The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 01/28/2021 - HOUR 1 - Watson, Stafford, Texans new HC

Episode Date: January 28, 2021

It's official, Deshaun Watson wants to be traded. Where could he land?Matt Stafford has talent but he doesn't winMore proof that the Texans are a complete messGuest: Greg Olsen Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but the show. celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford 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's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it.

With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. Now let's get this party started You're listening to Fox Sports Radio

Ah, here we go, this is a Thursday We are absolutely packed today Greg Gosell, Greg Jennings, Greg Olson, Greg Schell Live in L.A., it's the herd wherever you may be however you may be listening, Fox Sports Radio, IHeart Radio, and FS1 Very, very exciting day today, very exciting. Joy Taylor is joining me. Joy, how are you?

I'm great. It's, you know, it's the little things for me. Like lemon pepper wings and a very busy NFL news day. Wow. This is like this morning like, yes. So Deshawn Watson has officially requested a trade from the Texans per league sources. Now let's just start with this. This doesn't happen. You're not, you sign in the NFL after your contract, they extend you, then your franchise tagged, you don't get 25-year-old star quarterbacks on the market.

This does not happen ever. The last quote, star quarterback on the market was Kirk Cousins. All right. In the history of the NFL, this doesn't happen. He wants out. So now, that's the first thing. This is unbelievable. The second thing is this.

He's got a no trade clause. He has to approve it. So let's just not make up crazy scenarios. He's not going where he doesn't want to go. there are eight teams that will be at least talking about it. I'm not going to count the Colts because the Texans are not going to trade him in division and play them twice a year. I'm not counting them.

And I'm not counting the Saints who are $100 million over the cap so they can't sign an expensive quarterback. Okay, just take them out. Here's the eight. Jets, Miami, New England, Carolina, 49ers, Washington, and Chicago. Now, I'm going to put them in order as if I'm Deshawn Watson. I'm not saying the team that has the picks that can make it work. I'm Deshawn Watson. What would I choose based on a variety of factors?

Number one would be San Francisco by a mile. Okay, they are without Deshawn Watson, a top five Super Bowl favorite next year. They just had bad injuries. They lost their quarterback. They are stacked. and they're not real happy with Jimmy Garoppel. So in terms of, I just want to go to a team that can win, they got everything. And after San Francisco, the next seven I'm on a list, there's a but.

Undershod Watson, I'd go Miami second. Why? I get a really good defense and a really good coach. But they are rebuilding their offensive line. But I don't love their ownership group. Number three would be New England. Best football coach ever. Above average defense.

Offensive line talents, not bad at all, but they have no weapons. And that division is getting better. They got no weapons. They got no tight ends. They got no wide receivers. They have no starbacks. Number four would be Washington. But don't love the owner.

A lot of dysfunction. You get a great defense. bunch of first round picks up front. You got a really good young receiver, and you get a grown-up, an adult, Ron Rivera, who's got a long contract, so he's going to be there a while. That gives me coaching stability. Number five, and then it gets interesting. Denver is interesting.

I really like their young tight end. I really like their young receivers. They've got some really interesting pieces on this roster. I really like them. But Vic Fangio's in his 60s. He's probably an 0-and-4 start from being fired. John Elway is no longer the GM. They've hired a new guy.

But I do like their wide-receiving weapon talent. Number six, I'd go Chicago. Love their defense. Love the city. But the GM and the coach are on the hot seat. They could both be gone by Thanksgiving. I don't like that instability. I'd get to face Aaron Rogers twice a year.

be good for my, you know, my PR, my billboard campaigns. I mean, let's face it, twice a year. I'm in the biggest NFL game of the weekend. That'd be awesome for my marketing, my PR. Number seven, Carolina. I really like their coach and they got some nice weapons, but they're in a total rebuild. You're going to be in shootouts almost every week.

Christian McCaffrey, sensational. I really like their weapons, but it's a rebuild. It's a rebuild job. And we don't know if Matt Rule's great yet. I think he is. But I don't know he is. And then number eight, and this is why it's fantastic theater. The Jets have nothing I would want.

