The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 09/09/2021 - HOUR 2 - Mayfield, Packers, Rodgers

Episode Date: September 9, 2021

The Browns and Baker Mayfield are taking it slow on a new contractThe Packers will be very good this season despite the dramaGuest: Greg Cosell Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Joy Taylor's here. Greg CoSell in five minutes. What a joy next 20 weeks. Every Thursday at this time, he does as good a job as explaining things through film as anybody in the business. 42 years working at NFL films. I remember the first time I put him on like 12 years ago. He was an immediate hit. The audience loved him. And everybody gets smarter when Greg Kossel comes on.

And Joy Taylor, who will have herself an announcement later on the show today. Very good announcement, very cool announcement for Joy Taylor. Jimmy Johnson next hour as well. So this is funny, Joy. So Tom Brady's first start of his career was week three against the Colts in 2001. Yes. his 100th start was against Tony Romo. His 200 start was against Peyton Manning. So Peyton played a while. His 300th start is tonight against Dak Prescott.

And I mentioned this. It is. You had said something during the break. We have not seen a year in this century that Tom Brady has not been in the NFL. It's crazy. And three players were drafted, had great careers, multiple time pro bowlers, retired for the minimum five years

you need to be elected into the Hall of Fame, and then we're elected into the Hall of Fame, and that's Troy Palomalo, Ed Reed, and Calvin Johnson. So they were drafted, great careers, sat out five years, elected Hall of Fame,

and Tom is still rolling. In fact, I was just thinking about this, Joy, just to give you a sense, let's go back to Tom's first game in the NFL. Here's what has changed in all of football since Brady's been around. Number one, the Houston Texans did not exist. There was no such thing as the Houston Texans when Tom got his first start.

The Colts were actually in Tom's division. They were in the Patriots division. Thursday night football, there was no such thing. And that's been going on a long time. The catch rule. We've gone from what we thought was a catch. to what felt like a decade of, that's not a catch, back to we screwed up, everything's a catch. The catch rules change multiple times.

Three teams have moved. San Diego, Oakland, St. Louis, three teams have moved. Think about this. Nick Saban was only in his second year at LSU. He's been in Alabama seemingly forever. He was just starting to form his. his legend. Nick Sainman was not, he was just a really talented coach. There was no championships, no national, second year at LSU. Brady's current offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich,

who played for a decade in the NFL, was still a college quarterback at Marshall. So he played, he retired, he coached, he's now Brady's OC. He was still in college. Sean McVeigh of the Rams did not have a driver's license. Did not have a driver's license. The college quarterback, the talented kid for Ohio State, C.J. Stroud, who kind of opened the college football season last Thursday a week ago. He was not born yet.

And Chip Kelly was, forget Oregon. He was still a coordinator in New Hampshire. So he wasn't even at Oregon yet as a coordinator, which he was for years, before they gave him the head coach and he dominated the conference for seven years. I mean, just think about how long. Sean McVeigh didn't have a driver's license. He's now been, he's becoming, he almost feels like he's not a veteran NFL coach, but he's no longer a newbie.

He did not have a driver's license. Yeah, we don't call him the young guy anymore. We don't call it. Sean McVeigh is no longer a young guy. Sean McVeigh now is an established elite coach. Like he is a young guy, literally, but yeah. He's an established NFL coach, did not have a driver's license. I mean, it's just, it's insane.

With that 42 years at NFL films, Greg Cocell is now joining us. You know, I thought of you, Greg, the other day. I was having this discussion with a friend. And I said, there are certain things you just can't say publicly. Like, Patrick Mahomes is not the best quarterback in the NFL. Like, if you say that, Oh, you're just run and hide. But I have heard you talk about Josh Allen.

