The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 01/11/2021 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: January 11, 2021

Colin tried to make sense of the Steelers uninspired playoff performance vs the Browns and how Lamar Jackson was able to break through with his first playoff win. Howie Long gave us his thoughts on Super Wild Card weekend. Michael Vick told us why the Eagles decided to fire Doug Pederson, and Colin gave us his Right/Wrong from the weekend. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok.

On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it

with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1, find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio.

Ah, it is a Monday, and maybe you noticed there was some football this weekend, live in Los Angeles. This is The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we are on Fox Sports Radio, we are on IHeart Radio, we are on FS1, one hour from now. Where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong, plenty of both. Joy Taylor is down in the chair, ready to go. I'm ready to go. How are you? I've been better.

Yeah. Not going to say I wasn't nervous. I said all week I'm very nervous about this game. I've been, I'm the honesty broker of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Well, another playoff dud by the Steelers, their first six drives. Fumble, interception, punt, interception, punt, interception. In the last decade, they have three playoff wins over A.J. McCarran, Matt Moore, and Alex Smith. Welcome to the reality of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I'm not really a sports romantic. I don't collect stuff. I don't collect baseball cards. I'm not into watches, clocks, whatever people collect. And I'm not a sports romantic. Very easy for me, for whatever reasons. I don't know why. probably part of my childhood.

I don't like to look back. I find tomorrow infinitely more fascinating than yesterday's news. This morning, at noon, I'd move off Big Ben. And not just because of yesterday, but partly because of yesterday. Just think about this. Next year, according to reports, there's going to be now 17, not 16, not 14 like I grew up with. There's going to be 17 regular season games. Let's say Ben participates in one preseason game.

That's 18. Let's say he makes the playoffs for a game. That's typical for Pittsburgh these days. 19 games. That's like 60% more than a college football season, and those athletes are younger. Does he look like a 19 quarterback game? If you don't move off Big Ben, you deserve all this.

He's not a Brady Breeze 38 years old. We've all worked with people who, you know, close the place down, play really hard, never in great shape, not into details, don't save money in their 401k, lifestyle, lack of dedication. This is how it ends. How Brady's career is ending tells me all about the last 20 years and how Ben looks overweight. He's not into details. Don't give me Philip Rivers.

Philip Rivers was never a great athlete. Big Ben was a great athlete. He's 38. He's not 44. You play hard. If you're offseason is beers and maybe an occasional yoga class, this is what you look like. I don't want to hear about his 500 yards throwing 400 of those were when the game was over. Cleveland at halftime goes to a prevent defense.

They gave Big Ben, Juju, Juj, Smith, Shuster. All these guys are making catches. Game was over. Game was decided. I don't want to hear about his stats and his yards. This is on Ben. Listen, Mike Tomlin has some questions to answer. Okay?

We didn't do enough. Yeah, I mean, let's be honest about Mike Tomlin. They weren't prepared. It wasn't all Big Ben. I mean, they just weren't prepared to play. Special teams, defense, gaping holes. So this is not all on Big Ben. Mike Tomlin's teams in recent years have dissolved at the end of season.

Mike Tomlin's teams, especially in big games against Belichick. You'd watch it and you'd think, not really buttoned up, not really look like they're prepared. And sums on Tomlin. But Pittsburgh doesn't fire coaches. It's not what they do. But you can fire essentially move off quarterbacks. Stop living in the past. Next year we got 17 games minimum.

Does Ben look like a 17. game quarterback in this league. Old, slow, plotting, unprepared. Here's Tomlin after the loss, the ugly loss. We didn't do enough. We didn't position them in enough good circumstances. We didn't make enough plays, particularly in the critical moments. You know, we were a group that died on the bond. Listen, you can blame Tomlin, and he deserves a lot of heat too. But in the end, we know the reality of this organization. They don't fire coaches. And we know the reality of what they are

at quarterback. I mean, if you watch three teams this weekend, the Saints, the Colts, and the Steelers, these go from good rosters to great rosters. But they're all missing that like, that kind of dynamic

