The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 12/11/2020 - HOUR 1 - Patriots, Steelers, Rams

Episode Date: December 11, 2020

The Patriots have a very weak offense and it showed last nightThe Steelers will most likely lose to the BillsThe Rams somehow stay healthyGuest: Doug Gottlieb Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Wherever you may be, however you may be listening, IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, FS1, one hour from now off a winning week, off a winning week, Blazing Five. Love the Blazing Five this week, going after some of the biggest games this week. And Joy Taylor is joining me on a Friday. Joy, I've got a sweater on.

I'm headed to a little ski trip this weekend. We're matching. We are matching. I'm excited. I have my ski season start for me with my kids this weekend. That is going to be fun. Oh, my God, I love it. Get some outdoor, fresh air.

Yeah, God, don't I need. Doesn't it feel good to, like, it's so weird how much you appreciate fresh air now? When I'm, like, in my car and I'm on the highway, all the windows are down, I'm like, safe air. Safe air. Good to have you in. So what you saw last night, this is what a New England offense looks like against the top five defense. Ten first downs, 200 total yards, three for 16 on third and fourth down.

And the quarterback, nine for 16 and a 53 quarterback rating. For the record, they scored six points against the good San Francisco defense and three against the Rams. This is with the best football coach in the history of the National Football League. That's what they are. It doesn't matter who the quarterback is. The goat left. Cam looks inept. The difference between quarterback, wide receiver, tight end running back talent, New England or Rams, isn't even close.

And by the way, what we saw last night and what we've seen this year, it's called Greg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs. The system, the coach. the system. Then Tim Duncan got old. They won less. Tim Duncan retires and they're completely irrelevant. The Spurs are the third best and most relevant team in Texas. Systems need stars. They don't just need them. They're dependent on them. Phil Jackson's system, Shaq and Kobe won championships. And Kobe and Gasol, you can win championships. And Kobe and Gassall, you can win championships. And Kobe himself with a triangle offense is swept in the first round. Phil Jackson, how'd he doing?

Michael left for baseball. The system doesn't work as well. It's not that you need stars for a system. You're totally dependent on them. New England, though, fell into something I've seen so many times. Old, successful men. The more they won, the more arrogant they got, the more they talked about how great the system was,

the less they listened to anybody outside of their sphere. God, I've seen this in broadcasting. I've seen it in football. I've seen it in every business. And then we have a cultural change that the league is becoming more weapons-based. Tight-in, wide receiver, running back quarterback. Of the teams, I think, can win the Super Bowl today. Green Bay, Kansas City, Cleveland, Rams, St. Seattle, Tampa, Buffalo.

They don't all have great defenses. They don't all have Hall of Fame coaches. They've all got weapons. New England's now six and seven. They will not make the playoffs. They have no momentum. They don't have a current quarterback. They don't have a future quarterback.

I know Belichick can coach defense. Best ever. I know he can coach special teams. probably best ever. But offensively, this is why Brady left. You can't win big in this league, even with the world's best coach, a top 10 defense, great special teams when you have a BB gun for an offense. If you took the top 10 skill players in that game last night, quarterback, receiver, tight end running back, the Rams have all 10. Damien Harris is the only patriot that is close, but it's the system, it's the system, it's the system.

They're dependent on stars. And Sean McVey, by the way, he's got a system too with a bunch of good players. Belichick's a great coach the best ever. But I've seen it. So was Popovich. But I've seen it over and over. Mid-70-year-old legend, the more they win, the more you read about the system, the more they think they know, the less they let anybody in.

And the system has value. But the spurs don't have a star, and the Patriots don't have a quarterback. And no great coach or system can win with it. You watched. You've seen it twice this year when they face the top defense. Six points against the Niners, three against the Rams, 10 first downs, a 53 quarterback rating. Watch the games.