And when you talk about Josh Allen, you're like, when I watch the film, you said he's more talented than Trevor Lawrence. You felt. And so when you look at Josh Allen, what do you see compared to the other elite quarterbacks? Well, what I said was, just so we're clear, as I said, he's the most physically gifted quarterback in the league. that's not to say as we speak today he's the best he could become that but he's the most physically gifted i don't know colin have you ever stood next to josh allen no well josh allen is about six five six five and a half 240 pounds he is a big man and i've also stood next to him when he's thrown a football and it comes out of his hand a little bit differently even guys that have big

arms it just comes out of his hand a little bit differently i heard an expression when I was out in an event this summer, hand cannon. And that's kind of the way Josh Allen is. And last year, as he sort of continued to develop in his third year, understanding the position, getting a better feel for layering and feathering throws, not throwing everything at the same speed, he really started to develop. And again, I don't look at the numbers. Maybe he's not going to have as good in numbers this year.

Who knows? But assuming continuing development, he is so physically gifted just in everything he can do that he has a chance to become the best quarterback in the league. Okay, so Belichick was impressed enough with Mack Jones to give a rookie the starting nod. My skepticism is New England was one of the few teams that played starters. Very few teams did. So I don't know what I'm getting with Mac Jones. What did the film say?

Well, I don't think there's a mystery to what he is in terms of skill set. I think they're going to be a running football team, play a lot of two tight They've got a very good group of running backs led by Damien Harris. Now, he's got a particularly difficult week one matchup against the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are a very difficult team to play against because they do so many things with their fronts. Their looks are at times confusing. It's hard to identify who's coming, who's not coming. They blitz a lot.

But for Mack Jones, as he develops to become a great NFL quarterback, he's going to have to master the art of discovery before the snap of the ball, Colin. He's going to have to become a pre-snap player because he's not going to make post-snap plays with his legs. He's going to have to make post-snap plays with his timing, with his rhythm, and his precise ball placement. So that means he has to play within the structure of the offense. So he needs to know what's happening before the ball is snapped, not have to discover that after the ball is snapped. Let's segue and pivot to Tua who faces Mac Jones. Similarly, he'll be facing a very cagey defense with a lot of experience and a lot of

different looks pre-snap. When you look at Tua, there's some things, I don't think he'll ever have a great arm. I don't think he's super athletic. But is there something when you watch him and you think, okay, I've identified this, he could get better at this and this would help? Well, I think he's another timing rhythm player. I think he's got incredibly quick feet on his drop and his set. I think he plants extremely well, transfers his weight, the ball comes out.

When he throws in rhythm, he's very, very accurate. And keep in mind, a lot of deep balls, and I think he's a good deep ball thrower, they're not arm-strained throws, Colin. Throwing a post or a fade, they're not arm-strained throws. He's not the kind of guy that I think will consistently just sit on his back foot late in the down, three, three-point-two seconds into a play. and drive the ball 20 yards down the field. He's not that guy.

But I think he's a timing, rhythm player. You can have a deep game with him. Look, Will Fuller's not playing week one, but they'll have Wolf Fuller, they'll have Jalen Waddle, they have Devante Parker. They've got a very good trio of receivers, all of whom can get vertical.

All right, we got a couple of rookies. Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, live bullets, here we go. Trevor Lawrence, your expectations. You've seen a lot of rookies through the years. you know, Andrew Luxor rarity, bad line, bad team, 11 wins. What do you kind of expect with Trevor based on what you've seen in the preseason and what you know at Clemson?

Up and down, I think that the pressure element of the NFL will take some getting used to. One thing that I did stand out in his final preseason start, which I thought was a very positive sign was he trusted his protection. There were a couple of plays where they did get pressure, and he understood that his back would be responsible for the blitzer, and he trusted the protection. He did not break down. And he did not face a lot of pressure at Clemson. So I think when you see that, you start to get a sense, okay, that's a really positive sign because he's going to get pressure. Teams will pressure him up the middle because when he feels pressure up the middle, he tends to rush his mechanics

and he can become a little scattershot high. So he's going to have to trust protection and be aware that he's going to get pressure in his face. All right, Zach Wilson doesn't have a ton to work with, not a great O line. They have improved elements on the perimeter, but not much of a run game to speak of. He's got a defensive head coach, a first-time play caller. My takeaway in the preseason is he is what we thought in terms of nice arm, moves well. You know, there's a reason he went number two in the draft. I mean, he's quick released.

