The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 11/25/2020 - HOUR 2 - Blazing 5, Steelers-Ravens

Episode Date: November 25, 2020

Blazing 5: Colin's new NFL picks for this weekRavens-Steelers are been pushed to SundayGuests: Mark Dominik, Pat Fitzgerald 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 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. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Here we go.

It is a Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve, live in Los Angeles. This is The Hurt. Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, Fox Sports Radio, Iheart Radio. We are not on FS1 today. We'll be back on FS1, I think Monday. That's my guess. We have a little breaking news here.

Joy, you got some breaking news? Yes, the Raven Steelers game has been postponed. until Sunday afternoon. So both games tomorrow were crap. Oh, yeah, the one on Fox is great. Washington, Dallas. I mean, it's kind of a bummer. That was the biggest game of the day.

Oh, by far. Yeah, it's always a great game. It's just so northern feeling. It's just so intense. Washington, Dallas, those are not playoff teams. You know, I guess if you're a Dallas fan, you'd say, like, we played good against the Steelers, we beat the Vikings.

If we beat Washington, I mean, it could be a playoff team, but it leaves you at least thinking, all right, McCarthy, who had that buy week, got his stuff together. You know, at least they'll be competitive. So they do have some good offensive pieces when their offensive line is healthy. So it is good to have you here. We were just talking about, I was talking about the California economy. I got text by a buddy. The California economy is 15% of the American GDP.

It'll be 20% they say in three to four years. No other states higher than eight. That's like New York, Texas. Just think how big of the economy. And because Silicon Valley, the COVID has benefited Silicon Valley. Right. It's more important. The companies that flourished during COVID were Netflix and Zoom, California-based,

docu-sign, San Francisco-based. So you may lose an occasional Elon Musk, but what is happening is tech is becoming a, and let's be honest, there's two or three states, California being number one. Whenever I hear about California's taxes, I'm like, listen, they're hot. It stinks, but it's just, it's a monster economy. And right now, I mean, I'll give you an example of this, Joy. You and I would talk about this off the air, is that taxes may be high, but it's not scaring athletes from coming here. I mean, if you go look at what the Lakers have done, Anthony Davis came here.

All the Lakers are taking pay cuts to come here. So they're going to the most tax state with pay cuts. Why? Because we don't have winter. And we don't have summer. It's just, it's always like 74. And so if you go ask the smartest people in the history of the world, you know, like the smart guys like Warren Buffett and Mark Cuban, when you start a business, you're not

sitting around worried about your state tax rate. You're worried about do you live in a state that has really good workers? You have the world's best idea. My show doesn't work if I don't have Joy and John Goulet and I don't have good management. It's not about the tax rate in California. It's about, do I live in a state which has really, really talented? workers so I can implement my idea into becoming a real company. No company thrives with below average workers.

You can't. To be clear, we don't love taxes. No, I don't like him at all. But the bottom line is if you go look at what's happening in sports, athletes are taking pay cuts to play in Los Angeles. Why? Yeah. It's because it's where the money is.

When you play for a Los Angeles team, right now the Dodgers have the best baseball roster. The Lakers have the best. Everybody's winning. L-AFC's winning. Everybody is winning. And by the way, and the reason is overwhelmingly, if you're sitting around trying to be a tax gypsy, go live in New Hampshire. Wyoming.

Go for it. Go live in the rain in Seattle. You know, I've been to all those places. In the end, you'll want to move, you'll want to be in America where you're surrounded with super smart people to help your business grow. They're better neighbors. They're better coworkers. And I guess my whole point on this, I get sick of listening constantly. to people grieve about taxes.

I pay more than you. I hate them. But I love the fact that I live around and work around brilliant people, which I wouldn't have that opportunity in other states. So there you go. Speaking of money, let's go make some. Blazing 5, all odds provided by Fox Bet. That's a hot one.

Let's blaze it up. Fire it up. It's Collins Blazing 5. Chargers and bills. Okay, this game I would usually take the Chargers plus six because they play close games. But I'm going to go Buffalo minus 6 for a reason. What are the Chargers playing for?

Because I know Buffalo is playing for a home game and a division title against Improved Miami. So the bill's off a buy that have won three of four with more to play for at home. And by the way, they've lost three games, Titans, Chiefs, and Cardinals. The bill's defense is the issue. But they have nine takeaways in the fourth quarter this year, most in the NFL. And by the way, they're getting better. 10 to 8 takeaways over the last five games. Only the Steelers have more.

