The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 01/18/2021 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: January 18, 2021

-Sunday was one of Tom Brady's greatest games-The Chiefs are just playing at a different level-The Packers are making Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy look really bad-Lamar Jackson might have limitations but he's still a superstar-Where Colin was right, where Colin was wrongGuest: Trent Dilfer, Super Bowl Champion QB Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games.

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I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, 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. 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 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 Herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go on a Monday. Live in Los Angeles,

the show's called The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Fox Sports Radio, Iheart Radio, and FS1. What a show today, one hour from now, where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. It's going to let the music play behind me. It's a symphony, harmonizing what was a great week. weekend. Joy Taylor's joining me. Joy, you know I love Tom Brady. You do. That was quite

quite a night for him. Let the music play. It's like an orchestra, a performance yesterday. An a ode to winning the divorce. Oh, my God. So, Breeze looked old, Big Ben looked old, Philip Rivers looked old, Tom Brady yesterday just looked great. And it was great because there were times yesterday. I thought Tom was throwing the ball too hard on some of those in-routes for his receivers. I think that's probably top-five Tom Brady moment for me. Forget the fact he was on the road. Forget the fact the Saints, I believe, have the best roster in the NFL. Forget the fact that it's a top-five defense. Yesterday went from Tom Brady won the divorce to God, New England made a huge, huge mistake.

I don't want to hear about his weapons. Antonio Brown got hurt. Mike Evans, ineffective. Chris Godwin played poorly. Gronk non-factor. I don't want to hear about weapons. And by the way, nobody thinks Brady had the better coach yesterday. That, my friends, was a master's class on how to win a playoff game when not everything

goes well. Wisdom and leadership and moxie and intelligence and efficiency. You know, it's funny. There's always those bumper stickers. You ever seen those bumper stickers? You mean people stink. And I always think, so do people with low standards. Tom Brady yells at teammates. Tom Brady can be rough. Tom Brady barks at coaches. Tom Brady, I've heard, is

rough at practice. Do it again. Let's go. Line up. Do it again. Let's go. And yesterday is the payday for that. Sometimes people are viewed as mean when all they're doing is holding you to a standard. You're certainly capable of reaching, but nobody's ever demanded you reach that standard. Yesterday, Tom didn't have the system. He didn't have Belichick. He didn't have the Foxborough weather. He didn't have the better defense. No, not really. He just had Tom. 43 years of Tom Brady.

That's all he had. And you know what I mean? If you'd have said before the game. All right. So Brady's going to go and play the Saints for a third time. Mike Evans, A.B., Chris Godwin, and Gronk. are going to combine for seven catches. You would have said, oh, my God, this is a disaster.

Instead, they won going away. We've gone past that Brady won the divorce. This is New England made a huge mistake. Rivers looked old, Ben looked old, breeze looked old, Tom looked great. Honestly, I don't know what it is. I don't know if he goes to Europe. I don't know what he's taken. Maybe it's the supermodel wife.

I have no idea. Maybe it's avocado ice cream. but Drew Bree's struggling, perfectly framed how amazing Brady is. This feels very much like LeBron and D. Wade. Or at the end, D. Wade's a Hall of Famer with great integrity, but he's coming off the bench and he's not very dynamic. And LeBron's still the best player in the game. What?

How's that possible? It's not really. Maybe LeBron eats avocado ice cream for breakfast, too. Breeze is still really good, but Breeze is how you age when you get to 40. That's what you look like. That's what you look like. Can't throw the deep ball. Just don't have that zip on the sideline passes.

That was as impressive as I've ever seen. I don't want to hear about Belichick. I don't want to hear about the weapons. I don't want to hear about the system. Remember all those articles that came out about a year and a half ago with Tom? Anonymous sources. We could have won with a lot of quarterbacks here. I saw I saw Cam.

It wasn't great. And Cam's not untowling. And by the way, James is not untalented. James is really talented. In New Orleans, he's the guy that can throw the ball deep in stuff. 7 and 9 to 13 and 5, maybe 14 and 5, maybe 15 and 5. Tom afterwards. Defense was incredible.

All game, the turnovers were huge. You know, last time we played and we gave, you know, we lost a turnover. minus three. Today was plus four. You're not going to lose many games when you're plus four. So just a great effort. They came up huge offensively. Made some plays when we needed to.

