The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 12/14/2020 - Best of The Herd

Episode Date: December 14, 2020

-The Steelers look old and slow and are not a Super Bowl contender-All running QBs have success early, Jalen Hurts winning doesn't prove anything-Tom Brady and the Bucs were unimpressive again-The Chiefs are not the best team in the NFL right now-Where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong-Colin has conspiracy theory involving the Jets and Trevor LawrenceGuest: Trent Dilfer, Super Bowl Champion Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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 Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversation. with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Thanks for listening to the best of Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRodio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeart Radio app by searching Herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go, live in Los Angeles. This is the herd. Wherever you may be in, however you may be listening, Fox Sports Radio, I Heart Radio,

F-S-1. It is a glorious Monday, one hour from now, where Colin will. was right where Colin was wrong. And there is, as always, plenty of bulk. Joy Taylor-nater-Pittsburg-Gonian is joining me this morning. Pittsburgh Native, Yinser. Yinser. This was not a good weekend for me.

Cains got destroyed by North Carolina. Yeah. I didn't hate the Dolphins loss. It was like a good loss. I'll give it a little moral victory. Not too bad. But yeah, that Steelers game last night was a rough one. So I feel like I've got to be a little bit of Frazier Crane this morning,

a little bit of a therapist for Pittsburgh. They've decided to turn on me all these years of supporting a great organization. And as a therapist, I occasionally give you the truth. And you yell and scream at me across the therapist room. Let's all take a deep breath. Last week, I compared the 11-1. Steelers to a team I love, the Patriots, to last year's eight, no Patriots. And I said, we were giving the Patriots last year and the Steelers this year respect and

elevating them based on their history and our respect and their coach and their quarterback who's going to be a Hall of Famer and their brand. And they had earned our respect. But my job as a therapist is to be honest, go deeper, tell you things maybe you don't want to hear. And I said last year's Patriots and this year's Steelers, you start looking at those wins. And boy, it's a bunch of cruddy teams and very hollow. And when last year did we finally realize New England was a fraud? I remember that session. It was Sunday night football. Baltimore came to town with an energetic, dynamic quarterback and thumped the Patriots 3720.

and New England looked old and slow and heavy-footed and offensively outdated. It's like the calendar wasn't their friend. And last night, the Steelers were finally unveiled to all of you as this young upstart team with a dynamic quarterback Josh Allen made the Steelers look old and slow and outdated. I'm sorry. Look at these numbers. Listen to them. 14 first downs, 47 rushing yards.

One for 10 on third down. 24 minutes time of possession. Big Ben, pass a rating of 65. This is not to say as your therapist. There aren't qualities I admire about you. T.J. Watt is virtually unblockable. And this is a great front office, and their problems are almost immediately solved in the following draft.

But deep down, my client, they know the truth. Steelers, this is not a Super Bowl team. Three straight weeks, under 20 points. You don't scare anybody. You don't even really believe in your running game yourself. And oh, by the way, New England last year did win more games after that thumping on Sunday night to Lamar Jackson. And the Steelers do play the Bengals next week, and they will flex and look strong.

But you know the truth. The Steelers cannot beat quality teams. And we also know this. Life evolves. We evolve. Teams evolves. Steelers good early. Steelers unveiled late.

Patriots last year good early. Patriots unveiled late. And the Patriot diehards. I mean, this is very common. they made excuses and the Steeler fans this morning, what about our injuries? Outside of the Rams, the whole damn leagues banged up. It's December.

It's football. Everybody hurts getting out of bed this morning. And actually, the Steelers defense is fine. It really is. But this offense, this is not a Super Bowl team. Third down, embarrassing. Run game, non-existent. Drop passes once again.

Identity, you have none. Big Ben is. 31st in the NFL in yards per attempt. That is the opposite of the Steelers, who have always physically pushed you around and then had the courage at any time, anywhere to go deep and burn you. This is a BB gun offense. It's outdated. It's slow.

And by the way, New England and Pittsburgh. New England last year, Pittsburgh this year. You know, in games. Nobody's saying Tomlin, Big Ben, don't get to the Hall of Fame. Nobody's saying Bella, check, and Brady don't get to the Hall of Fame. Nobody's saying you'll never win a game. Nobody's saying we're all laughing at you. But this is why you go to a therapist or somebody to tell you the truth.

