The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 09/13/2021 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: September 13, 2021

A huge week 1 of the NFL season where Colin compares the off seasons of Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson and what impact that had on the start of the regular season. He discusses Baker Mayfield’s duel against Patrick Mahomes and how Mayfield was ultimately exposed. He also tells you why he was right about Sam Darnold and wrong about the Eagles. Plus, 3-time Pro Bowl QB Carson Palmer joins the show to give his thoughts on what he saw from week 1 including Mayfield and Rodgers.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, 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, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but the show. celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you

get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack

what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1, find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard.

This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is a glorious Monday live in Los Angeles. It's the herd, wherever you may be. However, you may be listening. I-Heart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1, one hour from now, where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong, plenty of both. Michael Vic, Carson Palmer, loaded today. Smorgas board of topics.

Joy Taylor is joining me. I sat there. Wife's out of town. Me and the dogs and the NFL. I watch parts of every game. I ordered chicken parm after the Rams, Bears game. Crash for seven hours. What a world we live in.

So much normalcy, felt so great to see the fans. It did. Oh, the fans were amazing around this country this weekend. It did. Yeah. I mean, college football fans even starting from last week was amazing to see. But it feels like we're back. The NFL is back.

And there was some great games yesterday. God bless America. God bless American football fans. So I'm a big believer in this. My life is not about actions. Actions are easy. Went and got a coffee this morning and drove to work. My life's about 75 to 80% about reactions.

How do I react? when my kids have a problem at school, when somebody's health goes sideways, life will be determined how I act, react to things that don't go as planned. I think about that all the time because life is not linear. There's always a boss, a spouse, a kid, a teacher, something goes sideways. How will you react to it? And you'll find that people's personalities are amplified in crisis. Jerks are bigger jerks.

Compassionate people are more compassionate. I mean, folks, we have a tiny percentage of America that can't wear a mask on a plane. They just completely unravel. It's too much to ask. That's how they react to being asked to do something that we all think stinks. I hate it too. I'm just a grown-up. So I want you to think about this.

Russell Wilson and Aaron Rogers both got mad at their organizations. this offseason. Now, there was limitations on what Seattle or Green Bay could do because Russell makes so much money and Aaron make so much money. So the organizations were somewhat limited. And so Seattle went out, got Russell a new offensive coordinator, an old left guard, probably a one-year player, and a nice tight end. But they didn't have a lot of money.

They couldn't rearrange the deck chairs. And they didn't have a lot of draft picks. Green Bay drafted a wide receiver, tried to redo Aaron's contract. How did they react to it? Russell Wilson viewed what Seattle did, which was very small, as a positive step. He quickly pivoted to what his agent Mark Rogers told me was the greatest offseason he's ever had. He became Mr. Seahawk, making calls, trying to get players signed. and yesterday he was brilliant.

18 of 23 in a true road game against a team that will probably win their division. Well, the Colts will. Buttoned up slick. How did Aaron handle his offseason bumps? Brooding, condescending, still talking about it up until a week ago, taking shots at the organization, making you know he does not need football 50-50, and he actually said that publicly. Look at how both of them handled an off-season crisis.

It amplified their personality. Russell tends to be optimistic and hopeful and a unifier. When he transferred to Wisconsin, within 10 days, didn't know a player. They named him captain. Farvin Rogers didn't get along for years. It amplified it. The moody, prickly, condescending, Aaron, as they say the sins of summer are paid in the fall and winter.

The Packers were disorganized, looked lost, looked gassed. The Seahawks were brilliant. Green Bay didn't even play a true road game. They played a rebuilding team. Isn't it interesting? Life is overwhelmingly how you and I react to non-perfect situations because we mostly control stuff. You get up, you drive to work, you get your coffee, you go to work, you do a good job, you come home, your dogs and cats love you. They had a lot of action. That easy stuff. Our life is

only difficult. Joy is mine, Ryan's yours, stuff goes sideways, teacher calls, spouse drives you nuts. Boss gives you limitations. How do you react to it? Going to throw a fit in an airplane? Going to be brooding, petulant all off season? Or do you do a Russell Wilson and quickly pivot to, I make a lot. We don't have a ton of draft picks. They got me a better guard. They changed offensive coordinators. LFG.