Running game was great. Line protected great up front. Just a great week of prep. And really proud of our team and everything we put in to get to this point. You know, Brady's never been great in the first quarter of any Super Bowl. He's a boxer. He feels the game out. But he's had some unbelievable second halves. And that is truly what separates good from great and great from legend. Tampa trailed third quarter on the road against the better roster by seven.

Brady's last four drives. Touchdown, field goal, touchdown ran out the clock. That's as good as you can quarterback. That was a master's class yesterday. All right, so the Cleveland Browns are gone. Head up, though. Baker Mayfield only had one first down last eight minutes. Not great. But you know what? The reality is Cleveland's going to be around.

Cleveland played their butt off. Cleveland finally has the right coach. And Baker, when he has the right coach, can be pretty effective. Good for them. But let's be totally honest about what we saw Kansas City, Cleveland. When Patrick Mahomes left, he was 20. of 30, a touchdown or rushing touchdown in a hundred seven-passer rating. That's on a bad foot.

Hobbled for two quarters, didn't play for a quarter and a half in Kansas City won. And when Mahomes got the ball, let me read you what happened to every drive. Touchdown, touchdown, field goal, field goal, miss field goal, in position for a field goal. They scored on every drive they engineered with Mahomes. I mean, it really was Kevin Durant and Steph and the Warriors. Like, they just have figured the game out. It is just easier.

Travis Kelsey and Cleveland knew he was their first target. Eight catches, 109 yards. They were powerless. Tyreek Hill. Oh, we've got to double him. Eight catches, 109 yards, powerless. It didn't matter that Cleveland knew who they were going to throw to. They still went to him for 16 combined catches.

And I look at this game. I kind of look at this game two ways. Or in two parts. Here's the first part. And this is really how I see the game. Kansas City led 19 to 10. Mahomes is driving and gets hurt. He was going to set him up for at least a field goal.

Maybe a touchdown. But if their kicker could have made a PAT and an easy field goal, it would have been, what, 23 to 10. Mahomes leads a touchdown. It's 30 to 10 and it's over. And I'm not making excuses. There was a call that didn't go clean. Evelyn's way. But what I saw was a quarterback that didn't play for three weeks,

came in with a hobbled foot very early, had to leave early, and it didn't affect anything. They still won the football game. Kansas City, for the first time at about a month and a half, maybe they are better than Buffalo. To not be able to have your star quarterback who's rusty coming in playing a hobbled foot and then leave and you win with Chad Henney? I mean, I had my doubts they could flip a switch. And it's nothing against what Cleveland did. But Kansas City's defense, when they had to be great, was and they won with Chad Henney. Those first seven, eight drives by Mahomes, it was insane.

It's like he had the answers to the test. He wasn't getting sacked. He wasn't really getting hurried. He was moving out of the pocket. I sometimes I said this when Katie and Steph there were times I felt they were bored there were times I thought Katie and Steph were literally struggling to convince themselves we got a game tonight folks it starts at eight minutes those first seven eight drives wow it should not be that easy because Cleveland's got a lot of ballers and they got a

lot of big contracts. They got a lot of players, and Miles Garrett's unbelievable, and they got talented guys in the back end. But I don't see that as a close game. I see that as an injury, a hobbled foot, and a concussion away from being way too easy for a team that had a quarterback that hadn't played in 20 days. Really impressive stuff by Kansas City. 21 of 30 was Mahomes, 250 yards, 107 passer rating. rarely hurried, didn't play for three weeks. That's not what it's supposed to look like. That is not what it's supposed to look like. And Cleveland was powerless to stop Travis Kelsey,

powerless to stop Tyreek Hill. I mean, everybody today is like, Cleveland, great job. Yeah, that's fine. But if Mahomes doesn't get a banged up foot and Mahom stays in, that thing was getting out of hand. I don't want to hear about a call. That thing had a chance to get out of hand. Be sure to catch live editions of the Hurstead.

weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. 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 great. 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 which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford 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 what 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. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack,

so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

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Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. So Green Bay, you know, it's funny,

we have four teams left. Green Bay looks fairly flawless. Tampa's special teams aren't good. The Chief's run defense is really average. The Buffalo Bills run offense is non-existent outside of Josh Allen. You don't have to be perfect to get here. We've said it.

