The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 01/18/2021 - HOUR 1 - Tom Brady, Green Bay Packers, Patrick Mahomes/Chad Henne

Episode Date: January 18, 2021

Tom Brady had one of his greatest gamesThe Packers look like Super Bowl ChampsChad Henne steps up when Patrick Mahomes goes downGuest: Peter Schrager Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 weekend. Joy Taylor's joining me.

Joy, you know I love Tom Brady. You do. That was quite a night for him. Let the music play. It's like an orchestra, a performance yesterday. And an 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'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. you know, I saw, I saw Cam, it wasn't great. And Cam's not untalented. And by the way, James is not untalented. James is really talented. In New Orleans, he's the guy that can throw the ball, you know, 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, I don't know, 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, you know, really proud of our team and everything we put in to get to this point. You know, Brady. He'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. was 21 of 30, a touchdown, a 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 Cleveland'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 my home 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. Coming up next, when I was watching Aaron Rogers this weekend, I was thinking about somebody else that used to be connected to Aaron Rogers. And how not only was it a great weekend for Aaron Rogers, it was a horrible weekend for somebody that used to work for Aaron Rogers or with Aaron Rogers.

That Colin Wright, Colin Wrong, top of next hour. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard 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 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, Clivert 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.

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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 Chiefs' run defense is really average. The Buffalo Bill's 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 looked like the best team. And, you know, 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 Goff, Cooper Cup. My number one thought the whole game was. 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 were 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-la-fluor.

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 Reid 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 was smarter, techier, and will take bigger risks. So there's a Matt LaFleur, coach of the Packers. There's a Matloffluor 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 guess 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 talks, 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 range.

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's here and their special teams are bad. So the whole, 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's 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 It was something special in those moments And tonight I was just feeling what that felt like Just how sweet and special that That chance is I've heard it, you know, a few times over the years But every time it kind of gets you 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. with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, Drew Breeze has likely played his last game in the NFL after losing to the bucks 30 to 20 last night, but he said he's still going to take some time before making his final decision. I'm going to give myself an opportunity to think about the season, think about a lot of things, just like I did last year, and make a decision.

No complaints, no regrets. man, I've always tried to play this game with a great respect and a great reverence for it. And, man, I appreciate all that this game has given to me. Jay Glazer reported before the game yesterday that it would be Breeze's last game at the Superdome and he would retire after the season.

After the game, Breeze and Brady met on the field. It was about two hours after the game had finished. and Brady threw a touchdown pass. I saw that. Breezes' sons. That was great. It was a really nice moment. Having experienced what a final moment looks like for an NFL veteran, this did have that

little feel to it. Yeah. You spent a little extra time walking out. You kind of soak a little bit more in. Again, we kind of knew that this was going to be Breezes last season. The Saints certainly went all in as if this was Breezes last season, which I think was the right thing to do. And look, I mean, he looked his age.

I don't think it's really necessarily fair to compare anyone to Tom Brady at this point. Tom Brady has the elixir, and that's just all there is to it. Yeah. And by the way, they went all in on this. They may have the first or second or third best coach. They have maybe the best general manager in Mickey Loemus. It's a great roster. They're in cap hell.

They went all in for this year. So they're going to have to trade people. They're going to have to start over. Right, which I don't think is the wrong thing to do. This is your final year with Drew Brees. That's right. Give it all you got. Why cut any corners?

You can figure it out. You're going to have to rebuild the organization after he leaves anyway. So why not? And then look, they've had obviously three straight, very disappointing post seasons. One obviously we remember was just a miracle. But, you know, this is what happens when you have limitations at the quarterback position. They needed some dynamic plays and they weren't able to get that done. Obviously, the turnovers.

Buck's defense was incredible. But Drew Brees left it all out in the field. He owes the game nothing. he's had an unbelievable career. I personally think it's him Manning and Brady in that era to have the conversations about. He has unbelievable amount of records. And he's done it with class.

I mean, what he's done for that city is remarkable. And he's a classic quarterback. This is the story of quarterback. He was overlooked by the Texas schools. So he had to go to Purdue. And then they get to San Diego has an injury. They let him go. And Miami's like not interested.

So he goes to losing New Orleans, takes this guy, Sean Payton, we heard real smart. Katrina, I mean, if you go look at what he's dealt with, it's the classic path where doubters, critics, you won't, from high school on, nah, can't do it. And in the end, you look up. And all these guys, with very few exceptions, Peyton Manning's an exception, they had all these roadback blocks, all these critics and all these doubters. and you look up and that still engineers a lot of their passion and willfulness. And he's always had that chip on his shoulder, but it's not carried the same way that, say, Tom Brady does.

