The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 10/27/2020 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: October 27, 2020

-The Bears haven't been able to find a good QB since the 40's-Jerry Jones is becoming Al Davis-It only took 7 weeks for Tom Brady to own the NFC-Teams take on the personality of their city-The Herd Hierarchy, Colin's top ten teams in the NFLGuest: Justin Herbert, Chargers QB 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

Listen and learn the hard way on the IHare radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversation. with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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 SportsRodio.com or stream us live every day on the i heart radio app by searching herd this is the best of the herd with colin cowher on fox sports radio oh here we go it is a tuesday jerry jones is feisty in dallas live in los angeles this is the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening fox sports radio and right here in fs one hour from now the official rule book of the world the herd hire

Archie, top 10 NFL teams. Joy Taylor is joining me today. Justin Herbert, quarterback for the L.A. Chargers on the show today. We love him. He is amazing. He's an Oregon duck, so I'm personally rooting for him. That's exciting. Yeah, no, he's a great kid.

Can't wait to have the GM of the Chargers and I were texting last night. He's a great kid. He's such a wonderful story. All these guys. Burrow, Herbert, Kyler Murray. Like, if that's the future of the league I'm all in. All right. Oh, Jerry's Feisty.

Oh, things are, things are fell apart in Dallas. We're going to get to that in just a second. Let's address what we watched last night. Sometimes you don't realize what you have. People in L.A. complain about Jared Goff. How about Chicago? They've been looking for a franchise quarterback

since the 40s when they had Sid Luckman. I'm not joking. They have not had a franchise quarterback in 75 years, like a really great, great quarterback. Since 2000, Bears have had 24 guys take a stamp at quarterback. So when people criticize the Carson Wentzes and the Jared Goffs because they're not perfect, I just roll my eyes.

Miami has never replaced Dan Marino. Still, John Elway, they've never really replaced him. They had an old Peyton Manning for a few years. Jared Goffs already been to a Super Bowl. Since Sean McVeigh has arrived, he's won 38 games, lost 16. His quarterback passer rating is 96. He's completed 64.5% of his throws. He currently has the highest fourth quarter passer rating in the entire league.

And people are already nitpicking him. Folks, do you understand there's no perfect quarterback? Big Ben makes terrible throws still. Tom Brady is unathletic. So is Eli. Aaron Rogers is too prickly and doesn't get along with everybody. Russell Wilson's frankly a little short. Sometimes he can't see guys and throws bad picks.

And Breeze suboptimal arm. Matt Ryan. Even the quarterbacks we like that are young and good, like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, you'd be like, oh, they're going to be stars. And all of a sudden, the league gets a lot of them. And you're like, well, they're good, but they got little holes in their game. How bad would Matt Nagy, how much would he die to have Jared Goff today? I hear this all the time. You know, in LA, if you're not LeBron or Mookie Betts, we're just going to sell stock on you. Jared Goff's a really good quarterback. The rule in this league is, find a good quarterback and just support him.

And by the way, the Bears did with Trabisky, and Nagy's got a very good record with him. But all of us can see, Chicago can see, everybody can see. Tribisky has a really, really low ceiling. And if you've won Super Bowls, the Bears have won a Super Bowl, there's kind of a higher standard than Cleveland that, you know, you just want a guy that can win some games. You know, you'd like a Super Bowl, but you're not realistic. You're realistic about that. In Chicago, they've won Super Bowls. They've been great before.

So they really want to get a guy that can beat Aaron and Ron. Rogers, you know, that can beat the Russell Wilson's. But I look at this and I'm like, do you understand Los Angeles how hard it is to find a quarterback? You start looking around the league and everybody wants a perfect quarterback. And I look at Jared Goff. And the answer, of course, is not through free agency. There's a reason a quarterback hits the market.

Cam, Kirk Cousins. There's a reason. It is not if it's, it's not a career backup on his fifth team like Nick Foles. the answer in Chicago is what the answer was for the L.A. Chargers. You find a guy, Philip Rivers, you get everything you can out of him, you move him, and then you go back to the draft. And sometimes like the Chargers, you get lucky. You get two really good quarterbacks.