And this morning, Pittsburgh, the team you lost to is a legit Super Bowl threat. They really are, Buffalo. They got all the ingredients, all of them. And we all saw them last night. And you're not a Super Bowl team. Take a deep breath. It's okay. But at this point, this is just the honest, harsh truth and painful today, solve potentially later, but Big Ben knows it. Tomlin knows it. You know it. Good team, not special. Wait till next year. Here's Big Ben. We need to look in the mirror and it starts with me. I need to play better football because the ball is in my hands every single play. And so when it's in my hands, I need to make the best decision.

And right now I'm not playing good enough football for us to win. If I don't play good enough football, then I need to hang it up. But, you know, I still feel like I can, you know, do enough things to help this team win football games. And I'm going to do everything I can to give us back on track. All right. Enough with being a therapist. Now let's talk about Jalen Hertz and Philadelphia. A lot of Pennsylvania stories today.

So Jalen Hertz got to start, ran around, and won the game. So it's time for another edition of, let's massively overreact American sports media to a quarterback who runs better than he throws. And it's Monday and he's going to change the NFL. Tim Tebow didn't, Kaepernick didn't, Tassam Hill's not, and Jalen Hertz is not. And Lamar Jackson's not. Unique, as we say, multiple times a year. It always works.

Always. The Wildcat worked. It just rarely lasts. And last night the Saints were on their heels. They didn't know what to expect. They kind of sat back and said, all right, here's a bunch of plays we've never seen. And unique works. And Jalen Hertz, yes, was fun. He gave them an identity. The play calling, it was kind of synthesized down to the very core of what he does. Doug Peterson's like, this kid can move. Let's move him. And it's fun. And actually, Philadelphia's defense seemed to respond. They played great. But can the media stop constantly overreacting to unique in the NFL? Jalen is unique. He was the runner more than a thrower, but certainly like Taysam Hill, capable of throwing. But in the NFL, you watched that game last night, the Saints sat back. Let's be honest. Philadelphia didn't really know how their offense would work last night. They didn't know. So the Saints didn't know. And as I said last week, even if Jalen Hertz wins, it doesn't solve the bigger issue. You backed up a Brinks truck for Carson Wentz, and you owe him 100 million plus.

Last night doesn't solve that. Maybe you can move him, maybe you can't. And here's the thing, though, with all young quarterbacks, and especially the quarterbacks that appear to be very fond and very special at the art of running. It's a series, it's a progression. It's a series of boxes. So last night, Jalen Hertz checked the first. Can you win games?

Check. He can win a game. The next box, can you win several games? Looks like he could. Can you win playoff games? So last night, the first box is checked. He can win a game. Now it's several and playoff games.

Since the 1970s, something has always been true in the NFL. you got to sit in the pocket and throw to win. To win big. I mean big. Conference championships, second round, Super Bowls. And that's just the way it is. Unique can work briefly. But you got to sit and throw the football.

Last night, Jalen Hertz averaged about five yards, a pass attempt, and completed like 57% of his throws. Again, it's the first game. The timing could not have been great. It's the first time he's practice as a starter all week. But congrats to Jalen Hurts. it made the, it was funny. You were watching Taysham Hill and Jalen Hertz. You kind of watched a mirror image of each other.

We're not sure if they're going to be franchise game. I thought the game was wildly entertaining. And Jalen added energy. I do believe Philadelphia feels like last night anyway, yesterday. It's a little bit of an identity. It's a little bit of an identity. And I'm happy for the kid. But there are still many boxes to check.

Doug Peterson. Is Jalen your starter next week? And if so, what will the challenge be, you know, now that more tape is out on him? You know, I'm going to enjoy this one. I'm going to go home and relax and be with my family tonight and enjoy this win and get ready for the week. All right. Let's just give the coach a break. Go home, hang out with family, watch the film.

Congrats to Jalen. And for that matter, taste him help. But let's not go crazy. Our job is to add a little bit of context to this. Of course, the Saints were a little lost. They'd never seen it. They didn't know what was coming. They were on their heels.

And Philadelphia played with a purpose and identity and real defense. Good for the Eagles. Good day for the Eagles. 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, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

A win is a win. A win. 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 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 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 do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast.

