The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 11/05/2020 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: November 5, 2020

-Tom Brady never felt like Boston and we're seeing now who he really is-Colin believes the Dolphins have doubts about Tua-There are three tiers of QBs in the NFL and it's not debatable-Ezekiel Elliott's erosion is a problem for the CowboysGuests: Nick Wright, FS1's First Things FirstGreg Cosell, NFL Films 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 Best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1, find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Herd. This is the best of the herd with your. Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Thursday. I can't believe how many things there are to talk about in sports live in Los Angeles.

This is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. We're on Fox Sports Radio, IHeart Radio, and right here on FS1. One hour from now, Greg CoSell, our NFL meat sandwich, if you bet the NFL, if you play fantasy football, or you just love talking about professional football in America. My favorite 10 minutes of football talk during the week, Greg Kossel one hour. Joy Taylor is joining me. Joy, how are you? I'm doing fabulous.

Have you ever had a job, Joy, that you kind of conform to the job? It doesn't feel like it's in your DNA. You don't know. We've all done that before. Of course. So when I used to work at the other place and I interviewed it first, Fox, the Fox people kept saying to me, you're not an ESPN guy. You're not a Connecticut guy. You're a West Coast Fox guy. You just conformed for 10 years. You're coachable. And I want to start the show talking about that today. Tom Brady has put his arms around Antonio Brown. I mean, he's moving in with a family. Tom Brady's brand is clean cut. I mean, it is clean living. Yoga. Avocado ice cream. Wholesome. No drama. Focus.

And now he's putting his arms around Antonio Brown, who is defined by drama. Domestic incidents. Throwing furniture out of a building window, almost killing a kid, battery and burglary charges, ongoing sexual assault. People are saying, why?

Is he desperate? This is the year. Tom Brady is going off brand, right? Yeah, you know, a guy gets a divorce, buys a sports car, you know? in New England we thought he was stoic and part of the system. In Tampa, he's taking these unnecessary risks. Or is he?

Or is this who Tom Brady's always been? He was just conforming to New England. California dude, this is who he is. He's a risk taker. Antonio Brown talked yesterday about Tom Brady. And to say he admires him, an understatement here it is. Tom is my boy.

One of the greatest leaders to be around. He's encouraging, always inspiring. He brings out the best of the people around him. He wanted the best for everyone around him. I mean, he's the greatest quarterback all the time. Nothing he I've done in the past matter. And I just learned a lot from him. He's been a great guy in my corner and one of my close friends.

I don't think Tom's lying. I don't think A.B. is. Derek Jeter always felt like New York. The good-looking single guy for all those years. He felt like a Yankee. Troy Aikman has always felt like a Dallas cowboy to me. Big Ben has always felt like a Steeler. Tom Brady's never felt like Boston.

He just conformed. I hear people in media saying in New England, he's changed. Yeah, that's why I know he's not Boston. They never do. Boston's the most, and I lived right next to it, the most parochial city in the country of any size. Providence and Boston statistically, demographically, they do studies on this. They don't watch national sports.

Tom Brady is aspirational. He married his supermodel. He's creating a global brand. He has houses in Costa Rica, Montana. Tom's always been about growth and evolving. That's not Boston. Boston is you work hard, make a business. decent living. You buy a summer home on the Cape or maybe Maine. And that's about as far as you leave,

an occasional vacation down to Florida. That's what Boston is. They stay there forever. Tom Brady is fun and happy. Boston's cranky and intense. Look at Tom Brady's lifestyle brand. Does it say Boston? No drinking. Avocado ice cream. Lots of yoga. That's does not say Boston. It says California, or Tom has multiple homes. It says West. Tom Brady was never Boston. Belichick is. Smart, academic, cranky, intense. Plays golf on the Cape in the summer. That's about as far as he goes. Maybe a trip to Florida down, you know, Jupiter, Florida play some golf. Belichick is very New England. Brady never has been. In the summers, he got out of there. The minute he could get out of there. He went out of there. He went out of

there. He goes international. He had a place in New York. He goes west skiing in Montana. He's got places in L.A. and Palm Springs. I just feel Tom Brady conformed for 20 years. And I think all of us have done that. Brady's not changing. Brady's always been willing to take risks. He's always befriended guys who have had issues. I mean, Gronk is not your typical NFL players. They were super tight. Go look at his lifestyle. He's not Boston. He's aspirational. He's happy.

He's always adapting. He's always growing. That is not Boston. I lived right between New York and Boston. New Yorkers tend to be more aspirational, a little more global. Boston's parochial. His brand is no drinking. They're defined by Sam Adams.

I mean, breweries, that is Boston. So I don't buy that Tom has changed. I keep hearing that. I think this is who is closer to who. who he is, fun, adapting, evolving, thinking big, taking big risks, California thinker, always evolving, trying new stuff. That is the opposite of Boston, and it's absolutely what I think Brady is. So I think this is interesting.