I want a dependable head coach, ownership, and front office stability and weapons. Just don't have any of it. But of all the teams, this works best. They could give the Texans Sam Darnold. They could give the Texans Sam Darnold and the number two pick so you get Zach Wilson. The Jets makes the most sense by a mile, and I think Deshaun would make it work. And Deshaun has said I like Robert Sala. But what is fascinating about this, the Jets are the worst choice, but they're the one organization that the Texans can call and get a future star quarterback, a bunch of first, second and third round picks.

I don't have to play them in division. I won't have to see him very often. In fact, I could get Sam Darnold for a year and a number two pick. And then when the number two picks ready to play, could trade Sam Darnold and get more picks. The Jets make the most sense by a mile, and I think it would be fascinating. But in terms of I'm Dishon Watson and what I as a quarterback would want,

Jets would be eighth. I mean, seriously, ownership do you trust? Front office, do you know? Robert Sala, who knows? Bad O-line bad. They have one workable running back. They got nothing. But my guess is this morning, the jets are in the hunt very early for this. We've got a 25-year-old star quarterback available to the market. That does not happen in the National Football League. It does not happen. It's crazy. The last star available was Kirk Cousins. All right. So yesterday I talked about something. called it the mythology of talent. I always hear about talent.

Oh, this guy's talented. That guy's talented. Do you win games? So according to a story, a third of NFL teams, a third, 10, 11, have inquired about trading for Matt Stafford. Last three years, 14 and 33. But he's talented. So Deshaun Watson, who had a coach that got fired in a bad defense and a shakio line,

last three years, 25, 22, a division title in the playoff win. Carson Wentz last two years won a division. Coach got fired, no weapons, and bizarre injuries. Matt Stafford's gone 12 years. He's had four winning seasons. I'm not asking for the Super Bowl. I'm not asking for the NFC championship. But 12 years?

No division titles, no playoff wins? Yeah, I know he's talented, but even at Georgia. Nine and four one year, 10 and 3, Andrew Luck went to Stanford with Stanford's talent. In his last two years, he was 23 and 3. Even when he had Georgia talent, he was losing three and four games a year. Andy Dalton made the playoffs five times. Andy Dalton has the Steelers and Ravens in his division.

Mitch Trubisky in Matt's division has won at two of the last three years. And we don't know if he has the right coach, the right GM, or anything on offense. Sometimes you've got to show me you can win. Andrew Luck had nothing. Nothing. When you tell me Matt Stabbard had nothing. He went 11 and 5, 11 and 5, 11 and 5, AFC championship. Deshawn Watson keeps winning games.

He's had nothing but dysfunction. Even in his own division against the Bears and Vikings, let's take Aaron Rogers out of it. Okay, so he can't beat Aaron Rogers. Against the Bears and Vikings, he's 19 and 22. It reminds me in the NBA, there's players like this. Everybody keeps telling me, I remember Tracy McGrady. Oh, my God, he's got so much talent.

Tracy's a nice guy. I've met him. Oh, my God, Tracy McGrady's got great talent. You never want a playoff series. Oh, Zach Levine. Oh, my God, Zach Levine. Oh, how come he's never on winning teams? Well, Colney doesn't have a lot to work with.

Chris Paul wins everywhere. In a league of tall men, he's six, two and a half. Chris Paul wins everywhere. Chris Paul went to Oklahoma City. Joy and I watched. They were tanking. They were tanking. And they had nobody except Chris Paul.

And they ended up what? Hottest team in the NBA the last month and a number four or five seat. In fact, they traded Chris Paul from Oklahoma City because they was screwing up their tanking. Then they trade them to a team that hasn't won in years. Phoenix. Now they're winning. Damien Lillard.

Portland's not a hot free agent market. The second best player they have is a lesser version of Damian Lillard. He gets to the conference championship. Damian Lillard wins games. He doesn't have a hot free agent market. He doesn't have a dominating cohort. How the hell did they get to playoffs last year? They had no wings.

In the West, they had no wing defenders. But Chris Paul figures out ways to win. Deshawn wins. Went as much as we criticize him. Wins. Damian Lillard wins. After a while, you got to give me more than talent. Because I'm the coach here.