That thing comes out fast. There's some, you know, Aaron Rogers comps, which are unfair. ball, it's a nice looking ball. What did you see you like? What did you worry about? Yeah, he's got a live loose arm, and I think they did a really good job in the preseason. He made a couple of really good throws

with the same route concept that they just got to in a different way with different receivers, but it allowed him mentally to be sharp because it was basically the same concept. We know he can make plays outside of structure. He's got light feet. He's got that loose arm. The question

is, how much will he play outside? of structure. I'll be curious to see if he's the kind of quarterback that breaks down in the pocket prematurely. Now, he will make plays outside of the structure of the offense. He's more than capable of that. But I'm very curious to see as he develops, Colin, will he stay within the structure of the offense and run the offense as its design? And this is a very well-schemed offense. It's Mike LaFleur who comes from the Kyle Shanahan School. All right, Matt Stafford, I can remember when he was in high school, when he was in college, it was always about got an arm. That's not the issue.

Sean McVeigh's offense and Matt Stafford's talent. How do you thread the needle on that? What to you, what will work quickly? Knowing what you know on McVeigh's offense, you've watched, you know, lots of film and Stafford, is there something they'll be able to synthesize here very, very quickly and it'll work very, very quickly? I mean, the only thing that may not work quickly is the fact that he hasn't played the game yet as a ram. But in terms of what he brings to the table, it will work because Stafford is as talented as any quarterback. And this is an offense that really defines reads and throws for the quarterback extremely well,

with their run game as the foundation, with their reduced splits by the wide receivers. And the one thing Sean McVeigh always wants to have, and he has it more so with Stafford than with Goff, because Stafford's just a better thrower, is now he has the deep ball element back. in the game. And that's why Deshaun Jackson is there. That's why they drafted 2-2-at-well. But if you talk to people about Stafford who know him well, they'll tell you that he has two things that really stand out.

Number one, he's very intelligent. And number two, he's really good after the snap of the ball. And he's got tremendous movement behind the line of scrimmage. He's not a runner, but he's got excellent movement behind the line of scrimmage to make throws, to find a space to make throws. Boy, that was good stuff. Greg always gives you stuff I've never heard before. All right, so it's Dak and Tommy tonight.

You know, I said this earlier today. I never quite know what to do with Dak. I like his intangibles more than his tangibles. And most of the quarterbacks I love, I like their tangibles. I don't love Aaron Rogers' personality, his aloofness. But I like his tangibles. I like what I can see. With Dak, it's the opposite.

The arm doesn't do much for me. He's a decent athlete. where do you land coming off a couple of surgeries? You know, as Steve Berline said earlier, they were almost 0 and 4 to start last year. Where is DAC to you today? Well, I can't speak to his rehabilitation, but I can tell you this,

this summer call, and I went through every one of his dropbacks from last year, four and a half games, and I personally believe, based on film study, I've seen every one of his NFL snaps, and I studied them coming out of Mississippi State as well. I think he has evolved, and continued to develop, I thought he was outstanding in those four and a half games.

He's a better player each and every year. Now, their defense last year was obviously horrible. But he is an improving player, assuming he's healthy and can play. I think you have to start talking about Dak Prescott is a pretty high-level player. He is so tough in the pocket, both physically and mentally. He will stand and deliver the football, and his ball placement has gotten a little bit better each and every season. Well, look at that. Maybe I have to change my tune.

Mr. Know it all here on the microphone. Maybe he doesn't know what he's talking. Just telling you what the tape says. All right. It's all I want. Brady, you know, it was interesting. As Ariens and Tom were trying to fuse their offense. And Ariens is more of a big play letter rip.

Tom's more detailed and efficient. And you can see the struggle. There were weeks. You could see it. And then all of a sudden they have a buy. They come out and you're like, oh, this feels like Tom's offense more than Bruce's. and so I would guess that's what we'll see.