it. With Breeze, this is his last year. With rivers, it's probably his last or next to last year. Ben look worse by far than both. It's time to stop being a sports romantic. Move on or don't complain when your seasons continue to end like this. All right. There's a lot of narratives in sports and some I buy. James Hardin is not built for the playoffs. No, I actually watch that and I don't think his style, which is very ball-centric. I don't think

it's built for 82 games in the playoffs. I buy into that narrative. Clayton Kershaw is not as good in the postseason as he is in the regular season. Yeah, I watch that. I buy that too. He struggled to get out of the seventh inning against good playoff teams. But here's one I didn't buy into. Lamar Jackson is not built to win in the playoffs, and he cannot win coming from behind. Okay. Well, he trailed in this one, came from behind, and won a playoff game. Yeah, he's good enough. Number one, he's a kid. And every year I watch him, he is better at something.

These days, he's better in the red zone. Number two is winning the playoffs is hard for everybody. Bill Parcells, 58% wins. Lamar Jackson, 81%. And by the way, he's no less dynamic an athlete in the playoffs than the regular season. If you look at what is happening in the NFL, Well, this weekend's a prime example. The Colts bills were very even rosters.

What was the difference? It was Josh Allen, a guy that could move. The Titans Ravens, very even rosters. What was the difference? Lamar Jackson, a guy who can make plays off script. For both Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, love both, think Josh is a better passer. Lamar's a better runner. But in both, they were the difference.

in the game. Colts bills, I can argue the Colts have the better roster, the better O-line, and the better defense, and an equally deft head coach. The difference was Josh Allen. And the difference in this game was Lamar Jackson. That was it. His mobility is not a negative. You start looking around the league on a weekend that was dominated by defense, and it was a special player in the Ravens game. It was a special player in the Bills game. That's it. That's the difference in those games.

That's the difference between the Bills winning and losing. That's the difference between the Ravens winning and losing. It was Lamar. It was Josh. And by the way, he's 24. Most 23 and 24-year-old kids are looking for their first job. His resume, Lamar Jackson's resume at 24, Two division titles, MVP, quarterback all-time record for rushing yards, a playoff win, and 81% NFL victories.

The great coaches are at about 58%. Lamar's at 81. So there are a lot of sports narratives, the James Harden that Clayton Kirshah, I buy in, I watch, I see, I understand, I buy into it. Lamar can't come from behind. Lamar can't win a playoff game is nonsense. His biggest issue is actually the Kansas City Chiefs, not his inability to throw up the sidelines. Yeah, there's this thing called Kansas City, Andy Reed, Patrick Mahomes.

That's his roadblock. And he may never beat him. But that's not going to be on his inability to look pretty and throw the ball up the sideline. Congrats to the kid. John Harbaugh asked after the game about the way. weight now off Lamar Jackson's shoulders. It's a big cheer. There's a lot of cheer and a little bit of dancing. And, you know, I think everybody was really happy. You're right. There was a lot of attention

on it. You know, that's how it works. We understand that's the nature of it. You know, that's really not the main point. I don't think, but it's a team game. And I felt like our guys all played well. They were just happy for him. It's something that he won't have to talk about in the future. And that's a meaningful thing. You know, when you're a parent, by the time you're 45 and 50. We're all kind of embedded in the way we live. But I'm a parent. I've got kids. I'm looking for small little growth pockets, little more maturity, little more accountability, little better student, little more patience. My kids are young. Every year with Lamar, he just gets a little better. This year, remember the first year he came in? Next year,

he's a little bigger. He's like, I'm going to put. I'm going to put. on some weight. And then the following year, oh, he starts to read last year. Read the defense a little better. MVP. This year, he runs a little less and he's a little better in the red zone. That's what you ask of kids. Not these monumental, gigantic Grand Canyon leaps from immature to could run a company. Just incremental little moments of growth every year with him. He's just a little better. And my guess is he's never going to look like Mahomes or Aaron Rogers outside the sidelines. But I thought there was a play in the game late that he would not have made his rookie year.

