand, but like we talk quarterbacks, we have got some pass rushers in this sport that are all time good. Jay Glazer reported this week uh Max Crosby is done with the uh Raiders. They're going to get a hall for Max Crosby. I I think you can get a bigger than Micah Parson's haul. I I really believe that. It's the hurt. With a big game coming up, we're all about enjoying the moment without paying for it the next day. Whether I'm hosting friends, jamming, cheering from the couch, heading to a watch party. I want to be fully present and still feel good in the morning. For me, that means planning ahead, especially if I want to have a few drinks. My simple trick, start the night with Zbiotics pre-alcohol. Z Biotics Pre-alcohol Probiotic Drink. The

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13:51 zbiotics.com/theheerd. Go there now. 15% off your first order if you use the herd at checkout. It's backed by 100% money back guarantee. No risk. Subscription is also available for maximum consistency. Remember zbiotics.com/theheerd. Use the code the herd at checkout for 15% off. Well, you get some of these young coaches. Ben Johnson's obvious cuz he was so highprofile with Detroit. Demo Ryan before he got the job. I had called some people in San Francisco. They're like, "That guy's going to hit like fast. Like, he's going to be great."

14:29 Liam Comb was that when he's with the Bucks, he's with the Rams. People are like, "This thing is going to work in Jacksonville. It's going to work fast." And he turned around. I mean, just it is amazing. Ben Johnson gets a lot of the love for the turnaround, but the Jags went four and 13 to 13 and four and it was and I love Trevor Lawrence and I got to the point where I was like selling stock and Liam Cohen takes the Jags over and it is it is a bright future and he is joining us live um in San Francisco. So, let's let's start with this because I think it's kind of fascinating. I I love getting these coaches on the air about this. So, I I I love like everybody else, I saw him play in high school. I saw Trevor at high school camp and I was like, "Bro, that guy is like, "Wow, I loved him at college." And I But he was a bit turnover prone. Mechanics weren't always clean. And then you So, when you take over him, do you break him

15:23 down? Because it was a massive jump. He played much cleaner with you and and Ben had to do this with Caleb to some degree. He'd been beaten up, lost some confidence. What did you do in the first three weeks, four weeks with Trevor because the the the ascension was noticeable very quickly. What in the hell did you do?

15:43 N Colin, thanks for having me on, man. Really appreciate a ton of respect for you and this program. Um, Trev Trevor was so cool to work with at a at an early point because of the humility you talked about of being able to say, "Man, I do want to break this thing down. I I'd like to change my footwork in the shotgun." He was always a right foot forward guy. I ended up wanting to go left foot forward. That was his idea. That was something that I was comfortable with after working with uh Matthew and Baker. And uh we started there. Colin, he wasn't able to throw all of for a long time during spring because of a shoulder surgery. So, we were able to really start from the ground up, really start with the footwork, start to work with the playbook, the protections, the schemes from the neck up without worrying about the result of a completion, right? Like, we're just worrying about your footwork

16:32 and your thought process going through the cycle of the snap without worrying about the throw. And then, okay, get into training camp. Now, we're getting closer. Now we're getting closer and it did it took some time. We were able to run the football effectively early in the season which helped us win games and Trevor managed the game at a high level and then once man the pass game took off he brought us to a whole another level.

16:54 Yeah it is. Um you know it it's funny like Drake May moves, Darnold moves, he moves. I mean Goff and Matt Stafford don't but what is the line on wanting your guy to move and not get whacked? Because I couple times with Trevor this year, I'm like, "Bro, get down. You are long. You You're a big target." He He got smoked in a game. It may have been one of your playoff games earlier in the year. He just got smoked. What is the line for a coach?

17:22 You want that third down escapability, but he is the franchise. How do you coach that?