Let's go. That's what Seattle's quarterback did. And what you saw was a result of it. And Green Bay's quarterback, even after the game. Kind of the typical, no big deal. Relax, RELAX, Aaron Rogers. It's just one game. You know, we played bad.

I played bad. Offensively, we didn't execute very well. one game. We got 16 to go. We've coming off a couple of NFC championship games and obviously feeling good about the unit that we have on offense as we talk about a lot. So this is a good kick in the, you know where hopefully get us going in the right direction, going back home and playing division opponent next week.

Is it just one game? I don't know. I looked at your schedule. Steelers are around the corner. I saw your offensive line. Is it just one game? Cincinnati appears to have a punch. Be playing them soon. Is that just one game?

Crisis amplifies a man's personality. You see the two on TV right now? You know which one I'd choose. And to that, let's talk Baker against Mahomes. That was a really good game and really fun. I know what you think this morning. You're going to be very critical. Okay, listen.

If you had to boil down the difference between great quarterbacks and competent ones in this league, it comes down to this. The great ones are unaffected by score. They lead, they trail. It doesn't matter. Tom Brady Thursday night, great example. He gets the ball back minute 20 left. Every single person on the Cowboys. everybody in the stands, every security guard, every popcorn vendor, every player knows

Tom's got to throw in every down. So what? It doesn't matter. I mean, basically Dallas pinning their ears back, pass rush, he's got to throw. It doesn't matter. Tom was so effective, he threw three straight balls out of bounds because he got there so fast. And think about Baker Mayfield. When Baker had a lead, a running game, by the way.

Kevin Stefansky is one of the top five play callers in the world. He is a great play caller. Baker's throwing on third and two, second and four. Very effective. Now let's throw in some variables or punter fumble, Nick Chubb fumbles. Games close. Now it's on me. I've got to throw.

Interception. Jared Goff in 2018 and Jimmy Garoppel in 2019. Playing with a lead, a good play call. an excellent running game got to the Super Bowl. Ryan Tannahill with Derek Henry playing with a lead very effective. Gough, Garoppolo, Tannahill. But the minute yesterday, Kansas City knew, oh, those couple minutes left, Baker's got to throw.

That changes everything. Because Goff, Baker, Garapolo, this league, the separation is this. Mahomes trailed all first half. most of the second. And especially as you got into the late third and early fourth, oh, Mahomes has to throw. So three touchdowns, no picks, 143 passer rating. Literally the score is irrelevant with Brady. It's irrelevant with Russell Wilson. It's irrelevant with Patrick Mahomes. The minute you knew Baker in the last two drives had to throw, wasn't the same quarterback. because now everybody knows what the quarterback.

Linebackers drop into coverage. Pass rushers pin their ears back. And Baker's a guy. And by the way, again, golf Garoppolo to a Super Bowl. Cleveland's going to win 12 games. Don't take a ton from this. But that is the difference. Cleveland coaches know there is a script with Baker.

Do not let him add lib. Do not leave him to his own judgment and devices. Manage the game. And by the way, this offensive line is good. enough, they are going to manage this and control the tempo on almost everybody on their schedule. They don't have to have Mahomes firing back at Arrowhead. That's the toughest game. We told you all week. This is the toughest game in their schedule. This is no fun. By the way, I believe Mahomes now in September has 35 touchdowns and no interceptions. This was a loss. And you played

really well. But for the great ones, it doesn't matter what the score is. Hey, I love Lamar Jackson. he's better with a lead than trailing. And I think he's great. Aaron Rogers is great. He's always been a better quarterback with a lead than trailing. Always. It's got very few come from behind wins. And to Baker Mayfield's credit, he acknowledged,

the only time of the game that matters is, everybody knows you've got to make a play. Can you or will you? It's just all the little things that matter. And, you know, it's very frustrating because they're there. They're there. But like I said, when you play the Chiefs, the teams that are that caliber, if you don't execute, you're going to lose critical moments. You have to execute critical moments. Nothing else matters before those moments. You know, it always comes down to those three,

