The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 11/17/2020 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: November 17, 2020

-James Harden isn't a #1 so joining Kevin Durant makes sense-You can't be a legitimate contender in the NFL with Kirk Cousins-Harden joining KD and Kyrie could be a disaster-The Eagles problems are much bigger than just Carson Wentz-The Herd Hierarchy: The top ten teams in the NFL according to ColinGuests: Brian Kelly, Notre Dame Head CoachMaxx Crosby, Raiders Defensive End Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a 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 for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to The Best of Heard Podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1, find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go.

We are packed today on a Tuesday live in Los Angeles. This is The Hurd. 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. There's so many good teams in the NFL. left out five teams from my herd hierarchy top of next hour and they're really good teams and they're all capable I think of winning a playoff game but we've got so many teams right now getting to the middle of a season and you see injuries and you see momentum and you see good herd hierarchy in one hour

Brian Kelly Notre Dame coach on today Max Crosby of the Raiders joy Taylor's joining me joy how are you I'm doing great we have I see some of the weather banging around the east coast today cross our fingers we've been a little bit lucky out here right now you see what's going on with of these NFL games. So the big story yesterday that I saw was a James Harden, Houston Rockets, you know, great score. He doesn't want to play for the Rockets anymore. And he wants to go play with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in Brooklyn. And he said, listen, I don't care if you can pay me 50 million in the max. I don't want to play. He'd be the first $50 million a year guy in a state with no state tax. He's like, I'm not interested. I want to win games. So the NBA has always been

the league. I kind of laugh. Very rarely will you find a baseball player that will play for the absolute less. He wants the max money. Basketball players all the time are like, I want to win games. But let's start with this. How great is James Harden? I mean, he's obviously a number one. Or is he?

To me, there's four players in the NBA. That is it. And almost every industry works like this. Four guys to me that you can hand the franchise to and they have all the components of a number one. They can score. They at least give you an effort defensively. They can lead in crucial spots.

They can at times elevate others, and you can't marginalize them. They don't have a hole in their game. You can always marginalize. There's four. Kevin Durant, LeBron, Steph Curry, and Kauai Leonard. Steph tries on defense. He's not very good. But that's why they have Clay Thompson, who's great.

What about Yonis? You can marginalize Yonis. Go ahead, bro. Shoot. He plays great with a lead, not from behind. For years, you all thought Westbrook was a one. You can marginalize him easy. Have you ever seen teams defend Westbrook?

They're begging him to shoot three-pointers. Embed, I like him, but injuries and conditioning issues. Luca, really talented, but so far he's just a really talented young kid he needs experience. Kyrie, he's hurt all the time. James Harden, incredibly ball-centric, barely gives an effort on the defensive end. I look up and down on all these guys that you've been trying to, convince me are ones. Being a one is not just about scoring. It never has been. When I was a kid, George Gervin as a kid scored. He was never a one. There's been a lot of guys in this league that

scored. Daryl Morey and Houston were convinced this guy can be the centerpiece. We'll just find guys that can play with him. And they found out they struggled to get past the first round. He's not a one. He's the world's potentially best two. He's not as good as Durant. He's not as dependable in a big spot. He doesn't defend like Durant. And frankly, I don't think he has the leadership skills of Durant. Durant's a one.

LeBron's a one. Steph's a one. And Steph is smart enough and had the self-awareness enough. When he played with another one, he backed off and let Durant be the man late in games. Just because you score a lot doesn't mean you're a one. It never has. I've been watching this league for 40 years. There's been dozens of guys who are just great.

scores. But you get nothing else with it. You don't get the leadership. They won't play on the defensive end. They don't really elevate anybody beyond themselves. You can marginalize them. You know, it's a prime example. For years and years, you kept telling me AD was a one. No, he's the world's best two. He's not a leader. He can score and defend, but he doesn't really want to lead. That's not his game. When he was with a true one, LeBron, he just moved over, became the world's best two. There's nothing wrong with that. there's never been a two as good as Anthony Davis. But he was a one for years in New Orleans.

They won one playoff series. You keep telling me Yonis is a one. You can marginalize him. He's a great defender and a great kid and can score. Try trailing by 10 late, four minutes left. You want him to have the ball? And so, you know, James Hardin, give him credit. He's not just doing it as a money grab, and he's starting to realize.