So take me to the end of last year, because those were a lot of ugly games against Detroit and Atlanta. You didn't stay around and watch it. Did you notice at the end of last year, including the playoffs, that it feel like to you, I'm watching a little bit of New England with better weapons? Well, I think it was a mix because the one thing you saw was a lot more of the quick play action pass game,

which Brady has always been a master of. You know, you can think about him throwing to Gronk over the middle. did that for years in New England, but they still threw the ball down the field because that's just part of what Bruce Ariens is. And Brady, I thought over the last five, six weeks of the season, Brady threw the ball extremely well. There's no issue with his arm. And what always stands out to me when I watch Brady is the precise ball location. And I'm not sure he gets enough credit for that. You know, everybody talks about he's clutch, he's smart, all those other things. But his ball location is very precise and that is so, so important because essentially he's a timing player, but he does

have late in the down pocketability. And that's where the fact that his arm is a little stronger than people have always given him credit for really comes into play. Yeah, I was talking to years ago, I bumped into one of his wide receivers at dinner to restaurant. And he was with Tommy for about a year. And I remember him saying, he said, even at practice, it's always right there. This was kind of a journeyman-wide receiver who'd played with about seven guys, and he says, even at practice, he's so accurate. Doesn't matter the Foxborough weather. It just doesn't matter. The ball is always there.

Okay, finally, your big play of the week, it's a Brady-Christ Godwin play. Let's go to it. Yeah, we can go to it right now. It came from the playoff win against the Washington football team, and this was a touchdown to Godwin, a 27-yard touchdown. And there was some really interesting elements to this play. And it starts with the fact that they lined up in what we call 12 personnel. Actually, they had a tight end and a sixth offensive lineman to the closed side of the formation. And then they had Godwin split outside and Evans in the slot.

And they anticipated they get man coverage. So what they did is they put Godwin in motion because what you're going to get is man coverage with a single high safety. So it's cover one. So Godwin comes in motion to a stacked position, which is a. good tactic against man coverage. Evans will run outside a vertical route and Godwin will run the over. And this puts the safety in a buying because he has to sort of stay in the middle. He can't play both. And then Godwin just gets on top of and outside of the corner. And you talk about the ball location on this over route. It's just obviously he's got a clean pocket, but it's just right on the

money. But it's a well-designed play. And one thing I noticed, Colin, last year, when I went through a lot that this summer as we look at the play again and you see the ISO on Evans and Godwin is they like to work these receivers one-on-one. They lined up a lot with two tight ends or with a sixth offensive linemen and they let these receivers work because defenses will match up to that personnel almost always with a single high safety and you get some form of one-on-one coverage, whether it's a zone concept or a man concept. It's one-on-one. It's one-on-one. and they let these receivers work, and Brady made really good throws to the outside, which were not used to him making. Good stuff. Greg Kossel, 42 years. What a great debut for this season.

Love the DAC stuff, by the way. He watched every single snap. You need to sleep, young man. You are not sleeping. Well, I know. I won't be doing much of that over the next six months, Colin. Greg Kosell, great seeing you. Thanks, Greg. Thanks. How about that? How about that? I love his place of the day. You know, it's funny.

When you watch that, you're like, why doesn't every team do that? That play works every time. It looks so good. But Brady, you're like, it's not that complicated. Just get open Chris Godwin. He's wide open. You have Chris Godwin and, you know, Mike Evans is there.

And, you know, the safety's paid all the attention to Mike Evans. And Tom Brady's throwing it and you have a good offensive line. Score on every possession. Exactly. Wide open every time. It's like Madden. Yeah, right. One more herd?

The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the I-heart radio app. Search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Orsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King. Recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise,

the drama, the alliances, and the T everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover,

and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a paramedipausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood

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That one's kind of hard now. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears or tears of laughter, and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud in public. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network available on the IHeart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sunday on Fox, the NFL is back with a huge double-header. First, Jalen Hertz leads the Eagles against the Falcons, then in America's Game of the Week. Aaron Rogers leads a pack against Alvin Camara and the Saints. It all kicks off at one Eastern on Fox in the Fox Sports app. Check local listings for the game in your area. And Terry Bradshaw is giving away a million bucks on the free-to-play.

Fox Bet Super 6 app. A million. Scan the code below, download the app and predict the outcome of six NFL games for your shot to win. So Colin, help our fans win Terry's money. Give us your winner and margin of victory for Vikings at Bengals. 28, 27 Vikings. I think the Vikings have a better roster. I don't think they're necessarily a rebuild team.