four plays. And those critical moments are almost always for a quarterback. They know you're throwing. They know you've got to throw. It's why Mahomes has separated from the league. His Super Bowl run that he won, he trailed in every playoff game. He trailed 24-0. So, so. He is more than any quarterback in football. Score irrelevant. The only thing that affects Patrick Mahomes

is the one thing that affects every quarterback that's ever played the game. If he's running for his life on every single play like the Super Bowl, Manning, Aikman, Wilson, it doesn't matter. That, nobody wins with that. Nobody wins with that very. We can't, literally can't protect the quarterback. He's running for his life. But the other variables matter very little for Patrick Mahomes.

For the rest of the league, mostly, and Baker, the difference between great and good. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'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 where you're saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver 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, personal health, personal health, personal. 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-tapped 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 a 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 you're all right. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence.

I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host. and your favorite therapist, Kear Games.

And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. 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, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. So Bears Rams, Matt Stafford averaged 12.3 yards an attempt. That's why they got Matt Stafford.

So it's interesting. When you look around, I mean, you all do this. What I'm about to say, we do this, Joy and I do this, you look around at your competition, you look around, what do they do better than us? What do we got to get better at? Because there's a lot of things we feel like we come in every day. We do a good show. But you look around.

Fox looks around. Hey, what can we do better here? That's what companies. That's what your company does. That's what my companies do. And the Rams looked around. You know, I talked to people in the front office. They looked around and said, you know what we need?

We got Mahomes in this league for 10 years. Okay, we need more Mahomes like touchdowns. Home runs, quick strikes over the top. They like Jared Goff. They won 10 games a year with Jared Goff. But they felt like they had to coach perfectly with Goff. Nothing came easy. It had to be nine play drives, 10 play drives, one fumble.

One tip pass, one penalty, blows the drive up. And they felt like Stafford gave them 30% more playbook. The Mahomes stuff. I mean, Mahomes and Zeke yesterday or Tyreek Hill yesterday had a one play drive. I mean, even a Browns fan. I don't even know if it was a good throw. It was like, yeah, they just do that once a game. You just get a free seven points.

Let's just start every game with a free seven points for Kansas City. You can't explain it. McVe privately liked golf, but they felt like there was a ceiling. They were limited. Nothing came easy. You had to coach perfectly. One offensive line injury. One tweaked ankle.

One drop pass. Blew it up. And if you look at the chart of where Stafford threw last night, sprinkled it everywhere, 30% more playbook. Deep left, deep right, deep right, deep middle, short left, short right. And I think that's the difference.

And I also feel fit matters. Right? Like in Los Angeles, Magic Johnson is a better fit in Los Angeles than Boston. A guy named Showtime, Magic's the greatest fit in the history of basketball for a city. He literally, his game was flashy, the big smile, the nickname is Magic, Showtime. That's what the Lakers star should be. This is Los Angeles.

Jack Nicholson, Diane Cannon are sitting five feet away. Like, fit matters. And there's a reason when the pistons have been good, they're tough. Because Detroit's tough. Detroit's physical. They make cars. They make trucks. They got factory.

When Pittsburgh in the 70s was dominating, it was Steeltown USA. They were tough. Bradshaw was tough. They threw it over the top. They punched you in the neck. They felt like Pittsburgh. And the pistons always feel like Detroit. Kobe.

Magic. Big. And Stafford feels like the Rams. You saw the stadium. The stadium feels like L.A. the stars. Gough was a good kid. He's a good player.