He wants to drive to the arena every night. let him be the score, not the man. Just drive to the arena, you're going to get 31 points. There's nothing wrong with that. He's great at it. But Kevin Durant is going to be the man. And in the huddle, last shot of a game, it's going to be Kevin Durant. So, you know, when I look at Hardin, everybody, you know, think about this.

The last time an NBA team won a title without my four, Durant, Steph, Lebrose, Ron and Kauai. The last time an NBA team won a title without one of those four was 2011. And if you are one of those four like Steph and you play with another one, then you have to have the self-awareness to go, okay, I'm Steph, I'm good, I'm not Kevin Durant, and step back. This was always the genius of D. Wade. People are right, D. Wade's a one. He is unless he's playing with Shaq or LeBron. Then he becomes a two. You go into the huddle late in the game and D-Y-Aid is not getting that shot.

LeBron is. And Steph goes into that huddle and mostly you're not getting that shot. KD is. So, you know, Houston, they, you know, made the mistake of confusing score with true one. Big difference. I've seen it for 40 years. Huge difference. All right.

So I watched the Vikings. I actually bet Kirk Cousins on Monday night football. I took my life into my own hands, and I won. And if you watched that game last night, it was like watching last Thursday. Or a quarterback, Philip Rivers, and a really good roster, the Colts beat the Titans. And the next day you're all like, Colin, what are you making of the Colts? I make of the Colts, what I make of the Vikings, you know, five days later. Really good roster.

Colts defense is great. Vikings' offensive skill players, oh, you, they're loaded. And Philip Rivers and Kirk Cousins, they can win road games, they did. They can win tough road games, Titans Bears, they did. They can win tough road divisional rival games. They both did.

But can we have an adult conversation? Philip Rivers and Kirk Cousins can have big nights, but between Mike Zimmer's play calling, which is rigid at minimum and Kirk Cousin's inability to really move and be dynamic, we have to have an adult conversation. If the Colts don't roll the dice at quarterback and if the Vikings don't eventually move off Kirk Cousins, they're just going to be a tease and nobody likes a tease. The Colts are really ready to win a championship, but they've got to get more dynamic at quarterback.

And the Vikings, if they can shore up their defense a little in the next, draft and Rick Spielman's an excellent general manager are ready to win one too. They've been ready for years to win one. They were ready the previous three years to win one. And it doesn't mean Philip Rivers won't get Hall of Vane boats. And it doesn't mean Kirk Cousins can't play. Kirk Cousins last night was 25 a 36, 100 quarterback rating, through for 286 yards, very good on third down, and 35 minutes time of possession. Same numbers that Philip Rivers had on Thursday. But the difference between Philip Rivers and and Kirk Cousins, you don't get that three out of four games or four to five,

and you can with the Patrick Mahomes. So this morning, I believe that both the Vikings and the Colts, it's quarterback quicksand. The Vikings gave an extension to Kirk Cousins because they had to get some calorie cap space freed up. And so they, you know, they didn't see a viable alternative on the market, so they just extended Kirk Cousins. And the Colts similarly with Jacoby Brissette, you know, they didn't want to spend massive money for the free agent quarterback. So, you know, they brought in Phillip Rivers for a one-year deal.

They didn't see another viable alternative on the market. Both organizations have great GMs. Both organizations have one side of the ball that's loaded, the Vikings' offense, and the Colts defense. But if you want to become the Kansas City Chiefs, this is what the Kansas City Chiefs were for years. Really good and really well run in a really good roster and good enough to win a division and good enough to get to the playoffs. Vikings and Colts are. But you want to be a Super Bowl champ?

Because the Colts and the Vikings are too good to get a top 10 pick. The GMs are too good. You know, the coaches are very good. The rosters and points are great. But, you know, I watched that game last. It was like watching the Colts. I'm like happy for you. I won some money, but this is quarterback quicksand.

And I think you have to roll the dice and go bigger, go home. this league, aggressive wins. I've been saying that for years in sports. And I think the Colts and the Vikings will, at the end of this season, I still contend the Vikings will make the playoffs. They'll be like the seventh seat. They're going to make the playoffs and so are the colts and they're going to get beat by a better quarterback. Not by a better coach or a better roster, not by a better offensive line, not by a better receiving core. They'll get beat by a better quarterback. It's quicksand. Roll the dice for both. Be sure to catch live editions of the heard 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement

to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger.

So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clivert Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you're 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 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes.

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, Keer Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we, are in possession of the thing, and we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and personal. on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. James Hardin wants to play with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. It's three movie stars, right?

