The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 03/02/2021 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: March 2, 2021

Colin reveals the real reason JJ Watt decided to join the Arizona Cardinals that everyone else is missing. He also shares his NFL quarterback tiers and why Dak Prescott seems to be turning into “Delusional Dak”. Colin discusses the rise of Zion Williamson and argues he’s currently the 3rd most popular player in the NBA right now. Plus, Colts LB Darius Leonard joins the show to talk about the expectations for his new QB Carson Wentz.   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. 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, 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, unfiltered 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. 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. I was having trouble

stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way 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 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. Thanks for listening to The Best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday.

From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1, find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio. com or stream us live every day on the IHeart Radio app by searching Heard. This is the Best of the Hurd with Colin Kahn. hour on Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go. On a Tuesday, we're live in Los Angeles. This show is called The Hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening.

Fox Sports Radio, Iheart Radio. And FS1. It is good to have you in today. All sorts of things happening. J.J. Watt yesterday, middle of our show, decided to move his act and his talent to air his and Joy Taylor and I were in the wo stage and the wow stage and didn't see that coming stage. We're so often surprised by where stars go.

Joy, how are you? I'm great. It's been a really wild NFL off season so far. And it actually hasn't really even officially started. It's amazing how many stars, the transaction business in the NFL, Stafford, J.J. Wat Carson. I want to talk about this. So there was a story out there yesterday. It was down to Buffalo and Arizona.

two different culture, cities, fan bases. And apparently somebody in Buffalo, a reporter, had talked to a former Texans coach, and they criticized J.J. Watt. They said, quote, he's selfish, only cared about his stats. He does a lot of things that hurt the defense. I wouldn't want him. He hurt us sometimes more than he helped us.

So what you're saying is a little rogue. That's been the knock on endomic and sue for years. He's a little bit of a, you know, doing his own things. a little bit of a freelancer. For the record, I've heard a little bit of that with JJ Watt, a little bit. Now, this morning, it's interesting. If I lined up, and this goes along the lines of what, like, the big sports betting companies think, if I looked at the NFC West this morning, I would take the Rams to win the division.

They won 10 games last year with Jared Gop. I think Matt Stafford's worth a win. I'd have the Rams winning the NFC West at 11 to 5. I would have San Francisco if Jimmy Garoppolo is healthy, if he's healthy. if he's healthy, battling them for second place. I'm selling some of my stock on Seattle, but they have Russell Wilson, so I'd pick him third and Arizona fourth. Not a shot, but it's the best division in football.

So J.J. Watt did not choose the best team in his own division. He didn't choose the best roster in his own division. He didn't choose the best Super Bowl odds in his own division. He picked probably the fourth. fourth best coach in a division. Some would argue the fourth best quarterback in his division. He didn't choose an area that was closer to home. Arizona was fourth in Sacks last year.

He didn't choose a place where he'd have the greatest impact. It may just be this easy. J.J. Watt chose the place that was best for him and his wife, Kalia. I mean, that's it. She's a pro athlete. He's a pro athlete. They don't have to have a second home with warm weather. They can go train in the offseason.

It's just a good place to play some golf, drink some margaritas in the off season. And he and his wife can train together outdoors in their beautiful house. Matt Stafford, by the way, was on the market. Many suitors. He chose the Rams, which is the toughest division in football. Why we found out? He just like Los Angeles.

He had a home here. He liked the weather. off seasons or easier. He's kind of worn out from Michigan winters. I mean, he grew up in Texas, played at Georgia. He was tired of the winners. Think about where the stars choose. KD.

chose Brooklyn. What? Kauai chose the Clippers. Tom Brady chose the Buccaneers. As you age, things that were less important become really important.

Think about the final two choices for J.J. Watt. On one shoulder, there's a little Buffalo bill. We are a player away from a Super Bowl. You are going to win the division. And on the other side was a little devil and he was wearing Arizona colors and he's like, this is Buffalo. You're going to have to have a second home. Is your wife really want to live in Buffalo? They jump on tables. And it's kind of crazy. Arizona's more laid back. You can golf in the offseason. golf in the season. Think about the two places that were the final places. He probably felt guilty a little bit for choosing Arizona. So he concludes Buffalo, because that was, as Joey and I

talked about, that's the place where he can literally, they're going to win their division next year. They feel like they're a pass rush away from the Super Bowl. Tennessee doesn't. Green Bay doesn't necessarily. They already had a pretty good pass rush. So the final two places came down to one place where it made total football sense. And they finished second to the place that didn't. didn't make really any football sense. And that's okay. We tend to, in the media, try to figure out what the best place for the athlete is. Hey, he fits the scheme, hey, the division.