So the big story last weekend, and you wouldn't have think it would be the big story, but the Tua thing, we love our young quarterbacks. and you know, Tua plays at Alabama. He's a legendary high schooler from Hawaii. He goes to Alabama. There's a term Tua time and Joyce from there. We talk about all the time. It was fun.

Like, Rams Dolphins wouldn't have had a lot of juice. It was like with Ryan Fitzpatrick? Instead, it was a lot of juice. And there's a story this morning. Brian Flores, the head coach who I like a lot. He says, listen, I don't know where this came from. All this talk about we're auditioning Tua for the next nine or ten games. I don't know where it's come from here.

he is. I'm comfortable with what comes out of these 10 games. I think since I've been here, I think everybody's heard me talk about the development of players improvement on a daily basis. So I just don't see how someone close to Dolphins thinking could see that, could say that this would be a 10-game audition. That's just, you know, not sure where that, where that came from. because it's obvious. Ask yourself this question. Ask yourself this question. Find me the other examples

where a red-hot veteran quarterback has won three of four. The three wins are all blowouts. The loss is close to maybe the best team in the league, second-best Seattle. In a winnable division, by the way, for the first time in years, it's winnable. It is winnable now. Even Ryan Fitzpatrick,

who went to Harvard, he's pretty smart. He was shocked by it. I mean, when they moved off Eli Manning in New York, he was washed. He was no longer productive. Cincinnati didn't have a choice. You had to go to Joe Burrell. They didn't have anybody else. The chargers were going to sit Justin Herbert for the year

until a doctor, Tyrod Taylor, punctured lung, ready to go, kid? When you start looking at the young quarterbacks, we know, but Baltimore, they wanted to win games with Joe Flacko and let Lamar sit. for a year. That wasn't the plan. Joe Flacko was bad. They started losing. They put Lamar in. Find me the examples of veteran quarterback, really winning. Three of his last four games or blowout

wins. The only loss is very close to maybe a top two team in the league, Seattle. Even the quarterback is, a Harvard guy, is shocked. And we don't think it's a little bit of an audition because Miami has Houston's first round pick. right now it's a top five pick. Go look at the last three drafts. I'm going to list the first round quarterbacks, all of them. Four of them are hits. They have full support in the building.

Burrow, Herbert, Kyler Murray, and Lamar Jackson. They have everybody in the building is, and they may struggle right now with Baltimore, but Baltimore came a play from beating Pittsburgh. Those four guys have total support in the building. The eight others, there are questions in the building. Jordan Love didn't have a good camp Daniel Jones, Dwayne Haskins, Baker, Sam Darnold Josh Allen has struggled early and struggling now

Josh Rosen and I think Tua because Tua doesn't have the amazing speed of a Russell Wilson or Lamar, Kyler. He doesn't have the size of a Josh Allen. He doesn't have kind of the durability of some of the other guys. I don't think you see that special at practice. I think a lot of his stuff, let's throw them out there.

So COA takes the live bullets, right? Let's see how he plays in real space, real time, against real teams at a real speed. But I believe absolutely unequivocally. Eight of the 12 first round quarterbacks, there are questions in the building. Ask yourself, what, Patrick Mahomes, there were no questions in the building with Patrick Mahomes. So even though the chiefs were winning, losing, winning, you know, they were like nine and seven that year, they were, there was no rush. They were winning enough. They just kept Alex Smith in because they knew Mahomes was the guy.

The Chargers were, I was told this by the Chargers. They were planning on sitting Justin Herbert all year long. They knew he was good. There was no questions in the building. They're like, I talked to their GM. It's like huge arm, great kid, four point. He's going to be great. But we're no hurry.

Everybody wants to sit there, guy. So why with a red hot team that's overperforming? And for the first time in 20 years, it's a winnable division. The Patriots are bad. Buffalo is like reeling. you pull him because I think there's questions in the building. And I think the next two weeks when he faces Kyler Murray and Joe Burrow, I think you're going to size him right up and look right up.

And who does he face the next two weeks? Kyler Murray is one of them. And I think is it Justin Herbert? Justin Herbert. You can size him right up. He doesn't have the wiggle of one or the arm of the other. And I think it's going to become prominent. But I think if you know there's no rush, you would never take a hot quarterback.

I mean, Mahomes, everybody in the building. new. Peter Shreger told me. He's like, everybody in the building new. Like, we've got a star. What's the hurry? We're winning enough games. Let's not, let's just let him sit here. We're probably good enough to make the playoffs. They had Alex Smith who was, I mean, we know what Alex is. Alex is closer to Ryan Fitzpatrick than he is to Patrick Mahomes, right? I mean, that's fair to say. So I do think it's an experiment and I don't blame Miami. Frankly, I didn't join. I said this. You got to figure it out. Got to see if he can play. Because there's not a lot of special you're going to see at practice with him.