And it doesn't happen very often. In New York, they had Eli, Daniel Jones even looks and plays sort of like Eli. Maybe they got another one. Today they don't know. But Nick Foles was never the answer. This morning, the Rams are a legit five and two. The Bears are a Mirage 5 and 2. For one reason, it's not the coach.

It is not the coach. If Matt Nagy was fired, he would have a job in 45 minutes. Can you imagine him in New York with Trevor Lawrence? Can you imagine him in Houston with Deshawn Watson? Atlanta with those weapons and Matt Ryan. Mitch Trubisky with Matt Nagy, and not much else, has a winning record in the NFL. It's not the coach. It's the quarterback.

So anytime I hear people criticizing Carson Wentz and for that matter, you know, Jimmy Garapolo or a Jared Gough, I'm like, slow down. Do you go ask people in Miami, go ask people in Denver how hard it is to find the guy. Jared Gop's been to a Super Bowl. If he's healthy in 10 years, he'll have been to another. At least one more. All right. Well, you know, I've said this before. sometimes you hire a football coach, and it takes a while to figure out if you've got the right coach.

But if you've got the wrong coach, Jim Tom Sula, 49ers, Les Steckle, Minnesota, Rod Marinelli, Detroit. Like, if you've got the wrong, Rich Kotite, if you've got the wrong coach, Freddie Kitchens, Cleveland, it takes you about six games to figure it out. Sometimes it's hard to figure out if you've got the right coach. you know, he's good, he's not great, but he's pretty good and he has ups and it. It's just like in life. It's, it may take years to figure out if the relationship you're in right now is going to be great. But if it's bad, you know it pretty quickly. Like it's, oh, hygiene issues. She throws stuff at me. He throws stuff at me. Like you can spot bad quickly. Dallas right now, this doesn't work. This is not close. Jerry Jones went on Dallas. radio this morning. There's two bites. Let's play the first. And he says, I got my guy. Certainly, we couldn't have anticipated being at this stage with our team this year. But if I were going to hire for Hickick, that we're going to be at the stage this year

and work through this for the betterment of what's in store for us for the rest of the year and for what's for us in the future, I got my man. That was the beginning of the interview. and then the interview went on, and Jerry got feistyer and feistyer. And I have said this. You can always tell who's going to win a presidential election, because which side of the media feels more desperate? I'll leave that for you to figure out. Jerry's this angry, because Jerry's not just angry at the question.

Jerry's angry that he may have made a massive mistake, and he's going to have to own up to it soon. Listen. Does your team have a leadership void? We're in the offensive line. Just overall. But seriously, seriously, where would you have a leadership board? Is it an experience void?

Is it a talent void? Is it a leader's board? I'm not trying to be accused here. The answer is no. The answer is no. I'm asking. There's not a, well, let me answer it. No.

Jerry, when you go into the locker room, what I'm asking is, do you see the intangibles? You're not asking me that. I gave you the answer. When I go into the locker room, there's no leadership void in my house. Okay. Now, that's your answer. Let's move on. Okay.

Jerry's not mad at the question. He's mad at his decision, and he's embarrassed by it. And that's why he's super defensive. Those were legitimate questions. I worry that the Cowboys are becoming Al Davis at the end. Al Davis and Jerry have a lot in common. Pioneers, aggressive, smart, successful. They know football. Jerry played the game. Al was an assistant coach in the NFL for years.

They know the game much more than 95% of the owners. They don't know it as much as they think, but they know the game. They took on the NFL. They're very similar. They're envied by the league. Took on the NFL in one. And then they get a little older and they want control and they can't handle a Bill Parcells. They can't handle a John Gruden. And they never. ever recover. You know, it's interesting with Dallas. When Jerry has allowed for a big personality, Jimmy Johnson's a big personality,

Barry Switzer's a big personality. Bill Parcell's a big personality. When Jerry allowed that and wasn't threatened by it, the Cowboys won. I mean, Barry Switzer was not a great NFL coach. He's a legendary college coach, but he won. But when Jerry has hired guys he can control, that's what Al Davis did.