Everybody's going, that guy's got talent. That guy's got talent. That gets coaches fired. You got talent gets coaches fired. Chris Paul just won. Damian Lillard wins. The Sean Watson wins. Wentz, maybe fourth of those four, he was won a lot of games with a mess around him.

I mean, think about this. since Matt Stafford came into the NFC North, Mitch Trubisky's won a division twice, Case Keenham, Jay Cutler and Teddy Bridgewater. Twelve years, you've got to give me one. Aaron Rogers has been hurt twice. You got to give me one. I got nothing against Matt Stafford.

I think he's talented. But boy, if a third of the league is after him, it shows you the mythology of talent. At some point, 12 years, you've got to start winning more games. All right, the Houston Texans have a new coach. Oh, boy. And the Rams just shifted into hyper-aggressive gear.

Oh, wow. These teams and these quarterbacks, we got GMs that are getting rid of people and quarterbacks who are getting rid of teams. I love it. We love it. One hour from now, Greg Go Sell. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Weekdays, and noon Eastern 9 a.m. on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHard 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're 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.

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 you 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 was 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 finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black. 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, Tripp 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. Life becomes about wins and losses.

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Keir Gaines, as 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. At Jersey Mike's app is short for appetizing. Right now, save 25% in your order with the code jam 25, jam 25. Now through Saturday. Jersey mics be a sub above. Greg CoSell top of next hour. So the Houston Texans dysfunction remains embarrassing. It's cult-ish. So they just hired David Cully. He's 65.

He's been in the NFL 27 years as a coach. He's never been offered a coordinator job. That's the new coach. Tim Graham, who covers the bills, a Buffalo sports writer, chatted last night with somebody who worked closely with David Cully when he worked in Buffalo. Tim Graham said, what kind of a head coach do you think he'll be? He's an awesome person, silence.

What about as a coach? Terrific guy. What impact that he have in Buffalo? A great guy, silence. Folks, late bloomer is overrated. In comedy, there's one exception, Rodney Dangerfield. The great comedians, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Sign Fet.

John Stewart were noticed in their early 20s and crushing it by their late 20s. In American Idol, ever noticed the stars are young? There are no late bloomers. John Madden would be one of the all-time great coaches, but Madden, former coach of the Raiders, had an intense fear of flying. So he retired early to be a broadcaster where he took Winnebago, the Madden Mobile around the country. John Madden was brilliant. He was hired at 32 as a head coach of at the time the Raiders, a marquee franchise.

Nobody hired people in their early 40s. Madden got it at 32. Andy Reid a head coach at 40, Belichick 39, Sabin 36, Urban in his 30s, Tomlin early 30s, Don Shula early 30s. everybody in America, every industry, mine yours NFL, is seeking great young talent. Nobody slips through the cracks for 35 years. I'm sure he's a terrific guy. This is a bad hire.

Never been offered a coordinator. It just doesn't work that way. It just does not work that way in the NFL. Sean McVeigh had teams vying on him, Shanahan teams vying on him, Tomlin, Shula, Belichick, Andy Reed. That doesn't mean you can't be fired. It can be a bad fit. Pete Carroll was. He got hired again.

He was fired. He got hired again and again. Like, come on, man. This is the late bloomer thing. And I get it. Maybe there's, this is a bad organization that just kept hearing no thanks. That's what happened here. Houston people wanted Eric Bian to get it.

He should thank his lucky stars. He didn't take it. He was smart enough to not take it. This is a bad organization. They were left with this coach. This was not their first choice. They got two words for the last three weeks. No thanks.

And you're wondering why Deshaun Watson wants out. This is what they get. He's a nice guy and a lot of nice guys. Joy Taylor with the news. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, we're here in Los Angeles, and the Rams were not a team that we talked about quite as bit as much as we did about the team that didn't do as well, which was the Chargers, because they have their franchise quarterback. And the Rams franchise quarterback, Jared Zoff's position as the starter, is not very secure heading into the 2021 season.