But sometimes you can put movie stars together and the movie's a mess. You know, the agent, you know, is the agents for the stars are calling your director. My guy's not in enough scenes. And then the director of the coach, Steve Nash, is kind of walking on eggshells. He doesn't want to offend any of the stars. And then, you know, the stars control a little bit too much of the script, a little too much ad-libbing. That's what it kind of feels like. When LeBron Wade and Bosch played together, three stars.

And by the way, Bosch was a 26-12 guy. Like, he was a star. He was the best basketball player, certainly not in America at the time. Okay, he was in Canada. There was an order to things. LeBron late, D-Wade's a two, and Bosch was a three. It was understood. By the way, Wade has never been ball-central.

Bosch isn't ball-centric, and LeBron's always been a very willing elevator of others and passer. Try telling Kyrie, you're a third. Excuse me? Right now, I'm not sure you can convince him. The world has a curve. Kareem Magic Worthy. There was an order to things. Kareem, the big fella, was the bucket late.

Magic controlled the tempo. James Worthy was the wing guy, and a third. KG was the Alpha. Paul Pearson to Ray Allen, who had aged. you get an order you get listen kd is already playing a lot of people were concerned when kevin durant went to golden state and i was like i'm not sure how that's going to work but it became very clear early much i didn't think it would work as well but you figured something out really quickly step off had the self-awareness to step back and go kd it taking the big shots late he's harder

to defend than me steph control the tempo second guy in the pecking order to take shots and Clay Thompson, a very willing catch and shoot guy, if those two got tangled up. You've got to have an order to things. And this looks like a great movie poster, but not much of a movie. And again, I'd love to listen to the huddle with 20 seconds left in a tie game against the Celtics, who Kyrie used to play for, and the coach Steve Nash walks in and goes, Kyrie, you're a decoy on this. How's that going to play?

He wants to get back of the Celtics. I just don't, I don't, KD played with somebody that was ball-centric. It was called Russell Westbrook and he would get the ball too late in the shot clock. He didn't like it. Now he's going to play with two guys that are incredibly ball-centric. And so to me, it just screams rookie head coach, walking on eggshells, trying to do a balancing act, not really doing what's best for the team, but one night KD gets the big shot. The next, it's hardened.

Then you got to make sure, you know, Kyrie's in a right space mentally. he's okay. That's walking on eggshells. That's not how you make a great movie. I don't think it's how you make a great basketball team. I do think it would be fun. They'd have amazing nights. It's great for my business. I'm rooting for it. I think it's great. But in terms of, is it a championship team? I just, I mean, we've been all watching this league for a long time. We know it's just not players. I mean, the Miami Heat were a very, the heatles were very flawed. They had no true center. They weren't great at point guard. They were a lousy rebounding team. But it was the order of things. And Dwayne Wade very quickly was like, oh, I get it. It may be Wade County,

but I'm the two here. On some nights, if Bosch is hot, I'm the three. And when Golden State, I thought it would be problematic, KD, Stefan Clay. But Steph Curry very early on, even in the recruiting pitch, said, no, bro, you get the last shot. You're the best score in the world. There's got to be an order to stuff, or it's just you put the coach in this untenable walking on eggshell situation. Now, again, for me, I am rooting for this. I'm all in. I don't know if it's, I don't, frankly, I'll talk about it later. I don't know if it's good for the league. It's good for us. I don't know if it's good for the league, but it's good for my eyes when Brooklyn's on. That I know and that I like. One more herd? The herd

streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. So Doug Peterson coaches the Philadelphia Eagles. He won a bully out-duled Brady and Belichick. And a lot of people made the mistake of considering Nick Foles a great player when he did that. No, Nick was a average player who had a great game. I still content, I think Doug Peterson's a really good coach. He went on Philadelphia radio, you know, as you do after you play a game in Philadelphia, a big radio station, what is it called WIP?

It's very popular. A lot of people yell and scream at each other. And Angelo Kostaldi was the coach, and he asked him a question. And then Doug got in a bad mood. he talked about what's happening to Eagles and what's gone wrong and what kind of mood he's in. I'm pissed off. I'm pissed off at myself. I'm pissed off at the way we played. And it frustrates me. It frustrates me to no end. And we have too much pride. And I have too much pride. These players have too much pride. We work our ass off during the week. It's frustrating. It is frustrating. And blame it on

me all you want. I'll handle it with the players. You can blame it on me. I'm a big guy. I can handle it. That's fine. You know, it's funny. We do this a lot. We do it with politics and we do it with sports. We're trying to find the problem. The guy. Blame her.

