The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 12/17/2020 - HOUR 1 - Saints, playoffs, Heisman, MVP

Episode Date: December 17, 2020

Drew Brees still being injured is actually a good thing for the SaintsThe problem with wanting a bigger college playoffColin explains why you wouldn't want to win the Heisman or MVPIf the NFL playoffs started todayGuest: Ryen Russillo Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show.

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84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for listening to The Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Thursday, big NFL Fox game tonight live in Los Angeles. This is The Herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we're on Fox Sports Radio, I-Heart Radio, and FS1. I have got a lot of juice today, a lot of energy.

I'm not going to tell you the drink I'm having, but I am rolling. today, Joy Taylor, how are you? I'm great. Big game tonight. It is. Raiders are falling apart like last year. I want to start with what appears to be really bad news for an NFL team, but I actually think it'll

help propel this team to the Super Bowl. And I didn't think this two weeks ago. It's bad news that's actually good news. Drew Breeze of the Saints has, quote, a ways to go in his injury

recovery. Oh no, that's great. Four of the last five Super Bowl winning quarterbacks miss time during the season. What does that mean? Well, I live in Los Angeles. LeBron James, and I talked about this quite often, looked like LeBron James in year 10, 11, or 12, not year 17 in the playoffs. Why? He didn't have to fly during the playoffs. LeBron didn't have to travel in the playoffs. The season got shortened. It was a huge break for LeBron James. He hasn't played with that much energy since he was in Miami and maybe year one or two in Miami. We watched Clayton Kershaw, who had struggled in the postseason. Baseball regular season is very long. And Clayton Kershaw was better in the postseason. Why? Because he didn't have to get on a

plane as much. Clayton Kershaw had more time to rest fewer innings. As you well know, folks, as you get older, you can still bring it. Just not quite as often. Uncle Colin can still party like a rock star, but he needs a nap the next day. What the Saints are doing is what Peyton Manning and the Broncos did to win that Super Bowl. You remember Peyton Manning got beat up and injured, rested, relieved by Brock Osweiler. Peyton came back and looked fresher. And Peyton wasn't nearly as good at that point as Drew Breeze is now.

The last two years, Drew Breeze has looked gas by the end of the season. Remember that? Last year, he missed five games. He came back. Do you remember that? He was great. His numbers were amazing. The year before, he didn't.

He played 15 games. And in the last three or four, he had three touchdowns and three picks. Drew Breeze has one year left. This is it. This is perfect. This is rest. And this team is led by defense anyway. Two other factors here.

Number one, this is the one time in the Saints' recent history that I think they play as well on the road as at home. There's no road fans. They're not built for a dome. They don't throw the ball deep. 70% of this team is defense. This is the rare Saints team that's as good on the road as they are at home. They don't get the home crowd. They don't face the road crowd.

And their offense consists of a receiver in Michael Thomas that rarely goes deep and Alvin Kamara and Emmanuel Sanders. That's not Tyreek Hill. The second thing is, what an advantage for New Orleans? So they host Kansas City this weekend. Many would submit to you the Chiefs and the Saints will meet in the Super Bowl. Well, New Orleans can play Taysam Hill. They can do RPO's.

They can give the chiefs a completely different look. So whereas the Saints defense, which is as deep as any in the league, gets a look at Kansas City's real offense, the Saints can throw out all sorts of nonsense. They never run against the Chiefs in a Super Bowl. Decoys, trick plays, RPO's, Drew Breeze comes back. Totally different offense. This is a bad news, is really good news.

situation. It makes me like the Saints more than I've liked them. Right now, they feel like a Super Bowl team. A fresh Drew Breeze. They play the Chiefs with a backup. They throw things out. They'd never use in a rematch. Kansas City probably wins. Little revenge. And here comes this defensive-led team playing in Tampa for the first time the Chief's defense, good not special, seeing Breeze and company. All right. So Kirk Herb Street is a, does a fine job. He works for ESPN.