Maybe he would have, but he iced the game, he split through, he ran down the right sideline, and he sat down in the field. Did you see those last couple of drives for Lamar? He doesn't make those rookie years. He doesn't make those last year. He iced the game. sat down, he ate the clock, total self-awareness for the moment. I thought the last two, three drives of the game for Lamar, it's like, oh, he doesn't do that last year. He doesn't do that

his rookie year. Just little bits and pieces. Congratulations. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clipper Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits.

the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game.

His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall.

And then he has to give us every day. thing he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball.

Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Iza, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone. It's Ryder Strong and Wilfredel from PodMeets World.

And now the Pod Meets Twirled podcast. We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV, who now have covered Dancing with the Stars, traitors, and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of the show.

I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some Survivor. I obviously haven't watched enough. Did people not like it? Yeah. Just because we... Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion in the 50th season.

From the final attempts at gameplay, to the desperate plea is the finalist to a bunch of... Ha, ooh. Ha, ha, ooh. Again, we are experts. So make sure to tune in to Pod Meets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes. Listen to PodMeets Twirled on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

So when Kevin Stefansky got... the job in Cleveland. He'd never been a head coach. He was smart. He'd been around the Vikings. People said he's a good fit. He had the background of a coach. He was loyal, smart, well-schooled. It had success in the NFL. But the question is always for a young coach, if you've never been a head coach, is not drawing up plays. Kevin Stefansky would be good at that. That's not the issue. The issue is, oh, can he create a culture? And it's very dubious in Cleveland looking at their history. Could he make them grownups and adults?

We've always known Cleveland last few years. Baker's on a rookie contract. That's how it works. Jared Goff in a rookie contract. Carson Wentz in a rookie contract. Philadelphia can spend more money on free agents. Patrick Mahomes on a rookie contract. Lamar Jackson on a rookie contract.

If you look at who's left in the playoffs, it's quarterbacks on rookie contracts or legends. Josh Allen on a rookie contract. You can spend more than a Stefan Dix. It's never been about talent for Cleveland. Could they be grown-ups? Could Kevin Stefanski change the culture? Not easy if you look at their vast and recent history. But what was important about yesterday is if the mom and the dad, if the parents,

If parents create a great culture, then it can withstand them leaving for the weekend and the kids don't burn the house down. Kevin Stefanski wasn't there last night. Dad left for the weekend. And the kids not only didn't burn the house down, they cleaned it up. They were more organized. That win was about Kevin Stefanski. That's not a shot at Baker. That's not a shot at Nick Chubb. that was about building a culture. The parents leave for the weekend and the kids clean the house up. Don't burn it down. A lot of stuff could have gone wrong. Your play caller's not there.

Your coach isn't there. Your second best offensive lineman. Maybe your best offensive lineman isn't there. You're going on the road. You've only got 15 players on the roster who have ever been in a playoff game. Fewest of any team in the playoffs. This thing could have been. a mess. I thought it could be a mess. And it was the opposite. Very rarely in sports does the first play

of the game set the tone last night did. Do you see Big Ben and James Connor on that fumble? Hey, you get it. No, I'll get it. Did you see the urgency of the Cleveland Brown defenders? Their focus, their aggressiveness, how their running backs broke tackles last night. Cleveland this morning feels like grownups and adults and responsible. To play that well on the road, fewest playoff guys, and your coach isn't there? This, not Baker, not Miles Garrett, not Jarvis Landry, not Nick Chubb. These are great players, most of them. The point being is, we watched New England do this for 20 years.

culture over talent with very few exceptions. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Howie longs the Hall of Famer, 13 NFL seasons. A Super Bowl champ among other things is joining us live. Brought you by Mercedes Ben's the best or nothing. I never like to overreact on Monday, but we are moving into a 17 game regular season. And I mean, it's not 14. what you grew up.

Now it's 17. And you throw a preseason game in that's 18, postseason, that's 19. And I watched Ben and I thought, he looks old. He doesn't look like a 19 game quarterback to me, Howie. Does he do you? I thought, interestingly enough, I thought Ben looked more fresh from an armed perspective towards the end of the year. The question with Ben has always been, it's not, it's not,

talent. You know, when I look at, when I look at Josh Allen, you can't help but think Ben, a young Ben, you know, and think back to what Ben was when he first got in the league. Ben, you know, if you believe what you read and what you hear, is not someone who necessarily is at some state-of-the-art facility training in the office. Right. You know, if Ben is willing to rededicate himself to the point where he could come back, and, you know, he's under contract, and it's guaranteed money to the best of my knowledge. And they have to work something out because the cap number is significant.