And LeBron James chose Miami. They weren't good when he got there. And the Lakers, they were terrible when he got there. Both cities for a kid that grew up in Akron, a lot of sex appeal, a lot of fun. You can get free agents to come and play there. we're always trying to figure out where players are going to go. We're almost always wrong. In my gut feeling this morning, and I've moved four different times to different places,

I think, Joy, you've moved three or four different times. It's never, you get that yellow notepad out, and I guarantee you JJ Watt did with his wife, Kalia, and they wrote down stuff, and we'd be wrong on all the guesses. And I'm here to tell you, I bet some of it was this. Cliff Kingsbury has a reputation. He doesn't grind players at practice. He's very Sean McVeigh.

J.J. Watts's a Hall of Famer. Does he want to grind at practice? J.J. Watt shows up on Sunday and kicks your arse. You don't need to grind at practice. You don't want to get hurt at practice. You may have put that one down. Where do my wife and I in the off-season? You know, you live in a cold place.

You've got to have a second home. In Arizona, you don't. So all those little things you write down on a list as we age, you know, when I was 20, professional success was everything. I'm 50. I'm more into my kid's success. Like, pro athletes are the same. KD. to Brooklyn,

Kauaida the Clippers, Brady, the Buccaneers, J.J. Watt to Arizona. It may have just been as simple as I'm married now. The off-seasons matter now. Money's good enough. And winning, if it happens, great.

If it doesn't, I still make the Hall of Fame. And that's okay, too. All right. So I saw this story. Jane Slater is a reporter I trust. She is talking, her sources are telling her yesterday in the Dan Patrick show on how DAC is not budging on his salary demands. Money was in the ballpark of Russell Wilson slash Jared Gough type money. Now he's looking

to be paid right behind Patrick Mahomes, a guy who's gone to the Super Bowl two years in a row. Dak hasn't done that yet. So they feel like it's been a respectable offer. His camp believes that he needs to bear what the market value is. And they feel like this deal should have gotten done two years ago. So your problems with money aren't our problems. It's about respect. If you trust that report and I do, is it possible devoted and dependable DAC has become delusional DAC?

So let's pretend. We'll play a game here. That quarterbacks were paid in order based on two things. Now, talent's obviously a big deal. but I think it's actually second place to how valuable you are. Because I've seen Bill Belichick give up a lot of talented players. He rarely gives up valuable players. In fact, our sports leagues all have awards called Most Valuable Player.

None of them have most talented player. Joy and I have been in this business for 30 years. Companies move on from talented people all the time. Valuable people, and they'll move on from valuable people. So if you were paid based on your, talent and how valuable you are. To me, there's three tiers. The first tier is four guys.

Russell Wilson, Tom, Brady, Aaron Rogers, and Josh Allen. And let me describe each. Seattle runs an antiquated offense. Pete Carroll was fired twice and had a losing record in Seattle before Russell Wilson. What is Seattle offensively without Russell Wilson? Tom Brady not only moves your team in the right direction, he gives you Super Bowl. at the end. He changed a goofy Buccaneer franchise into a place

now we argue everybody wants to play. Aaron Rogers doesn't give you many Super Bowls, but Green Bay has historically been awful when he doesn't play. And then Josh Allen. Josh Allen's their best running back. He's their best running weapon. He's their best throwing weapon

on a historically last 20 years in that franchise. They're now a Super Bowl conversation team. The second tier, and I know what you're saying. Patrick Mahalms? Well, Andy Reed has 13 playoff wins without Patrick Mahomes. Two years ago, they beat the playoff Vikings without Patrick Mahomes and should have beaten the Packers.