Like, Tom Brady makes it very obvious. He is still bothered by the fact that he was picked that place in the draft. So Josh Allen and the Bills got the best of the Ravens and a 17 to 3 win on Saturday. Buffalo's defense did a great job stopping Lamar, holding him to under 200 total yards and no touchdowns. They also picked him off for a huge, 101-yard pick six in the third quarter to help secure the win.

The bills will now face the Chiefs in their first AFC championship game in 27 years. Even when it was three to three, I so enjoyed this game. I just thought it was just your classic sort of ugly, sort of, I don't know. The other game, like I sat and watched these games this weekend. There was a lot of mistakes, pick sixes. I found Baltimore Buffalo felt so AFC and so classic and it's getting dark in the shadows and it's cold and you know what?

It took Buffalo a while to find their next Jim Kelly, but they did. It took them a long time to find their next Marv Levy. It took them a long time to find their next quarterback. Thank God they found them both at about the exact same time and you could see 15 years barring an injury of the bills in these huge games. I'm excited for this AFC championship game with the Chiefs and Bills.

I feel like it's going to be an all-timer. Obviously, disappointing to see Lamar leave the game like that with concussion at the end of the third quarter. That pick six pretty much sealed the game, but you would have liked to see him finish it either way. And again, I don't, I know everyone's kind of coming for Lamar again, but they had a bumpy season. COVID threw them off the rails for a while as well.

Like, I think they're going to come back and be fine. And Lamar is obviously the quarterback of the future there. So the Browns came up short Sunday and lost 2217 to the Chiefs. This was the most successful season Cleveland has had in a very long time. But Baker admitted his loss is going to stick with him for a while. It's just unfortunate for us to come up short. It sucks because we believed in it. That's why we're here.

But, you know, trying to find the positive out of it. We're setting a new standard here. And to, you know, everybody's saying in the locker room, continue to tell guys that we're going to be back. And, you know, it's, it sucks when you come up short, but you get that taste of it and you realize you learn lessons. But for now, it's definitely going to stand. I wish they would have, I thought Austin Hooper was a good acquisition at tight-ins,

a good player. But I wonder if you didn't get another good tight end and you would have gotten another pass rusher. I feel like the back end of their defense. I mean, when Mahomes was limping around, and like literally tearing them apart, limping around. You're like... You use a little more pressure.

Yeah, I mean, they have talent in the backhand, but they've spent their money on the offensive side. And by the way, this is a great example, Joy, when you don't pay the quarterback, they're on a rookie contract, you probably wouldn't have been able to get Austin Hooper. You probably wouldn't have been able to fix your right tackle situation. So they're about a year away from... They're going to have to make tough decisions,

but I do think I'd like to see them spend a little less on offense. It feels lopsided to me. I'd like to see them now. They don't need two good tight ends. What they really need, because Baker's maturing and they got a real coach. They need some age and some money on the defensive side. To me, the back end of their defense is a problem. Yeah, I agree, but I don't think if they have anything to hang their head about.

No. That's not a knock. Like, you know how I feel about Cleveland. I grew up in Pittsburgh. But they finally have a culture. They finally have an identity, and that's exciting. Like, now you go down next year. We play win-loss.

It's one of our favorite games to play. you have to really think about that and that changes things. The AFC North is the toughest division in football. You had three teams in the playoffs and obviously lost Joe Burrow. I don't think they would have made the playoffs, but the future of that division is going to be very rough. It's a quarterback coach league. You clearly have the right coach.

Six games ago, we were sitting talking about, do you give an extension to Baker? He earned it. I thought he actually played really, really well. You know, late in the game, Listen, he had some issues, too. They were down to their third left tackle, so it's not like every break went their way, yeah. So, I mean, listen, the better team won.

There's a reason one of those was a one seed, one was a five or a six seed. I do think, I think Kansas City is hobbled and bouncing around at quarterback, but God, they're good. I generally feel like every year should be a championship year, right? Like, you should have expectations of yourself. If you set the bar low, you will go lower. So that should be the expectation for every organization, although we know that every organization. although we know that every organization doesn't put themselves together that way. But growth is important as well.

The Browns weren't ready yet, and that's fine. Next year, they're going to be a problem. And they play in the division, like I said earlier, that's very rough. You're going to be ready to go once you hit the playoffs. Yeah, joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Lie news.

He's on Fox NFL kickoff with me on Sundays. Fox Sports NFL reporter and a great one. Peter Schreger now joining us live from New York. All right, let's talk about Chad Henney. You know, it's classic Andy Reed. Chad Henney comes in, and my feeling is, oh, this is terrible. You cannot win this game with a guy that hasn't played in months. And I really did.