Mike McCarthy. and Chan Galey and Jason Garrett and Wade Phillips and nice guys, but they kind of lack that leadership it, right? He's failed every single time. It's the same with Al Davis when he had John Gruden. And John can lack this and that, but he's a leader. John is a lead. He's got a Mike Tomlin, Pete Carroll thing.

He walks into a room. John Gruden has a presence. Bill Parcells has a presence. Barry Switzer's got a presence. Jimmy Johnson's got a presence. Jason Garrett doesn't. Doesn't mean he can't coach, but he doesn't have a presence. They're becoming the Raiders.

The last 70 years with Al Davis, like he couldn't take him seriously. Like they were running their business different than everybody else. The Cowboys have become to a fault, a family business, too insular, will not take outside opinions. And I don't think Jerry this morning is mad at that guy asking the questions. I think Jerry's embarrassed. I think he's a smart guy who made a really bad choice, and he knows there's no way out, but to get rid of Mike McCarthy. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

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

I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm 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, 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 what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the look back at it podcast. I'm Sam 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's 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, 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 Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversational. 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, 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 Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. So after last night's Monday night football game,

we've got five teams. I want to stack up all the five win teams, not name the Buccaneers. in the NFC. Seattle, no defense. Green Bay can't play physical. Arizona, talented but inconsistent. Chicago, no offense. Rams, some stars, good, but don't feel really special. And then there's Tom Brady and Tampa Bay. The NFC's always been deeper than the AFC, and I believe it is. There's fewer crappy teams. But the top of the NFC is, is. weaker and Tampa Bay is easily this morning the best team.

Easily. The gap between Tampa Bay and two is much greater than the gap between, say, Kansas City and the two or the three or perhaps the four in the AFC. For 20 years, all we asked in the AFC was, who is going to beat Tom Brady? That's all we asked for 20 years. The NFC, though, was a carousel of good teams. Seattle, San Francisco, Carolina got to a Super Bowl. Philadelphia and Green Bay is very, very good. Tom's been here seven weeks.

It's over. It's over. Like they're easily the best team in the NFC. It is very LeBron to the West. For years, we all talked about how good the West was. And then LeBron got out here and you're like, well, Portland's kind of small and doesn't defend in the back court. And Dallas is interesting, but way too young.

and then there's Houston and they're small and talented. They're always talented but dysfunctional. And the Clippers, well, they've always got good players, but where's the leadership? And you wake up and you're like, oh, LeBron just breathed through all of them. The NFC looks so much tougher for years and years until LeBron arrived in the West and Brady arrived in the NFC. I saw this in the SEC. SEC fans, we got Tennessee and we got Florida, we got Georgia, we got LSU, we got LSU, we got Auburn and Nick Saban said,

that's adorable. Arrived and all their coaches got fired four times. The SEC is all about Alabama and Sabin. Urban Meyer takes over Ohio State. Everybody looks small. He didn't lose a game for two years. Folks, there's a lot of good out there. There's not a lot of great.

There's not a lot of Sabin. There's not a lot of Urban. There's not a lot of LeBron. There's not a lot of Brady. He's been in the NFC for seven weeks. Who's number two in the NFC today? Green Bay? Yeah, I watched them play over second quarter.

You go to the AFC right now. If Kansas City's number one and I got my herd hierarchy top of next hour, I got an argument Tennessee matches up with them. Pittsburgh does. We know Baltimore's feisty. I mean, it's what? Like Trent Dilfer talked about this yesterday. It's the accountability, the passion of Brady and LeBron, and the accountability to demand you are all in.

You are completely committed to winning basketball. He's the ultimate fire breather. I mean, Tom Brady elevates, we talked about last week, this just elevate your team, elevate your entire organization, your entire city. He's going to demand excellence every second of every day. And if you don't join him, you're going to be out of there. You're not going to be playing much. And look what he's done to Bruce Ariens, who has forever been a risky head coach. His team simply have a lot of penalties, a lot of turnovers, no turnovers, two straight weeks.