He never felt big. Stafford, the arm, the talent, the big plays, the home runs, the quick strike. Stafford feels more like what a ram quarterback should be. And that's what the Rams wanted. It's none of they didn't like golf. They won 10 games a year with golf. But the minute they had to pay Gough,

there's limitations on what they could do with the roster. And since they're not going to get rid of Jalen Ramsey or Aaron Donald, arguably the best players in the league at their position, they said, okay, if we're going to have to pay for a quarterback, we'd rather pay for a quarterback that feels more like us, can do more things like us. And I thought the whole night last night on NBC, just Stafford felt big. The game's big, the stadium's big, the star power, the Rams, everything felt big and he fits perfectly. Sean McVeigh after. He's got a great ability to be able to change his arm slot and make all types of throws, whether it be short, intermediate, or down the field. But you're not limited in anything that you can do with him in the past game.

You could just see there was a look in his eye. He had confidence in his teammates. He expected to play well. And, you know, he did a great job. I was, it's hard to say that there was one thing, Jim. I loved everything that he did tonight. I've never seen Sean McVeigh smile more. I swear to God.

It's like a honeymoon period. Wait till Stafford throws a costly interception, we'll see then. But I thought it just felt big. It felt ripe. Stadium to Stafford to McVeigh. McVe's got star power. The stadium, the city, the quarterback needs to as well. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd.

Weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. He's by Carmen. I'm Dan Byrd. We have a brand new fantasy football podcast called I Want Your Flex. Twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday, we come up with new episodes. to not only look back at what happened, what you need to do at that minute, and also look ahead of what's coming up in the fantasy football world.

That's right, Dan. Every week we're going to scour the waiver wire to find the pickups to turbo boost your fantasy lineup. Sit, starts, fantasy football players' rankings to get you ready to dominate the competition. Listen to I Want Your Flex with Mike Harmon and me, Dan Bayer, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football,

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, 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. TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. clearly, 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 Podcast.

or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way 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? 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, as 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 hard way and listen now there's certain things in football that i would call them traits cleveland has very good traits this year excellent o line

strong running game and kevin stefansky is a tremendous play caller that is going to wear very well every week Pittsburgh is built they're so good in the front seven defensively If you don't have it buttoned up on your old line, they are seek and destroy. They will completely disrupt you. And so yesterday, Big Ben average 5.9 yards an attempt. Ben is not accurate. Ben is not efficient. Ben's not great at the line of scrimmage.

Ben's a home run hitter. Ben looked old in week one. He looked old yesterday. They can't run the ball. They don't throw the ball down the field effectively. What are they going to look like in week 17? I don't see the traits. What I see is a great front seven.

And I mean, best front seven in the league. And that is going to, that's why I said they're an eight and nine, nine and eight team. That's going to win them nine games or eight games. Maybe he'll win nine. Maybe I had them low at eight. I said they feel like a team that wins one way. Their defensive line, and I said this about the Dallas Cowboys Thursday. Cowboys can beat you one way.

Shootout. The Cowboys have lost 17 straight games when they didn't score 30 points. they have to score 30. This team has to face average offensive lines, and when they do, this is what will happen. It's why I bet the Steelers this weekend. But I don't see their traits. And by the way, it's week one.

Super Bowls are not one in September. If they were, Andy Reid would have seven, and Bill Belichick would have one. It's Belichick's weakest month, Andy's best month. But if you look at the best teams in this league, Cleveland, X-LIN O-Line, Rams, X-Line-Line, Kansas City, Baltimore, Tampa. Buffalo is rare. Good team,

shaky O-line. Most of the good teams will not be completely utterly unraveled by the Steelers' Excellent Front Seven. When I watched them yesterday, it's not a shot. But they can't run the ball last year? They can't run it this year. They get no push. Nogie Harris is fine, but he and Ben didn't click. Chase Clayball is amazing. The rest of the receivers you can have, Chase is great. and this game played right into it. They're a very proud team.

Now, Mike Tomlin, and he's impossible to argue with, he is the greatest quote in the history of the league, shuts guys like me up, and he does make a point. We're not worried about style points. We'll let you guys write whatever stories you want to write, man. We knew it would be tough sledding. They got a great defense. They got continuity, not only in players, but schematics.