The Kansas City Chiefs were a good franchise forever without Patrick Mahomes, and with all their weapons today, if Patrick Mahomes was not the Chief's quarterback, I believe we saw it with Alex Smith, they'd be a playoff team. So the second tier, Patrick Mahomes is a mega talent, but not quite as valuable as the first four. Deshawn Watson. Again, mega talent, but he went four and 12 this year. And oh, by the way, Bill O'Brien won that division with Brock Osweiler. Look it up. I did. I don't remember it, but it happened. Lamar Jackson is damn good. But Baltimore won a lot of games in the Super Bowl without him. And then Jimmy Garoppolo. I know what you're saying. Come on, Colin.

Kyle Shanahan is a great coach, has won 25% of his NFL games without Kyle, without Jimmy Garofalo. I'm sorry. I hurt your feelings. That's called valuable. Everybody else in the NFL is Tier 3. Pretty talented, sometimes valuable. Let's remember that in the last 17 starts, Dak Prescott is 6 and 11. They were 5 and 5 with Andy Dalton last year. If you count the game, he came in initially and led them do a win against the New York Giants. They were behind. Dak got hurt. He came in and won. He was, DAC was 8 and 8 in 2019,

6 and 11, his last 17 starts. And in games he started and finished last year, he was 1 and 3. Andy Dalton, if you count the game, he replaced Dak against the Giants, was 5 and 5. Now, Dax better than Andy Dalton. I am not in any way insinuating.

He is not. But if Dak is saying this morning, I'm worth Patrick Mahalms money, I'm not struggle with that. And I like DAC, but that's dependable, devoted DAC to delusional DAC. You got to kind of know if you go into contract negotiations, you got to kind of know the temperature in the room. To me, there's four guys that are Tier 1.

They can kind of name their price. There's another four or five guys, maybe even more talented, but don't quite feel as valuable to the franchise. Garoppolo would be the opposite. I don't think he's a mega talent, but I think he's super valuable to San Francisco. Everybody else is kind of tier three. Obviously, a DAC, maybe a higher tier three or a Matt Ryan,

and, you know, Baker's probably somewhat valuable. But if that's true, he sees himself as Mahomes' money class, um, maybe that's why Jerry J. Jones may franchise them again. That may be the reason. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1 and the IHeart Radio app.

Hey, what's up everybody? It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVore Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? Along with my fellow Pro Bowler, T.J. Hushman Zada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico. Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be

sharing our real life experiences loaded with teachable moments. Listen to Up on Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushmanzada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from. 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.

Cliver Taylor the 4. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast.

It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMA? 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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam Jay. 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 literally. No, we don't have plenty. But just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. 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 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, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. It's rare in professional sports, at least in this country, where somebody who becomes iconic is a late bloomer. Or we don't really know about him early and all of a sudden we figure out, wow. I mean, you know, we talked about LeBron at 16, Bryce Harper at 17, Tiger Woods at 13. That's just kind of the reality of how it works.

Very few late bloomers become a face of the league. Now, you could say, oh, Patrick Mahomes, but all football players go to three or four years of college. And by the end of his first year, there were rumors he was amazing. And by his second year in the league, he became really, really, really the most talked about quarterback in the NFL not named Tom Brady or maybe Aaron Rogers. So Mahomes is not a late bloomer. But it's interesting. Zion Williamson watched him last night again. He's getting better every game.

The best team in the NBA so far has been the Utah Jazz, and he was dominant last night again. I would make the argument today that Zion Williamson is the second or third most popular player in the NBA. I think LeBron and Steph Curry go back and forth. I think Steph is very relatable to young kids because he's small like young kids where LeBron looks just so monstrous and big. I think LeBron and Steph are the two most popular players in the league. I think Zion's already number three. Katie and Hardin are great, but their personalities are a little odd. Yonis and Kauai are quiet, not necessarily dynamic personalities.

but if you noticed anything, Utah's the number one team in the league. The NBA is not rushing to put them on TV. The NBA didn't rush to put New Orleans on TV when they had Anthony Davis. Is anybody noticing how ESPN and TNT are fighting to get Zion Williamson on television? It reminds me when Tim Tebow was in the NFL, I was told by an executive that Tebow articles on Sunday night after the games were getting five and six times like the Patriot articles with Brady or the giant. articles with Eli. I think the NBA's found their next face in the league. And I think it's Zion.

And I think he's already the third most popular player. I remember a couple years ago, it may have been five or six years ago. And I've said this on the air with Joy several times when 60 minutes came out and said, Janus is the face of the league. I'm like, I didn't know who he was until like year three in the NBA. Zion has three things that are really, really important. Number one, he played at Duke. And his shoe exploded.