Systems have value, but they are wholly dependent on stars. The Kobe, the Shaq, the MJ, the Pippin, the Brady, the Duncan. All right, let's, you know, big game this weekend. I think Buffalo is going to hand it to Pittsburgh. And people have said, you know, you are rough on the Steelers this year. Well, no, because, hey, I don't just look at records, and that doesn't define how good you are. The Steelers have a problem and it's a problem that doesn't actually sound like a problem. If I said to you, listen, Pittsburgh this year, man, they are Big Ben, they have never

leaned on Big Ben more than now. That's actually a big problem and there's numbers to back it up. When Ben first came in the league 2004 to 2011, the Steelers were not Big Ben reliant. In fact, their passer ranking was 32nd in the league, but they won 70% of their games, 10 and 4 in the playoffs, with three Super Bowl appearances. The last eight years, they become increasingly dependent on Big Ben. His passer ratings gone up as a team their fourth in the NFL in throwing, but now they win 64% of their games, have won only three of their last seven playoff games.

with no Super Bowl appearances. Pittsburgh doesn't even now try to run the football. And this runs kind of counterintuitive with what you would think. You'd think in baseball you'd want guys that can hit home runs. But the home run champs historically in baseball don't win the World Series. In the NBA, you'd think, oh, I want to get the best score. Scoring champs last 50 years do not win championships in the NBA. Shacked it at once, Michael Jordan a couple times.

They don't. You'd think having the scoring champ in the home run. It doesn't work that way. In football, it's the same thing. The more you lean into your quarterback, even if he's great, the less chance to win a Super Bowl. So Aaron Rogers' Super Bowl year, where was he in past attempts in the NFL?

14th. Russell Wilson's Super Bowl winning year. What was he in attempts? 22nd. Well, what about Patrick Mahomes last year? 18th. Now, he did miss a couple of games. Big Ben is number one by a mile in the NFL.

It runs counter to what you would think would work. Oh, you got a scoring champ in the NBA. Oh, you got, you got the home run hitters. You got to have a quarterback you lean on. Josh Allen. Now, think about Buffalo, because Buffalo is going to beat Pittsburgh this weekend. So Josh Allen, they got him Cole Beasley. Great slot.

They got him Stefan Diggs. They have John Brown. They're not much of a running team. But he's only ninth in attempts. And he looks like, next to Mahomes, one of the two best young quarterbacks in the league. He's ninth. And they don't have much of a running game. So let's go to Aaron Rogers this year.

Well, I mean, Ian Devonny Adams. They're 13th in passing attempts. The more the Steelers lean in to Ben, the worse the Steelers are. And it's not a shot at Ben. Here's an interesting number for you. In Big Ben's career, when they've asked him to throw, now he's throwing 50 times a game now, just 35 times or more, they're a 500 team, 51, 48, 1.

When they've asked him to throw less than 35, he's 104 and 20. It's not a shot at Ben. It's not a shot at Rogers or Russell or Mahomes. But we think scoring champs, home run champs, and lean into the star quarterback wins. It doesn't. Even Ben needs a serviceable running game. Pittsburgh's just stopped even trying to run a football. I mean, just goes to my say it out loud theory.

Yeah, as this team, it's really good. They ask our quarterback to throw over 50 times a game. That's like Canadian football. That's like Big 12 football. And Big 12 champs don't beat SEC champs because they have running games. Good stuff today. Also, I thought you saw something. Not a great night for Cam Newton.

Not sure what his future is. Blazing five top of next hour. But there's a remarkable thing going on. And I wish I had an answer with the L.A. Rams. and many of the top teams cannot solve this dilemma. It is the enigma and the question mark in the league. And the Rams, more than anybody in the NFL, have solved it. And I'll explain that on the other side.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

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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 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 Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Keer Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tript Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we

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Good to have you in, blazing five top of next hour. So the LA Rams are a little bit like their rival, the 49ers. We think of the 49ers Kyle Shanahan as an offensive genius. But they got to a Super Bowl last year because of their defense. It allows Garoppolo when he's healthy to be a complimentary player. The L.A. Rams, McVeigh, we think he's an offensive genius. They're really built around their defense. It allows Goff to be a complimentary player.