I think they got injured last year. They had ridiculous. Them and the Niners had so many injuries. Yeah. I mean, Minnesota and San Francisco just fell apart. So their players will come back. A couple good draft picks. Minnesota's the better roster, the better team. But I think it'll be close because I think Cincinnati at home,

underdog, Joe Burl can sling it. They'll make it interesting. 28, 27 Vikings. You know, it's funny. A game, this really is. Like in baseball, if there's two bad teams playing, nobody cares. Not even baseball diehards. Nobody cares. In the NBA, you're not sitting around.

You don't really care that much about bad teams playing. You're not sitting around waiting for Washington last year to play Sacramento. That's not moving the nation. But the NFL's got this weird ability. You take a bad game. Teams that they're over-underers means they're going to be bad. Carolina hosting the Jets. And I cannot wait to watch it.

Jacksonville, Houston is fascinating. I would pay to watch. I would pay to watch Urban Myers debut. If it was pay-per-view, I would pay to watch it. And I think I would pay $50. Like I would pay for a UFC fighter a boxing match. I would pay to watch Darnel face the Jets. And these are the bad matchups.

These are not even the undercard. They're not even on the card. I think that the NFL's sense of urgency with fewer games aids to that as well. It does. Jersey Mike's had a resume. it would say 99% fat-free with their turkey raised without antibiotics. All right.

Jersey mics, be a sub above. Here's Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, speaking of Urban Meyer, his quarterback Trevor Lawrence was named captain this season as the rookie quarterback for the Jaguars, and he explained how good it felt to be chosen by his teammates. It's really cool feeling, especially as he.

younger guy, just having that support for my teammates. And really, like I said, with, you know, being the name of starter than now a captain, nothing changes. Same expectation. And now it's time to go out there and win some games. But I'm really excited. It's definitely an honor. It's a cool, cool moment for me to be named a captain with those other guys. Just a bunch of great guys in the locker room. So we had a ton of guys that got votes, but definitely really cool. I think they're going to win. I know all the wise guys like Houston, but it looks like Houston's kind of, this doesn't happen much in the NFL, but they're tanking. Their best pass rusher moved him off to the Jets.

Their best corner just got taken away, who was having their best camp. I feel bad for Tyrodite. He finally gets his team. But when you look at what Houston's doing, remember, they brought in a former Patriot executive to run their franchise. They want that number one pick. They want one of those two quarterbacks. They've clearly, as an organization, they're going to move off to Sean.

Tyrod, Taylor's the Bridge. So you start looking, this is where Urban Meyer gets a real break. You know how sometimes in football you do get a break? It appears Houston is really moving. It's a very old roster. Everybody's in a one-year deal. Well, they need a quarterback.

And they've moved off two of their better players on defense. I got a feeling Jacksonville's going to win this thing. I don't think that's far-fetched. I mean, I think Jacksonville has actually some interesting pieces. They aren't whole anywhere. No, that's right. But they have some interesting pieces.

Playmakers on the outside for sure. Their wide receivers are the best, by far and away, the best group they have. And Houston's going to probably be the worst team in the league this year. And to, like, to your point, it looks like they're trying to because they have to draft a quarterback next year. Yes, and there's two great ones they say in college. Yeah, that's what they're going to have to do. The only other rookie quarterback to be a captain this year is Zach Wilson.

So far, only the Patriots and the Dolphins. do not have the quarterback as their captain this season. The Browns, Cowboys, and Bears use weekly captains, so they're not really in this category. The Ravens, Texans, Chiefs, Packers, Vikings, and Saints have not announced yet. Oh, I'm interested in the Saints. Will Jamis get a captainship? That's pretty interesting.

I think he would. So do I. So do I. I think he would. Yeah. I mean, obviously Lamar is going to and Mahomes and Rogers. I would think Kirk Cousins would as well. So, yeah, the Saints is really the only question because I don't know what the Texans are going to do.

Who knows what they're doing? But, yeah, I mean, I don't even ever really remember in my career talking about who got named captain. Well, that's because it's so odd that 2O wasn't as a returning quarterback. It is weird. It is odd. I think I'm leaning. I'm trying to be fair here because I do still think it's something that Mack Jones isn't, but he is a rookie and he just got named the starter.