I would like to see Ben come back. I mean, I love watching Ben play. I have over the years. He's been one of my favorite players to watch. Could I do without all the, you know, the drama on the periphery? Yeah, sure. But I love the way Ben plays. and it seemed like they struggled to find an identity

during the course of the year where they run team, they were 11 and O, but, you know, and I said it on our show and people were looking at me like the RCA dog. You know, I just wasn't that impressed. And I felt like the good teams that they had beaten all had the ball at the end of the game with an opportunity to win the football game.

I think they're just, you know, it's a well-run organization. and Mike Tomlin is a great coach. I think their general manager is great. They do a great job drafting wide receivers. The offensive line needs to be refreshed a bit. They need a true 1A running back who can give them that kind of a capability. I think the injuries in the front seven on defense.

I think it hurt them both versus run on defense, and I think it hurt them in coverage because I'm a big proponent of, pressure equals coverage and they got so much pressure in the past with, you know, those booking outside linebackers and the loss of inside linebackers, babe. You know, Buffalo is an interesting team because I thought the Colts had the better running game, the better offensive line, the better overall defense. And then there was Josh Allen. Josh just sort of is the difference.

I was talking to Chris Battle of the GM last night. He's so proud of his team, but you just can't, you can't duplicate what Josh Allen does. And I wonder watching Buffalo, and I sat there and I thought, I think the better team is Indy, but Josh is Mahomes. He's just taking them to places nobody else in the planet can. Can a team carried by a star young quarterback? Can they overcome some of their limitations in Buffalo? I think you can if it's a well-run organization and you have, you know, I think pieces around him. and certainly the Diggs acquisition was huge for Buffalo.

It's so fascinating, and I'm fascinated by him, and I liked him coming out, and people were questioning the Wyoming schedule, your receivers there. He checked every box, full free, cannon firm, athletic, all of the, but the one thing that he struggled with was accuracy, and when you talk to back,

And you talk to general managers and coach, and you can't, which is accuracy. And all of a sudden, he figured out how to throw the ball. I'm not sure, but the leap that he took physically, I think mentally and in terms of his ability to understand what they're doing and how to manipulate defenses and what he brings to the table, he's so big, he's so athletic. as I said he reminds me a lot of Ben only he's running to run at times but for the most part he's running to throw yeah so I was particularly happy with Lamar Jackson I've said this before there are certain sports narratives I buy into and there are certain ones I don't I think Lamar every year you got a bunch of kids I got kids with kids you're looking for just incremental

improvement in maturity and every year with Lamar I feel like he's like 10 percent better. And I thought those last couple drives, Howie, he was so mature, had great self-awareness of the clock. We've got a lead. Let's secure the ball. I thought his decision-making late was really, he couldn't have done that two years ago. No rookie quarterback could have. So I was really happy for him because there's a lot of naysayers with Lamar. What did you see? Well, I think with most folks, when they don't understand something, they tend to be afraid of it and not like it. Lamar is in a league filled with the greatest athletes on the planet.

And he's one of a handful of players over the last 20, 25 years he could say this about. He makes great athletes look average. And you don't understand, well, how can he possibly continue to pull it down and go? He's not RG3, so much more physically, so much stronger and thicker. And his ability to throw outside the numbers, I think, is underplayed. I think the MO on him is crowd the middle of the field, forcing to throw outside the numbers. I think he, what he did over, you think about last year, they were kind of the front runner for most of the season.

and they were playing from a head, from a win-loss standpoint. What he had to do this year was so much more impressive. And you forget that he's younger than Joe Burroughs. Yeah. When you think about what he had to do to get in the playoffs just to qualify, I think it takes him to another level and you forget how young this guy is. You know, if you look at who's in the playoffs now, it's mostly teams with quarterbacks on rookie deals.