He had one great throw in the opening drive, one huge throw in the third and fourth quarter. He's allowed to be a complimentary player. And when the L.A. Rams can write the script of a game, McVeigh's 34 and O leading at half. And last night, you could tell in the opening drive, oh, they're right. the script. They're controlling the tempo. They're controlling the line of scrimmage. And golf is comfortable. When they write the script, they're very uniquely built to beat the NFC. I don't know about Kansas City and Pittsburgh. I don't know. But there are 8 and 0 against NFC teams not called the Niners, winning by an average of 11 points. When they can write the

script, they're really as good as anybody in this league, including, we saw a couple years ago, including Mahomes, Andy Reid and the Chiefs. We saw that in L.A. Last night they wrote the script. Green Bay doesn't love to be physical. They can do that. Seattle bad offensive line. Meet Aaron Donald.

Tampa. Who's got Mike Evans? Oh, Jalen Ramsey. Put heat on Tom. They did. They really match up with everybody very well in the NFC. But here's something else about the Rams and it's very unique. For the third year in a row,

they are remarkably healthy. Tampa, injuries all year to their stars. Dallas, Philadelphia for three years, Seattle fell apart last year, Pittsburgh, Devonte Adams Green Bay. Rams don't suffer any injuries. What about Todd Gurley? Yep, shipped him off, solved it immediately, Cam Acres. Like, they figured that out within a season.

Andrew Whitworth has hurt. Well, they've drafted well. They've got a good young player behind him, and Andrew's coming back. He'll be on our show later. Everybody's going to have injuries. Nobody's saying you go through a season without them. The Todd Gurley dilemma, they had a winning record even with that. But now they have three legitimate running backs.

Is it because they don't hit as much in practice? They don't. They just don't. They don't hit as much in practice. Sean McVeigh was the first coach to do this two or three years ago. I forget, Joy, no starters play in the preseason. No significant starters. Everybody blanched, oh, whoa.

And he's like, why? He didn't play any of his starters. Now everybody in the league copies it. They have the least hitting in the NFL during practice. Oh, you can't do. I just saw Lamar Jackson have one practice over two weeks and beat Dallas. I think they're on the precipice. They're doing some things culturally that nobody else is doing.

And you look around this league. It is an attrition league. The Niners have fallen apart. Pittsburgh's falling apart. Dallas, Philadelphia, Seattle last year. The Rams are for the third. year in a row overwhelmingly healthy. I mean, I look at them right now.

They are Whitworth away from having everybody. Three healthy backs. Five healthy receivers. Two healthy tight ends. Four healthy offensive linemen. Gough not getting hit much has never missed a game. Aaron's healthy. Brockers healthy.

The secondary has one safety. And by the way, this team drafts a bizarre number of safeties. One safety banged up. All the rest of them, good, young and healthy. So there's a little secret sauce to this cultural movement in the NFL about it's a weapons league. Nobody's weapons stay healthier than the Rams. I don't have an answer for it. They've obviously drafted well.

They've got very few whiffs. So if Gurley's out, boom, they've got it solved. Robert Woods misses a game. Boom, they've got it solved. But some of this, maybe it's luck. I just don't believe in coincidences, fate and luck. Once again, last night, against one of the more physical teams, New England, not a single player walked off Hurt.

Like, that's just the way the RAM games go. Joy with the News. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Hird Line News. By the way, Wittworth, Hurt, coming back, and they have a great left tackle from TCU

backing him up, who played really well last night. Their offensive line looked great. Look fantastic. Goff sacked one time last night, I think. Yeah. That stadium is amazing. Oh, my God.

It is unbelievable. It's great. I feel so. so bad. You get a new stadium and nobody can go to it in LA. And LA is very restrictive compared to other states. It's like beyond restrictive. It's specifically just Los Angeles too. Like not even Orange County. Right. Just LA County. We are the only place on Earth, well, not on Earth in America where COVID still exists. So Baker Mayfield is coming off his best game of the season throwing over 300 yards and four touchdowns in the win over the

Titans and the Browns GM, Andrew Barry. I was very impressed with the growth that he has shown in his third NFL season. I think Baker deserves a lot of credit in terms of how he's approached this year. I don't know that the challenge of going into a third offensive system, no off season can be appreciated enough. Externally, that's no easy task for any player, let alone a young quarterback. I think everyone can see his growth really from quarter to quarter to quarter. over the course of the season, and he certainly deserves a lot of credit for the work that he's put in.