Do you have great people who can overcome obstacles and weaknesses? You don't have to be a perfect team. Green Bay looks pretty perfect. At this point, Green Bay does everything well. To me, they should be favored to win the Super Bowl. They look like the best team. And so much for the Rams defense. Green Bay had 28 first downs, 500 yards, 36 minutes time of possession,

and one quarterback hit all day. It was the only game all weekend. I felt strongly about and put money on was Green Bay. Plus the Rams came in a little beat up, Aaron Donald, Jared Gough, Cooper Cup. My number one thought the whole game was, not that Aaron Rogers is great, because he is. But my number one thought was, God, this makes Mike McCarthy head coach of the Cowboys look awful. Aaron Rogers didn't suddenly get this talented. He's 28 and 7, nine blowouts this year.

I mean, there's a reason all these young coaches like Matt Lefleur are getting jobs. 71% of plays for Green Bay, somebody was in motion. It was just constantly fluctuating different looks, different sets, different motions to confuse the defense and make them ad lib on the fly against the hottest quarterback in football. Mike McCarthy, former Green Bay coach with Aaron Rogers, those offenses are static. Nobody's moving. There's a Mat LaFleur. Most people don't evolve. It's the reality is most people get to 50.

55, they have their retirement set up, 60, they kind of get content. Andy Reed is a spectacular exception. He coaches like a 24-year-old. He's taking wild, big swings, and that's why everybody loves Andy Reid. But most people get content, and they don't evolve. And they get to be 55 or 60. And there's a young person in their industry right behind him, who is smarter, techier, and will take bigger risks.

So there's a Matt LaFleur, coach of the Packers. There's a Matt LaFleur in every industry. and if you get lazy, sloppy, and don't evolve, he's going to take your job. Green Bay had all these offensive weapons two years ago. They had Devonthe Adams two years ago. They had Aaron Jones. They had this offensive line. Green Bay had all these weapons two years ago.

They didn't look like that. Now, the defense in the last couple of years, fairness to Mike McCarthy, they have upgraded through the draft and free agency on the defensive side. I'm not blaming McCarthy for that. But this is going to be the third straight year if Green Bay beats Tampa, my guest this morning without diving deep, they will. Third straight year, a young NFC coach goes to the Super Bowl. And too often we glamorize yesterday and romanticize yesterday and talk about yesterday.

Matt Lafleur is tomorrow. He's tomorrow. Everybody talk, oh, defense wins championships. No, it doesn't. No, it doesn't. The four best quarterbacks all year are the four left. Defense doesn't win championships. Kansas City can't stop the run.

I mean, that used to be, you can't advance. You're not a playoff team. Can't stop the run. They couldn't stop the run this weekend for long stretches. By the way, the offensive ranks for total points scored in the NFL as of this morning. Green Bay 1, Buffalo 2, Tampa 3, and Kansas City 6. Defense wins championships is yesterday. Buffalo is here and they can't run the football.

Kansas City is here and they can't stop to run. And Tampa is here and their special team. are bad. So I kept looking at it. I'm like, this is why all these young guys are getting jobs. Joe Judge and Zach Taylor and Sean McVeigh and Matt LaFleur and this Brandon Staley. The Chargers just got the reason teams are going young is because too many old football coaches are glamorizing, romanticizing, and talking about yesterday.

Matt LeFleur is tomorrow because they had all these weapons two years ago and this offense didn't look anything like this. He's literally Aaron smiling and grinning. He's talking. It looks like football during Thanksgiving with your less talented family members. Here's Aaron afterwards. I just kind of hear that MVP chance of something, it was something special in those moments.

And tonight I was just feeling what that felt like, just how sweet and special that that chant is. I've heard it, you know, a few times over the years, but every time it kind of gets here, it's really, really special. I'll tell you this, sports can clearly be activated and played without fans. God, did I miss fans? I know there was only like 9,000 or 12,000 in Kansas City, in Buffalo, in your Green Bay. Wow, did I miss fans?

It looked like it discombobulated Baltimore deep. that time they got deep into their territory. It's like 8,000 people banging on the chairs in Buffalo. It looked like it just unraveled the Ravens. They hadn't heard anything all year. But never forget how valuable fans are. Boy, this week in the NFL proved that. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd.

Weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. So let's talk Buffalo and Baltimore. So let's talk Buffalo's offense first. It wasn't pretty. They had only 17 first downs. They have no running game. They weren't very good on. third down and they got blasted on time of possession. Josh Allen, not special. I mean,

he was effective and they won. The game was more, and this is the talking point, what do you do with Lamar Jackson? Lamar's passer ratings in the 60s. They averaged 30 points a game with Lamar in the regular season, and now four playoff games, they average 13. So let's just address it. It's the first, first rate playoff game you're like, it's not working. All right, first of all, there's a lot of stars, and I'm not talking good players. I'm not talking to average players. There's a lot of stars in sports where the postseason doesn't work for them. Janus,

Westbrook, Hardin, Lamar so far. Now let's take James Hardin. There's a reason for it. James Hardin's games based on the whistle. He's bumping, he's bumping, he needs the whistle. In the regular season, refs give you the whistle. It's a long season. They don't want players hurt. They're really tough on physicality.

And then the playoffs happen, and the refs swallow the whistle. It's not a boy's game. It's a man's game in the playoffs. No more kids, no more rookies. Last year, the bubble. is an exception. They let the guys play. What happens? James Harden doesn't get the whistle, and his game is dependent on the whistle. He's never going to, that game he plays will always have issues in the postseason. Do you give up on him? No, Houston kept adding elements to try to make it work. You don't give up on him. There's no other James Hardin out there. You'll give up on Hardin. Yonis' game, I think, gets marginalized in the postseason. We've seen this with

baseball. Arad was never quite, some of the whole. home run hitters are not quite as effective postseason facing the best pitchers where managers tend to go to the bullpen more often. It's more situational. The big home run hitters don't dominate the postseason like the regular season. So what do you do with Lamar? You sell him, you move off him, you trade him. Well, time out. Philip Rivers is going to get Hall of Fame votes. The chargers from day one, Philip was not. high school basketball star, a baseball star. He was a football guy. He was never athletic.

He wasn't athletic when he was 18. He was just a quarterback. And they just kept trying to add things to Philip Rivers, who never won a Super Bowl. Frankly, didn't get very close. But he was good. Certain athletes have these dynamic qualities. With Philip Rivers, it was leadership. He threw a lot of bad picks, the most unathletic quarterback.

I mean, seriously. I mean, Eli Manning makes him look like Usain Bolt, okay? but you just find ways when you get a leader and you're winning 75, 80% of your games, you figure out a way to make it work. I'll give you an example. Baltimore doesn't have very good receivers. Let's start there. Of the four remaining teams, go look at Green Bay's receivers and Buffaloes and Kansas Cities and Tampa's.

Go look at Lamar Jackson. Now, I don't think he's going to be Mahomes, but let's start there. That's the weakness of their team. They're very average at wide receiver. So you add a wide receiver or three in the draft because they're pretty good everywhere else. They don't have a lot of holes. So let's start there. But this idea that, listen, this is the way it works.

Derek Jeter was the exception. He was as good, often better in the playoffs than regular season. His game fit. He wasn't a big power hitter. It wasn't about doing something special here or there. Derek's consistency, his playmaking ability in the field, especially early in his career. It transcended time. It transcended series.

It was just the same every day. And that's okay. The reality is there's very few Aaron Rogers. And for the record, had Aaron lost this past weekend, he would have been 10 and 9 in the playoffs? It's hard. It's hard to win in the playoffs. You're facing the best defenses, the best coaches, the best coordinators. But we've seen this in a lot of sports.

Some guys win a lot of golf tournaments. They don't win majors. some guys are great in the regular season. They can't get people out in the postseason. Lamar is a very talented guy. Shack couldn't hit a free throw. You figure a way around it because there's no more Shacks on the market. And Lamar's winning a lot of games.

He can win the division. He proved last weekend. He can win a playoff game. But he's not a classic pocket thrower. So you figure ways to work around it. And maybe eventually you move off it. But, I mean, the Rockets and James Hardin to me is a very similar comp. They give him Chris Paul.

They give him Dwight Howard. They give him the small. They give him Westbrook. They try. They give up on him because there's no other James Hardin's on the market. I don't know if Lamar can win a Super Bowl. I mean, folks, Chad Henney may play next weekend in the AFC championship. If Lamar was going up against Chad Henney, I'd like his chances.