17:27 Right. That is the finest line that you walk honestly with a guy like Trevor that I mean he's legit high four five 46 that can really run athletic big strong um has an advantage right it's an advantage for us when he can get moving and and while you also want your quarterbacks to go through progressions and read it one to two to three and find a checkdown or be able to keep the ball in play because if you check it down and we gain 10 yards well you just took a a negative into a posit positive and you didn't take a hit. Well, when he has to when he's able to go scramble, push up in the pocket, slide out, go run, now you've made the defense defend every blade of grass and you make it very frustrating on the defense. So, that was a lot of conversations, Colin. Um, I actually remember after the Kansas City game, his wife Marissa was like, "Dude, you got to slide. You know, you got to get down."

18:20 And hey, I'm like, man, as long as you you feel like you're protecting yourself and and look, he just wanted to compete his tail off this year, uh, prove to a lot of people that he can do it. Prove to himself that he can continue to play at a high level. And I think when you do that, Colin, you earn your players trust and you earn their respect. Uh, and that's something that Trevor was able to do this year.

18:41 You know, I said, um, you played the Seahawks and and you hammered some really good teams. Uh, the Chargers game, you you unraveled teams. There was one game though, the Seattle game where it was like, and I've said this all year about Seattle, turn the sound down and watch Seattle. They just look longer and they are fast. They are young. And with young teams, you get energy. You get more mistakes, but they when they're humming, they look different.

19:06 Let's go back to that game against Seattle. You're on the sideline. Did you look at that and think that that team may be a Super Bowl team? Uh there's no question preparing for for that team that we were very aware of the physicality, the way that they played, their coverage structures in the back end, you could tell was extremely tied together. Mike does a phenomenal job. I think his coaching staff does as well, but you can see uh they they've got waves of rushers, right, Colin? Like they've got groups up front in their front seven specifically, uh that can really impact and affect the quarterback. It's not just one. It's not just two. Um I think the the big nickel humanora kit is unbelievable in terms of the athlete, the freak. Uh the ability to play coverage and rush and defend the run. Um they are exciting. It's an exciting defense and then really offensively uh a ton of explosive plays,

20:00 right? They've lived and died by the explosive play. Sam's playing at a high level. I think their run game is really coming to life and and thought they did great things over the course of the year. A lot of props to Mike for what they were able to do this year. And you're right, you you can turn the the the tape if you just watch and listen. They play the game the way it's supposed to be played.

20:20 You know, Mike Vrabel um we were talking about very few coaches like have a brand and it usually takes years to develop. And it was about halfway through his career in Tennessee, I started seeing this video of Mike Frabel and the players after the game, long snappers, quarterbacks, rush edge. And I'm like, if I had two words to describe Vrabel, it would be like tough love. Nobody's gonna love you more. Nobody's going to support you more. It's almost like a fatherly figure. And you have a very close relationship with your players.

20:49 It's hard, Liam. You sometimes you have to give them really bad news, but you also have to have the respect. And you've got to you've got to be an alpha. You're you're leading you're leading successful driven men in a care in a career that pays well and is very short. When you see this stuff of Vrabel and and how does it land for you a coach watching that coach and that relationship?

21:14 That's that's everything to me is the relationships like this. Take football back to pop one or take it to high school. Take it to college. It's the brotherhood. It's the relationships. It's the trust. It's the connection in the locker room. the coaches and players having a real honest open conversations that yeah, you're right can be difficult, can be challenging, but if you approach those conversations uh and tough ones uh with as a man and bring it to them as a man uh without really ego involved from your standpoint or the organization standpoint, those guys can usually take that stuff like men and they can handle it like men and uh that's what they want to be treated like. They're pros. We're working together. um you know, I happen to be the head football coach and so when you can make them not feel like a line of on a piece of paper of a playbook, I think those guys are going to play a lot

22:06 harder for you. I think those guys in the fourth quarter are going to reach and find something maybe they didn't have. So those are the type of relationships that we would like to have with our players, our coaching staff. And you can see, coach Res has that without a question.

22:19 Well, it's interesting. Jacksonville um always had a reputation kind of a sleepy town, warm weather. And if you look at the NFL, Liam, I don't know if you're aware of this, but there's never been a warm weather dynasty. And I've always argued, you know, in college football, you play the warm, you play the, you know, a lot of your big games inside, right? Or in the South.