And there was controversy around him. So we, like, knew him as a teenager. I didn't know Yonis until, I didn't know Kauai until he'd been in the league like three years. I didn't know Yonis. It's one thing for Bryce Harper, who he's in the minors, and I knew him in high school. It's another thing, like, we didn't talk about Mike Trout, and then he went to the Angels, and he had to be great before we talked about him being great. We talked about Bryce Harper being great, and the Biggs when he was in high school.

So Zion played at Duke. That's why I've always defended college basketball. It's a good platform. NBA should use it more. And we knew who he was early. Plus the internet, his dunks. Secondly, his game is not only dynamic. It doesn't look like anybody else's game. I remember when Magic Johnson came into the NBA.

It'd never been a six, eight and a half point guard. He didn't even look like other guards. Magic had kind of a funky shot. He didn't shoot like anybody else. He didn't play like anybody else. Zion's game doesn't look like anybody else's game. And number three, his personality, like magic. He's likable.

He smiles. He wanted to play when his shoe exploded. He wanted to come back to college basketball. But he said, all my agents and stuff said, I probably need to go pro. I'd love to come back and play college basketball. I think he's the third most popular guy in the league. We knew him early. His game is crazy and crazy different.

And I find the guy incredibly likable. That's not that James Hardin isn't likable. He's a little odd. Kauai is quiet. I mean, Janice, we didn't kind of figure him out until later. And his game is good, but there's holes in it.

And I don't find it terribly dynamic, although there are moments when he makes great plays. But if you look at how hard the NBA is working to get Zion on television, that tells you everything. They're looking at data and they're looking at research. And he is jumping and popping off the charts. They're not doing that with Kauai.

I mean, Dame Lillard's great. They're not doing that with the trailblazers. They didn't do it with A.D. and the Pelicans. They're not doing it with John Morant. They're doing it with historically irrelevant New Orleans in Zion. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. I don't go to Facebook, but people that do, they always talk about kind of the Facebook effect where a lot of affairs start on Facebook, where, you know, guys look up their high school

flame or college flame or women look up their high school. school flame or college flame. And that's because your memories are greater than a reality. There's a reason you dumped him and then married somebody else and had beautiful kids, is that your memories are much greater than reality. People generally don't remember pain. They often say that's why women have multiple children because they don't remember how painful sometimes childbirth can be. You don't remember the pain. You remember the good times in relationships too. And so I don't go to Facebook, but that's the effect of it. Now, I was thinking about Dak Prescott, who now wants to be paid like Patrick Mahomes.

Let's talk about not the memories. Let's talk about the reality of DAC. These are all facts, not opinions. Last 17 starts, he's 6 and 11. 14 of his wins. That's a lot of wins have come against Washington and the Giants rebuilding. Seven and two against one, seven and one against the other. Last four years, majority of his wins against those two crappy teams.

And in 2019, another reality, end of the year, to get into the playoffs, against New England or Philadelphia, both, especially Philadelphia, injury ravaged teams, he couldn't generate one touchdown drive. More reality, as they've become less about Zeke and more about DAC, the Cowboys win less. In fact, if you go back to every year, Dak and Zeke have been in the league together, 2016 to 2020, I have all the numbers on the screen. I will not bore the radio audience, but as rushing totals have gone down every year, and as you see quite obviously, the team gets worse.

So the less it's about Zeke and the more it's about Dak, because Zeke now is a pretty average running back, and the Cowboys are a pretty average football team. So that's the reality of what we have now with DAC. That's the reality. Six and 11 last 17, a majority of his wins against the rebuilding Giants and the rebuilding Washington football team, couldn't generate a touchdown 2019 end of the year against Philadelphia, New England.

And the more they rely on, DAC and the less they rely on Zeke, the less they win. Those are not. Now, the Facebook effect. Let's go to the memories. Oh, 13 and 3 in his rookie season. Well, let's go to that year. Let's go to the 13.

Because that's where we're like, holy moly, he's good. The Cowboys were number one in rushing percentage, number two in rushing yards a game, number two in rushing touchdowns, and number three in rushing average. This was Zeke's team. Zeke rushed for six, this is a lot of yards. Zeke rushed for 15 touchdowns and 1,600 yards. And if you recall, I remember that rookie year. It was the first time in my life that I talked about an offensive line.