I mean, he's changed the head coach. Nobody changes the culture like Tom Brady. And it really does remind me, LeBron. For years and years, we talked about all the stars in the West. But the minute LeBron gets over and he's healthy and gets AD, you see all the holes. You see all the whole. Same with Sabin. We always bragged about the SEC, and then Sabin gets there.

and you're like, wow, Tennessee and Auburn are really dysfunctional. Oh, God, so is Florida. George is talented, but never quite has the coach, Alabama does. And suddenly they all look really good unless you compare them to great and say, but then it's like they're not really that competitive. And the West wasn't really that competitive. I don't even know who the second best team in the NFC is now. I think it's Green Bay.

I think. I saw him play. It wasn't competitive. I mean, take the Saints game out. No preseason. It was Tom and a bunch of guys he'd never seen before. They played poorly against Chicago. And that was the moment that Tom said, okay, we're going to be a little feistyer here and a little more demanding and be a little more accountable.

The good times are over. It's time to ratchet it up. And this morning, I don't think anybody's close. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Most of America tolerates me. I'm going to ask John Goulet and Joy Taylor to tolerate my theory here.

I've thought about this a lot. If you listen to me when I started my career back in Portland, I've talked about this. I talked about it at the other network. I talk about it occasionally here. I believe what I'm going to say is true, and I've spent more time in my life than I care to admit talking about this. Teams become their cities. They do. What do you know?

Chicago stinks on offense my entire life. What do you know the Rams, most of their good players outside of Aaron Donald or on offense? Every single charger team that was any good in my life, it's a beach city, was all about offense. L.A. has always got good quarterbacks. Go back to Vince Farragama. Never been a problem. Chicago has always been about defense because Chicago's in the Midwest, and the Midwest is tough, and Chicago's blue collar, and I love that city. Working class, tough guys, and the fans love it,

and that's what sells tickets, and that's what guys talk about over draft beers. Chicago's tough. The weather's tough. You've got to be tough to live in Chicago. You don't have to be tough to live here. It's 72 degrees with a breeze at my house every day. Mohitos every day. It's easy living.

In Los Angeles, you are fired as a general manager if you don't understand that it's a distracted market with mountains and a beach in pros of college sports. You'll be fired. But Tom Telesco of the Chargers and less need of the Rams, man, they can draft offensive guys. If they couldn't, they'd be fired. Ryan Pace has got a problem.

He's the jam of the Bears. And in that city, it's become an offensive league. He's got no feel for offense. It's not a Matt Nagy issue. He'd be unemployed five minutes. Chicago has my whole life has no feel for offense. That's not what the city is. The city's about hard work, head down, crappy weather, overcoming.

Los Angeles, Jeff Fisher worked in St. Louis. He looked like a dinosaur an hour into Los Angeles. Nobody's selling defense here. Even Pete Carroll was a defensive coach. He was Flash. Matt Liner, Reggie Bush, they were a flash program. This is a distracted market.

L.A. is a home of stars. You need stars. It's distracted. You won't get people to games. If you can't draft them, you're out. We'll get a new guy. That's why Kauai is such a weird fit with the Clippers. He doesn't talk.

He's more about defense than offense. Will it work? We'll see. But Chicago has no feel for offense. They never have. They traded Khalil Mack for picks, right? They got Kalil Macked and they gave up picks. The Raiders, a West Coast team, California team, went and got a bunch of good offensive players because that's what the Niners were about with Bill Walsh.

And that's what John Gruden's about. And it's what the Rams are about. And now the Chargers go out and get Justin Herbert, and that's what they're about. And Seattle's got a bad defense again, and they're about offense in Russell Wilson. And Arizona is about offense. That's the West. It's distracted. We've got college, pro sports, beach,

Mountain's got to sell tickets. Pro teams everywhere. College teams everywhere. But in the Midwest, I know you think it's crazy. There's never been a great Laker team, a great Laker team that wasn't flashy. There's never been a great Detroit Pistons team that hasn't been tough.