I heard this. There are rumors that he could be moved this off season, but if he is not traded, there will reportedly be an o-freyed. open competition in training camp between Goff and his backup, John Wolford, for the starting job. Okay, so that's fine. Why does this make the press? It makes the press because the Rams wanted out because the Rams went to Goff's agent and said, hey, we did you a solid. Take a haircut on your neck.

Take a haircut now. Let's redo the contract. The agent said no. And so they're going to embarrass the client and put the – Listen, I don't have a problem with doing this, but why does it make it out? We always say this. Stories get out because somebody wants them out. Goff doesn't want this out.

No. And I mean, when you think about it, and no disrespect to John Wolford, but it's a bit ridiculous. Yeah. Cherok Goff is obviously better than Wolford. Anytime a backup quarterback comes in and does anything different than the starter does or has some sort of spark, everyone falls in love with the backup quarterback. It happens every single time. Every single time, unless it's just an absolute superstar. It's Patrick Mahomes.

Ryan Fitzpatrick. But if Patrick Holmes isn't playing that well, there would be some way that Chad Henney would be, they would have some fans. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the best backup quarterback in the league. A third of the NFL is vying for Matt Stafford. Nobody's vying for Ryan Fitzpatrick. We fall in love with the backups, but there's a reason they're backups. Every single time. But to your point about his contract, Goff will take up $67 million in cap space over the next two seasons.

He has a cap hit of $35 million next season. 43.325 million and fully guaranteed payments due over the next two years. the Rams would face a $65.2 million cap hit if they move on from Goff this off season. So, yes, they're very tied up with this contract. Now, I didn't hate this contract when it was first signed. Everyone kind of freaked out about it. You have to pay your franchise quarterback. That's how it goes.

But you also have to perform if you're the franchise quarterback as well. And if you're going to need a bunch of pieces around you and you're going to basically handicap the franchise moving forward, then it might be in your best interest to wiggle around. Now, again, it's not our money we're talking about here. So maybe if we're Jared Gough, we're like, no. We're not doing anything. I earned this money, and this is what you made me.

You chose to give me this contract. You guys figure it out. By the way, if I take less money and restructure it in any year you don't like me, then I go somewhere else and I've given up that money and I never get it back. Yeah. So I get golf in his agent's position. Exactly. So Philip Rivers is retiring and the Colts have to fill their starting quarterback position next season.

And owner Jim Ursa is looking forward to that opportunity. It's not, oh, how do you solve the quarterback situation? Boy, is that a tough problem? Isn't that going to be hard? No, that's opportunity. I see this as opportunity. It can go in a lot of different directions. And we just have to make sure we go in the right direction without setting ourselves back as we pursue the new quarterback frontier. Can I get that chair? I know. I just realized I needed to upgrade my own studio. Very Game of Thrones. It was. It was. Well, it's the Iron Throne.

He's right. They have a wonderful opportunity here, and they have to get it right. They are a team. I would even put them slightly ahead of, yeah, I would. I would put them slightly ahead of the Dolphins because they made the playoffs this year. So the Colts are in a position to win right now. They have everything in place. They just need a franchise quarterback.

Oh, yeah, there's no question. And it's interesting with their contractual situation. Do they want to, when you're in that Super Bowl window and they are because they're really good and really young and really talented, do they really want to draft a quarterback and grow with them for three years? Or do they want to go in the market and get a Garoppel or Stafford who have their issues, but you don't have to teach them how to play quarterback in the NFL? If I'm the Colts, I'm going all in.

We talk about Super Bowl windows all the time. talking about if their Super Bowl window is open, halfway closed the other day. It's open, but it closes very quickly. A lot of things change very quickly. I mean, the 49ers were just in the Super Bowl, and now they're talking about moving off of Jimmy Garoppola. Things change very quickly in this league. They're ninth and scoring, 10th in total offense, 10th in scoring on defense,

eighth in total defense. Like, they're sets, and they have some stars, Michael Pittman, Quentin Nelson, Darius Leonard, DeForest Buckner, T.Y. Hilton, Jonathan Taylor. They have a lot of pieces. You just have to get somebody you can come in right now and start making things happen. I'm with you. I don't see Deshawn Watson going there. I would have loved to see Carson Wentz go there, but it seems like the Eagles are going to hang on to him.