We were playing them in their place. We had a bunch of new pieces. you know we we we weren't style point oriented today we just had to win this game i'm not going to argue with that and they and that's my point they have to win ugly because their offensive lines not good enough to win pretty ben is a home run quarterback not an efficient guy not the accurate guy and he's averaging 5.9 yards an attempt matt stafford averaged over 12 and he's more accurate generally as a thrower so i don't see traits that wear a while. Cleveland has great traits.

By the way, when Cleveland leads everybody at half, they're not going to face Mahomes and Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelsey. Cleveland's going to win this division. Cleveland's traits are excellent for the season. Pittsburgh is just going to monster front seven. But watch when Cleveland and Pittsburgh meet. Cleveland's offensive lines the best in football, first or second best.

Cleveland will not be completely disrupted by the Steelers front. I still think I have the number right on Pittsburgh. Maybe they're nine and eight, not eight and nine. One more herd. The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Where Colin was right? Shocker, distracted, noisy, moody Aaron Rogers and the Packers were awful yesterday. In fact, of all the teams in the NFL, they scored the fewest points. Think about that. Aaron Jones, Devante Adams, Aaron Rogers, Matt LaFleur, worst offense in the league, and this is a rebuilding Saints defense. Maybe Aaron could stop discussing his offseason and his moods and how it's landing for him.

Just go play, dude. No touchdowns, two picks, didn't look prepared, noisy off seasons. Seattle's was noisy for about two weeks. Green Bay is still talking about Aaron, still discussing. how this all lands for me. Get over yourself. Where Colin was wrong. I don't think I've ever had a winning week, week one of Blazing Five.

Two and three, we had the Steelers plus six and a half. And we did have the Panthers barely won that. I apologize for the Lions pick. There are two teams. I will never bet again. Detroit and Atlanta. And I cannot believe I doubted Justin Herbert. My apologies to the Herbert family.

He is great. where Colin was right? It's amazing how effective Sam Darnold is when you know he has weapons and a run game and can play with an occasional lead. Donald wasn't great, but he went 24 of 35, 280 yards, one touchdown, no picks, rushing touchdown in a passer rating of 102. Sam doesn't throw the prettiest ball. Zach Wilson throws a prettier ball.

Sam has his flaws. Sometimes he plays a quarterback like a linebacker, but he's a really talented kid. And when you don't ask him to be the entire life preserver, and you just ask him to be a really important ore in the boat, he's a good player who can make plays. And he played with a lead. It's funny, little protection, little run game who wins games in this league. Where Colin was wrong.

Did the Philadelphia Eagles look as good and as buttoned up as almost any team in the league? I got to give Nick Seriani credit. He may be batted a microphone. Jalen Hertz totally in control. I thought they came in with an offensive and defensive game plan. I mean, they really look buttoned up. Some of that has to be coaching influenced.

Listen, I said, I think I have a verbal bias. If you're bad at the microphone, I judge you too harshly. But I watched them play and I'm like, I don't know, that's kind of a decent football team. I will say this. We did say their tight end group is really good. and between Devante Smith, the rookie receiver, and the kid they drafted out of TCU rigor a couple years ago, they got speed at wide receiver.

Their own line is healthy. It looks like a fairly productive offense. Where Colin was right? We told you that Miami, New England, it's literally the same team facing one another. And if you watch that game and I did, it was literally mirror images of each other. The quarterbacks.

Mack Jones was, okay. Touchdown, no pick sufficient. Two was, okay. That touchdown had a pick. one bad throw. The coaching styles, the defenses, the special teams, the excellent corners. The difference is Miami has got a little more juice and speed on the outside. But I said, New England this year is going to look like Miami last year.

Not good enough to win the Super Bowl. Good enough to wild card team, get to the playoffs, maybe win a playoff game. I thought yesterday, I don't even know. I don't think necessarily the better team won. And I don't think the worst team lost. if they played 10 times, they'd split them right down the middle at 5-5. And that's what you saw yesterday. Where Colin was wrong.

Listen, Andy Dalton, it's not going to work. He's not enough juice. Listen, I thought, listen, start a veteran. Don't put a rookie in the crosshairs of SoFi Stadium and Aaron Donald. And, you know, Andy can play under control. But if you look at the quarterback chart where he throws the ball, everything's underneath. Nothing over 12 yards. And Chicago, guess what?