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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 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.

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Search learn the hard way and listen now. Tampa won. Yippee. But I think at this point, Tom Brady's standards are above winning games. That game against Minnesota looks a lot different if Minnesota had a good field goal kicker. It would look a lot different, totally different. Off a by, Tampa Bay had 17 first rounds, 20 minutes time of possession, and Tom Brady completed 15. throws off a buy against an average Minnesota defense that average quarterbacks have run up and

down the field on. Listen, what I'm about to say is a reality. It's not a criticism. It may be viewed as both. Everybody loves Bruce Ariens. He's a great guy. I mean, they asked Freddie Kitchens, remember the Cleveland coach when he got the job? He worked with Ariens.

What do you remember about him? And he honestly said, he makes the best cocktail. I mean, it's funny. I don't want to hear that. So Bruce Ariens retired once. Why? He was tired of the long hours. He went to CBS to be a broadcaster.

He did a good job, but he never really fully committed, and it showed. And then he goes to Tampa, and he has built the biggest staff in the league to limit the grind. It's starting to show. If you look in the NFL every other weekend, you're facing a Kyle Shanahan, a Sean McVeigh, a young Matt LaFlewer, a Cliff Kingsbury, a Joe Joe. judge, a Brian Flores, young, energy, relentless, 18 hours a day, living it, breathing it, consumed by it, consumed by it, and the energy to handle it. If you're not putting in 18 hours a day, you don't get to see your kids recitals. It's Zoom meetings.

You're going to get exposed really fast in tech and even faster in the NFL. Tampa Bay has one. impressive win all year. They've plateaued. They're fine. They're not bad. But they're not cleaning up their stuff. They're not cleaning it up. This is why they're inconsistent.

I know Tom Brady's obsessed, but I also know Bruce Ariens has retired once, has the biggest staff. I saw the broadcasting thing. It doesn't mean he can't coach. But this league, there are just certain positions that are built for young guys. Too many hours.

He's got five, six assistants on the offensive side, and he's an offensive guy. He's got layers of different offensive coaches. I watched yesterday. They still don't have an identity. All Tampa is is a collection of talented players. They got a country club feel. And the Buffalo Bills are guys that are planning a public course that want to get to the country club, that are hungry to get to the country club, that are putting in the hours to get to the country club,

that are sacrificing to get to the country club. But the bills are on that public course, and those teams on that public course, they are just putting in hours, chasing and chasing. Mike Evans started his career. His first six years in this career, he had six straight thousand-yard seasons.

With Josh McCown, with Mike Glennon, with Ryan Fitzpatrick, with James Winston, he's not close there with Tommy. Come on now. you see this. It's not a shot at anybody.

It's a reality of what they are off a by. It's a lot of talk. It's a lot of chatter. It's a lot of country club stuff. I just don't see the edge here at all. I thought it was an unbelievably startling win. If the Vikings just have a field goal kicker, this game looks completely different.

Here's Ariens after. I think games dictate how much you run it. What's the score at the end of the third quarter? And, you know, we were leading, so it leads to more runs. And Rojo ran really, really well, especially the last drive. And we wanted to set up some play action. Didn't hit it as many as we hoped. But, you know, when asked early this week about our identity,

I think we just showed our identity. We can do any damn thing we want to do. Then why don't you? off a buy. I've seen Andy Reid's teams off a buy. If they got issues, they cinch them all up. I've seen Sean Payton's teams with chaos and backup quarterback and off a buy and they cinch that stuff off.

I've seen Sean McVeigh's team off a buy and they clean stuff up. This should be easier. You got Brady. The most obsessed football player of all time and off a buy. You lose that game if the Vikings have a field goal kicker. You do. Live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. There are bad wins. I thought Tampa's win is concerning off a buy. And there are

concerning, and then there are losses that you kind of feel good about. Like, okay, we're getting there. So Kansas City, I got very lucky. I won this in Blazing 5 in the backdoor cover. I got very lucky. But in the last five days, Kansas City is not dialed in. This is concerning. In their last five games, now this is a gambling thing, but it does translate to real football. They're 0.5 against the spread. What does that mean? That if you look at the numbers, the people who do this, the Foxbat, the professionals who do this, they're underachieving. They're not playing up to who they are. And five straight one possession wins over not a lot of great teams. Yesterday is a

prime example. Miami was missing their three best running backs. They had three rookies playing on the offensive line. They scout team guys. Their wide receivers were Mack Hollins and Linden Bowden and Jeline Grant. They got 370 yards. They got more first downs than Kansas City. They won time of possession against Kansas City. You're talking about Tua, hadn't played football for a year and a half, has a handful of starts, was benched they bring him back.