But I think there are challenges. Let's start, if we can, elevating Baltimore's very average, wide receiving core in an era where weapons are now like standard. Like you can't win without them. He doesn't have very good weapons. So let's start there. One 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. Here we go, Colin right, calling wrong. Where Colin was right? We've been a huge fan of Andy Reed for years. The Eagles were a bigger mess every year he's not there. He is now the only coach in NFL history to host three straight AFC championship,

and he's done it in both conferences. The adapter, one of the most likable guys, I thought yesterday it wasn't irony or a coincidence. His best play call of the year is when Patrick Mahomes got hurt. That Chad Henney play is the call of the year in the NFL, and only Andy Reed would say, yeah, I'm going to get Chad Henny, and I'm going to roll the dice. By the way, that wasn't the only play. Like, they threw the ball probably more than 99% of the coaches would with Mahomes out. A lot of guys would have killed the clock and run the ball.

They were having some marginal success running the ball. But the easiest guy in the league to root for, maybe Andy Reid. Love him. Where Colin was raw. Baker Mayfield, I always thought he could play. My question, day one, college was maturity. Last year he was calling out the medical staff. Last year he was getting in arguments with, like, me in the media on Twitter and Instagram.

But actually, he grew up this year. He was poised. He was calm. He was a grown-up. You know, now he's like Aaron Rogers. He kind of winks at the media as he pokes him in the ribs. But I really thought he came a long way as an adult, mature, runs the offense. And that's hard.

By the way, that may be harder than the physical stuff is owning up to, hey, I got to grow up a little bit. I thought he did. He finally has a legitimate coach. And believe it or not, folks, I root for Baker. I don't root against any of these guys. Bad quarterback play is the gates of hell to me. There's nothing worse than watching a football game with bad quarterback play. I want all these guys to work.

All of them. Where Colin was right? Yeah, Brady won the divorce, which we thought. But it is now, like, embarrassing. Tom Brady has 44 touchdown passes. The Patriot quarterbacks have 10. I thought he was sensational yesterday. Gronk wasn't big.

Mike Evans got mostly covered except that catch. Chris Godwin struggled. I thought didn't have a just wasn't tight. Antonio Brown got hurt. Cameron Brate was a leading receiver. By the way, all these leaks in the media. We could have won with multiple quarterbacks. here in New England if I had to read that again.

Yeah, maybe Aaron Rogers. That's about it. Where Colin was wrong. Well, Lamar Jackson did unravel yesterday. He struggled 14 for 24 and just wasn't a good afternoon for him. Listen, four playoff games, they've averaged 13 points. Three points in a playoff game, pick six, seam rattle, couldn't beat Buffalo with his arm. Now, again, Buffalo got good players. But, yeah, I think the reality is, let's upgrade. his wide receiving core. He did get to the playoffs and win a playoff game.

And he beat the Browns twice this year. This is a guy that can play. He beat the Colts this year. He's won a lot of games in the NFL. But I did think he unraveled this weekend, got a little ahead of himself. It felt like all weekend long, he was throwing on third and nine. It just felt like, and you cannot go on the road in the NFL in the playoffs with an average receiving core and be third in 12 and third and 11 and third in nine. You're just not going to win that game.

You're just not. You know, one of the things. things Brady got yesterday was actually he got a good running game. He actually support from his running back. It's amazing how good quarterbacks look on third in three and not third and 11. Where Colin was right? We've been on the Buffalo train for about seven, eight weeks. They're a Hail Mary away from a 12-game winning streak.

We were also on the Sean McDermott train to start the year. I think McDermott, he's like the Kyle Shanahan defense. Nobody talks about Buffalo. We talk about the 49ers more. This is a flawed team. They can't run the ball. The Colts ran on them. They got a young quarterback.

They got to upgrade the defensive line. They don't get much of a pass rush. This is not a perfect football team. It is not. Before Stefan Diggs, they didn't throw the ball deep. This is a really well-coached team that has elevated a spectacular young quarterback, acquired a gifted wide receiver, and has a couple of DBs I really like. But don't, don't, if all the rosters remember,

remaining, I could make the argument. This is the weakest one. Sean McDermott's a great coach. Where Colin was right. Three Miami Dolphin players told anonymously the Miami Herald, they weren't in on Tua, and they didn't like benching Ryan Fitzpatrick, and they think Fitzpatrick's the better player. Again, my question, the weekend, I think the Friday before Tua started, I said, I know

he's accurate. I know he's a good kid. I know he's coachable. Where's the juice? Where's the special? I'm seeing it with Burrell. I'm seeing it with Josh Allen. I see it with Mahalms.