So I'm going to take the bills by 7 or 8. Generally, I would take the Chargers here because they play close games, but Buffalo wins 3123. Giants at Bengals. Like the Giants, I love the Giants. Coming off a buy, I don't think the market has caught up to the Giants yet. I think they're a pretty good football team. They're 4-0 against the spread since week 7. By the way, they've scored 20 plus points in six straight games.

The quarterback Daniel Jones, back-to-back games without a turnover, and back-to-back road games with a 90-plus passer rating. Yes, they miss Saquan Barclay. Yes, they need another high-end receiver. But the market hasn't caught up to them. It's a really good football team. They're going to win this division. And they face Ryan Finley.

He's got three career starts. His passer rating is 62.1. Giants dominate 28 to 9. Titans at Colts. I love Tennessee plus four, and here's why. The Colts are a good team, and they beat a very popular team in Green Bay. So now their line is overvalued. Tennessee, getting four at Indy is the play here.

First of all, the Colts were a good road team. They've won six of their last seven road games in the regular season. They're also a really smartly coached team. The Titans have five. giveaways this year. It's the fewest in the NFL. It's very New England with Vrable. They don't give you the ball. And here's two things that always travel well. Good coaching and running games. Derek Henry, seven straight road games with 100 plus yards rushing. So I get a great road team. I get a great running team. I get a well-coached team.

And I think the Colts are a little overvalued because they beat a wildly popular Green Bay team. I think Tennessee wins straight out, 27, 23. Bears at Packers. I'm going to take the Bears plus nine and a half. Listen, their offense is pathetic. So it's not my favorite bet of the week. But here's the thing I know about the Bears. They've allowed 12 passing touchdowns.

Only the Rams have allowed fewer. Their defense is the best in the league on third down. Their defense has not allowed a single quarterback to throw for over 300 yards this year. But here's what worries me about Green Bay. And I think they will win this game. They have the worst red zone defense in the league. And do you know that Aaron Jones has rushed for just 50 yards a game since week three? I don't like what I see out of the Packers lines right now, offensive or defensively.

I think they're very Aaron Rogers, Devonte Adams dependent. The number for a division rivalry game is huge. Nine and a half? I think the Packers probably win by a touchdown. but I'm going to take the Bears plus nine and a half. Seahawks and Eagles. Seattle minus six is the play here. First of all, Seattle extra prep time played on a Thursday

and I don't have to play to a Monday. Here's the story of the game, though. So we all lament Seattle's pass rush. You, me, joy, the world. But since Carlos Dunlop joined the team from the Bengals, And Jamal Adams returned from injury in week nine. The Seahawks defense is tied for the NFL lead in sacks. Oh, they solved their dilemma.

And keep your eye on L.J. Collier. First round picked two years ago. Played his best game as a pro against Arizona. Seattle may have solved their big hole. Pass rush. What will that also do? Solve their second biggest issue. They're secondary.

I think Seattle is the team with the most to grow at this point in the season. And by the way, Carson Wentz 0 and 4 against Seattle playing like crap. I think the Monday night game, I think they'll feel a lot of pressure at home to play well. And Seattle under Pete Carroll's been a great East Coast Road team. Take of the Buffalo loss, they'd won 10 straight. Seahawks win 3222. for more on my blazing five picks. Check out the Fox Bet Social Platforms.

It's great to have you in today. It really is, really a pleasure. Sometimes not so much. Sometimes I'm not India. But today I feel charitable. I feel really good. So, Joy, give us that NFL update thing, Raven Steelers. Yes, the Raven Steelers game has been moved until Sunday afternoon.

It's been postponed until Sunday. the afternoon. So it's no longer on Thursday tomorrow for Thanksgiving. All right. This hour, Mark Dominic, former Bucks GM, I'm going to float it to him. Bruce Ariens retires after the year. He and Brady aren't a great match. Ariens retired once he retires. See what he thinks. Plus Pat Fitzgerald. Smart guy. Northwestern football coach. I am surprised nobody in the NFL has rolled the Brinks truck up to that guy. You win nine or two. He's won nine and 10 games with Northwestern multiple times.