Three rookies on the offensive line. Your fourth or fifth best running back. Devante Parker's your best receiver. I don't think he played in the second half. This should have been over. This is the Jags yesterday. That's what it should have been. And the last time the Chiefs beat somebody by more than a touchdown was the Jets.

And you saw the Jets yesterday. By the second series, the game was over. So I look at that yesterday. I don't know how it was that close. I do not believe this morning, Kansas City is the best football team in America. I do not. They should be. They could be.

They maybe be. They're not. That's not the best football team in America. giving up 370 yards to three rookie offensive linemen, running backs that probably should play in another league like XFL, CFL, or SuffMFL. And it was in the end of that game. Once again, it got kind of uncomfortable. So it's not a knock on them.

It's just a reality of, I don't think Kansas City is buttoned up. Now, we do have a history of certain teams flipping a switch, but a lot of times like the L.A. Clippers, you can't. Right? Most of the time, electric teams can flip a switch. Not all the time. A couple years ago, the Golden State Warriors, in my opinion, were down three, two, would have lost to the rockets if Chris Ball doesn't get hurt.

They could not flip the switch. They just got comfortable with winning. Offense was too easy. They got into a series with an energized team that matched up well, the rockets. And if Chris Ball didn't get hurt, Houston won in that series. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart radio app.

Search heard to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. All right, Colin right, Colin wrong. I can't come on here every week and have big opinions and not be honest about sometimes I whiff. Here we go to Monday. Where Colin was right.

Another winning week with Blazing Five. We told you Tennessee would be the blowout of the weekend it was. We said Miami and the Bills would win. In fact, we like the bills handily over Pittsburgh. And we also said, of all the games to not bet money in my Blazing Five, I don't bet the Giants much.

Just do a little bit. I didn't feel confident about that. I said potentially they'd be flat and they were. By the way, on the year, we're now one game under 500. If the Browns win tonight, we are at 500 for the year and we're hot. Back-to-back winning weeks. Where Colin was wrong. Got a little ahead of myself on John Gruden coach of the year.

Stop me if you've seen this before. Raiders start hot with Gruden and then melt. Six and three to start. They've lost three of four. Listen, that was just a mismatch in the octagon. You know, Indy is physical, and the Raiders are finesse. Recently, the Raiders defense has given up 44 to the Colts and 43 to Atlanta and 35 to the Chiefs, and the Raiders have fired their defensive coordinator this morning.

You can talk about schemes, but they've done a very good job to rebuild the offense. They've got terrific young offensive talent, better than average offensive line. They got to take some draft picks and rebuild. the defensive front because that was just Big Brother, pushing around Little Brother for three and a half hours. Where Colin was right? The Steelers record, I said, was very misleading. They were a very slightly better than average 11 and 2 team.

They don't have a running game. They have to lead the NFL in short, irrelevant passes. They're bad on third down. They really don't have much of an offensive identity. And we see this all the time in the NFL. Bill Parcell said you are what your record is. You are in the standings. But that doesn't mean records can't be misleading.

And when you watch this offense, what are they? I don't even know. I know what Buffalo is. Scary. What are the Steelers? Overrated. Where Colin was wrong. I'm going to take a wrong on the Patriot season.

So I thought they'd be awful and kind of good early. And I'm like, had it kind of good. And I watched them Thursday and they're awful. And I don't know what's going on with them. nobody in the NFL on a Sunday can almost beat or beat a good team and then not be able to compete

the following Sunday it's I just I've been the whole season I mean they're not tanking I was wrong on that too but I mean week to week they're exactly the opposite

of what New England has been for 20 years you have no idea what you're getting they're the most inconsistent team in the NFL and I'm off my game with the Patriots Where Colin was right. People in the media are constantly telling me we've got to have an extended college football playoff. Oh, stop it.