I think Sam Darnold is not a bad choice, and I also could see Jimmy Garoppolo going there as well. Although Matthew Stafford may end up there. So finally, the 76ers have started with an Eastern Conference Best 13 and 6 record in Darry's first season as team president. and he is very open about his expectations for the team this year. He said, I think we're pretty championship robust. Doc Rivers obviously has won a title. I haven't gotten there yet. Joelle and Ben haven't gotten there yet.

You go into every season hoping to win the title. Not a lot of teams have that chance, but we absolutely have a chance, and we're going to continue to work hard until we give ourselves the best chance possible. I think we have a very good chance. Well, they controlled the Lakers last night. Now it's just a game.

Lakers almost pulled that off, by the way. Talent's never been their issues. It's always been fit in chemistry. The talent's fine. Tobias Harris, M.B. Ben Simmons are all very talented people. It was just putting it all together. Tobias Harris had 24.7 rebounds and three assists last night, including hitting the game-winning shot. Jowell had 28 points, six rebounds, four-sist, and Ben Simmons added 17, 11 and 10. It was really a complete game last night.

If they can be consistent like this throughout the season, I don't see why they can't. I still think that the Nets in the end have more talent. higher level talent, maybe not a more complete team, and obviously have to still continue to work on their chemistry as well. But I like that Darrell Mori said this because it is championship or bust. I don't like when teams have this type of talent on their team. And it's what kind of the mantra was in Houston for a while. It's like, you know, we don't win a championship. It doesn't mean it's not a good season.

No. If you have high level talent on your team and you don't win a championship, it is not a good season. If you're rebuilding, if you've just drafted the newest young star and you've got to develop him, okay. the expectations can be managed. But this is a failure if they don't end up winning a championship. Well, you've got three, you've got two elite players. Let's just say you have a star in Embed, and you have two really talented guys in Tobias Harrison Simmons. And in the East, that should be no worse than like a two seed.

I mean, it really should be. I mean, they're number one in the East now. Yeah, they should be in the Eastern Conference finals. Miami, Boston, U, Brooklyn. That's who should be battling. Everybody else is looking up at that. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Lye News. I've known Greg Olson for a long time. Used to bring him on the show at the other place in here. Warms my heart. He is now a part of Fox Sports NFL analyst. Really smart guy, really thoughtful guy. I do feel some guilt because he was down to Buffalo and Seattle,

and I texted him twice pushing him to go to Seattle, and it was Buffalo that made the NFC Championship, so I am riddled with guilt. Brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing. hopefully it didn't sever our relationship. That was a really bad move by me. I feel terrible. How are you?

I'm doing good. I appreciate it. I look back on those texts, and I put a lot of stock in what you thought, but I'm glad I still went to Seattle. It was a good experience. I was happy for Buffalo. I had a lot of friends there, I had other people there,

but I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't a little having a little bit of buyer's remorse, you know. So does Sean Watson, is 25 and now potentially on the market, which, as you know, Greg, because of the franchise tag, it just doesn't happen. This is not what happens in the NFL, especially for star quarterbacks. So if you were his agent or Deshaun, what would be attractive to you and what would worry you? Is there something that you would say, okay, I'm not going there? And is there something that maybe that's underrated that would attract you to a team? Yeah, first and foremost, he's leaving Houston because he just views it as just like institutional chaos.

I think that's really the reason they're in this predicament. They've traded away so many good players. There was really no organizational structure. There was no GM. The head coach was the GM. There was some kind of infighting amongst higher executive levels about who was in charge and who was making decisions. And I think he's just like, I'm too young.

I'm too talented. I have too many things I want to accomplish. I can't be around this nonsense. So here he is forcing his way out, which is almost unheard of in today's NFL for a young star quarterback to be available, let alone publicly be asking for his trade. I think when you go down the line, the clearest fit as far as offensive head coach, young-minded, offensive kind of innovative head coach, team built to win was just in the Super Bowl a year ago, is the 49ers.