Remember that Dallas team? I mean, all those offensive linemen were in their prime. They were all first round picks. You know, the San Francisco 49ers have all those first round picks in their defensive line. We talked about it at the Super Bowl year. The Cowboys were the opposite. They had all these first round offensive linemen, and they were all in their prime. They just bowled people over.

You couldn't get to DAC. You couldn't stop Zeke. Do you how many yards, 1,600 yards is, 15 touchdowns? Your memory is DAC is 13 and 3. It was Zeke's team. You couldn't stop them. I remember this Pittsburgh game. You could not stop them.

And so I think it's the Facebook effect. I think we're getting a little bit of our memories of early DAC aren't really the reality of early DAC or certainly later DAC. I'm not saying he doesn't have qualities I like and admire. I'm not saying when he wasn't carted off the field, I didn't get emotional. And I'm not saying he's not a franchise quarterback. I'm not saying any of those things. He is a franchise quarterback.

He's reliable. He's tough. He had one fluky injury. I mean, he's, you know, he's been good with Jerry Jones. He stood behind him. He's always ready to play. He, you know, he tends to. he's got kind of a quality where he can struggle in football games to find a rhythm.

But late in games, he's never afraid of the moment. I like that about him. Kirk Cousins is talented, sometimes feels like he shrinks in the moment. I think Dak lacks some certain great talents, but I never think he shrinks in the moment. But I do think we've come to a, you know, that fork in the road where the memories are fuzzy. We're romanticizing stuff more. You go to a psychologist. If you're ever really going to deep dive with a psychologist, they'll all tell you the same things.

We always embellish our childhood. It was either greater or worse than it really was. Most people have sort of, you know, a little chaos in childhood, go to school, have friends. It's never as great as we recall. It's probably never as bad as most people recall. You know, we were all goofy. We're all kids. We all cried.

We all hit a – we struck out a lot. hit a couple of game-winning shots, but we were goofy kids. I think with that, we're going a little overboard on the memories, and we need to be more honest about the realities. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Hey, what's up, everybody?

It's me, three-time Pro Bowl of LaVar Arrington, and I couldn't be more excited to announce a new podcast called Up on Game. What is Up on Game, you ask? along with my fellow pro-bowler, T.J. Hushmanzada and Super Bowl champion. Yep, that's right. Plexico Burris. You can only name a show with that type of talent on it. Up on Game. We're going to be sharing our real-life experiences loaded with teachable moments.

Listen to Up on Game with me, LaVar Arington, T.J. Hushman Zada, and Plexico Burris on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast from. 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 celebrate.

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

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford, and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack,

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

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the 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, 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, or 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, 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 I love stories like this. This is amazing. And I always think, you know, we always talk about Joy quarterbacks who have a chip on their shoulder

because nobody, you know, thought they were going to be good. Now think about Darius Leonard. So Darius Leonard plays in the shadow of Clemson and South Carolina. And he goes to South Carolina State. So I'm going to ask him in a second. Did they even recruit you?

So I never saw him playing college. I guarantee 90% of the players never saw him playing college. He not only goes to the Colts as a rookie and he's good. This is funny. He led the NFL and tackles as a rookie. There's this old term sleeper, like a guy's a sleeper. Darius is one of the last sleepers. That was literally a star NFL player that like nobody saw playing college.

We usually hear about, I remember T.Y. Hilton played, and I remember hearing about T.Y. Hilton. I didn't even hear about Darius Leonard. And he has a new foundation. He is joining us live. He's going to be a Hall of Famer. Four years, three-time All-Pro. So let me ask you. So did Clemson or South Carolina even recruit you? Clemson, yes. South Carolina? No. So did you always have a little chip on your shoulder about that? Did you want to prove them wrong? Of course, because, you know, my brother went to Clemson and my cousin went to Clemson. So I was thinking, you know, I was going to fall in that same road to go to Clemson.

And, you know, me and my brother had the same frame. So, I mean, I don't understand, you know, what was the thing there. And then so it came out to my very last test score to be qualified to play at the next level. And once I made it, you know, I called them. Hey, you know, I made the score. They said, well, they had no, they had no more scholarships. I called every college, every college that, you know, had interest in me. Nobody had scholarships and nobody wanted me.