I mean, that's the reality. Baker's on a rookie deal. Mahom's still on that. Aaron's not obvious. It's either Hall of Fame guys mostly or quarterbacks on rookie deals. And then there's the Rams, where Goff is not a Hall of Famer, and he's not on the rookie deal. And they've done a lot, they've done a lot right, Howie.

But boy, when I watch the Rams, it is though they are, they don't feel great about Goff. Goff doesn't feel great about Goff. Can that kind of offense go to Green Bay and compete. Is Aaron Donald at full strength? Yeah. I mean, no, that's that's a huge, a huge part. Jalen Ramsey, you know, the impact that he's had on them. I think his play is infectious. I think you could make a case for him being defensive player in the year. And we, we saw there where Russ is trying to force the ball of DK Metcalf. And Russ was under pressure, you know, most of the year was carrying

that football team early. But for the Rams, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, think to me, and I've been saying this for the longest time, I, you know, listen, Jared Goff showed me a lot playing last week with two screws in his thumb, having surgery two weeks ago. Having done that, I know how painful it is, particularly the quarterback position, on his throwing hand. I mean, that says a lot about Jared Goff. That being said, I think they're a quarterback team, a quarterback away from being a true Super Bowl team. Yeah. And I I think Sean McVay has had to kind of, I don't want to say, and, you know, Troy mentioned this in the broadcasts. He kind of felt like at times they were protecting Jared Gough in this offense.

I've always felt like if the run game's working, the play action pass is working, and Jared golf is on schedule, and you have free runners in the secondary, Jared Gough can throw the ball as well as anyone. If it's off schedule, if something's not right, he's not. He's not Josh Allen. He's not Lamar. He's not, you know, all the quarterbacks who talk, hey, the kid out with the Chargers, I'm not so sure I wouldn't

take him over a lot of guys. Howie Long, the Hall of Famer, 91-5 career sacks. It looks like you're in some beautiful, nice, warm, wintry place. I don't know where it is, but it looks nice. That's all I know. We're at the top of the, top of the McDowell Mountains

up here in Scottsdale. I knew it was somewhere nice. You know, you're our age, Colin. You should be. You should be someplace that makes you happy. You look happy. Howie, it's great seeing you. Good seeing you, partner.

All right, Howie Long, good dude. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Colin right, Colin wrong, here we go. Where Colin was right? What do you know, Lamar Jackson won a playoff game? I never bought into this. He can't win coming from behind. Folks, he's a good enough passer when you're the fastest human being that's ever played the game.

He had one really, really bad throw in that game. Tom Brady's had pick sixes in the Super Bowl, but he completed 70%. He's now won 81% of his NFL games. Bill Parcell is one of the three or four best coaches of my life is won 58%. Just because it doesn't look like we're used to. If you can run like that, then you don't have to be. Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rogers from the pocket. We liked Lamar.

We said, this is a story that doesn't exist. He'll be fine in the playoffs. Just let him play a few more games. Where Colin was wrong. Never trust my Blazing Five playoff picks. I said the only game I really liked. I loved the Rams to upset Seattle and I did like the Steelers. We were one, three and one.

Yeah, not great. There you go. Where Colin was right? Tom Brady has officially, as predicted, transformed not only the Buccaneers team, but the culture. Played really well on the road in a playoff game. By the way, we said he's going to be choppy in September and October. New playbook, new city, move your family.

Bruce Ariens is a different kind of coach than Belichick, but since the buy, we said, after Thanksgiving, offense will carry this franchise. Since the buy, they're 5-0. Since the buy, he leads the NFL in touchdowns. The offense is now clicking. He was the one old quarterback that did not look old this weekend. Where Colin was wrong.

I do not like backwards hat quarterbacks. And one guy in particular is now taunting me. Here's Baker Mayfield after his win. What does it say about this team just to be able to kind of slough off everything that you dealt with all week and to be able to do this? Well, one quick second. He's playing with me. I'm okay.

You won this weekend, Baker. I still despise backward hat quarterbacks, but you deserve the credit. You played great. Congratulations. Where Colin was right? When the Steelers were 11 and 0, I said, all right, they're not a Super Bowl team.