I mean, the dude, that's a hard place. It's a small private school. It's based, it's just north of Chicago. It's a hard school to get into. It doesn't have glorious weather. It's right on the lake. And that dude is, he just keeps winning. And he's really smart, really good.

So, you know, I'm not a real loyalty guy. Like, and not that I haven't been loyal. Obviously, there's stuff I'm loyal to. But, you know, I also, I've had a million bosses tell me they're loyal and then take another job. You know, five minutes later, a better offer. Like, I think loyalty is a two-way street. So I think I'm loyal.

But if you get a better offer, Kevin Durant, go. If you get a better offer, Urban Meyer, go. That's what America's about. This is in the 60s. Like, if you get a better offer, go. Don't have to, but if it's there, go. 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.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, 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 Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and

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 Jek. And I'm Alex English.

Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line.

We also have AIDS on the table right now. 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, 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. We don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Keer Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free. iHeartRadio app search learn the hard way and listen now by the way one of the things i love about social media sometimes it's aggravating but you know people in like everybody's a victim everybody oh i need this i don't get this i don't get this you can become a star for free thanks to twitter

i've hired people off twitter i've literally look at twitter i have two people that i've hired off twitter uh there's a there's a girl emma chamberlain's like 15 years old my daughter discovered, you know, about two years ago, my daughter's like, you got to watch this, Emma Chamberlain. She's like 15 years old. She's a monster on like YouTube and Instagram. She's on Twitter, but that's not her jam. But the point is, no budget, no nothing. Show me your talent.

I'll hire you. If I was building a company and was seeking what Emma Chamberlain was selling, I'd hire her. I probably couldn't afford her. She's 15. I can't afford her. or however old she is. Like everybody's a big, everybody wanting. I can't get this.

Go be a star. Show me your talent. Do you know how many companies now are just all over Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter, TikTok, seeking the next star. And you'll make a ton of money and you can be 14 years old. Show me your talent. I love that economy.

There's not this hierarchy. You don't have to go to Princeton. You don't have to work for IBM. Show me your talent. Free. I love that. I didn't have that. God, think how big of a star I would have been.

Anyway, Mark Dominic's a former NFL general manager. He was a chief scout, Kansas City Chief Scout. By the way, you were the GM when the Bucks drafted Levanté David, who along with Darius Leonard's about as good a linebacker as the NFL has, and Mark Dominic is joining us. How are you, Mark? I'm good, Colin. Yeah.

No, Levanté's still playing good after a decade, proud of him, and how hard he's put into this game of football. man. You know, sometimes the draft is a crapshoot, but, you know, it's especially after the first and second round, but he was a second rounder and he's been a home run. So I'm going to throw something at you that Brady and Arians have never been a perfect fed. They're really different personalities. And opposites may attract, but there's a reason the term isn't opposites have long marriages. You know, I'm attracted to mob movies because it's a dark side of humanity. I never want to be part of, but I'm attracted to it. And that if it doesn't work this year, and they're not. and seven and Brady looks uncomfortable that Arian's already retired once. He's got health issues. He's not a, he's got one of the largest staffs in the league. He's not like Belichick, a grinder, or a Sean McVeigh. That if things didn't go well this year, I could see Arian saying, you know, I'm out and Brady getting a younger, more progressive coach. Am I nuts? I don't think that's the way that he would want to go out. I think VA is going to want to

prove that he can win. I mean, again, you know, he went out and made a statement like the offense is only as good as the quarterback plays. Well, that's just about anywhere, Coach. So we appreciate the information. You know, it's a, that's life of the National Football League. And he's certainly been around from Peyton Manning to Carson Palmer. I mean, he's been around a lot. Ben Rufflesberger, he's seen really great quarterbacks. He's been very fortunate in his entire career that when he's got a good one, they win. You know, Tampa Bay is too good to go nine and seven. I don't think that they'll fall off the cliff that bad. I know they got the Chiefs coming up and that's not an easy game, but they've got enough wins there.

They'll get to 10 and 6 or 11 and 5. They're going to get to the postseason. But I do think it's certainly a different mentality or different relationship because of how public Bruce is about Tom Brady. A lot of times when you're hiring a coach in the NFL, like Kyle Shanahan was kind of a no-brainer. He'd succeeded multiple times as a coordinator. Everybody kind of knew, oh, he's going to be the next good one. And then there's guys that you've got to kind of take a flyer on.

young guys, Sean McVeigh, you think there's something there, and there is. And then there's John Gruden. He's successful, and I'm going to take a decade off out of the league. And I look at it, I didn't think it would work. So, you know, Joe Gibbs was gone for a while, and it was a little bumpy when he came back, although, you know, Joe was really, really smart.