Him. The. Philadelphia's got a lot of issues. It's not one guy. It's not Carson Wentz or just Doug Peterson. They lost a great offensive coordinator, Frank Reich. Frank Reich left them. And with Jacoby Brissette, a beat up Andrew Luck and Phillip Rivers, he's 23 and 18.

Doug Peterson in a crappy division is now 21 and 19. Like Frank Reich was a big problem. We can blame Carson Wentz. You could even blame Doug Peterson. I thought he got work Sunday. I thought he had a bad game as a coach. It happened. Andy Reid's had bad Sundays.

But in the end, this is not a problem. The reality is when Frank Reich was there, Carson Wentz was a young quarterback and getting better and better and better. And he's not quite as good. He's just not. They're offensive. And then you throw in the chaos of their offensive line issues and their wide receiver issues. By the way, you don't want to know what Matt Ryan is in Atlanta since Kyle Shanahan left?

27 and 29. Jared Goff was almost the biggest bust in NFL history as a number one pick. And since Sean McVey took over, he's 37 and 19. Like coaches matter, coordinators matter at any given time in this league. there's three or four coordinators who are exceptional. They usually become head coaches. You know, Kyle Shanahan took four straight quarterbacks, three or four different teams. They all got better.

He goes to the Niners. He gets Jimmy Garoppolo to a Super Bowl. Frank Reich with kind of marginal quarterback play, a beat-up Andrew Luck, Jacoby Brissette, old Philip Rivers, unathletic, has got a better record than Doug Peterson. So everybody's trying to find the problem. It's not a problem or the guy or the problem. Philadelphia's got several. One of them is they lost a great coordinator and their quarterback had a really good relationship with him.

He's never been the same. All right, here we go. It's our herd hierarchy, the top 10 teams in the NFL. There's a lot of teams I like that did not make the cut. And here we go. Heard hierarchy. Time is now. Let's go.

The top 10 NFL teams that close. According to college, number 10. I'll go with Arizona, but I thought they were lucky to beat Seattle and Buffalo. They were outplayed by both. So you get the win. I'm not giving you a ton of credit, but they are the number one total offense in the NFL. They've won five straight games with 30 plus points. They're four and one in that span.

So it's an exhilarating offense. It's multi-dimensional. They can run, they can throw it, they can go deep, and I put them at number 10. Number nine. The Ravens. Listen, the reality is they're missing a lot of good starters, and they are 0 and 6, trailing by 10 plus points. But they still have the number one scoring defense in the league, including Pittsburgh, and the number two rushing offense. And they're going to get healthier.

So I don't think they're a Super Bowl team today, but they're still, in my opinion, a top 10 team put them at 9. Number 8. Listen, Green Bay to me is a little overrated. They're very Aaron Rogers to Devante Adams dependent. They couldn't even get 80 rushing yards against the Jaguars. They're not a physical team. They're very limited. They've held opposing quarterbacks under 300 passing yards in every game this year.

Some of it is you don't have to throw on them. But I think they're so good at running back, so good at quarterback, so good at wide receiver, and a couple of nice defensive players up front. But I do think they miss Blake Martinez, the linebacker. I do think you can run on them, but they have enough stars that they deserve to be at number eight. Number seven. The Rams. By the way, how good is this secondary?

I mean, Jalen Ramsey just took D.K. Metcalfe out. They've got two good young safeties. They found another corner in the draft. They have never lost under Sean McVay when they lead at half. And they're the first team to hold Seattle to fewer than 27 points this season. number one ranked defense and total defense in the NFC this year. This is not an offensive team. It is not.

They're getting to the quarterback. They have the top corner, the top defensive linemen in the league, and I think they have the top secondary in the NFC. I put them at seven. Number six. But Miami beat them. And Miami's special teams are excellent. Their defense is excellent.

In their five-game winning streak, they're allowing 17 points a game. And I think if they played Seattle, again, they beat them because now they've got Tua who doesn't make mistakes. They have the fifth best point differential in the NFL this year. You know, I watched them go to Arizona and win and really outplay Arizona. And for stretches at least, stretches bottle up Kyler Murray in stretches. Coaching defense special teams win in this league, especially around Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving and beyond. I've got them at six. Number five. I'll take Buffalo because I do think their defense, which was a little bit of a mess for about a month,

they now have nine takeaways in the fourth quarter this season, most in the NFL. And I think their defense is kind of finding its way with a very good defensive coaching staff. They've forced six turnovers in the last couple of games. They outplayed Arizona. So they went on the road and they outplayed Arizona. Call it. Arizona beat Buffalo. If they played in Buffalo, Buffalo would win.