The bad boys. They were always defined by, Boston's the same way. Boston's a tough town. Got a punch you right in the forehead. Boston, if you disagree on politics. Boston's Belichick, you know, you say Brady, but they were really built. They always had great defenses. Ask Tom Brady.

They didn't always have great offenses. Randy Moss, Welker, and Brady was that two to three-year window. It was led by offense. It's always been led by defense. First six years, last four. So the reality is Chicago's got no feel for offense. They haven't my entire life. Their defense outscores their offense.

That's who they are. and to me they've got to go. They've got to coat. The only two things offensively they have, Alan Robinson and Matt Nagy, they got to get a new GM. They got to turn this franchise upside down. The league has changed.

They got to go become offense. They've got to think more West. They've got to think more sunshine. Mike Ditka's popular there. Tough guy. All the Chicago legends. You go on that Bears team. What were they about?

Defense. Even their quarterback was headbutton people. That sells in Chicago. But the league has changed. They got to start over in the front office. You keep Matt Nagy, you keep Alan Robinson. Certain organizations have a feel for one side of the ball. New England's always had a feel for defense with Belichick.

But even Seattle, a West Coast team, Pete Carroll's defense, what are they? It's all offense. I think Chicago, Nagy, Alan Robinson, keep everything else. They got no feel for it. What a shock. They get Khalil Mack. The Raiders get all offense. their defense two years later in Chicago carries the team.

Again, it always does. Maybe I'm nuts. I think about this stuff. 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. Heard hierarchy. Time is now. Let's go.

The top 10 NFL teams, according to college. Number 10. Arizona, I know we're all loving Arizona because they have two big prime time wins the last eight days, they're still really inconsistent, but they're fun. Kyler Murray's tied for the most rushing touchdowns in the NFL. They're fun. I get it. But Dallas is horrible, and Seattle's defense is the only one in the league that's worse.

They're really good against bad defenses, that we can say. They've won seven of their last 10. They deserve to be on this list. Let's just bring it down a little. It's been two games in prime time. Cowboys defense, Seahawks defense. They make everybody look great. Cam look great against Seattle.

England look great against Seattle. Let's put them at 10 and not go crazy. Number nine. I had the Rams here last week. I bet them last night. Had a winning, blazing five week, by the way, three and two. I like the Rams. I think their offensive and defensive lines are playing a little better than people think.

They're number two in scoring defense. Now, some of that is who they've played. But the only team to allow fewer than 20 points in five games this year, they replace the defensive coordinator. And I love their weapons. They're a team that can, I think, more than previous years with McKin's They can make halftime adjustments. I think Jared Goff is playing very well in second halves.

They've been a slow starting team, but I like what they're doing after half. This is a very good football team, and I think they proved it last night. Number eight. Seattle. Listen, settle down Arizona. I know you beat them. Seattle controlled most of that football game. If not for a personal foul penalty on a special teams play, they win that game in regulation.

It was the first loss for Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson when leading by four plus points at halftime. It's not going to happen again. Their defense, though, is atrocious. And I do think they've got to make a move. Go get an Everson Griffin, a JJ Watt. They've got to make a move. You cannot win a Super Bowl with this defense. Jamal Adams is tied for the lead in sacks. He's got two. Miles Garrett has nine. They need a pass rush or they're a limited team. Number seven. Green Bay has a better defense. And I'm going to put him here at number seven. I think they play great when they're comfortable. again, Aaron Rogers, third game this year, four touchdowns, no picks. They were my bet of the year in the NFL.

They're very good. But I have seen too many times physical teams line up with them and push them around. So I'm just going to keep them in this 6-7 spot until they changed my mind and beat a physical team. Number six. The 49ers. Now, this may last one week because they are falling apart physically. And Jimmy G's got the fewest air yards of anybody in the league quarterbacking. Some of that, though, frankly, is Kyle Shanahan.

That's just what he does. I really like this team. I like their coach. I like their quarterback. I like their operations. But, I mean, good God. We're going to know. They're at Seattle and they face Green Bay.