I thought, okay, there's no way they're going to win this game. This is Cleveland now is running the football. I'm sure you've talked to people inside the Chief's organization, but you know what? They were kind of aggressive. The play calling was kind of aggressive. Were you surprised by that? It was classic Andy Reid, but Henney's story is so good, Colin. And so I did speak with folks in Kansas City.

You got to realize, Chad Henney's been with this team for three years, has never really had an opportunity or a reason to get in the game because Mahomes has been healthy the whole time. And last year at the Super Bowl, he didn't dress. They chose Matt Moore to be the number two quarterback over Henny. So he's there in street clothes, devastated, devastated. This year, the entire season, he wins out the job as the number two, but never has to go in because it's Mahomes plays week 17.

Here he is, 13 years in the league, Colin, has never taken a snap in a playoff. Wow. They put him in in the fourth quarter in the biggest of moments after Mahomes goes down. And then on fourth and one with all the marbles, they complete this pass. God. And I can tell you, there was never a doubt. And it comes from Andy. It comes from Mike Kafka, the quarterback's coach.

It comes from the enemy, the offensive corner. They all talked about it afterwards. There was never a doubt. This was the plays of what they were preparing for. Henny's kids were at the game, seven-year-old and a five-year-old. It's the first time they ever saw him play in a playoff game or ever saw him make a big play. They got to see it. And here's the last point on.

on it. You know, we talk about made men. Andy Reid wins the Super Bowl last year. He's kind of playing with House Money right now, where he has the ability to go for this. And if they don't get it, is he going to deal with the media crushing him? Is there going to be questions the next morning? I don't know. Andy Reid winning the Super Bowl last year gave them such confidence that they can go for this play. You look at Mike Tomlin last week. They're down 12 in the Browns territory, fourth and one. They punt. Mike Vrable last week. Fourth and two, down four against the Ravens at home. In the Ravens territory, they punt.

Andy Reid, fourth and one with Chad Henney getting his first playoff action at 13 years. They go for it. They convert it. Baker never gets back on the field. That's what separates. The great coaches, the Hall of Fame coaches, from the rest of the league. Patrick Mahomes, we're crossing our

fingers. Your gut feeling does he play? What do you know? My gut feeling is yes, and I probably shouldn't be talking so loosey-goosey. This kid wants to play, and from what I gather, is bad as it looked, it's not as bad as it looked. And the hope is that although he's in the concussion protocol, he'll be good to go on Sunday. Jake Glazer had a great report in the OT yesterday, said it almost looked like he got choked out. It didn't look like a pure concussion. It was like

a different kind of hit. Almost like a jujitsu move or an in a main move. Like he was out to they were almost more concerned with his foot after the game than what was going on neurologically. So they're going to play this out throughout the week. But I would be more focused on whether that big toe on the left foot is good to go. as far as him mentally being ready to go there. Apparently, he might be just fine. Yeah, that toe was an issue. Like, he was wincing in pain.

He couldn't throw to the left side of the field. He was wincing when he pushed off on it. So, I mean, Tom Brady is, it is remarkable because I thought Philip Rivers, Big Ben Breeze, they looked their age. This is how my entire life at the end, Troy Aikman. Brett Farb, Peyton Manning, this is how it looks. I was just taken back Brady's velocity

on some of those red zone throws. It was like, Tom, Bring the fastball down a little. What were people texting you, your thoughts on what you saw? Let's take it right here on third and 11 on their own 20, tied 20 to 20 in the fourth quarter. And he's got Gronk and Evans and Godwin and Scotty Miller and Antonio Brown. And he's got the courage and trust to throw a back-shoulder laser to Tyler Johnson, number 18,

a guy who has 12 catches on the year, a rookie fifth round pick out of Minnesota. Brady has the trust and confidence in all these guys. Five plays later, it's third and five. He throws that beautiful pass to Scotty Miller right in the bucket between two defenders. Brady was unconscious in the second half. He couldn't miss. You know, for all the Evans and Antonio Brown and Gronk and Godwin talk, their leading receiver was Cameron Brate yesterday. That's the Brady difference.

He's got full trust in these guys. This pass here to Scotty Miller. Yeah. How clutch was that? And, you know, I texted Bill Richards, who was our mutual. studio boss. He's our executive producer of all the studio stuff at Fox. I said, we have done so many breakdowns of so many mediocre and above average quarterbacks over the last five years working at Fox. This is what we do that for to get Brady in Lambo against Aaron

Rogers in an NFC championship game. There is so much mediocre quarterback play week to week. These are two of the best who ever throw a football. And we get that on Fox 305 Eastern Sunday. Colin, this is why we put in all those hours. All right, Chargers hire Brandon Staley, all but the Texans and Eagles, by the way, fairly dysfunctional at this moment. They don't have a coach yet. Chargers go super young, little curveball. Did it surprise people? It did.