He's not big, doesn't have a huge arm, doesn't have a huge wiggle. You've got to see him play. But I absolutely think this is an audition. And in the NFL we have today, there's a lot of auditioning all the time. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced game. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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From navigating friendships and healing to setting boundaries and prioritizing your mental health. These are real honest conversations. We don't always get to have out loud. totally unreasonable with different parts of life, right? Like, oh, have all three meals and make sure you're mindful during all of them? Absolutely not. During one meal, I'm standing. I'm standing and handing my children food. Because healing, empowerment, and resilience aren't just ideas, their practices.

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All right, let's get to the Baker Mayfield thing because I like to be America's honesty broker, but some have suggested that I lean a little anti-Baker. Breaks my heart, but I'm going to give the floor to you. You run the Cleveland Browns. What do you do with Baker? Yeah. You know, Nick, my rule is you can't have the fourth best quarterback in a division. You just can't.

At least not long term. What do you do with Baker? Yeah, listen, it's election season. People understand you're a Baker, conservative, and a darnold liberal, right? That's about what it is? Like, Donald, it's, oh, wait, what about this? What about that? Baker, it's, what about this, what about that?

So here's the thing. And here's where I'll defend Baker. This year's quarterback draft class seems like it's going to be very good. the one that we just had to a Herbert Burrow, but we don't know yet because it's been too early. Can we look at what the last five years of first round quarterbacks look like? I made this fancy graphic this morning for first things first, and I saw you did something similar,

and I think it's worth delving into because what are we evaluating Baker against? He's obviously not Mahomes, and I think it's safe to say Lamar is a star, Watson is a star, and Murray could be. is there any other quarterback taken in the first round the last six years that you're convinced is better than Baker? Golf and Wince went just as high as Baker did in the draft essentially. They've been worse this year. Those other guys might lose their jobs, and the other guys beneath them already have lost their jobs, Colin.

So can I just put it back to you? Okay. What are we judging Baker against? Okay. So I agree with the goat tier and the pro bowler tier. And the average starter tier, Goff and Wentz. But Goff has been to a Super Bowl. And he got there without a legendary defense.

And at the time, an old offensive line, Wentz and Goff are better than average starters. Bakers in the barely holding on with Darnold Jones and Allen when you consider the quality of people he played on. So I agree with your graph. I just don't think Baker with his off-field stuff with some of the nonsense. I think Goff and Wentz, there may be questions in the building. I think this Cleveland staff, they're looking for anything but a question.

I don't think there's any confirmation in the building from anybody that he's the guy. That's my difference of opinion. Colin, I mean, you're talking about, you talk about Wentz. This weekend, when we saw Cowboys Eagles, we got to see in real time the experiment of what if you pulled a fan out of the stands to play quarterback in the NFL, and we got to see Ben Danucci? That's the level of play we got from Carson Wins and that travesty of a game. Carson Wins was great for 13 games in his career. That's it. Gough, when you talk about Baker having everything perfect, Gough had everything extra perfect, and since then has regressed.

So, yeah, we just see it differently. Would I give Baker a contract, extension, no. Would I pick up his fifth year option? Absolutely. And I know Joy was talking about the Browns missing their window. I just, I feel like people are trying to skip a step with the Browns. In the 50 games, 50 games,

before Baker-Mayfield stepped on the field, they won four times. They're going to make the playoffs this year. It's a massive improvement. So let's just give it a little bit of time. All right. So Brian Flores, who I think everybody kind of thinks, is going to be

of the Belichick guys that works. It looks like that. He says this is not an experiment for Tua. And I say, if it's not an experiment, find me the examples of a team that won three of four, all three by blowouts, only lost close to a Super Bowl potential team, Seattle. You pull him. The quarterback is shocked. You can win your division for the first time in 20 years because Belichick and Brady aren't working together. Let's just pull them and try Tua. I think they're doing it because they're doing it because Tua doesn't have the size, the arm, or the wiggle to blow you at practice. And I think people in the building are like, we better find out in 10 games, because I see what you can be. It's called Burrow and Herbert. I see what you can be.

It's called Lamar and Kyler Murray. I'm going to give you 10 games. That's 20, 20. That's the new rule. I do think it's an experiment with Tua. Do you? No. I must admit, I heard you talking about this. Yes. And I asked off the air, your ace producer, Alex Rosenbaum, I said, is there a story I'm missing? What? Did I, have I just been following the election and Tua got hurt again? Like what, what's going on? Tua's on the hot seat a game in?