He does a great job covering college football. They also have a guy named Tom Rinaldi who works for them who's great. Oh, wait, not anymore. Anywho, Herb Street said this yesterday. He said, our postseason in college football is as bad as any. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, hold on. He said, we've got to figure out a system that works for everybody.

Our season ends January 12th. I can already tell you, Ohio State, Alabama, and Clemson will be in the final four next year. We have got to figure this out. We have got to tweak the system for the betterment of the sport. We're at a fork in the road right now on a lot of levels, and we've got to look at some potential changes. First of all, amen. hire a CEO instead of having five power conferences all doing their own thing. Secondly, 85 scholarships make it 70 to 75 so Clemson can't take a third or fourth running back

every year keeping that kid away from an opportunity to start for another college football program. But we are going to see, and perhaps this summer or next, a major change coming in college football. I have been told this now by three different people. people. We're going to an 18 playoff. And we're not going to go to an 18 playoff this summer or next summer because Cincinnati's getting job at 8-0. We're going to it due to COVID. The pandemic has decimated college athletic departments, unraveled, broken them, and there is no federal bailout for college football. and college presidents have been against an extended playoff because of finals.

But when given the option of an athletic department that is reeling financially and cutting many sports, often that give young kids from tough economic backgrounds opportunities to change a generation, a family, the presidents will cave. We are going to get, due to the pandemic and the unwrable, traveling of athletic departments, and there is no federal bailout coming, we're getting an eight-team playoff. Two things to know about that. Be careful what you wish for.

It will not change anything. Seven of the eight teams that get in will be from Power Five conferences, or if they go to 10 or 12 teams, it'll be 10 of 12, 11 of 12. It should be they pay all the bills. And it will also not change any of the results. The media's got this thing. I don't know. Maybe it's a liberal thing.

Maybe I don't know. More equals fairness. No, it doesn't. It really doesn't. There's more companies and competition in America than ever. And nobody's ever dominated retail like Amazon or tech like Facebook, Google, and Apple. More is just more. But the cream always right.

Just know this, that in the history of the college football playoff, the semifinal games, and remember, Joe, those were added for fairness. We have got to create fairness. The old system is not fair. We're going to create a playoff. It's got to be fair. We've had 12 semifinal games. The average margin of victory has been three touchdowns.

There have been three one possession games. And they were added to make it more fair. So anybody could compete. Nobody can compete. When we go to an eight-team playoff, this is absolutely what's going to happen. What would happen this year? There'd be eight teams. Four of them would be the SEC.

You'd complain about that. It would be more SEC teams thumping coastal Carolina and Iowa State. You would complain about that. And the college kids at 17 and 18 would now see the gap between the top three or four and the others. and it would give the others less of a chance to get those great players. A college football playoff is coming. Be careful what you wish for.

There's two ways to help this sport, and they're really obvious. Joy and I talk about this all the time. You've got to have a centralized voice that brings all five conferences fighting for the greater good of one. Too much what they call balkanization right now. And secondly, you can't have Alabama taking six corners when they need three a class to keep some away from Kentucky and Ole Miss.

Make it hard. Lighter practices. Seventy scholarships only. You can't grind the players at practice. Fewer practice hours. You have an injury at Bam or Clemson. You lose the following Saturday. You know how it works in high school or the NFL.

But we're getting a playoff due to the pandemic. It's not going to change anything. anything, and we're going to complain about it. Be careful what you asked for. All right. So yesterday, Aaron Rogers said he was hoping for something, and he's a smart guy, but I actually think it's the last thing Aaron Rogers needs if he wants to win a Super Bowl. That is coming up. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app.

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

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

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

Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-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.

I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple, podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the 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, 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

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Greg CoSeltop in next hour. Good to have you in. So I always find it. Aaron Rogers and LeBron James are always a little coy. They know exactly every award they've won. You know, they always kind of play it off like they don't. don't care, but they certainly bring it up whenever asked. Aaron Rogers, who I would vote for MVP today was asked about winning another one.