Yeah, no, I think he does. I totally agree. Now, it does help. I think their offensive line right now this morning is the best in the NFL, and I don't think it's really arguable. So, not taken away, but that is a huge part of this league. When Dak came into this league as a rookie, and now Cowboys had the best old line on the league by a long shot, he went 13 and 3. You can't get to the quarterback. And Zeke looked different as well. Yeah, Zeke looks really average right now. Well, I mean, when you look around the league, who are quarterbacks that you think could make it work with just an average offensive line? I think Patrick Mahomes. I mean, he would still not have the numbers he's happening now.

I think Russell Wilson is doing it with an average O-Line. Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes. Lamar, they would just have to rely on the running game more. Aaron Rogers has a quick release, so he would do okay. But he doesn't like to get hit, though. Josh Allen for Buffalo. So there's only a handful of guys that really if you don't have a solid offensive line are not going to be able to do what they do. It unravels almost everybody.

Right. So, you know, there's a lot of factors. And similarly, Carson Wentz, like that's a factor in what's going on with Carson Wentz as well, which is why, you know, his teammates are coming out saying it's not all him. But you do still have to go out there and perform. And Baker is doing that. Not only has he done everything that they've asked him to do, he did show in that last game that he's able to throw the ball still if they need him to do that as well. And that's what you want to be.

You want to be a team that can win multiple ways. The Titans are a good team. They're very inconsistent, but they are still a good team. And that was the best win that they've had. They should be thrilled where they are. They're nine and three. They're a good team. I'm not going to put them great yet.

They're second in the AFC North, obviously, to the Steelers. If they beat the Ravens this weekend, you... It's a Monday night game. That's a great Monday night game. You start getting to a point where maybe you start... You know, I'm going to do my Super Bowl bubble before the end of the hour. I got six teams in it. I'm just saying you're getting close.

It's all I'm saying. Rounds in the Super Bowl bubble? I'd never happened on the show. They've never even been on the periphery of the Super Bowl bubble. They've been on the outside of the bubble. So the Saints have won all three games that Taysam Hill has started this season, and that's gone a long way towards the quarterback solidifying his future with the franchise. According to Jeff Duncan of the Athletic, his performances,

bolstered a team's confidence in Hill as the eventual heir. to Drew Bees' job. Wow. Well, I get, you know, it's just, okay, ask yourself this. So Taysam Hill is doing what Teddy Bridgewater did. Okay, so they're both winning, right? But they do not look the same. They don't.

They're different players. But if Drew would have retired this year and Teddy would have been the starter, I would have been like, yeah, I thought Teddy had like a five-team market. I would have been like, yeah, next two years with Teddy and Peyton. If you start winning the next two games, you get to a point where you think to yourself, You can probably go a year or two with Taysom Hill. I'm not saying nine years. Yeah, I don't think this is a, so I guess, you know, you look too much, I think, into the wording of it, like the future of the franchise.

He's not the future of the franchise. But for the next three years, sure, why not? I mean, he's doing the winning that they're asking him to do. Now, again, I would give more credit to Sean Payton, who's putting his entire team in a position to win. Also, their defense is incredible. It's like the Rams. It's really. stack. And they have a lot of weapons for Tason Hill as well. But he deserves credit. Like he's

going out there and getting the wins. And I mean, I was not sure what to expect. So I'm impressed. This weekend's game is going to be very interesting though. We're all going to be watching because we want to see what Jalen Hertz does for the Eagles. I mean, obviously I think the Saints are going to win that game. I just don't think the Eagles have enough. But they have the Chiefs, Vikings, and at the Panthers left on their schedule. So they don't have an easy schedule for the rest of the way. Drew Breeze, obviously, still injured. So I I think we may see him against the chiefs, depending on, you know, if they feel that he's 100%. He was already practicing last week.

Yeah. So we'll keep an eye on that. But either way, Taysam's doing everything that they're asking him to do. And if Drew Brees retires this year, they already paid Taysam. So why he's, yeah, again. And James is still on the roster. Maybe you keep him as well. So Paul George agreed to a four-year, $19 million max extension with the Clippers.