If they played in a neutral field, Buffalo would win. A Hail Mary does not mean you're better. I think Buffalo is a really good team, and I think they've shorted up some of their defensive issues. Number four. Tampa Bay. Now, why would I put them there? Well, they're the only team to win three games this year by 20 plus points. When they're on, they are really good.

They've got seven or eight elite players. Only Kansas City can match their high-end talent. and now they've been inconsistent. But if you look at them last week, they flex. They showed off against the Carolina team that'd been a tough out. Listen, they're 0 and 2 against the Saints. They're 7 and 1 against everybody else in football. It's a really good team.

Number three. The Saints, I think they'll win with James Winston. They're on a six-game winning streak. That's the longest in the NFC. Alvin Kamara leads the NFL in scrimmage yards. Their defense was a little uneven early. I think they've played very good in the last couple of weeks. I don't think they'll take a major step back offensively with James.

I think they're going to be fine with Taysam Hill and James Winston. And listen, they have shelled Tampa twice. So I'm putting them over Tampa. Number two. Pittsburgh, only remaining undefeated team. Most sacks in the league, best sack differential. I don't think anybody denies. It's the best front seven in the league.

Their offense has been a little hit and miss. I did think blowing out Cincinnati was impressive. Cincinnati's got a win. They've been a little bit of an annoyance to some of the good teams. They totally dominated Tennessee Steelers at number two. Number one. Kansas City, let's just not even argue. They have the number one point differential.

And I think they would beat Pittsburgh if they played right now anywhere. Pittsburgh, Kansas City, neutral field. I think they've gotten everything right. I think their defense is top five. I think their offense can play power smashmouth football. They can clearly go over the top. They're less reliant on Patrick Mahomes than they were even last year. I think from week 12 of last year, this is the best football team in the national football week.

And I think they have a chance if Mahom stays standing up and they can resign some of these offensive linemen. I think you have a chance to have another dynasty off a dynasty. We get one about every 10 years. We may have back-to-backs from New England to Kansas City. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio app. Do you know who has the longest winning streak in college football? Notre Dame, 14 straight wins. They've won 10 plus games in the last three years. And when Brian Kelly first took over at Notre Dame, it was so intense because Notre Dame's pressure is so much.

And I thought, he's a good coach, but man, does he want to do this forever? He's never looked more comfortable. They've never been on more of a role. They've never had more NFL bodies. And Brian Kelly is going to join me live now from a great place to join me live from, Notre Dame. Football headquarters. You know, it is true. Brian, I think you look comfortable.

I think you look happy. I saw you played a close game against Louisville, and I watched the post game interview, and you were very at ease, and it was a windy, choppy day. And I've got to be honest, the first five years there, Notre Dame's a lot. It's a lot of pressure. You look more comfortable. That's what I see. Have you found kind of a groove, Brian, expectations, staff?

Because you look like you're in a good place. Yeah, I mean, I think early on, it's like anything else. You come to Notre Dame, and the pressure is not to lose. And that's the wrong way to look at it. You've got to really come here and think about the production and how your players are competing. and don't even look at the scoreboard. And I think we spent too much time thinking about, you know, winning games. And when it's all about winning, you play tight.

And there's just too much anxiety. I think we've gone to the point now where it's about our production and how we play on Saturdays and the rest takes care of itself. And it's gone pretty good for us over the last four years. I ran into Ian Book's dad in Utah this summer. And I said, I said, I like your son. And I said, but, you know, Brian's going to push him, and this is what Brian's going to do. He's going to push the quarterback.

And I watch Ian, and he delivers for you, is this your, all things considered, is this your best Notre Dame team? I would say it is. You know, we had some great players on the 12 team, the 18 team, even 15. We're, you know, Will Fuller on the outside, CJ Pro Seitz. I mean, there were some great players in 15. But I think if you talk about physicality, if you take about the basic, of putting together a really good football team. It's O-line, D-line, and speed on defense.

And I think those are the three areas that separate this football team. You know, it's interesting. I had a PJ Fleck on a guy have a great deal of respect for. His team's kind of unraveled. I know James Franklin. I love James. His team's unraveled. I know Harbaugh.