Florida's number six. They just lost at home as a 24-point favorite. Texas A&M's 5. They got crushed earlier in the year by Bama. There's never been in my life. A number five team in college football I thought could play for the national championship. Not one time in my life. This year, Bama Notre Dame.

Ohio State Clemson. Then there's a massive drop off to Texas A&M. By the way, six through nine are Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa State that has two losses in Coastal Carolina. Yeah, let's have an expanded playoff and have Bama open with Coastal Carolina. I wouldn't watch that if it was in my bathroom. Nobody cares. We don't need to expand it.

Four is probably double what we need by the end of a college football season. Where Colin was wrong. Boy, I thought Leonard Fernette was such a savvy pickup by Tampa. He was a healthy scratch yesterday, meaning he could have played, and they just scratched him. Shady McCoy is like six years older and looks like he's got much more quickness and a much greater burst than Leonard Fernette. He has 271 total yards all season. And, you know, Fernette's an interesting player, the number one high school football player in the country.

He's never felt like he has this deep, resolute love. for football, and he's just kind of disappearing. He's not as good as shady. He's not close to Ronald Jones, and I was wrong. Where Colin was right? I always say in the NFL, unique always works. Tim Tebow won seven straight games. It doesn't last necessarily, so yesterday Jalen Hertz came out.

The Saints had no idea what they were in for. In the first half, especially, they got caught flat-footed. Listen, Taseham Hill on his first two games. Tim Tebow won games. Lamar Jackson was the MVP. I think eventually you have to sit in a pocket and throw. But this is one of my themes over and over on this show. Since the 70s, you've got to throw in the pocket to win.

But if you come out with something new, including hiking the ball to a running back, the Wildcat, it will work for a while. And Jalen Hurts yesterday. I thought about taking Philadelphia in this game because I thought, nobody knows what they're going to get. I mean, Philadelphia didn't know what they were going to get. And so once again, unique works in the NFL. where Colin was wrong. I thought Gus Malz-on when he was hired. I said this at the other network.

I'm going way back. I said he's going to end the Alabama dynasty because he's going to be Chip Kelly of the South. He's going to be an annoyance. He's going to run a contrarian offense, and it's going to be a big pain in the butt for Sabin, who's obviously a better coach. Well, Gus Malzon just got fired.

He never really had any personality, so it hurt his recruiting. His teams were wildly inconsistent. He did beat Alabama three times, so he was a very minor annoyance, but he had one 10 win season. Auburn's a great, not a good, a great college football program.

And today, it just kind of an uneven mess. I thought he was going to be a consistent year after year annoyance, and he was just going to knock off Nick Sabin late in the year, every other year, knock him out of the dynasty category. Instead, Gus Melzano is something like the 33rd or 34th coach. It's a victim to Nick Sabin. Where Colin was right? I've been on this James Hardin thing for.

years. He's a great score. That's all he is. Now reportedly he doesn't want to play with John Wall or Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook or Dwight Howard or Mike Dantone or he's not a leader. He's the world's best two. And there's nothing wrong with that. There's a lot of money into. There's a lot of fun into. Kyrie Irving didn't have to go to the arena in Cleveland and talk to the press. LeBron can do it. LeBron's built to be a one. LeBron is a one. Not like MJ was built to be a one Scotty Pippin, by the way. Didn't like the number one.

Didn't want to deal with the media. Didn't want the big shot pressure. James Hardin, now reportedly, he doesn't want to play with John Walt. Well, come on now. At some point, people tell you who they are. You got to believe them. And Hardin is telling you.

I don't want all the ones. I want the one money. I want the one shoe deal. I want the one shots. But I don't want to be a one. All right. I'm fine with that. I'd like a little pay cut, but I'm fine with that.

But we've been on this for years. People were saying MVP, give me a break. Most valuable player, valuable guys can play with other really good guys, Hardin Can't. 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. Trent Delfer, 15 years in the NFL, a Super Bowl and a Pro Bowl, head football coach. Got to the state final Lipscomb Academies. He's now joining us from his beautiful home in the mountains. I know where it is.