They need juice. And also, this is not a championship. team. This is not like the Niners who are going back and forth. That's a Super Bowl roster. Don't screw around on the NFC West. Like win games, Garoppolo's been here. Chicago's not a Super Bowl team. And when you watched it last night,

watch how the bear players reacted to the Justin Fields touchdown. Like they want them to play. Can't fool the players. Where Colin was right? I've been saying this for years. Aggressive wins. The SEC is the most aggressive college football conference. They're stealing your teams. They're stealing your girlfriends.

The NFC West has the most aggressive GMs in the league. Yesterday, the Niners, the Cardinals Seattle, won convincingly on the road, the Rams won convincingly at home. All these teams, they don't have first round picks. They give up their first round picks. They go make massive trades. They get J.J. Watt.

They get Matt Stafford. These are the most aggressive teams, arguably in the NFL. They're all in the same division. Yesterday is a great example of something I preach constantly. Aggressive wins in sports. Dana White. UFC. We're going to go Retin Island. Middle of COVID. We're going to go Retton Island. Aggressive wins. You're going to get blowback on Twitter. There's going to be criticism if it fails.

Four of the most aggressive teams all in the same division. All look spectacular yesterday. Where Colin was wrong. That Jaguar situation was not great. Ten penalties, three turnovers. Urban Meyer is known in college as a turnaround specialist, but they were completely unraveled. They trailed 34 to 7 at one point to Houston. I'll say this. Tyrod Taylor and David Cully have been in this league for a long time. And it's week one.

And so Urban Meyer, a lot of this is, I'm not sure exactly what we're going to be and what it's going to be like. And Trevor Lawrence had some nice throws. I'll say this. Trevor's really talented. That's not the question. But as we've said from the beginning, this is a rebuild outside a wide receiver. every other unit and to be down 34 to 7 to the Texans is concerning. Where Colin was right?

Finally, the one AFC team I was really concerned about was the Tennessee Titans, and they were boat-raced at home. Listen, young quarterbacks need coordinators. Arthur Smith, I don't know if he'll be a great head coach, but he was a great coordinator, and Tannehill doesn't have him. I think their secondary is weak. They can't quite get the offensive line right. Arizona at one point led 24 to 6.

The final score is not indicative of the game. It was never competitive. This was the one good team the last two years. And we know this happens every year. There's four new playoff teams every year. I said the one team that's been really good for last several years, I just don't buy, is Tennessee. By the way, they have the fewest returning starters in the NFL.

And in week one, they have new core. coordinators, it really showed. Maybe they're better October, but they struggled. Colin Wright, Colin Wrong, brought to you by Jersey Mike subs. 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. Well, he was a great one, a three-time Pro Bowl, or a number one pick, 15 years in the NFL. Carson Palmer now joining us live. First of all, I got to give Joe Burrow credit.

I got to say this. Coming off an injury, Carson, is hard. It's hard to get back on that bike. And I'll tell you what, he's a gamer. There's something about him. And just, you know, you've had injuries. That first game back, live bullets is tough. I thought Joe Burrell, as you could kind of guess, was a total gamer yesterday. He looked great. He was really smart with the ball. He didn't put himself for his team in any bad situations. And then at the end of the game, when he had to make the big throws and the big plays, he was able to make him. So, I mean, there's a lot been talked about this Bengals team and this offensive line. If the offensive line continues to protect Joe and he doesn't have to beat you

with his feet and he can throw the ball and distribute it to all the playmakers he has, that's when this Bengals team is at their best. You know, it's interesting. Cleveland lost, but I felt, Carson, there are traits that I think that wear well in the NFL. If you have a good old line and you can run downhill and control clock and tempo, you can make a guy like Patrick Mahomes be a spectator for large chunks of the game. And I thought Cleveland lost, but my takeaway was that team's going to lead a lot of people

and they're not going to have to face Mahomes an arrowhead. I thought the most impressive losing team yesterday, maybe by far was Cleveland, your takeaway on that performance in that game. Well, and if you look at Cleveland's defensive line, I mean, they've got two number one picks at defensive end and Jadavian Clowny and Miles Garrett. So they are built to play with a little bit of a lead and make you have to throw it. And it didn't work.