So the next two weeks, we're going to know a lot. Rahim Mostert hurt. Jeff Wilson hurt. Taven Coleman hurt. Debo Samuel hurt. They already have Bosa out. It's just, at some point, injuries are an issue. But I'm going to put them ahead of Green Bay for a week because I think if they met and they could

I think if they'd have met last weekend, I would have taken the Niners to beat him. Number five. It gets real close here. Inches not feet. I'll put Tennessee. They miss a field goal or they go to overtime and probably beat Pittsburgh. Their third down defense is why I put them at five. They really struggle to get people off the field on third down.

And a lot of that is because they don't have a pass rush. You know, they just don't. They do so many things well. Really good coach. Hey, Brian Tannehill, 14 and 5 since becoming the starter last year, week seven. He's a different player. But until they get better consistently on third down in the pass rush, I put them at five. Number four.

Back and forth on this and the Baltimore Ravens, but the Ravens did go out and get a defensive end that's going to upgrade their pass rush. They have the number one scoring defense. Some of that is who they've played. But they have the number one rushing offense. I still think this is a very good team. They're coming off a buy. They're favored over the Steelers. I think, you know, we're getting into this, you know,

Lamar can't play from behind. Well, he does have a winning record. He's won 64% of his NFL games when he trails at any point. Now, if you trail Derek Henry late, it may be a little different than trailing everybody else late. Let's not bury them yet. I still love their roster. I love their coach.

Lamar is still uniquely, bizarrely gifted. I still think it's a Super Bowl. potential team. Number three. The Steelers. I think it's the best constructed roster in the NFL. In fact, I think their weakness is Big Ben. Some of his throws are, to me, mind-boggling.

That throw against Tennessee late. What are you doing? You've been in this league now for like 15 years. I like their running backs. James Conner's better than people think. Their front seven is unbelievable. Minka Fitzpatrick. I like everything about them.

I worry that Big Ben and Mike Tomlin, I mean, they're really, they're made for each other. They're just a little reckless. And that you can get away with all that alpha. stuff, but I do wonder late in the season against the Kansas City or a Tennessee that appear more buttoned up. But in terms of a constructed roster, nothing I don't like about it. They got receivers. They always have receivers. Offensive line, pass rush, T.J. Watt, is he a top 15 player in the league now? I mean, they are loaded. Number two. Kansas City, and I love them right now because they're not as

reliant on Patrick Mahomes. Special teams are excellent. Defense is. playing well. This is why the Labian Bell thing made sense to me. Andy Reid's figured it out here. I'm not going to have this kid throwing 39 times a game. I'm not going to have it because if you're paying him, then you can't have a perfect offensive line and all the

weapons. They're becoming more physical and I love that about them, but they're not as physical as the number one team. Number one is Tampa. First of all, point differential, which is a thing Vegas cares about, number one in the league. Yardage differential, number one in the league.

Sack differential, number two in the league, meaning they protect Tom and they get to yours. I think they can beat you physically. They can beat you with speed. They can beat you with smarts. They can beat it with experience. They can beat you over the top. They can pound the football.

They're doing this without Leonard Fernette. They're doing this right now without Mike Evans playing much. And Chris Godwin, they're doing this not healthy. I think their linebacking core is the fastest linebacking core I have seen in years. So Tampa is my number one team in the NFL. Catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.

Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the iHeart rate. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

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

The Clivert Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you here. unpack what went down and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 was big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Then you're finishing that sentence. Yes.

I don't think there's a more important year for Black. Black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, We get so wrapped up in the chase

that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth

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, Keer Gang. is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now.

Joy and I, before the last draft, we both like Burrow. Joy loved Burrow, and I liked him. And then I loved Tua, and she liked him. But both of us said on Justin Herbert, we kept saying, we don't understand the critics. He got better every year. He won the academic Heisman. He like a four-point biology major. Everybody liked him. And then we watched the Rose Bowl and we're like, we don't understand. Like, what is everybody?

