The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 09/14/2021 - HOUR 2 - Herd Hierarchy, Rodgers, Raiders

Episode Date: September 14, 2021

Colin's new Herd HierarchyAaron Rodgers' drama with the front office is hurting the teamThe Raiders are an entertaining messGuest: Chad Pennington Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox SportsRourts. Radio. Ah, here we go. Great to have you in

live in Los Angeles. It's the hurt. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, F.S.1. Hot mess last night. Congrats for the Raiders. I won $50.

Did you bet the game last night? I was too nervous. I need to see a little bit from the readers. You know who bet the game last night? Live moot. Live did bet the game last night. Live had a good weekend. She did.

I wish I would have listened to her. Yeah, I listened to her about the Steelers covering and the Cardinals covering. She took the under on Giants Broncos soon. I was two and three on my five and I overthought the room way too much. I already have my five picks for next week. I was so mad at myself last night. I've already seen the lines. I've already made my picks.

That was such a great, like, opening with the fans, Vegas. Well, for years, when the NFL started moving, he moved the San Diego team. They moved the St. Louis team. They moved the Oakland team. And I had said at the time, this is too much. And a lot of it was because I was feeling it on the West Coast. I'm like, you've got musical chairs out here. They were right. L.A. Rams feels so much bigger than the St. Louis Rams. That stadium itself is just, it has a ratings pull. The Raiders are a perfect fit in Las Vegas. And let's be honest, Justin Herbert in Los Angeles. It's going to be big.

It's going to be big. It was just fun. You go buffer and the DJ and everyone's going crazy. DJ was he scratching? Was he doing that? They don't use records anymore. Oh, oh. At one point in my career, I was doing some scratching.

I saw him live over the summer. Who? Steve Ayoki. Was that the DJ? Yeah. All right. Okay. I don't know, Steve.

like to know him, though. I don't, yeah, I would love to see Colin in a club, a Vegas club. Oh, you want no part of me in a club. Actually, I was, the DJ was awesome, but the club we were at, I can't remember the name of it, but it has like this, like, matrixy thing hanging from the ceiling, and it was like mesmerizing. Then they had like, girls come down from the ceiling. It was fun. Anyway, it was very, it was very Vegas. They completely leaned into it. I like when cities lean into whatever it is they do. That's who we are. And like Vegas was, it was so Vegas. It was so great. It was great. All right. Here we go. Now, no, now. This is. This is the herd hierarchy, my top 10.

As I tell you all the time, when I started doing this top 10, what I hated was people that did a top 10 just on teams that won. You're going to tell me good teams never lose. We've had one undefeated team in the history of the league. I'm going to move a team out because they lose. Sometimes you get a punt block. Sometimes it's bad weather. Sometimes you play another great team.

Here we go. Heard hierarchy. Time is now. Let's go. The top 10 NFL. NFL teams according to college. Number 10. The Buffalo Bills are number 10.

They had more yards than Pittsburgh, more first downs than Pittsburgh, more third down conversions that Pittburg, won the time of possession battle. They got to the red zone four times. They allowed the fewest yards in the NFL this weekend. Total yards allowed. Fewest allowed in the AFC was Buffalo. They had a punt blocked and lost the game. Pittsburgh couldn't move the ball.

They couldn't run. They couldn't pass. They couldn't do anything. And they blocked a punt. And yes, the Steelers' defensive front is excellent. Buffalo's the better team. There is no question with the better quarterback bills at 10. Number nine.

Denver, you got to keep your eye on him. They averaged six yards a carry. And the Giants defense is good. Teddy Bridgewater was fantastic. He completed 77.8% of his throws. And they won the possession, time of possession by over 10 minutes. We have set it all off season. They got real players.

Elway got real players. George Patton, the new, the GM, this is a real roster. They got to get the quarterback right. And they decided as a franchise, we can win games and we just don't turn it over. And they're right because they looked really impressive. This is a playoff roster. Whether they get there, we'll see. Number eight.

Arizona, not sure what to make of them. Their defense had six sacks on Ryan Tannahill. They only allowed 3.8 yards of play. that was the best of any defense in the NFL. Kyler Murray, four touchdowns, first five red zone trips. Listen, they went all in the off season. They said, we're going to get, we already have Chandler Jones. We're going to get J.J. Watt.