It's not been good. So I'm watching some of these really good coaches, and it is with COVID. It is unraveled, coach. No doubt. You have not. Is there, do you look? back over the last six months and think, boy, I'm glad we did this because whatever you're doing, I've seen a lot of good coaches, it just comes unglued here, and you haven't. Why do you think that is?

Oh, wow. There's a book to be written about this. And every step along the way has been one to navigate through with clear communication. Our first meeting is what I would say was probably the most important. And we said, look, you guys need to understand you should not be here unless you understand that you're going to have to sacrifice a lot, things that you've never sacrificed before, because this is going to be difficult. And I think that first meeting kind of set the tone that everybody that was there was going to have to pay attention to the detail things if they wanted to fight this virus and fight for a championship. And I think that helped us in our first meeting. You know, first of all, I think you've become an offensive line machine,

and Notre Dame offensive line that should be noted are getting paid. Getting paid, folks. Get that message out because when we call for that big endowment check, you know, we won't have to remember that. But it's interesting because I've seen you play Georgia twice. They're go either way games. I saw you beat Clemson. And there was about a 15, 20-year period where I was like,

oh, that's not a good space for Notre Dame. And so you are going into homes and you're competing against Clemson, Bama, and LSU and Georgia for players in Ohio State. And it's tougher at Notre Dame. Academics are tough. It's a small town. The weather's not always grand in November, December. But do you feel like the way you're rolling now, that you can go in against Sabin, and there are players you can beat him on? Yeah, again, we're very transparent in terms of who we are and what we're looking for.

So we're going to be clear when we talk about why you would come to Notre Dame. Here are the things that you would get by coming here. And I think that that's where we'll have our niche. Now, again, I think what we can point to is that we have an incredibly physical football team on both sides of the ball. And we've developed those players to move on to the NFL as well. So I think that there's a great niche there. You're going to come to the Midwest. You're going to expect to play in difficult.

condition. So, you know, this is where we can really, for us, get into some of those homes and talk about how we can develop you and get you ready for the next stage. And we've done really well with those kids that understand Notre Dame and want to move on to the NFL, especially those linemen. Yeah, Jalen Smith, by the way, Will Fuller, Quentin Nelson, Chase Claypool, Quentin's going to get paid a lot. And guards generally don't. He's going to make a lot of money. You know, it's interesting. You've won everywhere. And you've not just won as a coordinator you've won as a head coach. And the great thing about college football, Brian, is that you change lives. It's an incredibly rewarding experience. But I have to ask this,

you're good enough to coach in the NFL. It's not a money thing. It is a itch thing. It's a Pete Carroll saying, you know, do you think you'll ever scratch that itch? No, I think I've, I've always looked at the possibility, but I'm at a point now at Notre Dame where, you know, I can control the roster. I have a great understanding. of what our process is here. You know, they give me the opportunity to set this program up and make all the decisions as it relates to how this program runs on a day-to-day basis. You don't get those opportunities in the NFL unless you're Bill Belichick or Andy Reed.

So for me to give up all of that, to go into the NFL, as much as you want to be able to coach the best players in the world, this is such a great opportunity at Notre Dame. it's one that you can't give up. I got to talk about one of your opponents. So I follow recruiting because I'm a dork. And I saw this kid, I've got to tell you something, that quarterback, that freshman quarterback for Clemson, Joy and I were watching him.

I saw him on tape two years ago. And I'm like, I can't believe he's a high schooler. Now everything's a little bit of a fastball. But did you go, you recruited him too, didn't you? Yeah, until he gave us the temperature and the windchill temperature in about 10. DJ is just a wonderful kid. And of course, he's at a school where, you know, Notre Dame can recruit, you know. It's a great profile school for us.

But, yeah, we knew we weren't in that running pretty early on when we knew weather was going to be a factor there. But he's what a terrific player. And what a tough problem Davos got with those two guys. No kidding. That's your backup. Hey, continued success, your schedule, you're at Carolina. You got Syracuse at Wake Force. It sets up well if you're focused.

You know how much respect I have for you. Brian, thanks so much for coming on the show. I really appreciate it. And congrats that on that win over Clemson, NBC. Thanks, Colin. Thanks for having me on. I appreciate it. 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 super. Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, 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 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-taped 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 a little kill? 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 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple 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. you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way.

Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Max Crosby. This is why the NFL is so great. Max Crosby is just fantastic. And he's from like Rochester, Michigan. So you would think, oh, he played for Michigan. No, they didn't recruit him.