I think San Francisco, if they could somehow land him, I think they immediately go to the top of the list, at least in the NFC and saying that they're the favor. I mean, we just saw what that team was able to do when they were health. the young defense that you're not really paying anybody much. I mean, to me, that's the team. Again, whether that's possible or not, I think that's obviously the number one fit. And again, with Kyle Shanahan and an offensive young-minded head coach,

I think that's the dream, right? That's what every young quarterback is looking for. But there's a couple of issues I want to talk to you about. You know the game behind the game in the NFL. There's the game, and then there's stuff that's going on that you've been around the league. you get it. So I theorize that the Rams have gone public with this Jared Gough stuff, McVehan Sneed, in harmony. And they've done it, not because he's a bad kid, but because they did him a solid by signing him early. They're now trapped by his contract. He's regressed. And they went to the agent and said,

okay, let's redo the contract. And the agent said, no, we're not going to do it. So they're going to go, okay, then we're going to call out your client publicly. That's my gut feeling on what's happening right? I can't think of anything else because by all accounts, Goffs a nice kid. He almost never talks. He's like really, really quiet. What do you make of suddenly the Rams front office yesterday leaking it that we don't even know if he's going to be a starting quarterback next year? There's something going on, right? I mean, most organizations that are fully committed to especially a young quarterback, they bend over backwards to publicly support and empower that player. You never, whether they, behind the scenes feel a different way.

The public narrative from these organizations is always to do whatever we can to protect the confidence, protect the development of our most valuable asset. And in regards to Jared Gough, you touched on it earlier, the contract they're paying him, they're at a little bit of a crossroads. It's when we were getting ready to play them in the wild card round and he was injured and he had the surgery the prior week of the last week of the regular season and who was going to start, was a Walt Wofford or with him. internally, I know a lot of us thought that it almost gave the Rams a chance to make a move that they thought allowed them to be better. I think Wofford's ability to run around and get out on the pocket. I remember we played him twice this year and watching golf. They do so much boots and naked. He's out on the perimeter, but he's not a runner.

He's zero threat to really advance the ball at all as a runner. So teams don't really have to come up and defend him. They see everybody staying back. He's on the edge. He's running. But he's really no threat. And I think all of a sudden they put in the other kid and he's running and dive in, converting third downs.

All of a sudden now they're running their rollouts and their boots and their naked. And now defenses are coming up to tackle him. Now guys are open downfield. And I think McVeigh said to himself, this adds another element to our run. You know, this adds another element to this playoff run. And all of a sudden he starts against us in the wild card round. He doesn't really make it out of the first quarter or so. And golf came in and played pretty well.

He was healthy. So if he was good enough to be the backup and come in, there was something weird about him not starting that game. Yeah. I don't know. The whole thing just didn't sit right. And when Woffer took the first snap, we were like, hmm, you know, it was interesting. Yeah. No, your point is he was good enough to play, and they essentially benched him.

They just didn't make it public that they benched him. That's what you're saying. And again, I'm speculating, right? I always find it funny. Guys that are injured, he's in uniform and he's an emergency player. They do this a lot with injured offensive linemen, right? They keep him up as if he's in a uniform, at some point he could go in the game. It could be on the second play of the game.

If he's good enough to be the backup emergency and he's your guy, then he should be good enough to play. He ended up playing, you know, three quarters against us anyway. You know, it's interesting. The Aaron Rogers drama post game. You know, it's weird. It's an organization without an owner. That's the smallest market. Maybe Aaron doesn't really have a sounding board.

He's a single guy. He's not married. You know, I mean, he's, you know, maybe this were his sounding board. But it did kind of create a little bit of a chaos where everybody had to clean it up for three or four days. How is Aaron viewed in the league? Like, I don't think, and we've seen this with certain stars, some are passive aggressive. Michael Jordan was confrontational. LeBron early was a little more passive aggressive.