We already have DeAndre Hopkins. We're going to go get A.J. Green. They have drafted Buda Bakers and Elite Safety. Isaiah Simmons. They got dudes, like, all over the place. They may be a fourth place team in their division. They'll be the best fourth place team in the history of the league because they are fast and wildly physical.

Number seven. 49ers. Don't love the way they finish, but they did lead 41-17 with two minutes left before the wheels came off. They were the highest scoring team in the NFL this weekend. And let me give Jimmy G. credit, because I like him a lot more than you do. He does lose his confidence quickly. I mean, they drafted his heir apparent. So that's never good for a quarterback's ego. But he was six for seven on passes 10 plus yards down the field. that is the highest percentage of any quarterback in the league in week one.

Believe it or not, Jimmy G. Number six. Listen, the Cleveland Browns lost to a great team. They still averaged eight yards of play. That was the most by any team in the league. They have to play a certain way with Baker. They got to play with a lead. They got to play with a run game.

And once they started trailing and you ask Baker to throw into a defense that know he's throwing, he's not the same quarter. quarterback. But he's talented enough to win the division. I haven't won in the division. Now, their defense struggled on third down. But again, it's Mahomes. Everybody's going to struggle on third down against Mahomes. So I don't want to take too much of that. This is still a very good football team that I think wins their division. And it may win it by a couple of games. Number five. I don't know how many of you watch the Chargers, but they were 14 of 19 on third down. That's 74% on third down. Against arguably,

the best defense in the NFC, a defense that gave Tom Brady trouble in the playoffs. Roshan Slater, their left tackle, was a monster. Chase Young, non-factor at Rush End. The defense allowed the fewish yards, passing yards by any team in week one. Some of that is because they Washington went to their backup. They were so good on third down. Herbert was so under control between Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. They are a tough, tough team to defend in late downs.

Number four. Buccaneers. Listen, if you can turn the ball over four times and win, I didn't think they played well. I did not think Tampa played well. They turned it over to a highly explosive offense. Cowboys got four turnovers. They gave Dak the four turnovers, and they lost.

So Tampa, Brady was one of two quarterbacks in the league that did not get sacked. I think the unheralded part of this team is their O line. We thought that was a huge issue when Tom came down. We said New England's always got great old lines. Tampa doesn't. Tristan Wirthes. Ryan Jensen, the center. They're really good up front.

They're really good up front. And Tom's got plenty of time to throw to those weapons. Number three. Seahawks. Listen, Russell Wilson had the highest completion percentage in the league. Their defense got 10 hits on Carson Went. And that's against an elite offensive line. They look really polished.

wide receivers, run games. Listen, they've got five running backs here. Their special teams are good now. They got five running backs. So don't be shocked if they don't move a running back before the trade deadline. They have a surplus of running backs. There's not a lot here I don't like. I think they're thin on the offensive line.

Don't love them at center. I think they're thin up front. But now that Dwayne Brown is in, Russell Wilson, D.K. Metcalfe, Bobby Wagner, Jamal Adams. You have elite players. their pass rush this weekend was special. Number two. Kansas City. You overcome a 12-point deficit to a roster as good as Cleveland.

It's impressive. Mahomes now 3-0 against Baker-Mayfield. That's not a shot, but it tells you he's never lost to Lamar Jackson. He's never lost to Baker. And those guys are winning a lot of games now, right? Like, this is a real good football team. It is the most score irrelevant team in the league. The score doesn't matter.