They can't run the ball and they're sloppy. Joy, what were they last night? They couldn't run the ball and they were sloppy. This is what they were. And by the way, I don't buy any of these second half yards. That thing was done. Cleveland was off defensively, just letting them pick up yards. Mike Tomlin's teams have always been big on emotion, and I like emotion.

But they're often low on details. They're one in five since their 11-0 start, and I just didn't buy into them. I don't think, and this is what worries me a little bit about Buffalo. It worries me if you can't run the ball when you have to run the ball. It's one thing if you're doing it on draws and traps. But sometimes you need three yards and you've got to pick up three yards and Pittsburgh couldn't and they haven't been able to for months. It does concern me a little bit about Buffalo.

Where Colin was wrong. So I said if the Seahawks get healthy at running back, they're going to explode. Actually, the opposite happened. They got healthier at running back and their offense went into the tank. Russell Wilson was horrible in his last four games. Completed 56% of his throws with an 83 passer rating. It's almost, I told a friend this weekend, is it a personal thing? It's hard to explain.

I mean, the whole year we're like, oh, we've seen Seattle. If they're running backs get healthy and Russ can play, play action football, they're just really hard to stop. They are a mess. Now, some of it is they need to draft offensive linemen. They're very good at left tackle, have a decent young right guard, then it's pretty sketchy. But I thought once they got healthy, they'd roll. They went backwards in the last five games. Where Colin was right?

I said, why can't we say Josh Allen and Aaron Rogers are neck and neck and the MVP? Did you watch Buffalo this weekend? Their running game is totally dependent on Josh Allen. He had more rushing yards than their top two running backs combined. That to me is the definition of valuable. Patrick Mahomes may be more talented. I don't know if he is. But I think Kansas City isn't absolutely.

absolutely utterly reliant on Patrick Mahomes for their running game. I mean, this was even more reliant than Green Bay is with Aaron Rogers. They do not win that game without Josh Allen. They don't win that game because the Colts had the better run game, the better align, the better defense, and equal head coach and momentum. They won that game for one reason, Josh Allen. So, again, I don't know why there's so much pushback on this MVP talk, You tell me outside of Rogers who's close to that valuable to their franchise.

Where Colin was wrong. I didn't love when Tampa Bay signed Antonio Brown. I'm like, do you need another receiver? It's a little crowded around these parts anyway, a wide receiver. He's actually played pretty well. He's got five touchdowns, one receiving touchdown in each of his last four games. Mike Evans is more the volume target. Antonio Brown is the always open target.

but he's a different body type than Mike Evans or Chris Godwin or Gronk or Cameron Brate. He's been quiet. He's been focused. I thought it was like duplicating what they had and it was already sort of crowded for Brady. He's been a nice addition. And you just kind of, you know, Evans is their volume guy. Antonio Brown is their open guy. Where Colin was right.

Mitch Trubisky faced a good defense in the playoffs. And they scored nine points. In the last two playoff games, the Bears have scored 12 points per game on average. Listen, it's not all on Mitch, okay, but at some point, you know, you expect me to watch something and then have different opinions on it. Not all games in the NFL are equal. And so, Tribesky can beat Jacksonville, and he can beat Detroit, and he can have these moments. But a franchise quarterback's got to be able to go to New Orleans and go to Green Bay.

Look, the last two weeks, he just can't convert third downs. And again, I don't love all their offensive pieces, but Alan Robinson's a stud, and David Montgomery's very good, and Matt Nagy's an offensive guy, and it's not a bad offensive line. They've got a rookie tight end from Notre Dame I really like. It's not like they're out of talent. It's not like they have none, but in the end, this is kind of what I say. Where's the it?

What is he great at? Well, he can run well, not compared to Josh Allen or Lamar Jack. Well, his arm is average to below average. You got to give me some it if I'm going to spend $25 million a year on you at quarterback. That game just stayed ugly all night long. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encourage. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game.

We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone, it's Ryder Strong and Wilfredel from PodMeets World. And now the PodMeets Twirled podcast. We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV, who now have covered Dancing with the Stars, traitors, and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of the show. I'm just going to remind you.