The team proved their commitment to him long term. And he says he feels an obligation to finally get a year. the Clippers and NBA title. That's what I owe this organization. I love being here. I love the family that I've created in my first year. And this is where I want to be. This is home.

Ultimately, this is where my legacy, where I want to leave the biggest imprint on. Well, in fairness to Paul, because people are going to beat up on Paul for this. They lost Landry Shamet and Montres Harrell. And they don't have a true point guard, as Doug Gottlie has told me. before. They don't. There is a scarcity issue who's on the market. Like, Paul is still a very good

basketball player. I know Paul. Paul's a good dude. He's at the place he wants to play. And there is a reason to believe that he's going to propel you into top seeds in the West going forward with Kauai. So again, we can all say he's getting too much money, but you got to have somebody next to Kauai. And I like Lou Williams, but he's off the bench. They don't have a point guard. They lost two really good bench players. I think in the market, this is what you got to pay. If I ran the clippers, this is what I would pay for Paul George.

Yeah, I mean, it's, every team's going to pay somebody and like, he's a 23 point. You're going to pay him. Yeah, he averaged 21.5 points in the regular season, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists per game. And he defends. He defends.

It's 43, basically 44%, field goal percentage. The problem is, you have championship expectations and he's 41 and 48 in the playoffs in game seven against the nuggets which they never should have gone to in the first place. He had 10 points. Okay, let me defend him though. And again, I've criticized him. Janice hasn't done it in the playoffs. Hardin hasn't done it. Westbrook hasn't done it. Paul George is not making what they're making. So in those people, I'm told, are MVP's.

Paul to me has always been an A minus B plus. I think the criticisms of Paul are fair, but we have a scarcity issue. The Clippers lost a coach, two bench players, and don't have a point. No, they absolutely had to pay him. And I have no problem. I don't care. I'm not paying him. Right. Like, I have no problem with anyone making money. Make all the money you can. And you're right. Like, there's not just, Paul George is just walking around. Like, he's a great player. Not everyone's a champion. That's just, like, that's how, that's really what it is. Like, he can be a great player and not be the key that's going to take them to the next level. To me, it's on Kauai. Kauai is the one that's one ring.

he's the star. Yes. So it's really, to me, the burden of responsibility to bring the Clippers a championship is really on Kauai, but he needs Paul George to do better than 10 points in game seven, which they never should have gotten to in the first place. Yeah. Listen, all these contracts are not ideal. Sometimes you swallow hardest team and you're like, who else are you going to pay?

Again, it's just like, listen, there's a lot of times in life in sports, especially the NBA, you've got to pay a guy and you know it comes with stuff, right? Joy with the news. Well, that's the news. Thanks for stopping by. The herd lie news. My friend Doug Gottlieb, the Dugger, he's got a great podcast, by the way, all ball with Doug Gottlieb on iTunes.

And he is joining me now live, brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing. You know, Paul, you and I were talking on the phone this morning about this, is that, you know, I've seen this a lot in a lot of different areas where I said Popovich and Belichick. They're both brilliant. I don't deny it. But the more you win, it's human nature. You get a little arrogant. You talk more about the system, and systems are really dependent on a Duncan,

or a Brady. They really are. The triangle was dependent on a Michael or the Lake Kobe. And I look at the Patriots today, Doug, and you can talk about system, but that system's, I mean, your takeaway on what you watched last night, that wasn't that competitive. No, it wasn't, but like we're being fair. I think Bill Belichick's maybe done his best coaching job ever this year. That team has won six games. He had eight players opt out with coach. COVID concerns, including Dante Hightower, one of his two best defensive players. The best defensive player in the league was shut down for half the season, most of the season with the Patriots. He doesn't have Julie Nettlement.

Cam Newton can't throw a football. And they have six wins. I actually, I'm going to completely, this morning, I met you halfway on the phone. Now, I honestly completely disagree with you. And you mentioned Popovich. There isn't a system with Popovich. People forget when he first won a championship, he had Tim Duncan, and he had David Robinson.