22:38 In the NFL, there is value in playing in New England and Baltimore and Green Bay and Seattle. And that what's interesting about Jacksonville is how do you create a tough physical almost northeastern kind of you know attitude when it's 72 degrees a lot the beach you can smell the salt like how do you do that as a staff create an and it's weird to say it but almost a northern toughness in a southern place

23:10 that that was exactly what we said when we got here Colin like working with Tony Elli James Gladstone about what we really wanted this to look like. I mean, when your executive vice president of football operations is is a left tackle, right, and your general manager is a coach's son, uh you're you're going to fall in in into uh synchronicity with what you really want it to look like. And we we knew if we wanted to get where we want to go ultimately was win a Super Bowl is we're going to have to go run the football and stop the run in places like Baltimore, New England, Buffalo, Kansas City. Um and look, that's something that it's football, man. It's it's what it was when we were 5 years old playing this game. And I was fortunate enough to to grow up uh around division three football uh watching my dad coach every day. And you know, you're putting car lights to to have night practice and they're getting my

24:06 dad's making sandwiches. My mom's making sandwiches for the the players to have on the bus. I mean, it's it's that's what I grew up in. And uh I don't think that really changes based on the level you're at. If you want to be a tough brand of football and play that way, great. Or you can go play Star Wars and and play seven on seven and maybe that stuff works. But I I just think that this game's meant to play violent. It's meant to be physical. And uh I think they they it shows with the way that we coach and play.

24:35 Well, I see I look at your coaching resume and I see Maine and UMass and Rhode Island and Brown, which is by for the record a beautiful part of the country, but it is um I like that you got you got some uh Northeast kid in you and I love that. and you have crushed and you turn, man, you turn that puppy around fast and I'd love to have you on again and just keep crushing. You're good for the league.

24:58 I appreciate it, Colin. Thank you very much for having me on. All right, Liam Cohen. Uh, yeah, it's it's former college assistant and I see all these Northeast schools. Chip Kelly did a lot of that, too, before he was discovered by Oregon. So, it's it's crazy. I was I think like a lot of you, I was a huge Trevor Lawrence fan. And I got to the point where I'm like, "Yeah, he just makes too many mistakes." And all of a sudden, you watch immediately and you're like, "Okay, got his guy." You know, Baker, for the record, Baker Mayfield had Liam Cohen and and Dave Canales. And then they leave and then it doesn't quite work as well. A lot of success for quarterbacks. I mean, Matt Stafford did not win a playoff game, P.

25:36 McVey, okay, look how good he is. I mean, look at Sam Darnold, New York. I mean, last week or a week and a half ago, Stafford, Darnold, go take their first five years in the NFL. Stafford and Darnold. If I would have tried to sell you on Yeah. Right now, uh, they're in the NFC. They'll meet in the NFC Championship. If I if I'd have said that after four years of Darnold and four years of Stafford. So much. That's why it's don't give up in any field on young people. I don't care if you're a young teacher, a young attorney, you know, it doesn't matter. just you don't give up it. When you're young especially, you need stronger support than when you're old. I mean, at this point, I got gray hair. I am what I am. I mean, I have to deal with J-Mack and you know, that's difficult. But outside of that, it's easy living. I've made my mind up.

26:27 Lowmaintenance Mac. That's the new nickname. Going around the building, is it going around the building and then bouncing right back to you?

26:35 We got a Nick Amanari update uh from Mike McDonald. He is saying that he's confident, quote, that his safety will play in the Super Bowl.

26:43 Young athletes heal quickly. It's called a low ankle sprain, not the high one. High

26:48 low ankle sprain. I had that walking to the set. That doesn't matter. Yeah, you suffer one of those every day.

26:52 Low ankle sprains don't mean anything. And this guy's a machine. He's what, like 23 years old? Young superstar.

26:58 Yeah, you'll be fine. All right, we got good stuff. Ryan Fitzpatrick, if I I had Ryan on years ago, he's done a great job for Amazon. He is. I'm telling you, you can go give me a three-minute reel on Ryan Fitzpatrick. That dude made he was athletic and he's going to join us.