They just drafted him. You said he doesn't have the size. Did he shrink since May? Like they know, what are we talking about here? They could have had Herbert. They liked Tua more. I don't, I, don't you think it's possible? They went to him because of how.

he's looked in practice. They're like, you know what? He's not going to be that much of a downgrade from Fitzpatrick even as a rookie. We think we can make the playoffs with either guy, so let's go with the player with the upside who we need to get the reps to. I, you know how much I adore and respect you, Colin Cowherd. This is approaching your Mount Rushmore of craziest things I've ever heard you say. He's played five quarters. And you're like, oh, hot seat. It's 2020. What are we talking about? All right, well, we'll see. Okay, so I said, Jeter, Jeter is New York, Akeman is Dallas, Big Ben is Pittsburgh.

There are players that feel like an organization. Tom Brady wasn't Boston. He's aspirational. He's happy. He's international. He married a supermodel. His brand is avocado ice cream and yoga. He's not Boston.

He conformed to Boston. What you're seeing now, his relationship with A.B. taking more risks, wanting to help run a team, putting it out there. This is who he is. And people in Boston are like, boy, Tom is changing. And I'm like, no, Belichick is New England, smart, cranky and intense. And he golfs in Nantucket. That's a vacation for him for an hour.

Like, I think Tom, this is closer to who he is. He is a pro player, big risk, put it out there. And I think the AB thing's going to work. spectacularly your thoughts. Okay, so I think the most interesting things that are going to be said about that topic, you just said them. So I want to take this slightly different because I had an aha moment while I was watching your monologue this morning.

Brandon Marshall said something very interesting to me this morning when we were arguing about Baker Mayfield. He said, Nick, you like Baker because you're like Baker. chip on your shoulder, always felt underestimated, some questionable off-the-field decisions, have a bit of a brashness to you. And I thought about it, and I was like, okay, you might have a point. And then I hear your ongoing love affair with Tom Brady, and I'm like, oh, that's it. Colin loves Brady because Colin is Brady.

He knows what his brand is, always trying to expand it, was once in a cold northeastern city, couldn't wait to get out of there, married a supermodel wife, married a famous artist wife. There's a lot of things. If we can continue the analogy, taking a younger, maybe with questionable off-field resume, you know, protege under your wing, trying to help them along. Like there's a lot of things here where I see Colin Coward and Tom Brady so he can never do wrong in your eyes because you're looking in a mirror. Maybe a slightly better looking mirror, but you're looking in a mirror.

And so that's what's happening here. What you really said is you're Baker and I'm Brady and I'd rather be me according to your analogies right there. I'll be honest with you. Yeah, for the time being. For the time being, sure. Finally a minute left. I'm going to throw the craziest thing

I've ever said. So the NBA is going to start in December. And LeBron's like, timeout. I just got done playing eight weeks ago. If you're one of the final four teams, Denver Lakers, Boston, Miami, and you play

any team that did not go into the bubble, you always play Denver, Lakers, Boston Heat, get that. That's a home game. Those four teams this year are going to play 65% of their home games. Any non-bubble team that's had eight months off, you play one of those four. LeBron's like, hey, if you're going to make me play now, I get something back because I save the league. If I opt out, the league's not the same. Those teams, anytime they pay a non-bubble team, they play at their place. Am I nuts? Okay, so I, that is such a, you know, outside the box idea. I haven't fully, I would need more time to think about that specific proposal.

But I do totally agree that if they are going to try to start December 22nd, there needs to be some type of dispensation for the teams. There's a level of it for the teams that made the bubble, another level for teams that made the playoffs, and another level for the final four. Because if you didn't make the bubble, you've had the longest offseason ever. If you made the bubble and not the playoffs,

you've had a pretty standard off season. Meanwhile, the Lakers and the heat, and as you mentioned, the Nuggets and the Celtics, their off-season's going to feel like just one long all-star break and that's it. So I don't know if you have quite solved it, but I think it's got to be something along those lines. I'm going to let that make...

You've given me a lot to think about here. I've got to let it marinate for a moment. It is certainly not the crazy. thing you've ever said, it is not even close to the craziest thing you've said in the last 31 minutes because you just bench Tua and he just started playing. But it is very interesting. I like it a lot. Oh, that's funny. I already benched Tua. Talk to you later, buddy. Nick Wright, first thing. Yeah, you did. He's out. Tua's out. See you, my friend. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. It's been really cool. I love

professional football. I love college football. And it's really exciting to see these young quarterbacks come in. really hit immediately. Now, it's easier today than it was 10 years ago. It's easier for Lamar, and Burrow and Herbert. You can't touch the quarterback. I mean, years ago, you could win a Super Bowl. The Baltimore Ravens won a Super Bowl when they had Ed Reed and Ray Lewis and Chris McAllister. They would grab the receiver.

You could just grab them at the line of scrimmage. You could jostle with him downfield. It's a different world. You can't hit receivers high. What does that mean now? Receivers go over the middle, and they're very confident. It used to me, it was 10 years ago, you could name the guys that would go,

over the middle. Guys didn't want to go over the middle. Alligator arms was a term like, no, but receivers are more confident than ever. Quarterbacks aren't going to get hit. Defensive players have to, Aaron Donald watches where he tackles you. You don't see the violence and the kind of hits. You can't hit anybody up high anymore. So it's just, it's all benefited offensive players. And so it's easier today.