They ran a dual post system. Then they morphed and changed. There were three different styles they played offensively. Same thing with the Patriots. When Tom Brady first got there, it was about defense, special teams, just scoring enough points. Then, you know, they used their running backs a ton out of the backfield to catch the ball. Then when he had Randy Moss, they didn't win a Super Bowl, but they're the best team in football. They threw the ball deep down the field.

Then late in Brady's run there, everything was underneath option routes. West Welker, Julian Edelman, Danny M. And Dola, right? So it's not the system. It's the idea of how you run a football franchise or a basketball franchise. You're right if you tell me no one's ever done it without players and the Patriots don't have players or championship caliber players and the Spurs don't have championship calip players. You're right there. But where I disagree with you is like you watch that team last night and you're like, oh my God, how do they win a game? They didn't win a game. They won six, six games with that mess. and my takeaway is much like yours.

Cam Newton's washed, and it's a miracle they've won this many football games. Yeah, it became, you know, it's like there's a market for Teddy Bridgewater because Teddy wins and there's a market for Garoppolo. Say what you want. When he quarterbacks the Niners, they win more. Cam ain't win in last 16 games, Carolina, New England, and it looks painful. I mean, his swing passes look. He doesn't transition his body weight. I mean, I don't, I just can't believe you go back to this, right?

if you're New England? I don't know what they do. Obviously, Jared Stim's been waiting for an opportunity. They don't seem to have bought into them. But you and I speak to NFL front office people, different teams, and I talked to three teams who everybody thought were in the market for a quarterback and were mentioned. And they all said the same thing.

Like, I have no interest in camp. It has nothing to do with the hats or the persona or anything. He had shoulder surgery. It wasn't right. He had it cleaned up. It's still not right. and I don't care what you show on YouTube videos or on Instagram in the offseason. He got his body in shape.

No one's ever questioned his body, even or his brain. He can't throw a football accurately. He was never accurate. And now he has some sort of shoulder issue where his throwing motion isn't right. You compound that with the fact that he's never had great fundamentals. And that seems to have slipped. And I don't know how you make Cam Newton a starter ever. His best option, if he wants to stay in the NFL, is to be.

a backup to a guy like Lamar Jackson, where you know, look, he can give you some advice. He's totally respected in the league for what he's been able to accomplish, but he can't be a starting quarterback in the national football league if you hope to win. I think he's got great value in television more so than

on a football. Oh, yeah, so do I. Actually, so do I. I think he's got media written all over him. I want to segue to a couple NBA topics. First of all, I've seen Jason Tatum sign and AD and LeBron, and I'm, you know, I'm seeing guy signed. Some opt out. They come back. Regardless of the mechanism in which they signed,

they all signed, Paul Georgia signed. And Janice has a supermax, which by the way, they're not negotiable. Here's the money if you want it. And he's not signing. I'm trying to read the room here. It's not, unlike the, this is not a negotiable contract. It's a lot of money. Here it is and he's not signing. Is he leaving? What does that mean to you? Well, it's like if you talk to a friend and he's been dating a girl for a year, And you go, is she the one? You're like, I don't know. Yeah, you do.

You know, she's not the one. You just don't want to go through all the hoops of having to start again, find somebody else, right? You know when you know. And it's pretty obvious that he knows. They made a massive deal. And I thought an upgrade in getting Drew Holiday. Drew Holiday, one of the more underrated players in the NBA, he can guard. He can play with without the basketball.

And the Bucks, they have a new practice facility and new arena. everything is set up for him. And if he's not signing, then he's telling you he's leaving. And the interesting part, though, to it is you mentioned contracts. I heard you discussing with joy. Yeah. Here's the thing. This is where the NBA is not the real world.

In any other job in the real world. Even sports. If your corporation, if your business, they underachieve based upon expectation, they don't hit their number. right? And you don't perform well at the most important time. And your leader gets fired. Would you ever think that you deserve the most money that anybody can get in your profession? Like, I get that it's a scarcity issue. But Paul George gives me this, well, this is where I want to be. That's where we don't want to be. And you're loyal. Loyalty is actually taking less money than you could get.