But would you have, I thought the hiring of John Gruden was fascinating, because I think as a GM it would have been hard to hire. He had money and ego. It was bumpy at the end in Tampa, 10 years off. I guess my question to you is, could you have hired him and are you surprised by the results? Because I think they're a pretty darn good team. No, I absolutely could have hired John. And I think the difference is, I think a lot of people look at it and say, well, he's away from football.

But as you know, being in this industry, you know, John was never away from football. I mean, he had to study for all those Monday night games. He'd watch tape. He'd have coaches over. He had his own little bunker in Tampa where people could. come and just sit down and talk ball with him. He stayed very focused in football and the trends. I can remember before the draft of Derek Carr. We were both sitting down in Chicago waiting for the first round. I think they'd fall through and, you know, I was talking

to him about the quarterbacks and he looked at me. He's like, who's your favorite guy? And I said, Derek Carr. And he's like, that's my guy too. And I said, I know it is because he's type A competitive just like you are. So I'm not surprised at John's having success because, you know, he wouldn't have come back unless it was about to prove something because he had. all the other things you're talking about. You know, I was saying the other day that Carson Wentz and Lamar Jackson are in similar situations. The difference is that Carson Wentz has been going through it longer than Lamar, where I think their organizations like them, but I do think there are private meetings and discussions and calls

being held within the Eagles and the Ravens saying, do we have a problem here? With Wentz, it's his reckless nature. And with Lamar, it's the new defenses, which are being mimicked week after week, which force him to throw on the outside. Now, I think Lamar, I think both of their issues are probably coachable. And I don't think Lamar's at the point

where Wence is, but if Lamar had four more games where he literally struggled to throw the ball outside, I do think it would become a Wence issue where it's like, what do we got here? It's talent, but can we break through this? I mean, like, can you

save Wence? Let's just start with Wins. Can you save where he's at now? I think you can save Wins. I do think that Wynch is not comfortable. You can see the confidence of everything on the football field. But the thing that I think a lot of people are forgetting is his security blankets. And what he had last year, look, Erch and Goddard have only played three games together combined this year.

When you take Ertz, Goddard and Alshon Jeffrey from last year, they caught 189 balls and 15 touchdowns. You take them in 2020 and they've only caught 47 balls and three touchdowns. That's the difference between Carson Wentz having guys that are easy throws, you know, maybe five, 10-yard throws. Also on Jeffrey's got such a great catch rate. He doesn't have those guys. And I think that's killing him right now.

And I think that's hurting his confidence of saying, I don't know if I trust anybody. And now he's holding on the ball and fumbling and turning it over more. So I think he needs to get that crew back together or a likeness of it. And I think you'll see Wentz start to kind of come out of the shadows that he's in. What about Lamar? Well, to me, Lamar, what defenses are doing are trying to make him a quarterback, right? And it's not like he can't play quarterback.

But if you look, like when he still breaks free, you still see those explosion runs. You want to see all 2019. You still see him somewhat in 2020. But if you'll notice, his rushing yards are way down, even though they're still going to be on pace for, what, 7, 8, 900 yards. He had 1,200 last year. And I think that everybody's trying to contain him and make him beat you throwing the ball. And it doesn't mean he can't do it. It's just not as easy for him.

And so I think that's the thing that teams are doing. So in that situation, I think having this run game and being, with, willing to, I think, from an offensive standpoint, is putting them out there. I think also they've been a little bit more of, like, not as willing to put Lamar out there in terms of an injury prone, and they're trying to protect him a little bit from himself. I think Lamar's game is what he does. And I think that, you know, defenses are trying to, again, keep him in the pocket. And I think the play call has been kind of the same way. You know, everybody has a specialty. You know, in the sports casting realm, some of us are talk show hosts, some of us are play-by-play

guys. Some of us are reporters. And with general managers, I have. I always wonder this. I think I know the answer, but your job is to know football every position. But there are GMs. They'll give you less need. Boy, he's good drafting wide receivers and D.Bs. I mean, he is really good. They're wide receiving core.