Everyone assumed they were going, Brian Dayle, the offensive coordinator from Buffalo. I could tell you that I'd been talking around. It wasn't a sure thing they were going that way. And Brandon Staley might have been the glimmer in their eye even more. Staley, who is a defensive coordinator, 38 years old of the Rams, just one year as a coordinator. last year he was the outside linebackers coach of a Denver Broncos team that completely missed the playoffs. What a meteoric rise. I'll tell you this, though, has a ton of respect around the league and has a ton of respect from those young defensive players on the Rams. Anyone in Los Angeles

market who is a Chargers fan saying, yeah, but what about Herbert? What about Herbert? Here's the feedback I got. Brandon Staley was a tremendous high school quarterback and then was a star quarterback at Dayton. And then in early years of his coaching career, which included community college and D3 and D-1 at Tennessee was an offensive coach. So it's not like you're getting just one of these defensive guys who can't speak to a quarterback. He will surely hire a good offensive staff. Justin Herbert's going to be in good hands.

They thought he was a leader of men, and that is a meteoric rise for a 38-year-old who was a position coach last year. Yeah, I talked to Tom Telesco this weekend, and it's really actually a good year for candidates. Jason Garrett, I talked to Jason this weekend. You had a day bowl. You still got Eric B. Enemy out there.

Like, it's a year. There's real candidates this year. year and people are going young. Finally, Eagles are, Eagles got a lot of power struggles. It's such an 80s, 90s dilemma. Yeah, it's just weird. Everybody's pushing and pulling in Philadelphia doesn't have a coach. Do we have a leader in the clubhouse? Yeah, so listen, so salary caps an issue, the quarterback situation we don't know with Wents and Hertz. And of course, there's a situation where they just fired a Super Bowl winner from three years ago over who's going to be the assistant coaches. I'll give you these names. I think Josh McDaniels has a real

shot to be the Eagles head coach. Josh McDaniels. has a real shot to be the Eagles next coach, leaving New England, going to Philadelphia. I think Todd Bowles has a shot. And I think Gerard Mayo, who was an assistant with Bill Belichick for a couple years now. 34-year-old former player Gerard Mayo has a shot. But Josh McDaniels coming from New England to go work with Howie Roesman, finally becoming a head coaching candidate and finally becoming a head coach in this league would be something to watch. Because if there's anyone who can talk to quarterbacks, it's McDaniels. But as we know, it's what happened in Denver. and then of course leaving Indianapolis at the altar there. A lot of teams were like, that is toxic. We don't want to touch it.

Do the Eagles have the courage to walk into their media room and say, Josh McDaniels is the number one guy for this job? Great stuff, Shregs, as always, delivering nuggets all the way around. Thanks, buddy. Appreciate you stopping by the show. Love coming on, Colin. Thank you. You bet.

Yeah, it is, you know, you sit there and we've got Rogers against Brady, Mahomes against Josh Allen. That's what we should have. Those are the four best guys all year. That's what we should have. Now, there's talented young people out there, but they may not have the right coach. There's talented coaches out there, Kyle Shanahan. Maybe he doesn't have the right quarterback.

But this is what we got. We got competent coaches, great quarterbacks. It's not about defense, not about run games. Can't be about special teams or Tampa wouldn't be here. Get the right quarterback. Get them a coach. This is where you end up. Coming up next, what to make a Buffalo and Lamar Jackson.

I got perspective on both Colin right, calling wrong, top of next hour. 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'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, 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 Cliverts 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. 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 Jek. 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, so...

Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes, 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 Hardway 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.

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Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. 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-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. Janice, 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'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 was an exception. They let the guys play. What happens? James Hardin 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 don't give up on Hardin. Janice's game, I think, gets marginalized in the postseason. We've seen this with baseball. Arod was never quite. Some of the 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 them. 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 wasn't a high school basketball star, a baseball star. He was a football guy. 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 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 a wide receiver. 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 Hardens 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. start, if we can, elevating Baltimore's very average, wide receiving core in an era where weapons are now like standard. You can't win without them. He doesn't have very good weapons. So let's start there. Good stuff today. Colin Wright, Colin wrong, top of next hour. I don't think it's coincidence. The Texans and the Eagles are the only teams without a coach.

Oh, by the way, the lions. By the way, when you're dysfunctional, guess what? You don't get the cream of the crop you don't call right calling wrong hour two on monday next 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 another podcast from some s nl late night comedy guy not quite unhumor me with robert smigle and friends me and hilarious guests from bob odenkirk to david letterman help make you funnier this week my guess 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 is, 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 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.

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear 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're 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 IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast.

Guaranteed Human. Thank you.