I see it with Lamar. See it with Herbert. I don't see it with him. And Miami players now telling the Miami Herald, they're seeing what we're questioning. Where's the special. Where Colin was wrong. I thought Patrick Mahomes was going to be rusty,

at least early in the game. Good Lord, he came out. He was eight to nine, passing touchdown, rushing touchdown. He just made it look so easy. Easy. Again, they got Miles Garrett. It's not like there's not some pass rush. I thought he made it look so effortless. He was so comfortable. He was so poised. I didn't think, I thought, really, had I bet this game and I didn't? I would have bet Cleveland first quarter. I thought he was going to come out and really, I mean, he did last year. Took week 17 off, didn't play well in December. And that was Thanksgiving football with the relatives. I thought he just made it. Look, football without a sweat. Where Colin was right?

I have predicted Kyrie Irving is drama. Yes, he's talented, but six games in, he disappeared and didn't tell anybody where he was, including his coach. Now, he also forced the Brooklyn Nets to trade for an insurance policy. So you've already got drama. They've already traded for an insurance policy. I think Hardin and Kevin Durant will win a bunch of games. They had a really good game this week.

I didn't watch it, but I read about it. That I don't worry about it. But in the end, there was a lot of stories out of Boston that weren't reported. There was a lot of issues there. He is really, really hard to coach. And that has always been the one thing that punctures elite talent. Where Colin was right? My insipid quarterback face bracket went four for four.

I'm now eight and two overall where I simply choose the games based on who's the better quarterback. Not your coach, not your defense, not your special teams, not where the game is. I choose who's playing better quarterback now. So I have chosen Josh Allen over Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rogers over Tom Brady, 8 and 2 overall, 4 for 4 this weekend. And I made a mistake. Baker was playing better than Big Ben,

and I gave it to Big Ben. I should be 9 and 1. I don't even know why I did that. That was dumb. That was almost as dumb as the quarterback face bracket itself. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app. 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 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, 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 Cliffordshire. 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,

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I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jette. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it.

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He was 5 and 1 in his sixth career playoff games, 15 years in the league and has a Super Bowl trophy. Trent Dilfer now joining us live. Listen, I watched Drew Brees yesterday, and I said, you know, that's how you age. if you don't eat avocado ice cream nine times a day like Brady, you look like breeze. You look like just the ball on the outs doesn't quite get there. You know you had a last game or two.

Like I looked at Drew and I thought, it's time. It kind of feels like it's time. Did you see that? I think all year long we've kind of noticed that. And a lot of it's reflected in Sean Payton's play calling. You know, that was an offense that kind of felt like they were stuck in a hotel bedroom bed where the sheets are tied down underneath the bed and you kind of feel all tight. in there until you bust out the sheets.

You know, that's kind of what the offense looked like. Nothing was spread out. Nothing was fluid. Nothing was vertical. And everything they were doing is kind of playing in this tight little box. And Tampa had a lot to do with that, how they play defense. But it just seemed like he didn't have a lot of confidence in calling kind of a wide open offense and getting all his playmakers involved. So, yeah, I think it's time.

And it's not a knock on Drew Brees, one of the greatest it's ever put on cleats at any position to get this team this far. at this age, I think, is quite the accomplishment. But yesterday, with all the eyeballs watching it, with the defense that said, hey, we're not scared of you. We're going to make you play in this hotel bed with the sheets tied on you. You could really see how his skills have diminished over the years. I was kind of blown away by Brady.

Antonio Brown hurt. Mike Evans minimized. I didn't think Chris Godwin was all buttoned up. Gronk was not terribly effective. I honest, you know, it wasn't a weapons thing. Many would believe he had the second best coach going into that game. I was kind of blown away by his resourcefulness yesterday. Your thoughts?

That's a good word. I'd use patience too, wisdom, discernment, all the things, and art world glamorous parts while playing the position. I can't think of a ball he forced. When he missed, he missed away from the defense. You think of those couple throws down the sideline or corner shots to Grunkowski. He misses away. He misses low in the middle of the field when Godwin runs the bad crossing route.

Like his misses were really good. He wasn't forcing the issue. He played the long game. He never panicked. And obviously he got some great help from a defense that played phenomenal and got the ball back for him. But yeah, there was never. And I think Chris mentioned it during the game. Like, don't expect Tom Brady to force the issue and try to make more of it than there is.