They play as well behind. I can't say that about any other player in the league except Tom Brady and maybe Russell Wilson. The score with eight minutes to go is largely irrelevant with Kansas City, and it's incredibly relevant to virtually every other team and every other quarterback in the league. Mahalms now is 11 and 0 in September, but the concern is defensively they need Frank Clark back and they need Honey Badger back because they got pushed around a little up front. Number one. Listen, we knew the Rams were good.

it looks so easy. Chicago has been making the playoffs and been decent last couple years. They were 8 and 8 last year. That last half, that wasn't even close. Now they got the Colts on the road this weekend. The Buccaneers coming back. But the one thing the Rams have missed in recent years, I think we'd all agree, they don't have much home run pop. They had two 50 plus touchdown passes. They had two all season last year. They had two against Chicago. So I think they saw in the offseason. They wanted more Mahomes-like pop. They wanted to be able to go over the top like a Buffalo or a Tampa. They wanted big play offense, not just brilliant 9-12 play drives from McVeigh's brain,

and they delivered with Matt Stafford. I thought they were the best team I saw, and I thought they were good coming in. Do you know the last quarterback to lead the Jets to the AFC East title? It's the same quarterback, the last quarterback to lead the team. dolphins to the AFC East. Same guy, Chad Pennington. New England won that division for a long time. One

quarterback gave him a little hiccup. Chad with Miami and Chad with the Jets. Decade in the NFL joining us live. All right, let's talk about this. I said, you can lose a game. Baltimore, I think, is better than the Raiders, but they lost last

night. That was a tough spot. I think Buffalo eventually is better than Pittsburgh, but they lost last night. So I don't judge a player or a team just on the results. You're not going to go undefeated. So I watched Zach Wilson against Sam Darnold, and Sam had better numbers, and Sam had better protection, and Sam's got more weapons. But my takeaway on Zach Wilson in the second half was, once he got his feet under him, it was pretty good. And pretty good. What did you make of Zach Wilson? Well, I think Jeff Fann should be excited. I think what you see with all of these rookie quarterbacks, you're going to see moments of brilliance. And then you're going to see moments

where they're rookies, right, and they're learning. And like we've always talked about, because the patience isn't there anymore in the NFL, our rookies and young quarterbacks are having to make mistakes on Sundays in front of all of us instead of being able to make those mistakes behind closed doors where no one knows. And so when you watch Zach play, you saw great pocket awareness. I thought you saw a great pocket mobility, extending plays. And then you would see sometimes where he's struggling with the timing or the accuracy of the plays that are being called. So that's just part of the rookie maturation process. Sam Darnold had better numbers.

He's never been an artistic thrower. He's not. He was a linebacker in high school for a while. Zach's a much prettier thrower of the football. But what did you make a Darnold's performance, the former jet? Well, Colin, I saw a confident quarterback. I saw a quarterback who was very decisive in his decision-making. He made plays with his arm.

He made plays with his legs. I think this is part of the patience that I always preach with our quarterbacks. And so Sam with the change of scenery, and he's got a different air about him. And he's playing well, and he played well Sunday, and he showed that. You know, Tua, I've said about Tua. I do feel like when I watch Mack Jones and Tua, it's a little of the same, which is I kind of feel like the play has to be dialed up and schemed for him. And then they're very accurate throwers of the football.

I don't feel like there's a lot of, I'm not going to get a lot of, you know, If the play breaks down, somebody misses a blocking assignment. This is not Josh Allen, Lamar, whatever, guy, Kyler, that can run around. What did you, you know, I, and listen, we've got, we've got rumors here that Deshawn Watson, Miami was kind of interested. What did you make it to his opening performance and what do you make going forward of him and the dolphins? Well, I think there's certainly talent there.

I think your comment is right as far as Mack Jones and Tua. They're more of in-rhythm type of quarterback, set your feet. feet, let the ball go, don't extend plays as much as some of our other quarterbacks. But that doesn't mean they can't be successful. I think they're both great passers and they're learning. I mean, they're young. And so they come from a system in Alabama where they've been taught football correctly. They understand reads.

They understand protections, all those different things. Everything you hear about Mike Jones as far as the study habits are concerned are off the charts. And so both of these guys, they have a long way to go. But the talent is there. The potential is there. they just may do it differently, and that's what I like about the quarterback position. It takes all kinds. Look at Tom Brady.

I mean, he's being a master in the pocket right now, and I heard you talk about the protection with the buccaneers. I think some of that is Tom getting the ball out of his hand. I mean, he's getting to the number one, number two receiver pretty quickly, and that is really, really tight coverage. I think Tom has actually gotten more accurate as he gets older and more mature. So Carson Palmer came on yesterday, and it was interesting. he said, he goes, listen, playing quarterback in this league is hard.