Here's Aaron Rogers. Well, Bill, there's not many guys that have won three. So that would definitely mean a lot. I feel like I've been in the conversation, you know, a number of years outside of the two that I've won. We're talking about in 12 when AP went nuts against us in the last game of the year. I had a pretty good year that year. Obviously in 16, we made our run in the, led to the league in passing touchdowns.

Didn't really get a sniff for some reason that year. But, you know, I definitely felt like I was in the conversation. It's, you know, it's nice to be back in the conversation. It'd be, you know, something that's usually on the preseason goal list, and it's nice to be in the conversation. I'm not even going to go there. It's fine. I would vote for him, enough said.

Anyway, very LeBron. Okay, so here's the, if I was a quarterback, And you could tell me going in, because I read a lot about history, I watch the history channel, I like looking back at some things in football and what works and what data and analytics and where are sports going and where have they been and what's working, what's evolving, and what's not working. If I was a quarterback and I wanted to play in the NFL, I would not want to win a Heisman and I would not want to be an MVP at quarterback.

Why? Well, let's talk numbers. Last 20 years, no NFL quarterback who won MVP won the Super Bowl. Last to do it was Kurt Warner in 99. There's a reason for it, by the way. There's a reason for it. And oh, by the way, the best quarterback in the NFL that's ever won a Heisman was Roger Staubach in 1963 at Navy. These are not coincidences.

Why did Kurt Warner win the MVP? Why don't MVP's at quarterback? You know the answer to this. Why don't they win Super Bowls? It seems so linear. Best quarterback, best year, Super Bowl. Because it tells you, A, you're probably in some shootouts and your defense isn't as good as you wish. And secondly, you're too quarterback reliant.

You should run the football more. Russell Wilson is better with a running game. as Aaron Rogers. So if you're piling up stats, this is one of the things I've said about Mahomes. We're in awe of his talent. But last year is passer rating? I forget if it was 12th or 18th in the NFL.

He doesn't lead the NFL in pass attempts. You don't want your team to have a quarterback throwing 45 touchdowns. You're too quarterback reliant. You should lead games in the second half, run the ball, eat the clock. Now, if you have a running back that leads the NFL and rushing, it tells me you've got leads in games and you're trying to eat the clock.

Similarly to the Heisman, I don't want to win the Heisman. Why? Roger Stauback, last great NFL quarterback, won the Heisman. Why? Because if you're winning the Heisman, it means you're at a kind of offensive leaning program that probably runs a kind of a quirky college offense or a very collegiate offense. offense. So transitioning to the NFL from that is harder. And it also tells me you probably play at a school with five star and four star offensive linemen and four and five star tight ends and wide receivers. So the talent gap you're playing with in college is not anything close to the kind

of talent gap in the NFL where you're going to a bad team. Right? You're going to go from Joe Burrow and LSU huge talent gap to Cincinnati, arguably first or second worst roster in the NFL. So if you're where, if you go look at the last eight to nine Super Bowl quarterbacks, where they went to school, the matchup in the Super Bowl. Last year was Texas Tech against Eastern Illinois. In the last 10 years, we've had a Delaware against Nevada, a Cal against the Miami of Ohio, a Purdue against Tennessee, a backup quarter at Michigan against Cal, a Michigan against Boston College, a Wisconsin, Michigan, and NC State, Tennessee. And by the way, Tennessee is no longer a great program. It's a mess.

The point being, you'd think it would be Bama against Ohio State. Boston College has had multiple quarterbacks in the Super Bowl. USC's never had one. And USC's had more players drafted in the NFL than any school in history, including Ohio State, Clemson, Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma. So the point being is, if you knew now you wanted to win Super Bowls. This isn't baseball. We don't care about stats.