Like, he's going to take what the defense gave him. And I thought he was, were they a one for five on vertical attempts? Yeah. But again, the misses were educated misses. So he played like a champion in a tough game. I would say this, he's the master of knowing what the game calls for, right? We say framing the game. Every game has its own frame.

It's its own picture. It's different. And he can adjust to that early in the game and not play outside of the temperament of the game. That's what he did last night. I think Mahomes, I woke up this morning and I thought Kansas City won. Mahomes didn't play for the last quarter and he was, you've played on a bad foot. He couldn't push off. And I'm like, I thought he was going to come out a little rusty. He was, his first six, seven drives, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, miss field goal, touchdown. I thought Mahomes, I mean, maybe he didn't have the dazzlers, but I was kind of a little

blown away by him. I thought he was incredibly effective bouncing around in a bad foot. I did too. And I mean, it goes back to what we said a couple weeks ago, I think, like, their floor is so much higher than everybody else is. They don't have to play great. They don't even have to play great in a series. Like, you'll see them

score in a series where they'll have two, three, four stinker plays. But they can overcome them. Like, they're so explosive. They're so diverse in what they do offensively. They have so many ways of coming at you that they can kind of sputter around and lolly gag around and mess up and then boom they get 14 yards.

Ah, they get 18. Oh, minus three plus one plus 12. And it doesn't even look right. But their floor is just so much higher than everybody else's. It's almost an unfair fight. I thought the Browns were impressive. Earned my respect. I know they're in your respect. They played hard. They did a lot of good things. And they never really had a chance. I mean, people talk about the brilliant fourth down call. Who's to say the Browns are going to score if they punt there? I mean, it's a It's, we're assuming the Browns are going to go on this miraculous drive when they hadn't done anything to two previous drives and score. Kansas City, they don't even have to play well, and they still beat good teams.

Yeah, not only not play well, but have their star quarterback out for a quarter and a half. You know, Andy Reid, I tell you, I thought he had a lot of guts. A lot of guys would go to their backup, and they would just run the ball. And it was like, listen, there were a couple times they were throwing. I mean, Tony Romo was a riot. Tony's like, look at the body language. They're not running to play here. And they did it.

Tony was like a gas like the rest of us were, the Henney call. I was like, that takes a lot of guts, Trent. That most coaches won't do that. I think this is where Andy Reid, his staff, you got to give this whole staff a lot of credit because I know he delegates a lot to be enemy and the other offensive coaches on that staff. I think they beat people Monday through Saturday.

You know, I remember as a player, I now know it as a coach, how hard it is to prepare how many rabbit holes you can go down, how much extra thinking you can do to give your team an advantage on game day. And they do all of that better than anybody else. The fact that they're going to run sprint right option in the most critical moment, it's probably in bold letters and read out right on the call sheet. And they did it against Miami a few weeks ago.

But this week, they're going to say, okay, if we're going to run this play, what's the most creative way we could run it in a must-have situation? Game in the line situation. Oh, we can empty the best. backfield to get the man's own declaration. And then we can kind of get the offensive lineman to sit up a little bit higher and have bad body language by the three receivers. So it looks like we're going to triple count this and try to get him to jump. And then we'll notice the back

when he comes back in from empty formation backfield. He's kind of lazy and standing up straight. Yes. But they plan this Monday through Saturday. So it's no surprise that on Sunday evening, when it has to work in the biggest moment of their season, they've gone through all the mental gymnastics. They've crossed, they've crossed every tee, dotted every eye on the whys and the howls of the play to create an advantage. And yes, they have a freak athlete, the number three receiver is going to run the jab step out.

And yeah, they're going to get protected right. But it's all the thought that goes into it. Like I said, Monday through Saturday, that's where they're beating people. Yeah, I thought it's a really good point. And that's what fooled Romo and it fooled me, which is they practice. the body language. They literally looked like they weren't doing it.

And you're like, oh, it's a tell, like a poker player. That's a tell. And they went on the play. And Romo got full. I got fooled. I listened to Tony. I'm like, no, Tony's right. They're not running to play. Boom, they ran it. Now, go ahead. I'll give you another example of teams that are good at this. Like, I saw this a couple times over the last couple weekends. Everybody runs quarterback sneak and short yard situations, right?