I'm not going to tell anybody. I love having an insight information. So I want to talk to you about not only did you play in Tampa, and I worked in Tampa, but there are buys matter in this league. Andy Reid off a buy. Is Sean Payton off a buy? Not everybody uses the buy the same way. So Tampa comes off a buy, and I watched that game, and I thought, hell, if Minnesota

had a field goal kicker, they don't win that football game. Like, what I see, when I look at Tampa, Trent, I see it. collection of talent. I don't see it. I just don't see an identity. What am I missing with Tampa? I don't think you're missing anything. I think they're a really good football team. I think they're going to get in the playoffs to probably win the first round and get beat the second round. Everybody's going to go, why didn't they win the Super Bowl? They got Tom Brady. It takes time. And I think you use the key word. I don't think they have their identity yet. Every week offensively, it juggles back between we're going to be spread one week and the next week we're going to use big sets and run the

ball and play action. They need to settle on who they are offensively. defensively we know what they are. They're a blitz, happy defense. That works a lot of times, but there's also times the teams don't know how to gash that. So they need to settle into that a little bit. And they need to be more of a three-face football team. When they were dominant early in the year, no sacks, no turnovers, dominant special teams. They've slid since then.

I think they're a good team, not a great team. So you can talk specifically to this. You played on some good teams, but you played on one unbelievable team, and that's Baltimore. And I don't remember the specifics of the C. But Kansas City's kind of got into a malaise, and this is gambling talk, but they haven't covered in five weeks. And the reason is they defensively, they're not all buttoned up. So go back to your Baltimore season. When you know you're great and you see all the alphas and you see all that, you watch the film and you know you're shutting teams down.

Did you guys have a three or four week malaise where it's like, man, here comes teams we should beat? We just beat them earlier. Is it hard to be great? I think it's hard to be great every week. Too often in the TV business, people want to talk about everybody's ceiling. The sexy, flashy thing to do is talk about the bells and whistles, the sizzle, the ceiling of a team in all sports. What matters in the NFL is your floor? How high is your floor?

Can you win with C-minus football? And trust me, that Baltimore team, we had to absorb some D-minus quarterback player for myself. So we were able to win with playing C football. That's what I see with the Chiefs right now. They're kind of lollygagging around. Last week it was Red Zone. They were stinky. This week they turned the ball over.

One week they give up too many yards. They might not be great on special teams. And yet they still win. And a lot of these games, they win easily or comfortably. Like you're like, they're not really ever going to lose this game. They're sloppy. They're not really sharp. And they still win.

And I think that's the thing about the Chiefs. Well, I don't think they're vulnerable. I think their floor is so high that even when they don't play well. They have enough difference makers. They have the best player on the planet in Patrick Mahomes. They have a coaching staff that's hyper-aggressive. As you saw yesterday, they really saw it on special teams. I think this is a team that can play B-minus football and still win the Super Bowl. So I want to go to the bills because you've been doing Elite 11 forever. So every time I bring up a quarterback in the last 10 years, you saw him at 16. And so the story on Josh

Allen is small California town, nobody offers him. You know, it's a kid that he doesn't fill out till later. I don't know what he looked like. He's probably a gangly kid with a big arm, small town, bad football league. Nobody pays attention. And all of a sudden you watch the last two or three weeks and you're like, outside of my homes, I think I'd build my franchise with that guy.

When did you first get your eyes on Josh Allen of the bills? When it was at Wyoming, saw the talent, obviously. The raw horsepower just jumps off the tape and then you get to meet him a little bit, spent some time with him. I was wrong on Josh Allen. I thought he would be a

really, really good NFL quarterback in three to five years. I said, this kid's going to need some time. He's going to need to develop. He's got to get to the big stage. He's got to work on some technique things. He's got to stop throwing fire all the time and learn some touch. And all of a sudden, even last year, the time's like, wow, this is going to be one of the best players in all football. And right now you're seeing it. I think there's a lot of things. Number one, you got to talk about him and how he was raised. If you ever drive through fireball, California, you're going to realize really quick that there's really solid values. It's simple. It's about hard work, toughness. I think he has all those things. The people he surrounded himself with. I'll give Jordan Palmer

a ton of credit. Jordan has kind of adopted him as a surrogate brother since he came out for the draft. It's really raised him in the NFL life. And then obviously his coaching staff at Buffalo has done an incredible job. Just giving spoon feeding him what he, you know, needs each step of the way. And then this year just saying, okay, Josh, it's yours, baby. We're going to get you a bunch of weapons and let you roll. This kid's a special kid, a special talent. And I think you're looking at a guy that's going to be one of the better players

in the National Football League for the next 10-plus years. Trent Dill for joining us. Explain to me, I've seen this happen so many times, where a quarterback gets inserted in due to an injury or Carson Wentz isn't playing. And you put him in, and he just, Philadelphia's defense, played better. So, explain to me how it works in a locker room. We think Wentz has more elite talent than Jalen, but they have an identity.