He looks like Trevor Lawrence, like big, strong kid. So he goes to the Chargers and we're kind of waiting, wait, and Tyrod Taylor. And then one day, I turned the television on and they say, I'm on my couch. And they're like, oh, Justin Herbert's starting. He was given a heads up five minutes ago. And you're like, oh, this is going to be rough. He was fantastic. Patrick Mahomes.

He's been evacuated, by the way. He's down in Orange County. He's been evacuated. He's safe. he and his two roommates now are I imagine it's in an apartment somewhere in Orange County. We've got fires here in Yorba Linda in Orange County, and he is joining us, Justin Herbert. Number six pick, the Rose Bowl MVP. First of all, I'm glad you're safe.

So great to see. Take me too. You're playing the Chiefs. And you're probably looking at Patrick Mahomes over there. Well, that guy's unbelievable. And then somebody taps you on their shoulder and says, hey, Justin, you're playing. Was it that? It was it literally like that?

First off, thanks for having me. You bet. Big fan of the show. It was like that. Honestly, we were going down the sideline. I was ready to get to cheer on the offense. I was saying, let's go, oh, let's go, whoa. Coach Lynn comes out to me and says, Justin, you're going in.

And I just didn't really know what to say at that time. And then Coach Stuyken and Coach Hamilton, offensive coordinator and quarterback coach, they come up to me. And I'm like, wow, this is really real. I'm going in. I just had to knock this smile off my face, and I was just so excited to get out there. It was a really cool moment. Yeah.

Now, what's interesting is if I recall, I thought you sailed a ball early. But I thought you made a couple of throws up the sideline, and I was thinking to myself, oh, my emotions would be coming out of my, my heart would come out of my uniform. As you were playing in the first series or two, how did you bring it down? Because obviously, I mean, you got a big arm to begin with. That thing, you got testosterone emotion going through you like crazy. Were you sitting there thinking, okay, don't overthrow everybody. You're highly emotional.

I mean, take me to what it was like. Oh, that's a great point. I went out there and I was just so excited to be out there. And that first passed to Keenan Allen on the sideline, I threw that about as hard as I could have. It was probably five feet over his head. But after that, I kind of settled down and realize, you know, just go out there, have fun, play your game, and good things will happen. You know, at Oregon, I kind of felt watching you that, listen, they didn't have a backup ready to be you. And they were kind of playing kind of at a national championship level.

So they kind of protected you a little. Then in the Rose Bowl, they're like, okay, kid, go play. They ran you a lot. And it was interesting because some people, the criticism of you was, well, you know, the offense is conservative. And I'm like, well, I watched the Rose Bowl. And he's running all over the field making Wisconsin guys miss. When people, the critics were saying, well, you know, Justin, I don't know if he has it.

Did you hear the critics, guy, you know, TV shows? Did you hear it? Did it affect you? What did you think of it? I think we did a great job at the University of Oregon of shutting all that extra noise out. That was one of our biggest focuses was just know what's going on in the building, in the program, and leave it at that.

And all the people on the outside, they're not with you when you're lifting at 6 a.m. or at practice. So we did a great job of just kind of staying in building. and listening to our coaches and our teammates and kind of things like that. You are a quarterback. I think it's in your DNA. You like to air it out. You're not a finesse.

You like to air it out. Is it with Anthony Lynn in every start? There's a balance there, Justin. You've got a big time arm. And sometimes the downside of that is you'll try to squeeze a ball into a space that like an average arm guy could not. Is that something you and Anthony talk about? You've got this incredible weapon.

but sometimes it becomes a burden because you can make every throw. All the time. That's one of those things that, you know, because I feel so confident in my arm that sometimes I wait and I'm late over the middle and it's all about those anticipation throws where, you know, you get it out on the hitch or before the plant. And I think sometimes, you know, I rely on my arm too much. And so that's just part of learning. And Coach Hamilton has done a great job with me of kind of talking that through.

And we've worked on that a lot. So I think I've progressed a bunch and I've still got plenty of room to grow. So this is a real dorky question, but I'm a dorky guy, so I get one. So you were on the field with Tom Brady. I cannot imagine. You're a young guy. You play at Oregon. You're in the NFL.