Like, are there? players in the NFL that say, yeah, Aaron's talented, but he does feel like a lot of work. I mean, it just felt like it was unnecessary commentary after a game that became kind of a mess. It was. And I think we've all been in those positions where you think back to things you said in the post game and you're like, you know, I probably didn't need to cause that, you know, that storm on myself. I know how I view him. And this might differ from other guys. But I love his whole moxie. I love his whole attitude. I don't need to. my quarterback to be how everyone else needs him to be. I think you can you they come in all shapes

and sizes. They come in all different personalities. And I think his kind of chip on the shoulder kind of look out of the corner of his eye and give you kind of a smirk. And I think that's just him. And I think I'm sure if you ask the guys on the Packers, they love it. I know if I was on his team, like I would embrace that. I think he is true to who he is. He's not for everyone. But I I'm just not of the mind that every quarterback needs to fit this certain mold and always say the right thing, do the right thing. He wears his emotions on his sleeves. He's not afraid to say things when he doesn't think things are right. I love Rogers.

I think his personality, his demeanor, his attitude on the field, I love everything about him. So listen, I love Russell Wilson. That's why I text you and told you go to Seattle. But I have to be honest about it. I don't love their schemes. I think they run it too much. It's frustrating for me. There's been analytic people like Warren Sharp who have come out and been highly critical

of the offense, which is far too run-centric. And the reality is Patrick Mahomes' nine losses in the NFL, Greg, you have to score 36 to beat him. Okay? So that's the reality of the NFL now. You were in Seattle for a year. I don't want to put you on the spot. But did you sense some frustration from Russell who's not the guy, he's not Aaron Rogers. He's going to say, go Hawks.

I love my team. That's who he is. But did you sense a little frustration? Yeah. Russ is the most consistent, dialed in at all times, never has an off moment, never has a lapse in concentration. Player, not just quarterback, player,

I've ever been around. I mean, it didn't matter if it was a Zoom call in April with a handful of guys learning the offense or if it was the Friday practice before the playoff game. Like, he doesn't have anything other than on. So first and foremost, just to be around him and experience that firsthand was a huge treat and was a huge, you know, kind of, it was a great experience for me as a player, especially at this stage in my career. I think as far as it goes to our offense, you know, when you look early on in the year, the defense was finding their way. They were kind of, we had some new pieces.

We added Jamal. We had some really talented guys that were kind of trying to find their mold. And I think as a team, the philosophy was we got to go out and try to score 40, right? the brakes were off and we were just rolling and it was shots and it was attack and we were in full court it was like we were full court pressing from the opening tip and that formula one we won some high we won some high scoring games we want some scores with some games there at the end in two minute drive and that really seemed to be our energy and and then there was kind of like this shift where all of a sudden halfway through the season the defense really started playing well and

they really started to find their groove we got jama alams back he was injured earlier in year and he obviously made a huge huge difference and all of a sudden now we didn't go into games philosophically saying we need to score 40 you know so now we kind of we reverted back to a little that old mantra of our defense is really playing well this back half the season let's not put him in tough situations with turnovers let's protect the ball let's run the ball and really the magic that we had the first half the year we kind of flipped our mindset and yeah I mean at times we questioned it, but we continued to win. We won 12 games, and, you know, winning, you know, justifies every decision, but, you know, we just didn't have enough juice there down the stretch

offensively, and it kind of reared its head there in the opening round of the playoffs. By the way, tell people at Fox, Greg Olson, Fox Sports Analyst, he just retired a couple days ago, a Sunday. So what are you going to be doing for us? Yeah, so this season, I've had some really cool opportunities, and a lot of them were through Fox to call games on my bye week a couple years ago. Me and Kevin Burkart called the game. Last year, Kevin and I called five weeks of what turned out to be the only five weeks of the XFL schedule, and we got to work together. So I'm going to be joining a broadcast crew this season. A lot of those details are still kind of being flushed out through Fox and it'll be announced as we get

closer to the season. But I'll be full-time calling games every weekend. It's something I've really enjoyed doing. I love studying the game. I love the preparation that goes into it. during the week. It's very similar to my preparation as a player. So I'm looking forward to it. I obviously have a lot to learn. And as we all know, that line of work comes with its fair share of critics. And I'm ready for that. So I welcome the challenge. And I'm really excited to join the Fox Group. I had a great time with you and Tony and everybody on Sunday before the championship rounds. It's just a great group to work with. And I'm looking forward to it. All right, buddy. Great having you on the team, man.