Loyalty is not taking the most money you could get, especially when other members of your team don't believe that you have the stuff it takes to be, a champion. The reason that there's such a disconnect between reality and James Harden, or Kyrie Irving, calling media members what is it, pawns, right? That's what I don't talk to pawns. The reason there's such, because they don't live in the real world, because in the real world, Paul George doesn't get a massive raise after what he threw out there last year for the club. Yeah. No, I mean, even like movie stars, like a George Clooney, if you have two bombs, you don't get the money. Like, like there's an accountability, even in entertainment where we all think everybody's overpaid.

There is an expectation that you have to deliver a hit. But I do think. One would think. Yeah, I mean, it's it's the business of basketball. And listen, there's not, Paul George is a really good player. There's not a lot of guys out there that I'm, you know, I need to, if I want to compete against the Lakers, I got to have a second really good player. What do I do?

Yes, but do you have to give him $226 million? That's $45 million a year. I know. This is very much like if we track the downfall of the Houston Rockets, right? We tracked the downfall. I like the move for Chris Paul. They didn't necessarily love playing together or love being around each other, but it made James Harden better. But remember, Chris Paul gets hurt.

Yeah. It gets hurt in the playoffs. They lose. And the rockets give him the biggest extension anybody could give him at the time because they promised it to him when they acquired him. Well, like, that's fine. But I look, dude, you destroy. our franchise. Then the only person they can trade him for is Russell Westbrook

and then Russell Westbrook makes it worse. And now they fire the coach and the general manager and they trade Russell Westbrook and here we are again where they're a mess. But you can track these bad contracts while they are movable, they can begin the downfall of a championship franchise. I still think the Clippers have a shot

to win this thing. All right, Doug, we got to run. Dugger after our show, All Ball is podcast. It gets a lot of listens as well. It's great. Thanks, man. Thank you. Okay, so I told Joy I only do it about once a month. I do a Super Bowl bubble. And there's always about seven or eight teams that are in.

So I've got mine now. And in the history of the Super Bowl bubble, which is ours exclusively, although we don't own the rights or anything, I've never had Cleveland anywhere sniffing it, not close to it. But some things in life change. And you've just got to adapt.

And we'll talk about that plus blazing five top of the hour coming up next. Be sure to catch live at. 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 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 we'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 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, 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 Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we, are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? 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.

On the road during the holidays, can't afford to have a car breakdown, sign up, customizable, and flexible plans, carsield.com. Top of next hour, we have our blazing five, five picks. We had a three and two week last week. Almost got the Eagles to cover back door. We were crossing our fingers, and Aaron Jones just ruin our life, but that's life.

We still have a winning week. So to me, there's the three NFL games that I'm really going to zone in on this weekend are Minnesota playing Tom Brady and Tampa off a by. Pittsburgh at Buffalo on Sunday night football is a really good Sunday night football game. And then Baltimore at Cleveland on Monday night football. And there's a reason I'm going to watch those games. So I do a Super Bowl bubble. I do it about once a month.

These are the teams, I think, and it's something. Some of them are coming off an ugly loss. Some have an injury I don't like. But they have enough things, I think, that make them a Super Bowl eligible team. So my Super Bowl bubble right now has Buffalo, Kansas City, in the AFC, and the Rams Green Bay Saints in Seattle. I know Seattle's coming off an ugly loss, but I like them right now. Now, the three teams I have on the outside, the perimeter of it, are the three teams in the three big games. If they win or do something that I don't think they're capable of, then they're in. And that

would give us nine Super Bowl teams. And again, one of these could lose this weekend and be out. So let's take Tampa. They're one in three since Antonio Brown arrived. It doesn't fit. They feel like they're forcing it. They're inconsistent. They're off a buy. Ariens and Brady are both great off buys. Strangely, December buys are not as effective as October and November buys in the NFL. It's weird. It's a betting thing. December buys usually aren't as reliable. But if Tampa comes out and can't show me they've used these 10 to 14 days to kind of give me an identity offensively, you know, the Patriot system for years was we don't collect players. We build teams. Right now Tampa looks like they've collected a bunch of players. I don't feel like

there's a symmetry between a run game, pass game. So I need to see them. not only beat Minnesota, even if it's narrow, but do I feel like offensively? Oh, this is what they are. They've got an identity. I don't know what their personality is on offense. Let's talk Pittsburgh. They can't run the football. They're absurdly reliant on Big Ben.