Well, I mean, Belichick makes his rookie quarterbacks wear number 50 in camp. A bill to an obsessive degree makes you get over yourself very quickly. He does do a lot of that. I just think it's, I also think though, because Jimmy G. was named the captain in San Francisco. Yes, he was. Yes, he was. But I think that these quarterback competitions in a lot of ways have sort of

have hurt the, or not hurt, but affected who is the leader in the face of the organization for those particular teams in some ways. Because it's like, oh, we don't know who our guy is yet. We don't know who our guy is yet. Sunday is almost here. And we don't know who our guy is yet. And I think that that's kind of affected it in the locker room. I think it speaks very well of Garapolo and Teddy Bridgewater that there was who's starting,

who's starting. I mean, for Teddy Bridgewater to not get all the snaps at his, at his, at, the position. Think about that. Every other Denver Bronco captain, you know, is a guy getting all the snaps. He's viewed. That tells you a lot about Teddy. It tells you why Teddy Bridgewater keeps getting opportunities to start. No, yeah, I think that's very obvious. Sums it up. And again, I think that as valuable as the backup quarterback position has grown to be over the last couple years, now with this extra game, I think it's going to be even more of a... Here's the interesting one.

Had Drew Locke been given the starting nod, would they have named him captain? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Well, Jimmy G was named captain for the 49ers, and that sort of points to him being the starting quarterback. Kyle Shanahan still won't make an announcement about the position,

just holding on for those extra edge for Sunday. But Jimmy G confirmed it will be him, saying he's known where he's with the team for a while. So I guess now it's official, Jimmy G said he is. He is coming off a high ankle sprain that he, that occurred in week two of last season. He came back in week five and reintered in week eight and didn't play for the rest of the season. So, you know, the 49ers, if he can say healthy all season and they can use Tray Lance

in the way that Shanahan is saying he's going to, I think they're going to be a really, I think they're going to be a playoff team, but I also don't think that they're going to be a stepback from where they were when Jimmy G was. We know what they are when he is able to play. I look at the Colts and the Niners as the same team. If the starting quarterback's healthy, they can win their division. Yeah. But I don't feel Garoppolo or Wentz are starting 17 games.

No, I don't feel good about it. I don't know good about it at all. Why would you? There's no evidence to points to why you should feel good about that. But if they can, then we know what they're capable of. I don't think that the 49ers in the same situation as the Bears, though. Jimmy G is better, much better than Andy Dallon. And he will be a starter next year regardless of what happens with this season.

season. So it is the NFL season starting tonight, but we have been watching this NBA story, one of two really Ben Simmons and Damien Lillard throughout the offseason. It's been a lot of speculation about Damien Lillard's future in Portland training camps starting in a few weeks. He posted a couple of pictures to his Instagram, high-fiving the fans, giving a thumbs up to the crowd with the caption, Back for More. Rip City is my city. All right. Well, there we go. Bradley Beal and Dame Lillard, the last two loyal people in America. I always felt like he was going to be there this season.

I think he's going to give the Blazers one more season to see how this goes. He's a very loyal guy. He is. I do think that if it doesn't go well in the postseason this year, that that will be put to the test a lot more. He's still very loyal to Weber State. He went and played in the Weber State like charity game. He played every minute of the game. He's totally loyal to his friends.

he's loyal to his high school, he's loyal to Weber State. There's no question about it. He's a very loyal guy. There's no question about it. And because he is like that, I wouldn't be surprised if he spends the rest of his career there. I would not surprise me. But I think that if it doesn't go well for Portland, if they don't advance this year in the playoffs at minimum, I think it's going to be a different situation next off season.

Washington with Beals a head scratcher because they've mostly been poorly run for my life. Portland's always reasonably run. Not dysfunctional. No, there's not a ton of dysfunction. They usually have a better than, I mean, Terry Stott's, I thought, was a better than average coach despite being fired. Their roster's always semi-viable. They've also, Portland's also had the worst luck of any franchise in NBA history.

Brandon Roy gets hurt. Greg Oden gets hurt. Sam Bowie. They've had not good players. Like great players all fall apart physically. And they are a great regular season. team. Yeah.