All right. Always enjoy it, Colin. I'll talk to you soon. All right. Greg Olson, who had a great career, 14 years, multiple pro-bowls, most catches, yards by a tied-in and Panthers history, and maybe Buffalo could have used him this past weekend. Coming up next, it is strange with the trade Deshaun Watson that could happen. The dominoes it would set off. It's really fascinating.

The dominoes that it would set off around the league, and we'll kind of speculate on those coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd, Week days 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, 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 Jette. 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. Including a recent episode,

with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was 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, Keer 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 life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions

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So we have said, even though the Jets do not really have what I would want if I would is Deshawn Watson. You don't know if Solic can coach. They don't have any weapons. They have organizational chaos. They make way too much sense. They've got everything you need. The picks, the opening, the assets at quarterback to make this work. And I'll show an example. So Greg Olson agreed. You agree. Joy, we all agree. San Francisco is the best place to go. So we're going to play quarterback dominoes. Here's how it could work if Deshaun had a choice. So Deshaun, they would be Super Bowl co-favorants with Kansas City if he went to San Francisco.

Yeah. That would be if I was his agent, if I was Deshaun. That's the easy one. There's no buts. Everything works. San Francisco does have a player or two they could trade. They have a surplus of talent. And they have the 12th pick.

They'd give to Houston. Houston would also get many of their other picks so they could move that 12 pick up. But in this instance, they go with Deshaun Watson, Houston makes a deal. So what does that mean? Jimmy Garoppolo's on the market. Garopolo then goes to a place he's been. They won with him. They know him.

San Francisco is unhappy with him. That's why they make the deal for Deshaun Watson. And so Garopolo goes to the Patriots, solving their quarterback dilemma. So what happens after that? So then, number three, the Colts are a quarterback. away from being a Super Bowl-worthy team. They may have misgivings about Matthew Stafford's inability to win. But Stafford, who's got the OK to look for work, would choose the Colts because he's smart

enough to see, I can win a bunch of games here, and they have a great O line and a great GM and a great coach. So Stafford would agree with it. The Colts are not going to go young. They just drafted a rookie quarterback last year, and this team's ready to win now. Why roll the dice on a rookie quarterback? They already have one in house, Jacobi. So they're going to go for the best available quarterback on the market now that Deshawn's off, Garoppel's off.

They go Stafford. What happens after that? Well, the Jets, they didn't get Deshawn Watson. They have the number two pick. They take Zach Wilson. It's a fresh start. Robert Sala. Zach Wilson is very highly graded, I think higher than Donald out of college.

So what does that do to Darnold? Washington acquires Sam Darnold. Nothing against Alex Smith, can't trust him physically. This team, I believe, is ready to win now in that division with that defense and that coach. I think they go out and get Sam Darnold, and I think it's a great fit for Sam Darnold. Then, who's next? The Lions have a very good pick. They take Justin Fields, the best available young guy in their eyes, Midwest kid.

He played for Ohio State, very popular choice. Dan Camel, new coach, wants a fresh start. then it's Carolina next. They go get Trey Lance. He's probably not quite ready to play like Justin Fields. Well, that's perfect because they have Teddy Bridgewater who like Alex Smith, cerebral, steady, reliable, teaches him the tricks for a year, then takes over and then Teddy backs him up.

Then finally, the Texans. Oh, they're screwed. Like their coaching search, they don't have anything. So the point being is, that's, That's why the Jets offer nothing to Deshawn Watson. Nothing. Stability, weapons, definite headcoat. That's why the Texans are going to try to do a deal with the Jets.

The Jets and the Texans, the Jets could say, listen, we'll give you the number two pick. So you get Zach Wilson. We'll also give you Darnold. And you can trade him in a year. You can start him for a year. see you know what and then trade him and use that well it's perfect you could get the number two pick and sam darnald you also get the jets have nothing but first round picks and third round picks because of the jamal adams trade so that's why the jets is the one that makes sense or the texans

could be in you think this thing's bad now you may look up in five years and they're detroit because they've won some divisions in the last five years Greg co sell around the corner hour two live in l a it's the hurt another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. in 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clivert 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 IHeard Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the side, Things follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.