So I called South Carolina State. I asked them, hey, I made the score, what I got? They said, we got to a partial scholarship. So I went up there on a partial scholarship and the rest of its history. My God. So that's even worse. Both your brothers played at Clemson. God, that's.

Dabo Swee. It was crazy, man. I mean, I stayed. Every weekend, I was in Clemsonsons. I just knew. That was the only business. it, I mean, the only camp that I went to was Clemson camp. And then luckily, you know, on the way back from Clemson, I went through South Carolina.

They had a camp. And, you know, I stopped there for like an hour. And then after that, that was, that was it. Oh, my God. Isn't that an amazing story? So you go to the NFL and nobody knows who you are. And they're no, you're Darius, Leonard. So how many practices did it take before the Colt players were coming up to you and like,

they knew your name, they knew who you were? Like how long before you're like, okay, I'm going to be good. How long it take? Well, you know, I came in with a quad injury. So that first day of practice, I re-injured my quad. So I didn't do anything all OTAs. And you can tell the looks on these guys' faces like, wow, we just really drafted this guy. He's hurt.

I don't know what he's going to bring to the table. And then the first day of training camp, I picked off Andrew Luck. And the next thing you knew, everybody's coming up to him. Congratulations me. He's talking about, you're going to be pretty good. That was it. And then the game that I really think that stood out to everybody was week two against the Washington Redskins, where the Washington football team now.

And I ended with 19 tackles, two sacks. And that's when they were like, okay, yeah, okay, now we realize who we have. 19 tackles in an NFL game. That is insane. So now, you know, it's interesting. You had doubters. And now you have Carson Wentz. And Darius, he has doubters.

How did Colt players look at a guy that was really good and they really struggled? Because there are a lot of people out there right now that are like, man, you guys want a lot of games with Phillip Rivers. How do you, is the team all in on Carson? How's it feel right now? Are we all in? You know, everything, you know, we trust and believe in everything Chris Baller and Coach Prane and Jim Mercy doing all in the front office. And if you get brought into the coach organization, that mean that they believe in you. And if they believe in you, we believe in them, and we're going to stick behind you no matter what.

And I do think, you know, I played against Carson in 2018. His first game back from his injury, and he played very well on it when he came back. I haven't seen too much film after that, but he was actually a pretty good quarterback when we played him. So we know what talented he is. We know what type of leadership that he brings in. So we're definitely looking forward to it. And I just pray that he take every doubter just like Philip Rivers did. They doubted Philip Rivers when he came to the Indianapolis coach, and he proved them doubters wrong.

So I hope that Carson Wentz could come in and prove every doubt or wrong, and hopefully at the end of the season when he's holding up that Labarthe trophy, hopefully. He can hopefully get some kind of some kind of good feedback instead of all this negative feedback that he's getting now in the media, which definitely sucks because he's been playing, he's been playing well. He's in the NFL, and everybody talks trash. He's playing at the highest level that he can possibly play at. And he gets so much criticism for being an NFL quarterback. So I'm definitely looking forward to it. By the way, Philip Rivers, I'm not sure Philip Rivers could outrun my microphone. He's an old man.

And he came in last year, and Joy and I were sitting here and we're like, this guy, we thought he should hang it up. Were you, I mean, he's not the most athletic guy. The first time you played with him, you know, he doesn't run very well. He's got that crazy sidearm stuff. Were you kind of surprised how effective he was at his age? Well, you know, last year, well, the year between. last, we played him in week one.

So I knew what he was capable of, and my brother played with him since, my brother got drafted there in 2007. So I watched Philip for a long time. And then when he got here, you know, everybody was talking down about him, you know, saying he wasn't this, and it wasn't that.

And then you see him in practice. And you see him in the games, how he's taking over the whole offense. He's running there. He's talking trash. And he's such a competitor. And I don't think it surprised me because I believe that him since he

came from San Diego. But, you know, just having them, the only thing that surprised me was he retired. I really do think that Uncle Phil has some left in the tank. And that was the only surprise to me. But he's been playing well ever since I knew about him. Yeah. You know, you guys didn't have a preseason last year.