It's hard when everything's right. He goes, if you're spending the off season contemplating retirement and fighting with your GM, he's like, that's just a layer of stuff that I, he said yesterday, he goes, that's just too much for me. It's just hard to win on Sundays if you have the better team. Aaron, in the first week, you know, I'm not going to make judgments. I'm not a psychologist on being disengaged. but it just didn't look right to me, and I don't think it's coincidental. He was at odds with his team all off season.

What did you make a week one? I certainly don't think it's coincidental. We have always talked about in professional football trying to eliminate distractions, and there's no doubt that this was a distraction for him, for the team, all of that. And so that's the type of performance that you got yesterday. Now, Aaron would say that that's not a distraction, and he can play better or we can play better as a team. But like Carson said, it's hard enough to play. play well and win football games when everything is just right.

Much less when there are little things on the outside, they're just kind of upsetting the apple car, so to speak. Now, Aaron is a professional. He's been through this before. He can get this corrected. But as long as he eliminates these distractions and just focuses on football, don't worry about Jordan Love or anything else that's going on. Focus on 2021 being the best quarterback he can be.

He'll get it corrected. Yeah. You know, it's so funny. I watched the Raiders last. I've always been a fan of Derek Carr. He doesn't have a huge arm, but I think he cares deeply. He and Lamar both. They really are professionals.

They really deeply care. They're totally focused. There's no distraction. You know, they're just different styles of quarterbacks. But, you know, I'm watching Derek and Lamar last night, it's like you said, one of the reasons I love this league, there's more than one way to do it. You know, when Lamar fumbles, people kind of freak out.

But, I mean, do you have any long-term concerns about Lamar? I don't because I think he's such a playmaker that he compensates for some of this. It's not a beautiful thrower of the football. What do you make a Lamar as a quarterback? Well, I was thinking about that very issue. And what we have to remember about Lamar, he probably handles the ball more than any player in the league because he's so involved not only with the passing game, but with the run game. And so much is put on his plate to make plays in the run game as well.

So I think there has to be a little bit of leniency there as far as the fumbles are concerned. Now, when you're in the pocket and you're a passer, you have to heighten your awareness even more. And he knows that. You can tell he was distraught about what happened there late in the game last night. So that's the piece that I would really focus on for him is that when I'm a passer in the pocket, I've got to have two hands on that ball. I've got to protect that ball as if my life was on the line because it quite frankly is as far as your team in those crucial moments. But I think he'll get that corrected.

I want to see him mature as a pocket passer. When he does that, he will then take the next step in his career, because at the end of the day, quarterbacks can extend plays, they can run around, but you have to be an assassin in the pocket for your team to be most successful. When you retired, I think you had the highest completion percentage in league history at 66%. Right now, you're fifth all time. Take me through this.

completion percentage. How much is if it is arm? How much is pre-snap? How much is film study? How much is route and practice? You did not have a cannon for an arm. You had had surgeries, but you have this remarkable completion percentage. I mean, I watched this weekend, Russell Wilson, Teddy Bridgewater, the guys were like in the mid-70s on this stuff. It's insane. Why did you have such a high completion percentage? And what do you credit it to? I credited it. I credited it. to three things. Timing is number one. It's one thing to be accurate

when the guy is sending still or he's already open, but when you can anticipate that he's coming open and you're actually throwing to a spot that quite frankly, he's not there yet. That's the number one key

right there is timing. You certainly have to be accurate and hit the easy ones. In the NFL, you don't get the easy ones back. So when you do get simple throws, you've got to hit those and be 100%.

And then third is decision-making. Sometimes you can have an accurate guy, but if he's not making good decisions, his completion percentage won't reflect that. And so part of completion percentage is decision-making, knowing when you can take a chance, knowing when you shouldn't take a chance, knowing what type of ball to throw, how to talk to your receiver with the ball, put it on a certain shoulder or a hip or throwing a second base throw, so he goes down and protects himself.