Oh, Michigan State. No, they didn't recruit him. He goes to Eastern Michigan. And he's the best defensive linemen for the Raiders. And his stats are fantastic. They force five turnovers. And he's in Vegas, baby. And we love Vegas on this show.

Max Crosby, Raiders defense event is joining us live from Vegas. So good Lord. First of all, it's great to have you on. And I mean, I'm sitting there thinking nobody offered you. So how many offers did you get out of high school? I had one. It was Eastern Michigan. Yeah, you know, it's funny.

Being from Michigan, you know, I would think somebody would want me, but I didn't get anybody. So, you know, Eastern was the only one. And, you know, they offered me. And I was expecting maybe some more offers. but, you know, they were the only one, so I committed right away. You know, it feels like, honestly, Max, it feels like Gruden and the Raiders are a good fit for you and your personality. And I'm not there every day, but give me your relationship with Gruden. I mean, Gruden's a tough guy and he's a fighter, and you're obviously a fighter to go to Eastern Michigan and end up as a great NFL player.

What is Gruden like to play for? Yeah, you know, I think you're spot on. You know, Oakland, you know, now the Las Vegas Raiders are, you know, it's just a great NFL player. a perfect fit for me and my personality. We're hard-nosed, you know, and Gruden loves guys like that. You know, he wants guys that love football and, you know, that's everything I am. You know, it's an awesome, you know, organization, you know, it's fun and we have a lot of fun and it's laid back, but when it's time to work, you know, they're on it. You know, they push, they push me personally every day to my limits and, you know, I know they do that with everybody else. So it's an awesome

environment to be around and we're really just having fun and trying to be the best we can be. Well, you're winning and that's all I know. By the way, you're kind of a power football team. You run the ball. You get after it. Now, Vegas can be distracting as a young guy from cold weather Michigan and you got a beautiful girlfriend and you go to Vegas. Do you go to the casinos ever? You all football? I mean, what's it like to live there for a young guy? Yeah, you know, I moved here in February. So, you know, I kind of got. got to see the town for the first time. And it was, you know, it was awesome.

You know, it's beautiful. There's a lot going on all the time. But for me personally, you know, especially with this COVID going on and everybody's got to be safe and nobody wants to miss games. You know, I've, I literally have the same routine every day. You know, I come home, I eat good. I hang out with the dogs and my girl and we just relax, you know. So it's not like I'm living on the strip. You know, I'm far away from that.

So I'm definitely ducked off and just, you know, having a good time and relaxing. So you're in a division now. with Justin Herbert, Patrick Mahomes. When you guys beat, and nobody else is doing this, you beat the Kansas City Chiefs. Take me inside a little bit what it is like to play with Mahomes. Is he talkative? Does he audible a lot?

Is he a trash talker? What is it like to face Mahomes, the world's best football player, many believe now? Yeah, you know, I believe that too. You know, he's a once-in-a-lifetime type talent. You know, the guy, he doesn't really, talk much. You know, he's super focused when he's on the field, but

the way he plays is just so much different than any other quarterback you face. It's just like, when you play the Chiefs, you know it's not like a regular football game. You know, you're going to be running for your life trying to get him down. You know, he's trying to extend plays, trying to make, you know,

underneath passes behind the back, you'll literally do anything. So he's just a, he's a different type of player. And, you know, every time we play KC, we know it's going to be a, you know, it's going to be a crazy game. So last time you beat him, and I thought this story was hysterically funny. It's so Raiders.

It's so Gruden. It's perfect. So you guys drive the bus around the victory lap thing, and Gruden, it's so funny. So Gruden was asked about it yesterday. I got to play this bite of Gruden getting all pissy. Here's Gruden yesterday at the press conference. Here he is. Hey, John.

Today, Andrew Ridd mentioned a couple times the victory lap you guys took in KC in the first game. What was the victory lap? And is that something that you think about this week as far as bulletboard material or anything like that? Not really. I mean, you can find a smart Alec bus driver in Kansas City who made some snide comments when we got on the bus. Maybe that's why we drove around the stadiums to tick him off.