But that's the way the game's gone. I still think guys who are great are going to be great and guys that stink are going to stink. it may take guys who are marginal and keep them in the league a little longer. But I'm reading some stuff on Joe Burrell this morning. He's been terrific. Love him. And I thought to myself, in the NFL, it really comes down to three tiers. There's only three.

I'm not going to list who's the best because that's just so subjective. But I don't even think this is subjective. The three tiers are, let's go to the first tier. These teams are lucky to have their quarterbacks. They're Hall of Famers. You're lucky to Seattle, Green Bay, Kansas City, and Tampa. you're lucky to have them. That is a once-in-a-lifetime talent.

You'll never get anybody in Seattle as good as Russell Wilson. Tampa's been around for 40 years. They've never had anybody even close to Brady. Rogers and Farv, I mean, come on. You just don't go from Farve to Rogers and Patrick Mahomps. These are once in a franchise talent. The second group of guys, they're the future. Now, the future may not be 10 years.

It may be four. But it's Burrow Derek Carr, who I like more than the rest of you, Goff, who I like more than the rest of you, Herbert, Lamar, Kyler, Ben, Ryan, Deshawn, and Carson. In the building, there is a belief almost overwhelmingly that's the guy for at least the next three years.

Like Ben could retire. And then, and I don't list everybody here. And then the third tier is, you got to make phone calls. I put some of the people that are the best. So I didn't put just everybody here. Kirk Cousins, Matt Stafford, Matt Ryan, Bridgewater, Breeze, Josh Allen,

Garoppolo, C. DAC that I think you're making calls. I think you have to consider drafting somebody. Now, Josh Allen's the interesting one. I didn't put Baker-Darnold in here because we know that Jets are probably going to move off him and we don't think Baker's going to be in Cleveland forever. These are the guy. Now, Bridgewater, like him, but they know there's limitations with Teddy.

Breeze is old. Josh Allen, to me, is a guy that was bad in college, bad his first year. He's back to being not very good. And he was good for about two hours. I think he's losing people in Buffalo because I think this coaching staff is great in Buffalo. But I may be wrong on that. Here's my point. The quality of quarterback is so good.

The bar has been raised so much with like Burrow and Justin Herbert. I mean, it's just like getting raised. And it's going to get raised more next year with Justin Fields and Trevor Lawrence. It could get raised again. That the bottom of Tier 2 in many eyes is Jared Goff, who many of you would not put in. Just think about this. Here's how good the quarterback plays. Here's how much the bar has been raised.

Jared Goff in the NFL is averaging, if you look at his numbers, he's a 65% completion guy, a mid-90s pass-a-rating guy, and you get two touchdowns for every pick. That's the bottom of tier two. By the way, I think he's Matt Ryan with a better arm and more athletic. And Matt Ryan won an MVP. That's how good I think the league is, that this is a middle to a bottom tier two guy as Jared Gough, who I absolutely think will get to another Super Bowl, you know, as long as he gets protection and some weapons with Sean McVeigh. So when you see the quality of these guys come in and pop,

and then next year with Trevor and Justin, man, that raises that tier two, half this league right now is thinking about somebody else. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search Hurd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Imagine an Olympics. where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Deanna Maria Riva, actress, mother, lover, and a Gen X woman walking through life one hot flash and hormonal crying jag at a time. You ladies know what I mean.

I'll bet you a perimenopausal chin here you do. So let's talk about it. Join me on my new podcast. How hard can it be with Deanna Maria Riva, where I call on my Gen X squads from Ohio to Hollywood as we navigate midlife's most fantastic BS. All of a sudden, I'd had hanginess happening on my own. I was like, what the hell is? Is that? I was married when I had her, so I didn't even consider how empty that Ness was going to be. Mood swings, night sweats, fupas, sex drive. Wait, what sex? Dating at 45. How high can it be?

Getting naked at 50 with the new guy. That one's kind of hard now. Well, that's lighting. They say we can't polish a turd, but we're sure going to try. So let's get blunt with laughs, tears, or tears of laughter, and dive into it unfiltered and unbothered and ask, how hard can it be? I cannot believe I'm about to say this out loud. Listen to How Hard Can It Be with Diana Maria Riva as part of My Cultura Podcast Network available on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone, it's Ryder Strong and Will Ferdell from PodMeets World. And now the Pod Meets Twirled podcast. We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV, who now have covered Dancing with the Stars, traitors, and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts.

I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of the show. I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some survivor. I obviously haven't watched enough. Did people not like it? Yeah. Just because we?

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podcasts. Agency, the ability to know that we're the experts in our own body. On the podcast, cultivating her space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black women can show up fully and be heard. I wholeheartedly think, you know, you hit 30, you shouldn't have to share room with anybody. Mm-hmm. From navigating friendships and healing. to setting boundaries and prioritizing your mental health.