All of that comes into play as part of your decision-making process. By way, Chad's the only player in league history. to win comeback player of the year twice, and he's an ambassador for the Mayo Clinic, comeback player of the year. It's honoring student athletes who have to overcome either sickness or injury, other challenges, a credit to the game. The ambassador for the Mayo Clinic,

comeback player of the year, look it up. You're such a smart guy. Herm Edwards always tells me, he said if Chad Pennington doesn't get hurt, I'm still coaching the NFL right now. He just said you're the smartest guy you ever had. It's great seeing you again. Great seeing you guys, too.

so much. All right, Chad Pennington. Chad's one of those guys. He was, he was direct in traffic. When he retired, I believe, I could be wrong, but I think he had the highest completion percentage in league history, and it was more of a running league then. I mean, now, you see these percentages now? It's not that crazy to see a guy completing 75% of his throws. Teddy Bridgewater was, and that giant's defense is good. I have a pass rush. It's like just the games changed. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Her 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-Hart 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,

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double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim?

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent

episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that

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

podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know

when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person join me Keer games is we have real conversations about healing growth fathers pressure and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app.

Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. This weekend on Fox, start Saturday strong with the big noon kickoff pregame show at 10 a.m. Eastern live from Norman. Then at noon eastern, dual threat Adrian Martinez leads Nebraska against Spencer Rattler and third ranked Oklahoma. A huge big noon Saturday begins at 10 a.m. Eastern, 7 a.m. Pacific

on Fox in the Fox Sports app. By the way, if you did not hear my opening rant on USC football, it was a passionate plea for the conference in USC. Oh, you're going to do it in Herdline? Yep. No. Well, I'll just go to Hurdline and comment about it. Go ahead. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the Hurdline News. I was going to let you go. USC has fired head coach Clay Hilton. The decision just came two days after the Trojans suffered a person. big 42-28 home loss to Stanford. And school said they are seeking a change in leadership. Helton called coaching at USC the opportunity of a lifetime and thanked all the students,

players, and fans. Dante Williams will serve as the interim head coach. He was under contract through the 2023 season. Team never got better, players never got better. Nice guy. Just the team, his first game as a coach, they were blown out by Stanford. His last game as a coach, they were blown out by Stanford. And Stanford's not a great team.

right now. Nothing ever got better. Well, his buyout was in the $12 million range, and that might have had something to do with it, especially considering the state that all college athletics are in after last year with COVID, and quite frankly, this year with COVID. His record at USC was 46 and 24. I'm with you, though. You were talking about your opening rant. They need to take a big swing.

And when you live in Los Angeles, you just, it's not an elitist thing. you just kind of understand the cities that you're in. When you're in New York, you know you want to hire a coach that can handle the media. You can't hire a guy that gets sensitive with the media or it's just even on the board that at any point he's going to lose his composure and lash out of the media. You can't have that kind of personality. And in Los Angeles, you have to cut through. This is the fifth biggest economy in the world.

We're busy here. Yeah. We got a lot of options. We do very well. This city has the perfect. Mediterranean weather, stunning beaches, free to the public. We've got eight pro teams. You can't get a coach from Cincinnati or Ames, Iowa.

You've got to cut through here. We got options. By the way, Los Angeles has always been a city. The Lakers always got this. The late great Jerry Bus who own the Lakers, the Bus, and the kids now own it. He was a genius. He always understood this.

He was a USC fan and Jerry Bus would go to the USC games and he watched the Trojan horse and the song girls. And he said, why can't I bring that to pro sports? So they created the Laker girls. He's like, you can't just win in Los Angeles. No, you have to be, you can just win. We're seeing that with Mick Cronin. It took him a little while.

Yes. He wasn't really an L.A. guy. And now he has established a re-established a culture from a program in UCLA men's basketball that is very storied. But you have to win. Like you can't come in and not be an LA guy and also not win. When Pete Carroll was here, you didn't have two NFL teams. The Clippers were a joke.