You know, this is ridiculous. Next question. I mean, so can you just, you won't get in trouble. What happened? Can you tell me the story? I honestly, it's funny. After the game, you know, we were also, fired up. You know, obviously winning in Casey is very rare. And especially with that team,

you know, it's, it's a big deal anytime you beat them. So on the bus, you know, I noticed when we took off, we were like, I didn't even, nobody said anything like, yeah, we're taking a victory lap, blah, blah, blah, blah. I just noticed we were driving around the stadium because we were just going in a big circle. So honestly, a lot of the guys, we had no idea. So we were just, we were just noticing, we're like, wait, like, where are we going? And we just going and circle. So I don't know. I honestly don't know the backstory at all. And yeah, you know, it is what it is. People are trying to make it bigger than it is. Yeah, the media, that's what we do. So you have 16 sacks in 25 games. You're a very, you know, you're an emotional guy. You get after

it. Can a defensive lineman be a leader? And by the way, when you're young, I mean, you're a kid still in this league. Is it okay? Like, do you like the leadership thing? Yeah, you know, absolutely. You know, a D-Lyman definitely could be a leader. You know, we're in the trenches, you know, we're going toe-to-toe with the biggest guys and strongest dudes on the field at all time. So, you know, being a young guy, you know, I feel like that was something I struggled with a little bit last year,

you know, as far as a leadership standpoint. But this year, you know, me and Cleland and the rest of the guys, you know, our defense is a bunch of young guys trying to, you know, generate, you know, pressure and generate a new type of football that, you know, it's just hard nose and gritty and play to the end of the whistle. And that's, you know, that's something I'm trying to do, you know, be a part of that and help the guys any way I can. Boy, your speed is incredible. You just don't play like most offensive linemen.

You're fast. Has there been, obviously, you know, it's funny, you play at Eastern Michigan. That's nothing against the league you were in. But the offensive linemen aren't quite as good as the AFC West. Who has been the best offensive linemen you faced? Oh, that's tough. In the last two years, you know, I feel like David Bakhtiari's definitely up there. We played him in Green Bay last year.

I think Taylor Luan, Larry Mutunzel, there's a bunch of guys like a name. But, yeah, no, you're not wrong when you say that. You know, every week, you know, that's the biggest difference. Come from the NFL to college. It's like, college, you know who you're playing this week. Like, oh, it's about to be one of those weeks. But in the NFL, everybody's good. And there's guys that are athletic that are 320 pounds and 6'7.

Like, you just don't see that in the back. So, you know, the talent is incredible in this league. So it's always awesome, you know, to get up for a challenge like that. Were you worried a little bit when you came from a smaller school? Take me to your first practice because, you know, you're Eastern Michigan. You go to the NFL first practice. Was there a moment, Max, when you're like, okay, I can play in this league. I know I can play in this league.

Yeah, 100%. You know, coming from the back, you know, we played, we always played like a Kentucky or like an Illinois or Purdue during the season. So I always had big games against, you know, the Power 5 team. So I was confident, you know, I wasn't worried. But when I first came to training camp, I saw Trent Brown lined up at right tackle. And nobody wanted to go against them. And I was like, I'm going to take it on, you know, as a challenge, you know, to try to beat him.

If I could beat him one time, I know I can win in this league. So I was going against him every single day. And this dude is 6, 8, 6, 9, 400 pounds. These are different animal that I've ever gone again. So the first time I beat him, I was like, okay, I can do this. Like, this is easy. If I can beat Trent, I can beat anybody. So that's always been my mentality.

I always think about going against Trent when I first got in the NFL. And, you know, that gives me a ton of confidence. Well, it's great meeting you. The Raiders are a great story. I'm old enough, and I still think I'm pretty young, but I can, I go back to the Raiders when they had Kenny Stabler and John Madden. It's an incredible tradition. Vegas is a perfect fit.

And I think I just, the whole John Gruden thing is just, by the way, when they drafted you, did Gruden get on the phone? What did, hey, Max, it's Gruden. Did he get on the phone when he drafted you? Oh, yeah, 100%. The first thing he said is, I need you to get Mahomes. We need you to get Philip Rivers. and all that. And I was like, all right, let's go. I was like, I got this. Let's do it.

And it was hilarious. So you know how Gruden is. He always, always loves challenging his players. And I love it. You know, he's one of a kind. Easy got a root for. Max, good luck to you and the writers, my friend. Thanks for coming on the show. Good luck to you. Your girlfriend, your three dogs, which you locked up for five minutes so we can hear you on the air. We appreciate it. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. on Humor 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 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. On the Look Back at a Podcast. For 1979, there was a big moment for me.

I mean. 84 is 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.

It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey,

or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled 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 IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok

podcast network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.