27:16 Well, we've talked about over the I mean, I've been a Sam Darnold fan for a long time since USC, but that you know it you have to be careful about judging um especially the quarterback position early. So much of it's a journey. Um you can look at Baker Mayfield, it was success, it was bumpy. Uh then McVey wants him and then he gets Dave Canales and he gets Liam Cohen. It is a position that is sometimes very dependent on your left tackle and your offensive coordinator. And when you think of Darnold's jour journey and you think, wow, what a what a crazy journey for Sam Darnold, double it and add another 30%.

27:53 And that's the journey of Ryan Fitzpatrick who now does a great job on Amazon Prime. Uh Thursday Night Football analyst, very outspoken. um starting quarterback for nine different teams, which is a record. You know what's really interesting is I always think when guys go to Harvard and then end up in the NFL, they always get short changed because everybody's like, "Well, yeah, he's smart." And I've said this about you multiple times. I'm like, Ryan Fitzpatrick has a lot of Darnold. is that he's really athletic, strong, thick. Um, sometimes that aggressiveness got him in a little trouble, but I mean, I I do think that you've got some Sam is that you were never afraid to let it rip. You had a very short memory.

28:40 Teammates really liked you. So, I would guess Ryan, you would appreciate Darnold to some degree. Oh, I love I I love Sam and I've known him since his rookie year and so always been a fan. But it's not easy. It's not easy to get picked that high and to fail, right? And he failed in New York and the biggest media market. I think the smartest thing that Sam did when he went to San Francisco, he took a step back. He wanted to insert himself into the McVey Shanahan tree. He did that. He meets Clint Kubak there. And I love that he talks about how much he learned from being in San Francisco, from watching Brock Perie, even though Brock Perie's younger than him and the way that he operated and then to take those tools and to apply them the rest of the way in his journey. It's been awesome. But it takes a special guy to be able to overcome the adversity that he has. Uh because I've been there and

29:34 it is not easy all the criticism, but he's got a great team and great friends around him. you know, um, you know, you go and look at your career, and I said this earlier, you you weren't a People could say, "Well, Ryan was a bounce around the league guy." No, you started for nine different teams. You were a starting quarterback. In fact, I've said if you ever want to go win money at a bar, just ask him most consecutive 400 yard games ever by a quarterback. You're going to win a you're going to win a Guinness or eight on that question. is I do think it's harder when people like you and Sam move well.

30:10 So you were probably great in high school, you dominate college, you go to the NFL, you have big I remember you had a September with Buffalo one year, you were absolutely on fire. What is the line that you self-manage that you were in a game all of a sudden Ryan, you have hit eight straight passes. You are feeling it. It's 72. It's Buffalo. You're beating New England. How do you turn down the governor? Because I watch Sam sometimes and he can get a bit frenetic, but I watch him and I'm like sometimes I think you got to let Sam be Sam. You had some of that. Is that a hard thing to do? If even if you respect your coach, is it hard sometimes to turn that governor down in big emotional games?

30:52 Colin, I never found a way to turn it down. You know, I'll tell you, you have to you do have to rely on your coach for a lot of that though. I think that's why it's important that there is a previous relationship with Clint Kubak and Sam Darnold. Clint knows Sam well and he has to know in those moments what Sam's feeling, what Sam's going to do. There's play calls that you have dialed up for this Super Bowl that you've been working on for two weeks and sometimes you've been working on them the whole year and you just haven't had a chance to call them that are going to get dialed up in particular moments. And when they get dialed up, Clint and Sam have already had the conversations. Look, Clint, if you call this play and it's oneon-one, we're putting it down the field. And so Clint has to know on certain situations and certain plays, if I call this, I know we're taking a shot. I know we're

31:41 going to be really aggressive. So, he has a better idea of how to turn it up and down with Sam as the game goes on. And it's a really important relationship, quarterback and play caller.