You just watch it and you're like, kind of seen this so many times. Explain why it works. So I think you have to, when you have this conversation, it can't be Wence or Hertz. You can't say, well, if we're going to say good things about Jalen Hertz, we're saying bad things about Carson Wens. I think Carson Wens is a unique talent. that's going through a really, really funky stage of his career. He needs a giant reset. He needs something dramatic to happen to get him back to where he was.

So we're not saying bad things about Carson Wentz. But what Jalen Hertz brings you is that spark. Hope. Hope in the NFL is huge. These guys' bodies hurt. They're tired this year, especially with they're having to give up with all the COVID regulations. Just life is really hard at the end of the year in the NFL. And you're just clinging to hope.

I need something. I need something to make me believe. And Jaylon Hurst becomes that for the Philadelphia Eagles. Helps the run game. If you notice, they were what we call a nub formation, tight end, three receivers, shotgun, a lot of zone read, a lot of using Jalen Hurts as a threat in the run game. It changes up gap responsibility.

So you gave him a spark in the run game. Big plays. You saw that he's a good vertical passer. He gave Alshan Jeffrey a chance down there in the red zone. He took some shots. So all of a sudden you start doing things offensively that maybe you weren't doing with the other guy. But anytime you talk about the spar quarterback,

the second quarterback, you also have to look at consistency and longevity. How long can this work and how consistent can you be with this guy? And I think that's what the Philadelphia Eagles have to figure out for the remainder of this season. And finally, again, take me back to your career. So I use you all the time for this. You always told me years ago. Everybody reacts to losing in the NFL the same way. They're angry and they focus in.

Your wife suddenly your food sucks. Nothing's good. You don't like your kids, your dogs. You want to get rid of them. Yeah. But winning is different. And some teams win and they party all week and they think they've arrived and the next week they lay an egg. So last week for Cleveland was about a big a win as they have had in 10 years.

And then tonight, it's a day. divisional rival. As you know, divisional rivals know your personnel. There'll be no tricks. You know exactly what Baltimore's going to do. They know exactly what you're going to do. What do you expect?

And do you have an experience in your life where you were with a team that in one of these moments just wasn't ready to play? Yeah. How you handle success is everything the NFL, as you were saying. I think with this is a unique part of this game. Stefanski is an incredible vote. So what he's done is amazing. don't want to take anything away from it.

You know, I played for the Browns for one year, so I'm excited about what they're doing, and I'm rooting for their success. This is his 13th game coaching the National Football League. So this is his 13th time he's had to have some between-game, narrative, conversation plan for his team. John Harbaugh's 22nd. Now think about that.

13 to 222. And all the other elements that you've talked about. I'm on the Browns. the Browns, I think they win a playoff game. I don't just think they're a playoff team. I think they're good enough to win a playoff game. But in this matchup, considering what you said, coming off the huge win, John Harbaugh's Baltimore Ravens being desperate, the pedigree that they have, the championship mindset they have. I like the Ravens in this game for that reason. I think the longer the game goes, the more complex decision-making that's going to happen.

and I trust John Harbon his 22nd second time of handling these complex issues in game more than I trust at Cleveland. Ah, crap, I got the wrong side. Seriously.

I don't even know if I can... Honestly, I just know I just picked the wrong side. That's a... I'm done with you, Dilford. I now have a bad move. That made so much sense. Why couldn't I have talked to you before I put money on it? All right, Trent Dilfer

in a beautiful mountain. home somewhere undisclosed location. Great seeing you and best of you and your family. Thanks, brother. See you. 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 where 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 what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jette.