You didn't have L-AFC and you didn't have Silicon Valley money. Where everybody now is distracted, has money. There's more shopping. There's more eating out. There's more leaving town. You have got to get buzz. It is not just, hey, we beat Stanford by three. When Pete Carroll was here in a far less distracted city,

I knew guys in this town, you would go to a game in Den, Zell would be on the sideline. Jerry Bruchheimer. And that matters in L.A. You know, that doesn't matter. And that matters in a place like Texas. And it matters in a place like Miami. It might not matter in Iowa. It doesn't matter in Northern.

There's nothing else going on in those towns. That's it. That's the only game in town. And that's not a, that's not shade. It's just the reality of where it is. Miami's very similar. There's stuff going on. You got to cut through.

You either have to win or be extremely interesting. And mostly you have to win. be interesting. Right. You can't pick one. Yes, because you're not going to go sit out of the game in 100,000 degree weather with 100% humidity to watch a team get blown out. Like there's just options and I'm with you.

I think USC needs to take a big swing and not just a big swing for somebody with a big name. Take a big swing on somebody with proven results and a big name. You're going to eat the money anyway. Doug Peterson, Matt and Aggie are two of my top choices. Get somebody that's not a control freak because college football. is changing with the NIL. These guys are going to make millions of dollars

over the next 10 years. Get a coach that's comfortable with its players making, tons of money. These college coaches... And who can play the political game that USC brings. It takes a certain kind of personality to do it. You have to be big... Pete Carroll was a big personality. He

got it. Yes. So the Ravens and Raiders had battled down to the last second in a crazy game last night. I loved it. I loved every second of it. Starting with that whole Vegas presentation. It was wonderful. It was so good to see Raiders fans out there. The stadium is full of people. And they were able to pull off the 33, 27 win in overtime. I mean, it was wild. Like, we think they scored. And then, like, it was very obvious to everyone

on TV that they did not score the touchdown. So they got to clear the field. It was wild. But after the game, Lamar Jackson was upset at himself for two costly fumbles that kept Vegas in the game. That tipped me off. I hate fun. I hate any type of turnover. But the first one that tipped me off, because we had them right. It was right down. They hit me off.

They could have scored right then. That tick me off than the last one. Just two hands on the ball. Try to have two hands on the ball. Could have just took a sack, if anything. But it happens football. It's hard to ask Lamar to just take a sack. That's not really who he is.

No, it's not. And I would not put that game on Lamar. I mean, it was a. tough game. Like, that's just, it is what it is. It's Monday night

football on the road. I'm not going to put that. I mean, it was obviously a factor, but I would not say that Lamar lost the game for them. No, but I will say watching Lamar, and I love Lamar,

and I think he gets far too much criticism and the idea that he's not actually capable of distributing the ball. I just think it's just silly at this point. But I do think watching him run, I'm like, Lamar, like he can't keep taking hits like this. No, that's why these baseball players like Kyler Murray and Russell Wilson,

I saw Tua run this weekend and tried to slide. It looked like my dog running into the couch. I mean, it was like, Tua. It was just like, click, cluck, cluck, cluck. I love the edge. I love the, the, I don't, he doesn't slide either. That they're competitors. He gets hit.

Yeah, you got to get out of bounds. Like, Kyler is great at that. Great at getting down. Obviously, baseball player. He and Russell. Great to getting out of bounds. it's important. It's like it's great to extend the play and, you know, take risks and lean into what you are great at. Yeah, I got no problem. But just get down. It's like, it's like one of these things that. It's not worth the extra yard.

No, Tom Brady practices. I'm not joking, getting sacked. I saw two of this weekend run to the sideline and he tried a slide. And it was, it was one of those. I'm going to slide. No, I'm not. I need an extra yard. I'm going to slide. This is a bad judgment. Clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, clank, and gets whacked. And I'm like, you've got to practice sliding. All you quarterbacks practice sliding. I don't know if I'm saying something revolutionary here because I'm sure I cannot be the first person to have thought of this. But, you know, maybe in these camps and these quarterback coaches that are working with these young guys bring in some baseball people. It's not terrible.

It's a revolutionary comment. I love it. Is it? I'm sure they're already doing that. But it is like if you're able to slide and get down, it's going to, it's going to prolong your career. Like we want to see Lamar be able to do that. use his spectacular talent for a long time and getting down is going to be.