And about an hour later, after Mahomes, you get Tom Brady. Was there ever just a moment when you were like, I'm on a football field with Tom Brady? Like one moment of that? Pre-game. Yeah. I was out there. I was warming up, and I saw him come out on the field, and I just kind of watched him for five minutes,

just seeing what he was doing. And got so much to learn from the guy, and he's had so much success. And I've always been a big fan of his. So it was really cool to be able to line up across him. So college to pro, if you were to give advice to a college quarterback, a Trevor Lawrence, a Justin Fields, a Trey Lance, on reading defenses, on the speed of the game,

what are one or two, because it's obviously working for you, what are one or two pieces of advice that maybe you got, maybe you didn't, that you would give the young quarterbacks about the transition college to pro. Yeah, I would say not to overthink things. You have to go out there and you have to play relaxed. That's where film study and all of those comes in and being able to watch that throughout the week.

But when you get to Sunday, you have to relax out there. You have to go out there and have fun. Trust your instincts and go out there and just rip the ball. I think that's probably one of the biggest pieces of advice that I've been given. I always think it's really hard to be a rookie quarterback and play. Joe Burrough similarly, that quarterback is a leadership position. Now, at Oregon, you were the leader. You'd been there.

You'd been accomplished. So guys would listen to you. There's constantly young players. In the NFL, you're like one of the youngest guys in the room, and yet organizations want quarterbacks to lead. Is it different or challenging to be? one of the youngest guys and yet the face of a business, a face of an organization. It's definitely tough, but I think it's a great opportunity.

And kind of heading into this year, I knew that it's going to come with the position. And so being genuine, being myself going out there and just hanging out with the guys and talking with them, I think that's a great way of getting to know them and being comfortable with them. I know they can come to me for anything, just like I can go to them for anything. and, you know, even though I've only been here for a couple of weeks, I feel like we've got a really close locker room, and I'm just really happy to be in this spot. The two loudest college football stadiums I've ever been in, Gainesville, Florida, the Gators, and Otson Stadium in Oregon. It's a zoo. It's nuts. You can't hear yourself talk. Now you're playing in empty stadiums. It's got to be weird, right?

It is a little weird, but honestly, I think it might be better. It just kind of seems like practice, and so you go out. there and you got two teams playing, but it's just like practice. You go out there and you execute and you have fun and you don't really have to worry about all the extra stuff going on around you. But, I mean, it would be great with fans, but either way, we're having fun out there. Listen, you also are in a tough spot. Tyrod Taylor is one of the most respected light guys in the league. He's a total pro. You're the young guy. You come in. That's not easy, Justin. That's a tough, tough spot to be in. Is it okay? The relationship and you kind of walk in, I mean, this situation, and you had a veteran, he was starting, there's an incident.

How's that working? He's been an incredible teammate. He's been awesome in the locker room, and he's one of those guys that I'd look up to so much. And he's always there on the sideline, helping out, giving advice, and even when we're watching film together, he's a great guy to have in your locker room, and one of the best guys that I've ever met. So by the way, Joy, so Justin, when Justin was a kid, Justin would get in your, was it your dad's car or your grandpa's car?

My grandpa's garage, actually. So you just have it playing on the radio. His grandpa really likes my show. Thank you very much. Mr. Yeah, that's why Justin's got a four-point student. There's all these years of wisdom. Exactly.

Hey, you're so much fun to watch. I'm so happy for you. Everybody in Oregon is, and good luck, kid. Watching for a long time. Thank you so much, Justin. 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, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

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

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to and learn the hard.

with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast,

or wherever you get your podcast. on The Look Back at it podcast For 1979, that was a big moment for me 84 was big to me I'm Sam Jay And I'm Alex English Each episode we pick a year unpack what went down

And try to make sense of how we survived it With our friends, fellow comedians And favorite authors Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s 84 was a wild year I don't think there's a more important year 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 podcast This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.