Big Ben in his career is a 500 quarterback since he entered this league when asked to throw over 35 times a game. When asked to throw under it, he's won four to five games. Can they run the ball a little against Buffalo? can they go on the road with an equal team and a young big Ben Josh Allen and get a little bit of a running game? Because if you're asking them to throw in Buffalo in December 51 times, you're not a Super Bowl team. The third is Cleveland. First of all, I think they have the best offensive line in the league. And PFF says, at least they did last week, it's the best run blocking and pass blocking.

That's really rare. That's the Cowboys about four years ago. That is really rare. and that ensures that Baker's going to have time. They have a running game and they're going to win a bunch of games. Trent Dilfer said this years ago, everybody in the NFL when they lose acts the same. They're pissed. They put their head down.

They're focused. What do you do when you win? That's the difference. Some guys buy this. Some guys do that. Some guys, they lose focus. So Cleveland just had, in my opinion, their biggest win in, I don't even know how many years, 10, 15. Like, go to Tennessee, a team that was lightning in a bottle.

last year. Brables, very respected, Derek Henry, and really crush them for the first hour and a half of the football game. Just roll them over. But then Cleveland was awful in the second half. And what are they going to do now? Monday night football, stand-alone game, the nation is turning into CU against the divisional rival. If they put back-to-back wins together, and this is the big TV game, this isn't getting lost on a Sunday, this is everybody's going home to watch Baker and the Browns and its divisional rival, they're off their biggest win. If they go out and they don't even actually, to me, have to win, can they be turnover free? Can they look energized?

Can they be focused? Can they be low on penalties? 26, 24, either way, I'm like, okay, that's a grown-up. Because Baltimore's a real team. I think Baltimore is better than people think. They're a real team. And if Cleveland wins or is really looks smart and, like, adult, like they're into a Super Bowl bubble. So that's where we stand today.

Now, Joy has got another story. It's not worth more than a couple of minutes, but it is an interesting story. The final four in college football right now are Bama, Notre Dame, Clemson, Ohio State. Dabo Sweeney was asked about Ohio State, which only played five games, and he responded with what, Joy, Taylor? Well, he said, you know, he's a coach, so, you know, it doesn't really matter. But if he was on a committee, so he thinks there just has to be some type of standard, if I was on a committee, it would be hard for me to leave out a 10-1 Texas A&M. or an 11-game Florida team over a team that's played six games.

That would be hard for me if I was on a committee, but I'm not on the committee, so it doesn't really matter. Yes, this is a fair argument. Now, I do think the eye test matters. I know people, oh, it's elitist. It's not elitist. Having eyes is not elitist. You have them too.

I don't believe that's elitist. I do believe Ohio State based on recruiting, performance, their wins. It's a crazy year, COVID. I think you just have to adjust, figure it out. The Big Ten did. I would put them in. But I will say if Florida, Dan Mullen, an unbelievable coach with an NFL quarterback, Kyle Trask, played Ohio State, I think it's a very good football game. And it's a go-either-way game.

I would take Ohio State. But it's a go-either-way game. It would be one thing if you looked at Florida, sized them up, and you didn't think they had a good coach, and they had a non-N-Fel quarterback, and you were like, Ohio State would win this game. the line would be around three points. So you've got a world-class coach at Florida and an NFL quarterback in the first round. There's going to be those that argue Florida over, like I get it. Like that's a legitimate argument. I would take Ohio State, but I get the Florida argument and Dabo's argument.

Oh, God. Clemson, Ohio State play, I can't wait. Blazing 5 on a Friday. Next. 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to learn the hard weight with your feet. favorite therapist and hosts Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing.

How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. A win is a win. A win. I don't care what you're 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, unfills 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 Cliford 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's podcast network on TikTok.

This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human.