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack 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 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, Tript Fantine, 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. person. Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free Our Heart Radio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. I don't believe in conspiracy theories. And as Joy often says,

players do not tank. But we saw the Colts not play Peyton Manning that last year so they could get Andrew Luck. We know what happens in the NBA draft. You just sit starters, play guys. That's a tanking. You just play less talented guys. So the Jets right now have the number one pick and the Jags have the number two pick. If they tie, the Jags get the pick. It's a strength of schedule tiebreaker without convoluted. I don't want to waste your time. The NFL goes to a strength of schedule thing. I think the easier one gets it, Jags get it. So the Jets can't win a game. If you look at the jet schedule, they're going to lose the next two games. They're going to get crushed at the Rams and crushed by the Browns who have stuff to play for. Then it's the Patriots. It's perfect.

Belichick hates the Jets. Once was offered the job, turned it down, hates him. He's already beaten and humiliated the Jets a hundred times. The game has no. But he could easily say, I'm not going to play Cam, because Cam's our starting quarterback next year. There's no reason to put him through that. We're going to give Jared Stidham a full week. It's all it takes. That's all it takes. Jarrett Stidham starts. Well, they're struggling with Cam. What's it going to look like with Jared Stidham? The Jets win the game. Ugly. John, you could even play the conspiracy theory music. And the Jets and Belichick doesn't have to face Trevor Lawrence. for the next five years. Think about this division. I want to face Trevor Lawrence two times a year.

I want to face Tua two times a year. I want to face Josh Allen two times a year. Hell no. Belichick is too competitive to what? Start Jarrett Stidham? That's all you're asking. You just say, listen, we're going to start Jared Stidham. And none of those Jets players want to be a part of a team that went 0 and 16. It's humiliating. The Jets will play to win. Maybe the organization won't. I'm just saying, you're Belichick. You want to face Josh Allen 20 times in the next 10 years.

And then Trevor Lawrence 20 times. And Tua, nobody in the NFL, including Belichick, who's won 43% of his games without Tom Brady. Nobody wins in this league having the fourth best quarterback in the division. And they got too many wins to get one of the top guys this year. And nobody's going to do them any favors and give them a quarterback. I'm just saying you start Jared Stidham. It's not the craziest thing I've ever heard.

There's some far more unrealistic conspiracy theories out there right now. So here's, you know, because a lot of people now, because I'm America's media icon, this will get talked about a lot. So what you do if you're Belichick, you do it a week early. You say, we're just going to play Jared. So it doesn't look so premeditated. You play Cam one more week. If you lose, you just say, you know, last two.

games of the year. We're going to give Jarrett Stidima start as a coaching staff. Nobody's going to judge Belichick. So if they go to Jared Stidham as a starter Well, they have the Dolphins in Miami next week. Miami's going to win that game goal. Yeah, they've traditionally struggled in that game. Miami's going to win that game.

And I think they shut it down after that. Who do they have after that? Bills. And they're going to get routed by that. And so I just say, I think they just, what if they just say, you know, because you don't want to start Jared Stidham against Miami and get blown out because people say, okay, You got to play Cam.

You let Cam play against Miami, and then you say, you know, we've made a decision. We're just going to go with Jared's than the rest of the way. I don't hate it. It's not, don't hate it. It's not crazy. And by the way, it would just stick it to the Jets. I mean, it would just be a tag. Well, actually, I mean, besides the added bonus, I feel like the sticking it to the Jets is like the cherry on top.

It's actually a very good strategy. Now, the consolation, like how far do they go down? Do they get the second pick in the draft? Yeah. So they're still getting Justin Fields. Right. But let's be honest about this. Once a decade you get a quarterback who's going to win regardless of the mess.

Yeah. I mean, that's how everyone feels about Trevor Lawrence. Justin Fields could win with the right people. But you put him in Cleveland with Freddie Kitchens, Justin Fields is not going to win. So that's a difference between Luck, Elway, Trevor Lawrence. And this isn't one of these things where you get Mahomes and he's way better than you thought. Trevor Lawrence would have been the number one pick last year. And probably the year before.

It actually kind of adds a little cover for Belichick, too, that they would still get Justin Fields. Because it's like, wow. I mean, they've got a quarterback. Yeah, I mean, they're not chop. 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences,

having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a license, who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit are armored. It signals to the world that you not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. 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. with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. It was a wild year.

It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.