These are real, honest conversations. We don't always get to have out loud. Totally unreasonable with different parts of life, right? Like, oh, have all three meals and make sure you're mindful during all of them? Absolutely not. During one meal, I'm standing. I'm standing and handing my children food. Because healing, empowerment, and resilience aren't just ideas.

They're practices. And this Mental Health Awareness Month, there's no better time to pull. back into yourself. Listen to cultivating her space on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I've always had kind of this belief. I've always wanted to be an NFL general manager, and I have certain rules of the draft. One of the rules I've always had in the draft, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before or not.

I would draft a running back at least minimum every other year, but never in the first two rounds. So Seattle drafted Rashad Penny a couple years ago, and I said, this is a terrible draft pick. It's been a total bust. I do not believe you draft a running back. I mean, Herschel Walker, maybe he arrives today. You're like, okay, that doesn't look like anybody I've ever seen that's ever played the position. But my rule in the NFL draft is you draft a running back at least every other year. Because remember, one out of three are just going to bust.

Right. And you never draft before the second round. You draft third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh. And why? Because in the NFL, I believe, there's four positions you have to pay. You have to pay a great. quarterback. You have to pay a great left tackle. You have to pay a great pass rusher. And then you're either going to have to pay a great corner or an Aaron Donald, a Fletcher Cox, an interior lineman. So save your

money for the four guys. You don't have to pay anybody else. Now increasingly, wide receiver is, you may have to spend some money. But I think the big four contracts are quarterback left tackle, pass rusher, an elite pass rusher, and probably an interior defensive lineman or a corner. If you have an elite pass rusher. You maybe not have to pay your DT. You can pay your corner. But you're going to have to somebody you can lock out, you know, a Stefan, even Belichick pays Stefan Gilmore. So that means I got to get breaks other places. And a prime example is when Ezekiel Elliott wanted his contract. I talked to two general managers who said, you never sign a running back to a second contract. You just don't. You just keep drafting them. You get trapped. Well, right now with Zique,

he does not look the same. He's averaging like three and a half yards of carry. Troy Aikman on Dallas Radio talked about it. Zeke, is he wearing down? He talked about it this week. Dallas on first and second down runs the ball the second least amount in the NFL, which I find interesting.

I know that there's games when you get behind, but for the season to be second on early downs, on running downs, you know, when they have been built to run the ball and that was the commitment they made, both in the offensive line and at running back, that surprised me a little bit. But yeah, I think that the wear and tear, he's a physical runner. He runs as hard as anybody that I've ever seen, quite honestly.

And I think he's a great finisher and all that. But, you know, that begins to take a toll, and it starts to happen about this time. Four years ago, they beat the Steelers. I want to show you a video. I apologize to the radio audience. Look at how fast Zeke is. Look at the holes. This says a lot about what's happening.

Dallas. Zeeke is pulling away from people. He is not touched on this play. He is running away from DBs and linebackers. The holes are massive. Again, this is not all on Zeke. Look at these holes. This is against the Steelers, by the this against a Mike Tomlin defense on the road when there were fans, hard to audible. I mean, it's just massive holes. Nobody is touching him. Nobody's touching him on these plays. And then you look at him now, and I know I just take clips, but you go back and look this morning at the averages and a lot of this is the offensive line but he doesn't look the same he doesn't have the burst or the escapeability he goes down easier his fumbles have gone up uh he's just not as explosive and again the offensive line right now looks like it's backups to backup sometimes but even earlier

this year when it wasn't all injured so you know it goes back to everybody was clamoring for him to get paid and people were saying do not give this was my knock i don't believe in paying people two years in advance. I'll pay you a year early if you're a quarterback, a left tackle, you're Aaron Donald, Khalil Max, Stefan Gilmore. Like, I get that argument. But this is the argument is that if you, by the second contract, running backs fall off a cliff. I've seen this my entire life. You're very good. And then by year four, that's why running backs, by the way, want to sign early contracts. They want to get paid because I think the drop off for Zique is significant. When I watch him play, Goulet, you're a cowboy.

fan. You watch him play. You live for, does he look like the same running back? Nope. He erodes a little bit each year. Every year. And it's finally hit a point where you're like, oh, he's not great anymore. He's just good. That's what he is. And you're paying him great money. And I think in the NFL, you can only pay four people that. The wide receivers now have increasing value, but you can find him anywhere. So you've got to be careful. But they do matter. All right. Greg Kosell joining me, as he always does on third day, uh, 41 years working at NFL films, the most objective guy out there. via the Coward Global Satellite Network.

So we got into this discussion this morning, Greg, about when it comes to young quarterbacks, I don't really pay attention too much to Windsor stats. And I don't think Joe Burrell has a great arm. I think it's pretty average. But there's something about him. I don't know if it's his calmness. He just tends to throw it to the right place. He doesn't have great protection.