Like very entertaining. Game is an all-time great. We'll see how it goes this season. He's going to be there, which I always anticipated. There we go. We'll talk next off season. Way to go, Dame. We'll put that to the test.

All right. Good stuff. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio,

FS1 and the I-Hard Radio app. Hey, it's Ben. Host of the Fifth Hour with Ben Mallor, along with my A rusty sidekick, David Gascon, would mean a lot to have you join us on our weekly auditory journey. You're asking what in God's name is The Fifth Hour? I'll tell you, it's a spinoff of the Ben Mather show, a cult hit overnights on FSR. Why should you listen? Picture, if you will, a world where we chat with captains of industry in media, sports, and more every week.

Explore some amazing facts about human nature and more. Listen to The Fifth Hour with Ben Mather on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 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 Tickford.

Talk Podcast Network on TikTok. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting.

On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances, M&T, everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it, I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment.

To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean. I'll bet you a paramedipausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS.

All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is this? that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that Ness was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How high can it be?

Getting naked at 50 with the new guy. That one's kind of hard. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it, unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud and powerful.

Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of my Cultura podcast network available on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. NFL kickoff week is sponsored by Las Vegas. You're home for all live sports, every game. Match, race, and competition. It is always on. I'm going to Vegas. Are you? I'm going to go tomorrow afternoon.

Hang out with my son and daughter. Did you pick a fun restaurant? My daughter's, it's her birthday this weekend. She doesn't let me hang out with her. But on her birthday, I, you know, probably get her something nice. And we're going to go. She wants sushi. So we'll go get sushi.

Be careful about sushi in a desert. I'm not sure. We're going to do sushi. Vegas has good sushi. Oh, they got good food. It's a good food town. So report this morning that Baker, Mayfield, and the Browns are fine, taking it slow. on a contract.

So for young quarterbacks like Baker Mayfield, there are basically three camps you fall in. The number one camp is, and it usually is determined by the end of your second year, the franchise sees you as a 15-year star with no holes. Productivity, maturity, accuracy. End of the second year, everybody in the organizations like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, I think Justin Herbert, Justin Herbert was a 4-2 biology major, was a 4-2 biology major, was so smart he was a tutor to the other biology students. Herbert, by the end of this year, they will be working on a deal. Those are the no-brainers. They got everything. The big, they're

smart, the mature, they're just, you don't have to argue with it. The second class is this is not working. And that is usually determined similarly at the end of the second year. Something's getting away. There's a whole or a flaw that's getting into the way of productivity and wins. E.J. Manuel, Mitch Trubisky, Paxton Lynch, Dwayne Haskins. It can be maturity, Dwayne Haskins. It can be accuracy. It can be a lack of athleticism. You don't have any feel in the pocket. Both of those. You're a stud and it ain't working end of your second year. The hardest group in Baker's in this, and I think Dak was in this. You're good enough to win. You're not a perfect quarterback. There are flaws here, and you're not going to ever. solve them. This is Garoppolo, DAC, and Baker Mayfield. We can win with you,

especially when we're not paying you a ton. And this often takes year three or four. You know they're not a bust, and you know they're not Patrick Mahomes. Okay, if we pay them this much, we can't resign the right tackle or have good tight ends. And I think that's where Baker is, is that they're just kind of waiting.

I think Cleveland's leaning 80, 85 percent on we're going to resign him. But Baker's not real big, not as athletic as he thinks. You have to manage Baker. You can let Russell Wilson do whatever he wants. He makes great decisions. Baker, you're going to throw about 32 times. We're going to manage you. We're not going to let you add lib.

That's when Baker gets in trouble. He's just not as good as he thinks. Russell Wilson is better than he thinks. A little more humble. Some guys, you can let it loose. Other guys you've got to manage. And that's Baker, and that's never going to change. But I also think it's very difficult.

I think Cleveland's in a little bit of a difficult spot because I don't think he's as dynamic as Lamar Jackson in his own division. And I don't think he's as talented as Joe Burrow in his own division. I don't, either to scouts. But it's very hard because the standard in Cleveland is low. And there's some delusion here. Remember when I did the top 10 quarterback list and I didn't have Baker in it? Cleveland fans to a person were outraged.