He's good with running backs, DBs, like skill positions. And he admits it. Like he really, he zoned in on that. And I'm not saying he doesn't do a good job everywhere else. but I look at the Rams and I'm like, God, New England can't get one wide receiver right. The Rams can't miss on any of them. Are there teams and GMs, and you can include yourself here, where you do feel like around the league, the Steelers and wide receivers and linebackers, that certain teams drafts certain positions well,

and if so, why? Yeah, no, I do agree. I mean, think of Kevin Colbert and wide receivers in Pittsburgh and what he's been able to do now with Chase Claypool. hitting another second round. You know, so, you know, I think there is a couple things at play there. Number one, yes, you know, Kevin Colbert's scout, less need scout, I was a scout. We all got raised scouts. I would sit there and go back and say, if you had to pick my best position I drafted,

it was probably linebacker. You know, it was Levante, David, Dakota Watson played 10 years, Mason, Foster, played nine years. Those guys all played a long time in the National Football League. So my weakness, you know, I think you have to sit there and look at it and go, it's a lot to do with your area scouts, how confident you are in those area scouts and how consistent they've been in terms of researching character and love of the game because that's so much hard things to put your finger on how much they love the game and so your

area scouts that are really tied into schools you're going to get a little more confidence in saying I'm going to go back to that scout again because I know that he knows what he's talking about you know SMU or LSU or UCLA or wherever it is and that is part of it but I think part of it's also that there's just a natural place where you've got to see where your weak spot is and when you sit there and say you know I'm not good at that spot you've got to trust the people around you, and I think that's where Lesneed does a good job. Trusting, even though, you know, you're going to miss because Bill Pulling has a beautiful gold jacket and a wonderful ring, but he didn't get them all right either, and we all don't,

and that's the hard part about football. Yeah, it does feel like quarterbacks are hitting more, though, Mark. Yes. I mean, I watched Zach Wilson last year, and I watched him this year, and I'm like, last year, I'm like, I think it works in the NFL. Then I watched them this year. I'm like, oh, yeah, that works in the NFL. Like, these young quarterbacks, the game's changing, schemes are coming college to pro up the interstate more regularly.

I watched Mack Jones. Last year I'm like, that's not an NFL quarterback. I watched Kyle Trask at Florida two years ago. I'm like, nah, too many mistakes. I watch him with Dan Mullen, and I'm like, oh, yeah, he's got me a first or an early second round pick. Are there ever, like, positions where the culture evolves and guys in things that you used to count on don't matter anymore? Oh, I do think the quarterback position is a lot more unique because we're finally at the stage where, you know, these are the young guys that, you know, played seven on seven all through high school. You know, these are the guys that started playing, you know, ball and being very focused into passing game at a very early age where it used to be just organized team football.

It's changed. And the elite 11th, you know, we know all about that. And so it's been a thing where I think this position's been pushed in terms of how these kids have been trained. and there's a lot of more, I think, individual training that's going on at a younger level than ever before because there is a big business in it, but also because it's proving. So I think kids are good athletes. I think there's more openness to what you talked about in terms of college game, come to the pro game, and it's working. And so I think it's opening up that many more avenues for all these quarterbacks.

But yes, I agree. I think as much as you're still going to have guys that are going to be hot and cold or some guys are going to hit and some guys aren't, you know, this is an amazing movement we're seeing at the quarterback position. in the National Football League right now. Over 20 years of NFL scouting and front office experience. He's a friend. I really like you, Mark. I love having you on. You're smart, always.

And thanks for coming on again. Thanks, brother. Have a good Thanksgiving, man. All right, you too. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news.

Well, the Steelers might be 10-0, but the run game hasn't been great for them this season. They're ranked 21st in the league with only 120. 2.2 rushing yards per game. But Ben Rothesberger defended his team's ground attack saying, I don't think it really matters how many times we run or throw as long as we win the football game. We need to run the ball X amount of times.

No, we don't. We need to win a football game. And that's what we've been doing. That's true. I mean, I think people are looking in general for what the hole is with the Steelers, because we feel really confident about what the Chiefs are doing, even though they have one loss and the Steelers don't. But to me, I feel like the Chiefs,

We've seen this version of the Chiefs win a Super Bowl earlier this year. So even though they have a loss and the Steelers don't, we know what this particular group of men can do. And while we've seen the Steelers, obviously, win Super Bowls before, this is a new group of Steelers, even with Ben and Mike Tomlin's still there. The game on Thursday against the Ravens is going to be postponed until Sunday. Steelers players not too particularly happy about it.