Yep. So what do the defense do? They get those two-two-eye techniques deep down. They reduce everybody. Those linebackers run up tight. And sometimes you get it. sometimes you don't, but now you're seeing teams shift, motion, look out, hand signal, the receiver, like do all this window dressing, just a quarterback sneak. So to create an intent different than what you're actually going to do to get one yard, to get one yard. That's the NFL, and that's where Andy Reid and the staff just do a better job than anybody else. When you need that

one yard, what intent do you show the defense? And then what do you do outside of the intent? You know, I think it's interesting. 71% of the plays for the Packers had motion. And I said, I watched that game, and I reflected back to Mike McCarthy, who runs a much more static offense. But I'm watching Green Bay. It's multiple sets. Everybody's in motion.

They had all these offensive guys two years ago. They had all these pieces. It's almost like Lefleur came in, and they probably had some uncomfortable moments. He's like, no, no, no, we're going to make your brain work overtime here. and I watch them and they're hard to defend, Trent. They're making corners, make snap decisions, fast motions. I don't know if there's a defense. They tore the Rams apart.

I'm not sure how you stop Green Bay. How do you do it? It's going to be tough. You know, so much what they do is based off their action game under the floor. I think, number one, you've got to stop the run. You can't let them run the football because once they start running the football, and the whole entire menu is open for the Packers. And that menu is pretty robust with the shifts and motions and window dressing.

And a lot of what they do is they're creating leverage with their motion. So you can't do a lot of that stuff if you're in the dropback pass mode. You almost want to reduce Green Bay back to what they once were. And that's four wide receivers, shotgun, quick passing game. And I know people going, oh, you're crazy. That means Aaron's going to throw up more. but they're not nearly as effective when they're in the drop back pass mode. They are so dangerous in the action mode.

They're so dangerous when they can condense those splits, get those receivers up on safeties and linebackers, and then activate them in the past game and action. That's where they get their home run shots. They're so dangerous when they can change the launch point and get those receivers crossing from condensed splits. But if you stop their run game and you say, you know what, you're going to have to throw it 55 times there.

I think you have a fighting chance, but you can't stop them if they're balanced. You know, I love the bills all year, but I will be honest about this. The last two weeks I've seen a lot of flaws, they don't have a run game. I mean, it's not existent. And then against the Colts, I'm like, they don't really have a pass rush if you have a decent offensive line. And here we are. They're in the AFC championship and a field goal game with Kansas City. And I think to myself, are they too reliant on Josh Allen?

am I nitpicking because I'm seeing so much of them. But the more I see of them, I'm like, wow, that is a flawed team that keeps winning games. What do you see with the bills? You know, they're one of the four best teams in NFL. I think most of our eyeballs saw that, especially the second half of the season. But now it's these four trying to be the very best. I don't think with this formula they can be the very best. I don't think they can finish the race depending so,

much on one player, one formula offensively. And that's not saying anything bad about them. It's just they're not quite there. The Packers, the Chiefs, I would say even the Bucks now after they kind reformatted who they were after that shalacking in week night against the Saints. These teams have everything you need offensively to finish the race. Buffalo, you're going to have to run the football. You can't put so much on the quarterback. I agree. Now, I will say it's defensively. They're so creative defensively that they, they're huge and critical downs. But yeah, you sit back and you're like, huh, I don't think there's ever been a team that's won a Super Bowl being this so dependent on one phase of their offense. Yeah, no, that's, it's just kind of the way I feel like this morning, I feel like the most flawless team is Green Bay.

And boy, Kansas City is the scariest, but their run defense is a little shaky. Tampa Bay Special teams are cross your finger. Everybody's got a little something. In Buffalo, it may be a roster issue where they're just a pass rusher away. It kind of feels like chalk to me. I mean, everybody kind of

thought Green Bay, Kansas City going back what, six, seven, eight weeks ago? Yeah. Right? I mean, that's kind of when you're kind of looking to be a contrarine. If you're pulling somebody else, well, they could, they might. But this kind of feels like chalk. Like this is going to be Kansas City, Green Bay. They're the two most

complete teams, all three phases. Matt LaFour is an incredible job coaching like a veteran coach, or Andy Reeves, the ultimate veteran coach. This kind of feels like Green Bay, Kansas City. Great stuff. Good seeing you again. Lipscomb Academy High School Football Coach and beautiful Nashville, Tennessee. Trent, appreciate it. Thanks, brother. One 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. 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 I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host Keer Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you not to be played with.

And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. podcast. 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, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Cliford Show on the I Heart 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. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.