I mean, the thing that jumped out to me is Baker Mayfield is exactly what we've all been saying he is. He's a really good quarterback. Is he great? Is he good enough to put that team on his shoulders and go out and win, game in, game out, weekend, week out? I don't know yet. I think that's the biggest question this year is that they're in this position. position in Cleveland where they have to decide are they going to extend Baker Mayfield's

contract. They've given him everything he could want. He's got not only one great running back, he's got two. He's got an offensive line. They've got some playmakers on the back end of the secondary and they can rush the passer and play with the lead and force you to have to drop back and deal with those two defensive ends. But at the end of the day, it was just drastic. The difference between Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes is stark. I mean, you look at that team that Baker's got, that team is built to make a Super Bowl run. We'll see as the season progresses if Baker's good enough to win a Super Bowl. Listen, I don't want to take too much from week one, but there's a saying in sports that players, you know, will win the offseason. They'll

win in the off season. Teams will win in the season. So, you know, the sins of the summer, you'll be paid in the fall. You know, Russell Wilson and Aaron both had issues with their organizations. And because they're both expensive, Carson, there's not much the Seahawks could do, and there's not much Green Bay could do, right? They had to, you know, they re-signed Aaron Jones in Green Bay. They went and drafted a wide receiver. Seattle got Gabe Jackson. They got him a better tied end and offensive coordinator. But in the end, when you're paying your quarterback a lot of money, there's limitations on moving the deck chairs. But the difference to me was Russell appreciated it and quickly pivoted to working his butt off and getting ready for the opener. And I know

everybody loves Aaron, but he's brooding about this thing. He talked about it up until last week. And I watched yesterday, Green Bay, and I think to myself, that just didn't look right. That didn't look right at all. And there's a difference between a loss, Cleveland lost, and that. Something doesn't sit well when I watch Green Bay. They're too talented to be the worst offense in the league, even if it's a game. Your thoughts? My thoughts are, quarterback is hard. Playing quarterback. is extremely difficult, even if you are Aaron Rogers. But when you bring on all this criticism and all the doubt and you're asking for a trade and demanding certain things in the front office, that's just a lot for you to have to deal with throughout training camp going into week two

after an embarrassing loss. It's something that your teammates have to deal with and constantly get asked questions about, you know, is Aaron happy? What do you think the organization needs to do to get Aaron happy and just all those things that your teammates are constantly burdened with in every press conference and every open locker room where the media is available. And Aaron looked uncomfortable. He looked uncomfortable from the first quarter to the fourth quarter. He never settled his feet. He never just dropped back and ripped the ball into a seam or a nice long completion. Everything looked challenging. Everything looked different. And I just think the offseason he's gone through, the training camp he's gone through, all the questions.

you know, all the stuff he's got going in his personal life. Those things can burden you. Those things can weigh you down. And Aaron looked like he had, you know, cement boots on at times. Something was holding him back and holding him down. And, you know, at the end of the day, he is Aaron Rogers. He will shake this rust off. He will come back and play great.

He'll probably end up going to the Pro Bowl and throw for 38 touchdowns and 5,000 plus yards. But he just looked uncomfortable. He looked burdened by a long offseason. And, you know, that, like I said, I think that'll wear off. and week two will be a different story. But all that talk that was going on in Seattle, that only lasted for maybe a month. Yep.

And then Russ was happy, and Russ looked happy. Russ looked like he was having fun. And then it's the polar opposite for watching that Green Bay. Aaron Rogers looked miserable and uncomfortable all day. Really great stuff. Carson Palmer joining us, the former poor bowl quarterback. You know, it's interesting. I could say that you and Matt Stafford have some similarities.