Yes. And it's a remarkable how bad most of these quarterbacks are at it. They're bad at it. Well, it's not, I mean, that's a specific skill that guys work on for their entire careers when they're playing baseball. Forget, you know, having to learn that in the NFL. So there you go. You guys can take that tip of. I'm sure you're already doing it.

Yeah. Listen to her right there. Good tip. Well, the Cowboys will be getting a key piece back this week. Zach Martin was activated off the COVID list and he will be able to play on Sunday. They did lose wide receiver Michael Gallup, who's on the IR with a calf injury. It's defensive end. Randy Gregory status is up for week two up in the air. He's been placed on the COVID list. A report from Dallas Morning News says that Gregory tested positive, but he's vaccinated in asymptomatic.

So he could return after two negative tests 24 hours apart. So that's an ongoing situation to see if he's going to be available for the game. But because he is vaccinated, obviously, has different protocols. Kind of like the Cowboys this week. Got to be honest. They faced the Chargers in L.A. on Sunday. I know. But they had extra time. Chargers flying all the way back, lose some time from D.C. Cowboys had Thursday night game. They get Zach Martin back. This is a very, very interesting game. That is an interesting game. And I like the Cowboys this year. And they had a good performance against Tampa, even in a loss. By the way. Things you could take from it. Yeah. Boy, these games, I was looking over my bets this week.

So you already have the ones you like? Oh, I got six games. I'm going to choose five. I've already spent them on. need to because I tell you right now, I can feel it. Last week, I started out thinking of one. It's hard week one. All right. Unless you live moves, it's hard. It's hard week one. It's hard. It's hard. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd Lie News. Interesting thoughts about Aaron Rogers' opening week performance. Interesting thoughts. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon

Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeartRadio app. 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 sits, 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 Byer on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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 which I'll say it. 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. 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,

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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. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

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

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So I think guys, at least, you know, I'm pretty good at compartmentalizing stuff, but I've said this before. If I got trouble at home, you know, one of my kids was in trouble. My wife was yelling, screaming, throwing pots and pans at me. It probably wouldn't be the best show I'd ever have. There's limitations to how much any person can qualify and compartmentalize things. So Matt LaFleur did not want to hear it. I don't want to hear about Aaron fighting with the front office.

That had nothing to do with the week one embarrassing performance. There's a national media site that just before you got into your publish a story saying that Rogers, uncertain status might have impacted things yesterday. Do you think there's anything to that as far as a leader goes and you know what to happen in the off season? Do you think there's any impact at all on that on this year's team? No, I think this team's focused on now. And unfortunately, sometimes in this thing, league, you get humbled. And certainly we got humbled. And like I said, it's it's about how we

respond to that. All right. Okay. Now, let's not pretend that off-season and the preseason don't matter a little. Let me give you four examples. The Colts had a messy preseason. They were the least vaccinated team, multiple COVID issues, Carson Wentz got hurt, Quentin Nelson got hurt. That offense was awful against Seattle at home. The New York Giants had the worst unit in the league in the offseason and in the preseason, the offensive line. The Giants' offensive line was, I said it on the air multiple times, I can't unsee it. It's terrible. It's the worst unit in the league. It was awful Sunday. Completely debilitated their team against Denver. You can't win with that offensive line. Green Bay, star quarterback at odds with the front office.

scored three points. Lowest total in the league. Jacksonville had far more. And, oh, by the way, we heard all offseason how great Stafford was with Sean McVay and how smooth and slick and sharp he looked at practice. And then he did Sunday. The offseason matters. It's always matter. The preseason matters. You can tell. You hear rumors. You hear things. The Giants O' line. The Colts had a messy preseason. Aaron R. You.C. arguing. Carson Palmer talked about it yesterday. This league is hard enough to win without distractions. 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 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. Yes. The most talented reigning MVP of the league had three points and would have had a higher passer rating had he grabbed the ball and spiked it on every snap. Yeah, I'm going to go with it. It's not a coincidence. Just zany me, I'm going to go was not a coincidence. By the way, Aaron spent the entire off-season giving us signals and words

that he didn't need football. That's what it looked like. It doesn't need him either. It's better with him, but he was not in that Thursday night game that set a record, Bucks and Dallas. Aaron didn't play in that game at set a record. The Rams game got a huge rating. He wasn't in that game either. I got to be honest with you. Aaron has tried really hard to tell us all year how he doesn't need this. He doesn't need football. He doesn't need that. And that's what it looked like.