I have watched some Survivor. I obviously haven't watched enough. Did people not like it? Yeah. Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion at the 50th season from the final attempts at gameplay

to the desperate pleas of finalists to a bunch of ha, hoo. Ha ha, ho. Again, we are experts. So make sure to tune into PodMeets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes.

Listen to Pod Meets Twirled on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Michael Vic, 13 NFL seasons, four Pro Bowls. He knows Doug Peterson, because Doug Peterson, I believe, was in Kansas City when, with the Andy Reed stuff? No, it was, let's ask him. Let's get Michael Vic on, joining us live.

So Michael, Doug Peterson fired. Where did you work with Doug Peterson? In Philadelphia from 2009 to 2012. So I was with him for four years. Wow. Yeah, we spent a lot of time together. I know Doug personally, and I kind of know how you think a little bit. Okay, so let me ask you, I didn't like pulling Jalen Hertz.

I thought it was a big mistake. I think when you have a young quarterback, you're just trying to give them these moments where they can build confidence. It was a moment for Jalen Hertz to win a football game. I thought it was a great moment for Jalen, and I think Doug butchered it. That's my opinion. did you think that led potentially to his firing? Oh, no doubt.

Without question, I think everything in the end, down the stretch was sort of mismanaged by Doug. And it started, you know, when he first put Jalen Hertz on the field, you know, was it a need to put Jalen out there? I don't know. Was it out of desperation? Who knows? But, you know, I just felt like a lot of things was mismanaged.

And, you know, that was a game of significance for the Philadelphia Eagles. One, to get a look at Jalen Hurston, two, to kind of close the season out in style, you know, so to speak. But, you know, he pulled Jalen, and we was all excited about Jalen, and we talked them up, and we wanted to see him finish and play against a good football team, you know, a decent football team and the Washington football team. And for him to do that, you know, took the air out of the building. So, you know, it's shocking that they fired, Doug. You just, you know, four years removed from the Super Bowl, but he accomplished some great things in Philadelphia. By the way, I'm not going to tell you there are comments that Mike and I talk before he went on the air.

He actually golfed two days ago with Jeffrey Lurie, the Eagles owner. He didn't mention anything about firing a coach, right? No, but he certainly picked my brain on some things. And it's fair to say he's a great listener. But, you know, we didn't talk about, you know, Doug at all. It was more about, you know, just coaching principles and things to look for. And I thought it was very intriguing. And myself and Larry Fitzgerald, we had great conversation

and had a good round of golf. But I didn't know that it was going to lead to this. And it's fair to say I had nothing to do with this, Doug, if you're watching. I appreciate that. Well, you and I were both happy, and I've said this before, is I think sometimes we bully in the media. We can all be kind of bad. And I think I was tired of hearing about how Lamar Jackson couldn't win if he was behind.

And I'm like, timeout. He's 181% of his games. The Hall of Fame coaches win 57% and we give him a gold jacket. I thought it was a real moment for Lamar and I got to tell you, down the stretch of that game, with the lead, I thought he played really smart. He knew to sit down. He stayed in bounds. There was ball security.

I felt like I saw growth with Lamar. Your thoughts? Yeah, absolutely. And for one second, did I think that Lamar was going to lose that game even after he threw the pick early in the first quarter? and, you know, it was a ball that I think got away from him. But for him to, you know, just stay in sync, stay in tune with the offense and not get flustered and not, you know, start pressing, play within himself and allow his teammates to work for him and work with him. I think that was the telltale sign of the game.

He showed a lot of heart, a lot of resiliency. And, you know, he had a lot on his play. He had a lot of his back. And, yes, you know, us, the media and as critics, because we can be, can be critical. critical, you know, we have that platform, you know, we kind of say the things that we mean or what we expect to see. And Lamar, he might take it personal, but he understand how this whole business works. And, you know, that's why you get what you got yesterday. You get a guy who's, you know, just in tune with what's going on and, you know, very enthused about, you know,

playing a game of football. And it showed up yesterday. And, you know, I won't say he's out to prove everybody wrong. He's out to just continue to progress and get back. to help his team progress towards a championship. All right, Saints pretty much rolled Tom Brady twice. Now they meet for a third time. Will it look different? Anything you like about Tampa right now? You know, the thing I love about Tampa right now is, you know,