Judu Smith-Suster tweeted, the NFL takes away our bye week because another team can't get their COVID situation together. Now they take away our Thanksgiving primetime game for the same reason. Shaking my head. Eric Ebron tweeted, I'm not going to lie. This is Bull Bleep. And so there's some other tweets out there as well. People are Chase Claypool tweeted, what a joke.

They're obviously upset. And it's understandable. But at the end of the day, there are a lot of tests for the Ravens, a lot of positive tests. And they're trying to make sure that it's contained. They've had seven players test positive in the past three days, and they need to make sure that the outbreak is contained before they put the Steelers at risk as well, which then could eventually put other teams at risk.

So it is a COVID situation. It's not because the NFL doesn't want the Ravens to play with, you know, it's trying to make it easier on the Ravens because their roster is depleted due to COVID. It's because they don't want it to continue to spread and then spread to the Steelers, which would affect their season. So obviously disappointing that it had to move, but the NFL is just trying to keep everybody.

safe. It's not about a depleted roster. So Tom Brady struggled again Monday night, throwing two interceptions and the loss to the Rams. But Ariens doesn't think the problem is Brady's confidence in this new offense. He thinks Brady is struggling with continuity instead. We have Tom calling a lot of his own. We're picking his own on the sidelines, you know, from the game plan. So I don't think it's a confidence problem whatsoever. It's just still some, it's not lack of trust. It's just lack of continuity within the offense of the whole picture. Way to go. He said we've got, we've had guys open.

We just missed them. He's thrown nine interceptions this season and 11 games. He threw five interceptions through 11 games last year and eight interceptions all of the 2019 season. We've talked about this a lot that there were, when we were coming into this season, teams that had a new quarterback or a new head coach or both, they're going to struggle a little bit. And we need to give them a little bit of space. The problem is when you're Tom Brady. and you're the goat that comes with expectations. This is probably true.

It's just a continuity thing. I mean, if you look at the interceptions that he threw last season compared to this season with the weapons that he had last year compared to this year, you would think it would be much easier this year. But Tom Brady is not that kind of quarterback. It's not that he's a system quarterback. He's a precision quarterback. He's going to throw where you're supposed to be.

He knows how everything is supposed to go before the play even starts. And that takes everyone being on the same page. And in New England, that's what it was. There was no accepting of mistakes. There was no acceptance of not being where you're supposed to be. And that's just not the culture of the environment in Tampa. And they're still working on that. That takes a little bit of time in the COVID-shorten season.

It's not surprising that that's happening. It's just that there's major consequences to that happening because there are expectations with Tom Brady. So while the Bucks have been making moves and hopes that Janus will sign his Supermax extension, Anthony Davis has been waiting to sign his new deal with the Lakers. And those two delays may be connected. Brian Winhurst reported that if Yannis chooses to forego his extension and become a free agent next year, AD could sign a one-year deal to get the Lakers flexibility in order to lure him to L.A.

Did you imagine that? That's almost the KD to Golden State where the rest of the league would like just be upset. I mean, I don't love it. I can't say I don't love it because I root for chaos and this is chaos. I don't necessarily love it. I do think, I do like to see people challenged. Like, nothing against Golden State, but the first year was a joke. Now, the second year, they started falling apart physically, right?

Like, you got a break. But the dynasties never last as long as you think. First of all, they never, ever do. But I do think that would feel almost, like if Davos-Sweeney retired and sent his best 10 players to Alabama, is it good for the sport? No, I mean, it feels a little bit silly to have A.V., Janus, and LeBron. Even LeBron in his later years altogether in Los Angeles with the Lakers. It feels a bit silly. It would be better if Janice left.

Obviously, I'm a heat fan. But if he went to the heat, or even at this point, if he went to Golden State because, you know, Clay's injured, so they're not the same team. But, yeah, for him to go to the Lakers would be absurd. It would not be good for the league. No. It would be villains galore. It would change the Lakers from what is now, well, at least this year was a feel-good type of season, despite everything that was going on.