31:51 Yeah, you overlapped with Vrabel in Houston. Um, Mike's really bright. He also has a quality I love that he's confrontational but doesn't hold grudges. I like that qu I mean Mike is he'll get I mean he'll he'll poke he used to poke Bellich in the ribs but Mike doesn't he got mad at me about a year ago on something. He doesn't hold grudges and I think that's just a good human quality when you see I think I don't think Ryan you can fake toughness with players or that you really care about them. You either care or you don't and players can sniff that crap out in a second. There's something about Vrabel and I don't know if you felt that that that overlap in Houston. I just think players know he loves him and I don't think you can fake you can fake some stuff. I don't think you can fake that.

32:38 Yeah. I I think the word we're looking for is authenticity. I mean he has it and the thing that that Mike does so well though it's a blend because we always talk about Bellich and all of his disciples and he never coached for Bellich but he played for him. But the problem is that all the Bellich check disciples, they try to be Bill. They try to have that hard line. I'm your coach and you're my player.

33:02 And Mike has done such a great job of navigating that line to where he's played in the league. He's got instant respect cuz he's been through everything you're going through. All the in training camp that you're going through, the tough times, the injuries, and playing through it. Mike's already done all that as a player. He knows what you're going through, but he has a clear vision. He's authentic and he's also very consistent in what he's demanding out of these players and that's why it works so well with him.

33:27 You know, I said I I' I've I'm from the Pacific Northwest and I said, "Guys, I I I I know Seattle plays at a different speed than almost every team in the league." And you you know on Thursday Night Football, Ryan, you've seen both these teams. You watch a lot of football. You know the culture of New England. But I said there is some value in being told for two weeks you could get run over by the Seahawks.

33:50 Yeah. And I I gotta tell you, I think we what's happened, Ryan, is we've watched New England for a month and they keep playing in Blizzards against good defenses. So everybody now thinks Drake man the offense stinks. And I'm like, guys, they dropped 31 on Buffalo. You just It's recency bias. I think New England's got a real shot here. I I really I mean, first of all, the 10th Super Bowl for Josh McDan, you can't tell me that's not an advantage. How do you see the game?

34:20 Yeah, I think what you're talking about them being told that they're not belonging in this game, but it's also Seattle listening to that, right? And then all of a sudden, we get through the first quarter and we get to halftime and the game's still close. And Seattle's been told all week long like it shouldn't be close. I think the big thing is going to be early in this game when you watch that Seattle San Fran game. We've got the kickoff return for a touchdown and then we've got the fumble by San Fran. All a sudden you look up at the scoreboard and Seattle's winning 17- nothing. Could that happen in this game?

34:50 It sure could cuz Seattle's that good. But I think you're right. I'm favoring and leaning towards the New England Patriots because I think the longer this thing is a game, they're going to shorten the game on offense. Raman Stevenson's going to have a ton of carries. Josh McDaniels is the X factor in this game. He's been in a bunch of these. Drake May has a calmness about him. When Josh is calling the place, he's going to put them in good situations. I think the New England Patriots are going to win this game.

35:15 How about that? The um you know, it's so interesting about quarterbacks. There's they're tall, they're big, they move, they're pocket. Uh your personality is totally different than Kirk Cousins. You know, it's just it it it's one of the things I love about this league. But I do think Fernando Mendoza, I'm interested on your opinion. Um, Fernando Mendoza, I heard I heard this once from a quarterback coach. He said, "It doesn't matter what your personality is, but you can't be a chameleon. You have to be what you are." And you and if people think Russell Wilson had a little bit of this where people didn't always buy the authenticity of it. Um, you were a quirky guy, but that's who you are.

36:00 And people buy that. I watch Fernando Mendoza and I could see where a pro alete would go, man, this is a little cringe. And I'm like, okay, he may be Mr. Rogers a little, but I I there's something I love about his willingness to just put it all out there. And I I don't know. I don't know. I mean, obviously he's a tall guy, can move, and I think his personality is an advantage is that he seems so optimistic and grateful, and this league just beats the hell out of you, and he just looks like a guy that could go one and 16 and would be in a great so much of this league is just keeping your head, right? What do you make of him?