So you tell me what does the film say about him? where's the special sauce? What is he doing to move the ball so well? Well, it's funny you say that, Colin, because that was the one thing when I evaluated him coming out of LSU that I said that the only knock against him is he does not really have a big arm. And he certainly doesn't. And every once in a while you see that pop up on certain throws.

But he's incredibly refined in his understanding of where to go with the ball, what he's looking at both pre-snap and post-snap. therefore he plays with a very nuanced sense of rhythm and timing for a young quarterback, and he has movement ability. We normally don't think of him as a guy who makes second reaction plays, and in fact, this offense is really built with the amount of empty snaps that they play on the desire to get the ball out of his hands quickly. But he does have very, very good movement skill.

You know, we used to say he's a deceptibly good athlete. We should just say he's a good athlete. So he's really has every trait I think you would look for other than the fact that he's not going to drive the football with tremendous velocity. So you told us last week on Lamar Jackson, Greg, you said, listen, the NFL, the guy, the coordinators are saying, throw outside the numbers. We're just going to blank it. We're going to drop seven into coverage, eight, prove that you can do it. So against Pittsburgh, he had a lot of turnovers. What did you see with Lamar against the stateers?

It's a great question because I watch that tape. And, you know, it's a very interesting conversation about the changing nature of the quarterback position, Colin. I know you've talked about it a lot. And, you know, what are quarterbacks now in the NFL? Do you need movement ability? A lot of people would say yes. But then what's the balance between that and being efficient from the pocket? And right now, he's not very efficient from the pocket.

He's a little frenetic. He's a little undisciplined. he's not seeing things. There are throws to be made. There were in the Pittsburgh game. There are throws to be made that he did not turn it loose because now he tends to move prematurely. Now, will he make some otherworldly plays because he's got that kind of athletic ability? Absolutely.

And that's why the question of where is the balance is a good one and an important one as we go forward in evaluating quarterbacks. But I'm still a believer that you can't leave throws on the field. And, you know, in an era where everybody's putting up big numbers throwing the football, it took him until the final drive to get to 200 yards. And it would have been the fifth game in a row that he had not thrown for 200 passing yards. So right now I think he's probably trying to figure that out as well because he knows he can make plays with his legs. But it doesn't always work.

Yeah. So I think the Colts are a good football team that have a very low season. dealing at quarterback. They probably have the worst athlete in the NFL at a position that increasingly asked for a little athleticism. But it's funny about their defense. Is it good, or is Darius Leonard the best linebacker in football? Because when Leonard's out, it doesn't feel the same. And when he's in, he's just a, I mean, he's like a magnet to the ball. So what do you make? What do you make of the Colts, their defense, Leonard? What do you make? Because that's the way they're going to get into the playoffs. It's not going to be because they're wildly explosive

offensively. No, and I think their defense in some ways, and I know they have DeFarrest Buckner, but I think in some ways it's probably a little similar to the San Francisco 49ers defense from a year ago. It's kind of built on their front four. It's a very good front four with a bunch of names other than Buckner and, of course, Houston is still there, but they've got some other very good players to Nico Autry. Grover Stewart is a nose who's a very, very good player when you watch the tape. They don't blitz very much at all. As most teams do nowadays, they mix man in zone, but it's a coverage-based defense, and that's the way they play. And Leonard is a great player. He's an explosive athlete at the linebacker position. So the question ultimately becomes

offensively, what can they do as they continue to play games and play ideally important games? Because defense, hey, everybody wants a great defense, but we know that. when you start playing really, really good offenses, sometimes you give up points. I mean, look what happened in the Super Bowl with the Niners last year. They played great defense for three and a half quarters. And then all of a sudden, a really good offense was able to make some plays against them. So we get into this discussion.

I said in the offseason, Drew Locke, I think has it. But I've also said you cannot have the fourth best quarterback in a division. He's not Mahalms. I don't think he has the talent of Herbert. And Derek Carr throws a wonderfully accurate football. I watch Drew Locke and I'm not into the dance and stuff. I've never been into that. Like win a few games before, you know, you're Michael Jackson.

Like settle down and win games. But I watch him and there's moments. And then I watch him against the Chargers and I say to myself, wait a minute. He wasn't good in the first three quarters. They go to a package. They take the pressure off. He's got a clean pocket. Well, everybody in the NFL that's reasonably good is good then.

What is the films? Because I think John Elway looks at this and thinks, oh, God, I got Herbert now twice a year. I got Mahomes twice a year? Who is Drew Locke on film? Well, I think he's very talented with some things that need to be worked on. And let's remember one thing, Colin. We live in a world where we want to make a definitive decision about a player literally after he plays five minutes.