Mike Evans, you know, he's really turned up right now. He's playing a different game. He looks different, playing with a lot of confidence. And Antonio Brown, you know, I think it's going to be the X fact in this game. He didn't play in the first one. I think he was just joining the team the second time they played. Yep. But, you know, Genoise Jenkins and Marshawn Ladamogel had their work cut out for him

because Antonio Brown is still one of the best receivers in the league. And I think he's a great compliment to Gris Godwin and Mike Evans. So he opens everything up. And it's hard to be the team three times in a row, not to say that it can't be done. But, you know, some crazy things are going to have to happen in order for Tom Brady and not walk out of the stadium with a win. weekend. Would you give Big Ben another year and if so why? I'll give Big Ben another year and I'm not saying this because he's my boy. I thought he left a lot out on the field last night. I thought

he battled. It was a very intricate season for the Pittsburgh still is when you think about it in this totality. From scheduling to COVID to not having to buy and these guys I think wore down. It was tired. You had a lot of guys injured, especially when Devin Bush and Boyd-Depre went out early in the Yeah, it killed the momentum of this football team. And, you know, the one thing that has to happen if Ben's going to come back, you're going to have to find them a running game. You look at the older quarterbacks in the league, they all got run games. Yeah.

They all got a run game around Aaron Rogers. He has a run game. Drew Breeze, Tom Brady. You know, those guys got run game to compliment what they're trying to do at this age. And it's not easy. So they need that compliment. And that's the only way, you know, I think Ben should consider coming back. because right now it's at his discretion.

So Jared Goff's got an injury. I don't like their chances going up to Green Bay. Warm weather team, go to cold weather Green Bay, well-rested Packers. But as we saw, Pittsburgh was well-rested, some of their stars and didn't play well. Can you, I mean, Goff's not playing with confidence. Go back to your career. If you struggled, if you had a two-game streak, did you ever lose confidence? How do you regain it as a quarterback?

The only way to gain confidence is a quarterback is to go out and find some confidence. And if that's throwing the touchdown pass early, if it's just finding a way to win the game, that's what it's going to take. But it takes an awful lot. And it's easier to lose your confidence than to gain it. So what you have to do is just play with a lot of heart, play with the will to win, so to speak, and not worry about making the mistakes because, you know, at that point, you know, you already have everything barreling down on you.

The only thing you can do is train up from there. You know, I think it's going to be tough for Jared Golf this weekend, especially with the thumb injury. I know it's not all the way here and it's going to be cold. So, you know, the pressure is going to continue to mount, but expectations won't change for Jared Golf and the Rams. Yeah. By the way, I saw the line this morning.

The Cleveland Browns are getting 10 points. They're a 10-point underdog to Kansas City. And I said, here's my thing with Kansas. City. I couldn't tell you the last time they beat a team by 10 points. I thought they played terribly down the stretch. And then they didn't play Mahomes in week 17. So they're just sitting home and watching. Did you ever get a buy? Do you know guys that got a buy? I don't think the buy is always the answer to everything. Your thoughts on Kansas City sitting around and Cleveland coming off their best win in 30 years. Yeah, the best thing about the buy is just getting guys

healthy in terms of momentum. It's kind of hard to replace that. It's hard to, you know, simulate game speed and being out there getting hit, throwing passes into coverage. Those are things that have to happen when you're out in the field. And Kansas City, they've been sitting for a long time in Cleveland, you know, they're riding their wave right now. And momentum is real. So, Kansas City, you're going to have to be ready. And Baker Mayfield is coming. The one thing I know about the Cleveland Brown's team is that when they come into a stadium, they know exactly what they're going to do to you right now. They're going to try to pound the ball, keep the opposing quarterback off the field, make their plays, and try to find the way to play some

defense to win the game. Yeah. Mike Vic, back in Florida, he'll be back out here in California. We've got a Sunday NFL kickoff show on Saturday this week on Fox. Mike, and great seeing you's always, man. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it.

Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at Tickford. Podcast Network on TikTok. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to Look Back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast.

or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.