36:40 Yeah, I I do think there's I've never met him, but he looks real. It looks authentic, and it is easy to be happy when you win all your games, right? So, I would love to see them in an adverse situation to see how that goes. But I think what players really are drawn to with quarterbacks is are you the hardest working guy on the team? Are you somebody that's going to demand a lot of me and demand a lot of yourself? And when we go out there, I mean, people obviously love winning, but can you command a huddle? Can you sit in a huddle and make those other 10 guys believe that you're going to win this football game when they look at you in the eyes and you call play? And I think that's one of the most important things in a quarterback. Again, I he had an unbelievable season. I don't know him, but I love I think his personality is infectious. I mean, he looks like a goober a little bit and he's talking and

37:29 but I I mean, it is it is guys are going to gravitate and love it, especially if he has the work ethic to back it up. Well, you you've really become you in the Amazon. I just saw Richard Sherman last night. They've put a collection of unique personalities and you have crushed it on Amazon Prime. You really have. And I I see here today you are and this is the most fitting advertiser of any guest I've ever had on my show in the history of my 33-year career and Super Bowl interviews. You are doing work for the Aruba Tourism Authority and I completely buy it. I know.

38:05 Just talk about Aruba. I'm going to Anguila. I've never gone there. So, uh I'm in in March. Tell me about Aruba.

38:12 Aruba is incredible. It's great. They gave me this shirt and I pretty much already had the same one in my closet. So, uh, but I, my wife and I went and we've got seven kids, Colin. So, very rarely are we going on a vacation with just the two of us. We've been married for almost 20 years and this was one of the first times we've been off together. So, it had to be a special place. They call Ruba one happy island for a reason. It has the white sand beaches, but it also has the adventure, you know, going on the hikes, doing the natural swimming pools, doing the snorkeling. So, it was very refreshing. We came back, we felt lighter, we felt happier, we felt rejuvenated, but would recommend it to anybody that's thinking about going down to a tropical place. Aruba is incredible.

38:54 Well, um I hope people appreciate you. Uh you just ended up being a just a your your passion for I see it in broadcasting. Your passion for football and your passion for what you do just just jumps. It's like a strong drink. It hits you right through the TV. You got a great sense of humor and I'm really happy for you, Ryan. You've done you've done well for yourself. Not not surprising.

39:18 Thank you, Colin. And we have, of course, Cararissa Thompson to wrangle us all in. She's amazing and has been awesome for us on Thursday Night Football.

39:26 Yeah, she is. By the way, what was the hardest class you ever took at Harvard? H I get that a lot. I don't know. Some econ class, probably. But I'll tell you what, my son is there now. He's a freshman. and he sends me the chalkboard in his math 55 class of the teacher up there grinding and writing and there aren't any numbers and it's a math class so I don't know what he's learning or what they're teaching him but it is way above my head.

39:51 Say hi to the crew. Thanks buddy. Thank you so much. All right. Thank you. We'll see you Colin.

39:55 All right. Ryan Fitzpatrick. He's he's really a credit. He's just done a terrific job. They put all sorts of different personalities on that. Good for them. And Chrisa is great. We know her well here on the

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Colin Cowherd talks Super Bowl w/ Lions' Aidan Hutchinson, Liam Coen, Ryan Fitzpatrick | HERD NFL"?

Colin Cowherd (Host), Aidan Hutchinson (Guest), Liam Cohen (Guest), Ryan Fitzpatrick (Guest).

What is "Colin Cowherd talks Super Bowl w/ Lions' Aidan Hutchinson, Liam Coen, Ryan Fitzpatrick | HERD NFL" about?

Colin Cowherd discusses the Super Bowl with Detroit Lions player Aidan Hutchinson, who reflects on the drive and ambition to reach the championship after experiences of watching from the sidelines. The conversation also highlights Lions head coach Dan Campbell's unique coaching style and physicality, drawing parallels to NFL coach Mike Vrabel.

What is mentioned in this The Herd with Colin Cowherd episode?

12 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Aiden Hutcherson, Sam Darnold, Liam Cohen, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Mike Vrabel, Trevor Lawrence. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Colin Cowherd talks Super Bowl w/ Lions' Aidan Hutchinson, Liam Coen, Ryan Fitzpatrick | HERD NFL"?

The episode runs 40 min; the transcript is about 7,970 words in 80 timestamped sections.

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