Like, even if you hated the Lakers, you could at least, you know, be happy for how it ended. You know, starting off the season with the, you know, obviously the Kobe tragedy and everything I went through. That would flip it. You're going to be villains just like that. But I don't think this will happen. I think it would create some indifference, too. People would be so angry. They'd just shut it out.

Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lye News. Smart guy, great coach. Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern, joining us next. Really good dude. Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific.

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

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

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

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

What the hell does George Bush got to? I 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. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year

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He was a linebacker at Northwestern, and I remember watching him play. Currently, his team is 5-0, first in the Big Ten West. 15th year is a coach at Northwestern. Western, which in the 70s and 80s, you could argue, was the worst program in the country. It is now a player. They just beat Wisconsin, a huge win. They're 5-0.

He's gone to nine bowl games in 14 years. Total credit to the sport. Pat Fitzgerald is joining us. So I don't know if I've talked to you before. I've been a fan for years. But let me start with this. I know James Franklin can coach. I know PJ Flet can coach, and I know Harbaugh can coach, Pat.

and yet COVID has unraveled their programs a little bit. You guys are better than ever. Is there a secret sauce to this? Because I'm watching good coaches with good programs struggle with it. How have you gotten through it and flourished? Well, thanks, Colin. I appreciate the kind words. It's great to be on with you.

And the credit goes to our players. You know, they've done a terrific job. Knocking on what here hit my head. We haven't had a guy test positive since we reported to camp. Wow. And they're just doing a great job. They're so disciplined. They're so focused.

And same thing with our families. You know, as our families come into town, we've worked hard with our medical teams to educate everybody. And so far, so good. You've got a rare, unique private school. It's one of the great – if you're a media person, Northwestern is the best school in the country. And it's not really debatable. I couldn't get in, obviously. So – and the reality is you recruit a different player in many instances.

Is there an advantage to that? That you can't always get what everybody can, but you get a different player sometimes. Is there an advantage to you in that recruiting? Well, I've been here a long time, my friend. I was here as a player, as you alluded to, and now assistant coach and head coach for a number of years. I think we recruit great players that are outstanding athletes

that are terrific football players that are incredibly talented that fit who we are. And we know who we are. We're proud to be the number ninth-ranked school in the U.S. News and World Report. We've got the highest graduation success rate in the country. And, you know, we're very proud of that. We don't run from that. We actually embrace it. We believe that's one of our edges. And there's a lot of really intelligent guys that are really, really good football players. And as we sit here right now, we've got more guys in the NFL than we've ever had. And I expect that the group that I get the privilege to coach right now, we're going to have a bunch of these guys go on to play in the NFL. So, you know, it's not your dad or your grandfather's Northwestern. anymore. I mean, this is a program that's been built over years. You alluded to our consistent success in bowl games. And, you know, I think maybe we have to eliminate the step backwards like we had last year from a success standpoint. But, you know, just proud of these guys.

They're really grinding. We've had two really good days of practice getting ready for a road test up here this weekend with Michigan State. And they just seem so focused right now. It's a fun to be around them. Are you worried about the state of college football if the pandemic? goes into next year because of the budgets. Not everybody can be Ohio State or Texas. There are some budget concerns. Are you worried?

Are you guys up against it a little bit financially if this thing extended to another year? Yeah, I think we all have to be conscious of it. There's no question that it's problematic, big time, everywhere across college athletics. And I think it impacts the Northwesterns. The Big Ten schools, you know, maybe you'd say a little less than maybe the group of five. and below. But, you know, we've done everything we can to make sure we mitigate our costs this year in preparation for, you know, the long haul. And, you know, I feel comfortable and confident that we'll be able to do with withstand the pandemic. But my bigger concern is the health

and safety of our players, our families, our staff, everyone that we love. And then, you know, everybody in the country, you know, this is real. We're fighting it. And we're so thankful here on Thanksgiving week for all those in the health care industry providers. providing support, providing the medical treatment. I mean, I can only imagine what the nurses and doctors and those that support those two great caregivers. It's something that we're very thankful for. I ask PJ Flect this, so I'm going to ask you this, is that you've obviously had offers to go elsewhere and make a lot more money, and at some point you had good parents. I know you did, and I don't know your backstory. But if you could share with my audience,

You're a guy that is loyal, hardworking, you persevered. It's never easy at the Stannfords and the Northwesterns. It's a little harder road. What were your parents like? Yeah, well, great from suburban Chicago here. My mom and dad grew up in the south side of Chicago. My grandparents immigrated. You know, my folks didn't go to college.