Most were shocked he wasn't a tier one quarterback. They just had a Mike Sando does his, you know, 50 NFL execs. They had them in tier three. Like people don't consider Baker a tier one or a two quarterback, but I do think he'll have a good year. But what happens is, like, if you drive a Mercedes and this is Denver with Lway, San Francisco with Montana, New England with Brady, when you drive a Mercedes for years, a Honda Accord, a fine car is a.

step down because you're comparing it. If you take the bus to work for 20 years, a Honda Accord is your Mercedes. You know what I mean? The 97 Nissan, and let's be honest, for 25 years, Cleveland at quarterback's been driving a pinto. Sometimes they took a bike to work. A lot of times they were on the bus, public transportation. And so their standard is low.

So Baker won a playoff game. You want a playoff game. So to a lot of those fans, if Cleveland would have had 18 years of, not even Mahomes or Josh Allen, 18 years of good, Philip Rivers, like good, Eli Manning, a little better than good. He's a Hall of Famer. Phillips probably not. But Philip Rivers 50, you could look at Baker and say, he doesn't do that as well. He doesn't do that as well.

What is their standard? They don't have a standard. Baker is their new standard. So I think it's very difficult for Cleveland. Cleveland to move off Baker. And I don't think they will. And I think he's going to have a nice year. And I think he's smaller than you'd like, not as athletic as he thinks, and he has to be

managed. But I do think he's going to have a very good year. But that's the three camps. No doubt about it. Ain't going to work. And it can win. But how much do we have to surround him with once we pay him? And I think Garoppolo falls into that.

I think Dak. I think Dallas waited on DAC. I think Baker falls into that. Some would argue Lamar Jackson. I don't agree with this. Lamar Jackson falls into that. I don't agree. I think when you're great at something, you don't have to be great at everything.

I think Lamar is so dynamic as a playmaker. He doesn't have to be a great thrower, and he's still a quarterback. Maybe a minus, but he does one thing so well. I'm not terribly worried that he's not the best pure passer in his own division. Forget the league. All right. Okay, here's Aaron Rogers. I have a simple rule.

This is my simple rule about all sports, baseball, football, basketball, soccer. If you enter a season with more answers than questions, more knowns than unknowns, you're generally a playoff team. I mean, the Dodgers enter this season, not a lot of unknowns, bullpen concerns, bullpen, unknown. but a lot of knowns. A lot of guys that can rake, they got power. You got Kershaw, Walker Bueller. There's a lot of knowns with the Dodgers. Nobody's perfect. Back end of the staff, you know, fifth starter, bullpen.

And same with this year with New England or Kansas City. I don't love Kansas City's situational defense. They were last in a league in red zone defense. But the coach, the GM, the quarterback, the rebuilt O line, the speed. the pass rush. Knones and answers are playoff teams. Unknowns and questions usually aren't. So Aaron Rogers, talking about Green Bay, positioned his team as a question and unknown team.

Here he is. There is a lot unknowns. I've talked about it in various times. We're just focusing on accountability and hold each other accountable because regardless of what happens with any of our situations, this group will not be together the way it is now in years down the line. I totally disagree. I think Green Bay is a playoff team. I think they're going to win their division again. I think they are overwhelmingly 90% of Green Bay is knowns. They have an elite corner, an elite receiver, an elite back. Matt LaFleur can clearly coach. They have the best roster in division.

vision. There's no real chaos on defense. They get a decent pass rush, have very nice corners. The unknowns are only provided by Aaron. It's a beautiful mystery. That's Aaron's comments. That's not Matt LaFleurz. 50-50, going to retire. So I think Aaron provides all the unknowns. I do not look at Green Bay as a team of questions and unknowns. 90% of this, I do worry that David Bocciari gets back soon as he can and he's. healthy, but we all kind of know he's going to come back. The question is, will he be as effective as a pass blocker? Because he's the best in the football. He's the best pass blocking left tackle in football. The only unknowns Green Bay has is Aaron. It's a playoff team. Hour three next.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite on humor me with Robert Smigel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart 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 Podcasts Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled 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 Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network

on TikTok. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapists and hosts care 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 iHeart radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.