Obviously, the pandemic, but it didn't hurt the team. The team played great. When you look back at the pandemic year and the changes you had to make, and now you're going to have OTAs, I would guess, and you're going to have camp. You know, it's funny, I was never a huge fan of preseason football. I don't think Darius Leonard needs four warm-up games. I don't want to see you get hurt.

Preseason to me is me crossing my fingers that star players don't get hurt. How valuable do you believe, Darius? Because you didn't have preseason last year and you were good. This morning, do you think preseason is valuable in the NFL? It's valuable for rookies, I would think so. Just because of the day they're coming in, and they're coming into a new system, and you would hate to see that first game going full speed

is a real game that really counts, and they really in complete shock with the lights. So when it comes down to preseason games, I think for rookies, that's the best time for them to come. So now they're getting all the jitters out. Okay, now I'm in the NFL. I'm learning this new system. They're going to build them confidence.

But I think that's about it because when it comes down to the vets, the vets only played maybe five to ten plays, and then we're standing on the sidelines. I just think it's good for the rookies to learn the system and learn exactly how fast the game changed from college to the NFL level. You guys, I'm reading stories over the last week, Darius. Darius Leonard joining us from the Colts, as good as any linebacker in the NFL. I mean, simply put, 17 game schedule.

I don't know. I don't like to, I mean, to me, I don't like leagues when they get greedy. I feel like, God, you guys play them enough. I don't love the extra game. though Joy and I benefit from it, more football is good for us. As a player in the NFL, what do you think about an extra game? Are you good, bad? You don't like it?

No, I don't like it at all. I mean, we're putting our body on the line for 16 weeks already. And then we're going to add another game that's nine times out of 10 and not even a meaningful game. And you're putting everything at risk. So I personally don't like it. The other guys voted for, I think the 16-season, 16-game season was, was been good. for what, 50 years now? So why I mean, why change it now?

So I honestly, I mean, I don't like it at all unless they're going to give us another bottom week because it's already a long season. So why I had another game? Yeah, no, I totally agree with that. I totally agree with that. All right, you have a today, Darius Leonard announced the establishment of his maniac foundation. And you're obviously a guy that cares about your community.

I know Chris Ballard. You're one of the good guys. So what's this foundation about? Tell me. You know, it's the maniac foundation. It's based off, you know, just helping every family and kids and needs. We have our three pillars that we definitely want to touch. The first one, our first pillar is, you know, helping families get food on the table for their families.

The second pillar, you know, we want to talk about kids, you know, helping kids in the educational programs, try to initiate our first math maniacs, try to get them just enjoying doing schoolwork again, especially in the pandemic where you're sitting on the computer all day, not in the classroom, not around friends. And then the third one is, you know, just helping them with their fitness. You know, you want to get kids more active now because, you know, a lot of video games, everything, everybody's inside. So we want to try to get kids to kind of get active again, making sure that they know

that there's so many people that's out there that's going to help them on their way and they're not alone. So we're just definitely trying to find a way to get kids more involved, get, you know, help families out that's in need. And, you know, just trying to be a hand to people. way, this could be a dumb question, so don't make fun of me. But you hit hard. I mean, you hit hard. You are, are, are you 235, about 230? How much you weigh? I probably finish the season probably around 2.15. You hit hard. If you ever hit a guy and you just, you hear him wince. Like something after a guy, after you hit a guy, you've, you've sacked Ryan Tannahill a lot.

when you hit tana hill can you just hear does he ever talk to you and say can you slow down a little no because um you know when i when i talk with quarterbacks you know that now it's time you know it's time to celebrate it's time you know it's trying to have fun so i don't i don't even give them opportunity to really say too much um i think the only person that i ever hit and he talked trash to me was the old man frank gore frank gore talk trash the whole entire game which which makes the game so much fun. That's the only guy that I really feel like that talk trash when you're hitting him. For him to be his age, he still runs the ball very, very well.

He runs hard. He runs behind his past. And so he has the right to talk trash whenever you do hit him because he doesn't accomplish so much in his career. Can you imagine talking trash to Darius Leonard? And you know he's going to tackle you? I would not recommend that for anybody. Hey, good luck to you in the Colts.

You're a credit to the game. You're a good dude. And I love having you on again. 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 podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw,

unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clivert Show on the I-Hard 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. 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way 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 iHeart radio app apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast this is an iHeart podcast guaranteed human