You come out, your number one picks, huge arm talent. even when you were losing early in your career, people said it's the organization. It's not, it's Cincinnati, it's Detroit. And then finally, you guys have to move and it's like, oh, this is what a winning culture is like. They spend money. And I watched Matt Stafford yesterday,

and I thought to myself, what a wonderful break in life. I can move anywhere I want mostly in my career. Quarterbacks, the better you are, you get drafted to the worst team. And that's where pro sports is, Totally unfair. You know, and it's like, take me to your career when you finally got a lead, support, a run game.

Because I watched Stafford last night, I'm like, oh, my God, this is a brand new life for Matt Stafford. And it's immediate. It's not like the light bulb turned on for Matt Stafford in SoFi Stadium in, you know, midway through the third quarter last night. Matt Stafford felt a difference in the organization from day one. So Matt's probably just been licking his chops to get to week one since he got there. It's a totally different environment. You've got a coach that you completely trust. You've got an organization that you know is willing to do what it takes to go out and get a Jalen Ramsey and re-signed and Aaron Donald and bring Deshawn Jackson in.

And, you know, he's been feeling as good as he looked last night since he got to L.A. since he started putting on number nine of that uniform. I mean, this is not new. This didn't just happen overnight. We all saw it as fans last night. Matt Stafford was fist pumping and smiling and ecstatic. Yep. You know, slapping the helmets of teammates.

We haven't seen him do that in Detroit because there hasn't been much to high five and butt slap about. Now he's with the right organization, the right coach. And there was so much talk, you know, there's so much misdirection in this offense. You got to be able to throw on the run. There's all these bootlegs. Matt looked as comfortable as any quarterback outside the pocket last night. I mean, I think he's going to thrive in this offense, the talent, the depth of talent, the

offensive line play. And now he doesn't need to throw for 450 yards a night to win. That's right. He's got a defense that is best in the league year in, year out since Aaron Donald got there. So it's a perfect combination for Matt to thrive in that system. You know, we were talking about this. in my lifetime generally, either quarterbacks or pocket guys, or they

move, and there's a deficiency. Tom's not going to run for first downs or Phillip Rivers, and, you know, other quarterbacks, you're like, and Michael Vic would admit, like he ran too much early, didn't develop his passing game, and I watch Russell and Kyler Murray, and I watch Connor Murray yesterday, and it's funny, they're both

baseball guys, so they're both great sliders when they run, they never get hit, and I watched Kyler Murray, and I went back to the first 10 weeks of last year, and this is a rebuilding team. and his numbers were insane, and I watched him yesterday. And as a guy that was a pocket guy, when you watch Kyler Murray or even a Russ, is there, do you look at it and think, oh, I would have just, because you were an athlete, but how do you view the guy that can move as well and throw?

The thing that blows my mind about Carler's game is that he can still see when he is in the pocket. He's extremely accurate inside the pocket, and he's got a lot more arm and a lot more touch than I think any of us thought. coming into the league because his sample size was so small with just one year at Oklahoma. And you can't see that touch ball he throws right there. You can't see how much touch a guy has until you've seen him play, not one year, not two years, but into year three and year four. And you start realizing the consistency of the touch balls that they're throwing. Kyler's got a ton of touch.

He can actually see somehow, some way, he's always been short, right? he can find a way to see lanes in the pocket. And then once he gets outside the pocket, it's game over. I mean, if you can't contain him, he's going to find a way to either beat you with his feet and score touchdowns like that, or he's going to find a way to get outside the pocket, extend a play, and find somebody get open late like he did a couple times yesterday. It was like Houdini or like watching the old Russell Wilson

where he would just continue to backpedal and move, make a defender miss, and then find a nice eight or ten-yard completion. So his ability to make plays inside the pocket has really surprised me, and his touch ball gets better and better each week. We're so lucky to have Carson Palmer, the former Pro Bowler. I know where he lives. I'm not saying it. I wish I was there, and he's probably going to go fly fishing multiple times this week,

and I'm completely jealous of him. Envy is a bad trait, but I'm envious of you, and I love you coming on the show, bud. Thanks for having me. Come join me. I'd love to, by the way. Carson Palmer. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends.

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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.

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