They were hardworking, blue-collar Chicagoans, and I got the great privilege. to have an opportunity to play Big Ten football here at Northwestern. And that was a game changer for me personally. It was a game changer for my family and just very thankful and indebted to this great university. And then, you know, when we lost Coach Walker back, you know, 15 years ago now, which seems like yesterday, you know, to have Mark Murphy and President Bean and have trust in me to help get the program through the tragedy. And now to, you know, fast forward to Morty Shapiro and Jim Phillips,

president and director of athletics to have the trust and confidence in what we're doing as a program. You know, we're the highest GPA we've ever had. It's our highest rank academically as university. It's the number one graduation success rate now, you know, ranked, you know, where we're at in the top 10. It's the full package here. And again, we look at it the other way around. I mean, maybe those that haven't been at the places like us and some of our peer institutions look at it as an excuse. We look at it the other way around. It's the reasons why we should be consistently successful. We recruit high character young men from great families that buy into the concept of team. And football is still the ultimate team game.

And if you got a quarterback playing well, you probably got a chance at most of our school. So we got one playing well right now in Peyton Ramsey. Ever had a player that's smarter than you? Each and every one of them. Yeah, right now our long snap for Tyler Gilliken is actually enrolled in the Feinberg School of Medicine here as a fifth year player. I mean, that's what you get when you get Northwestern. You know, you get a school that can provide it all. It's going to give you the top 10 education.

It's going to give you a chance to be in the top 10 football program and compete for championships. And we believe we prepare our guys for life. And no matter what happens with football and just proud of being in my role. You know, this is home for me. And just really proud to see our guys having success because when guys work hard and their high character guys, when they have the success and the reward for that type of discipline, something that's really special. So your long snapper could get hurt and actually perform his own medical service on him? That's a really amazing. Talk about a dual threat. By the way, my wife's a

Chicago girl. So I love Chicago. And we just, about a year ago, bought a little place on Pearson Street. We love downtown Chicago. We think it's amazing. It's my favorite big city in the country. So I got a minute left. If I'm with my wife and I'm like, honey, let's go out. I want to surprise my wife and go somewhere. It could be north end. It could be anywhere for dinner. Where would you, anywhere, anywhere. Where would you surprise your wife? Oh, yeah. Well, we're home bodies right now. But there's so many great places here in Chicago to limit it to one. I mean, the guy's down to Valerre if you're going for Italian or it's unbelievable. I'm a big fan of Maple and Ash.

Maple and Ash. Great places. If you get up. up here on the north side where I'm at. A hole in the wall. Got some great Italian. There's a great new steakhouse in Wilmette, Sophia. I mean, there's a lot of great. I'm just going to the last place as we went out of date. You're a coach.

You only get like four of those a year. Yeah, that was good for the year, man. Hey, Pat, good luck to you against Michigan State and a guy I like a lot, Mel Tucker. Keep it up. Couldn't be happier. And love Chicago and Northwestern what you're about, man. Thank you. Well, I appreciate you, brother.

and to all of our great Wildcat fans out there listening. Happy Thanksgiving and Go Cats and to you and your family, Connie. Happy Thanksgiving, buddy, thanks a lot. All right, Pat Fitzgerald. Boy, he is a class act. What a great program. They've gone to, yeah, when I grew up in the 70s,

Oregon State and Northwestern were the worst programs in the country. They just beat Wisconsin. Wisconsin's good, folks. Wisconsin's a top 10 program. And they shut them out. I mean, 17-7. They just put the hammer on them. And their facilities at Northwestern, you can look up their facility.

Have you seen their new facilities? I haven't seen them in person. They're right on the lake. I'm not joking, Joy. The wait room, you're doing a bench press. You stand up, the waters, right? It's just incredible. So good for Pat Fitzgerald and all you smart Northwestern football players and alums.

Yeah, I couldn't get in there. So I went to eastern Washington, the Harvard of the Palouse. Okay. Hour three. Next. It's the herd in Los Angeles. Want more Herd? The Herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart Radio app.

Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. 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 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, Cliver 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, unfilts of 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 Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is 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 be. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.