He looked disengaged. It looked casual. There wasn't a ton of urgency. No sport humbles you like football. The quarterback needs the right coordinator. I mean, look at Brady. last year in New England and then to Tampa. Just look at the difference.

Like, you need people in this sport. Aaron can say he doesn't need people, but you do need people. You need coaches, you need support, you need offensive linemen. It's okay to admit, I need joy. My show's better. I need Ryan. He gets me hockey scores faster than anybody in this business. You need people.

It's okay. We're all vulnerable. Nobody can do it in an island. It's okay to just say, I need football. It makes me happy. Gives me something to do every day. I like being part of a team, a unit. Stop trying to convince us how you don't need everybody.

All right. So the Raiders last night, it's interesting about this. He got in trouble a lot, but George Steinbrenner made the Yankees more interesting. He did. He made the Yankees more interesting. He was a villain. The Raiders, I watched them last night, are an entertaining mess. I mean, Las Vegas is a rebellious city.

The Raiders fans are rebellious. Mark Davis, the owner, has cash and haircut issues. John Gruden's iconic and a caricature. But last night was unbelievably good for the league. They're a little bit of a mess, and it's just fantastic. This is nothing against Oakland, but Oakland always felt like they were tarp in the upper deck off, and the local politician. They always felt a little shaky.

It wasn't all, you never kind of, they're playing on a baseball diamond. And it just, Vegas is so in on this team. And I always felt they had to get a few fans from California to fly in. And I've been told that's part of their season ticket base. But they feel like a Vegas act. They're a little all over the place. And I got nothing against the St. Louis Rams, but the L.A. Rams are better for the league. And I got nothing against the Oakland Raiders.

Las Vegas Raiders are such a home run. This is just a little bit of a mess. and I love all of it. And John Gruden afterwards talked about one of the craziest football games I have seen in ages. Anything like this in your career? I felt like I died and woke up and died again. And I was like a cat. I had multiple lives tonight.

I don't like playing like that. It was tough. But again, we did a lot of really good things to win that football game tonight. I don't know quite what to. make Gruden and Mayock. I really don't know what to make. I mean, they made one of their top draft picks a couple of years ago inactive last night. They have whiffed on multiple picks, like multiple good picks.

I think Joy was telling us a week ago, two third round picks. They're already gone. I don't know if it's going to work, but I know what's going to work. This is going to work. What you'll watch last night is going to work. I said this years ago. L.A.'s got great pizza. But if you owned a franchise business, like let's say Pizza Hut, you need to have, even though we're not a pizza city, maybe like Madison, Wisconsin or Chicago, or Philadelphia, you're still got to have franchises in Los Angeles.

It's the fifth biggest economy in the world. And I feel like this, the NFL is a franchise business. Sports gambling is legal. Vegas is a great sports. city. It's an entertainment capital. One of them in America, LA, Vegas, New York. It's like the NFL needed Vegas. And the NFL doesn't need a lot. It is better with Vegas in it. That thing last night was a spectacle. It was crazy. It was a perfect moment. The first game for the Raiders with fans in Los Angeles. It was perfect. Can you imagine how awesome the draft is going to be?

not that they can have it there. And then when they have the Super Bowl in Vegas. When you get over stigmas. Oh, gambling. Vegas. Watch out. Ooh, don't have. We're all over it, folks.

Put teams in Vegas. It's a huge city. It's growing. I sat there last night. It was like the game was interesting. The crowd was interesting. Well, we both love Vegas. So it was perfect.

What stays in Vegas, well, Baltimore eventually leaves Vegas. Not everything stays. and it leaves. Hour three. Next. 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 acapella 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 hour. 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 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 iHeart Radio.

app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Keer 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 AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. Eighty-four was big to me. I'm Sam Jay and I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year 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, I mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.