This guy has started, what, 10, 11 games in his NFL career? He was hurt this year. So he's, in a sense, starting from scratch. He's capable of outstanding throws. I mean, that deep dig he threw to Judy in the fourth quarter. last week was a big time NFL throw. Now he's a kid who still drifts a bit in the pocket. He'll still throw some balls off balance. I think that his decision-making at times needs work, his ability to eliminate what is there and what's not there is still needs work, but there's a lot to work with.

And I'd like to see him be able to play, you know, seven, eight, nine, ten games in a row with the same cast and see how it plays out because there is a high-level talent there. and you see the big time throws. And he does have movement ability. He's a pretty good athlete. All right. So we know a lot about Green Bay. And here's something I've been on.

Joey and I have talked about this a lot in the last year. The minute somebody gets physical with them, the Niners, the Eagles last year at Lambo, the Chargers pass rush, Tampa Bay. They're a frontrunner. They are great in the octagon as long as they can control the fight. They're great with a lead. But there's something about this defense. it is, it evaporates quick.

And the holes this way, it just wasn't Delvin Cook. The holes were so substantial. So what is it? Bad linebacker play, bad schemes. What's wrong with the Packers defense? Well, this week was very specific. And I say that because Mike Patton is their defensive coordinator. And he likes to play.

And this is when they're at their best, when they play in what we call their sub-defences, five defensive backs, six defensive backs. When you play men, Minnesota, by the way, as was the case in the playoffs last year against the 49ers, when you make them play in their base defense because Minnesota lines up with multiple tight-end sets and a fullback. So Green Bay played in their base 3-4 defense, and they don't want to play in that defense,

and they're not very good in it. And that's what happened last week. So not every team, by the way, can line up and do what Minnesota did or what the 49ers did in the playoffs last year. Yeah. So that's just a bad matchup for them. And it happens in the NFL. It's a bad matchup. A physical team that can do multiple tight ends, put them in their base. It's a bad spot for Green Bay. Absolutely. All right. We know that there's things you like about Tua. I know that. There's things I like about him. Did you see anything? I know it to start. But boy, he looked a little small. Anything you saw in the film and you're like, I don't love that. I don't love that. You know what? Let's be a little realistic. He didn't have to do much. He was not asked to make any tough downfield throws. But my sense was that he sees things quickly. I think he knows where to go with the ball. That will be tested more obviously as he plays more. Not every game's going to turn out like the Rams game. I did think that his 15-yard completion to Grant on the first quarter touchdown drive showed Tua reading the field because that play design was the post-corner combination. nation to his left. And the defense took that away and he came all the way back to his right

within the timing of the drop and he hit Grant for 15 yards. So it was a small sample size, but I think he did okay. All right. I want to go to your Drew Breeze. And I've said this, I don't buy the Saints. I think there's a way Drew Breeze can win now. But I don't think their defenses is good. He doesn't throw it over the top. I feel he's very, you know, this will sound outrageous, but I don't think he's that far from Teddy Bridgewater. And that's why when he left last year, Bridgewater looked a lot like him. I think they're very similar at this point in Drew's career. So what is he? And then we'll move into the play of the week. What is he at this point? He definitely doesn't throw a colony right the way he used to. And that's noticeable on a number of

throws. The ball just doesn't come out real well. And on occasion now, he's a little bit inaccurate with certain throws that you know he used to make without a problem. So he's not the same quarterback, and therefore their offense is different. And we'll see how far it can take them. And they're obviously going to be playing a buck defense this week that is very aggressive. They blitz. They get people clean to the quarterback, which you don't see very often in the NFL. But say what you want about Breeze.

Sean Payton is a very, very good schemer of offense in getting people open. And that's essentially the play I want to show in a close game with the Bears last week. He had a touchdown to Jared Cook, which came one play. after he missed a wide open Jared Cook on a ball that he wouldn't miss in 100 years. So let's take a look at this touchdown to Jared Cook that came at the end of the first half. And again, it just looks like pitch and catch right here. And it became pitch and catch because of the design. They're going to go trips to the wide side of the field and tight trips.

Everybody inside the numbers. The three receivers are there. They're going to have Smith the inside receiver run an overrout. That will eat up the safety. Then you're going to have Carr, who's number two to Trips. He works to the flat and that eats up the flat defender. So what do you end up with? And you're going to see this as it plays out.

And it's going to end up with Cook working against an outside leverage corner. But it's the design of this. There's Smith taking the safety with him. There's Carr expanding the flat defender. So what do you get? Cook one-on-one with an outside leverage corner because Cook was a initially lined inside the numbers. So this was beautiful design to create a throw call on that, I dare say, you could probably

have made. Barely. All right, Greg CoSell, 41 years, NFL films on a Thursday as always. Greg, great seeing you. Thanks, Colin. Appreciate it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends.

Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mike. Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends

on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the 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 Care Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere. having him 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 and learn the hard way on the AHA 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 sportsmen. media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.