We care about winning Super Bowls, right? You would not want to win the Heisman. It means your college experience. you went to a place with dominating players in a crazy offense, and the transition to the NFL is very difficult from that. And you wouldn't want to win MVP because it means I'm in too many shootouts. I should be running the ball the last nine minutes of the game. I should be thrown about 29 these days 33 times a game running the football late.

So the award, the MVP, I wouldn't want it. It would tell me my defense isn't as good as it should be. Joy of the News. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the Herd Line News. By the way, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, the two stars, and to a large degree, Lamar Jackson, what all three have in common?

They didn't go to traditional football powers. Louisville's not, it's a basketball power more than a football power, meaning they threw to two and three star wide receivers. They didn't have NFL guys all in front of them. They had to often run for their life and make stuff happened. Well, that's the NFL when you go to often a bad team in the top 10 picks. Like where Trevor Lawrence may go? Right.

It's harder for him. He's going to go from never getting hit to getting hit nine times and sack four times a game. Well, he's expected to be the first overall pick in the draft next year, which means he'll probably be in New York jet. And he told Dan Patrick that he is ready to embrace the challenge of playing for a team that's not very good. I know some of this stuff I say sounds cliche, but just to have the opportunity to go somewhere, help someone rebuild if that's what it is or whatever and just win. That's what, you know, something I love doing.

I think that's what I'm best at is winning. Regardless of stats, whatever it is, that's what I love. So just to have that chance, obviously some places it'll be more of a challenge than others, but I think I'm up for it. And that'll get here when it's here, just trying to focus now on being great where I'm at. He also said he doesn't want to completely shut any door when he was asked if he's 100% leaving Clemson. I don't anticipate that he is going to stay. Clemson would be a very poor decision.

Trevor, just go to college. I mean, Joe Burrell was having a great. year at Cincinnati. I know he got hurt, but just go to, just go to pros. Don't stay in college. It's a huge, Andrew Luck. It's a massive risk. And for what? He is probably, I told you, I saw him in, I saw him at a camp in San Diego three years ago. He was a high school senior. And he was the most impressive thrower of the football I've ever seen in high school. It was in San Diego at Steve Clark's camp. Trevor Lawrence. And he was a Southern kid with this rock star hair. And they had all these kids from California.

Sunshine. Yeah. And he was throwing the football, and it was, it was remarkable for a high school player. He was so effortlessly great. And I remember telling the guy that ran the camp, I'm like, he's not the highest rated one. He's like, he's the best one. When you look at the jet situation, it's really not, obviously they're not a, they're, they're terrible. Cap space.

They've cap space. A ton of picks. They're going to, they're going to get a new coach. It's not the worst situation to go to. No, no, it's not. Jags is way worse. And guess what? Next year, the team that's picking atop of the draft, if you stay in college another year, they're going to be bad, too. Because that's what happens. That's how you get to the top of the draft.

You're going to have a larger field of top candidates be interested because of Trevor Lawrence's talent. So you're going to get some guys who wouldn't take the job with a Sam Darnold will take it now and apply for it. Big-time college guys. I'm very excited to see what he does in the NFL. And I'm excited for this draft also. Oh, God, yes. Oh, I can't. Like this year's draft was one of the most, obviously it was extremely memorable because of everything that was going on.

But on top of it being the only live thing that we had to watch, it really ended up being a great draft. Okay, so let's go right. Here's the draft order for our radio audience. You can't see this. But Jets would take Trevor Lawrence. Jags would take the Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. Bengals probably take the Oregon left tackle Pena Sewell and move Jonah Williams' left tackle over to right to protect Burrough. It's not terrible.

Chargers would love that left tackle. Chargers probably have to go, the kid from Penn State, the linebacker, Derwin James has hurt too much. They need a leader defensively in the middle of that defense. And the Cowboys probably get an anchor defensively up front. The Cowboys and the Bengals

are the most interesting in the top five to me because if the Cowboys don't take a quarterback, they need a lot of players. So they could move. And the Bengals could move as well. Panthers probably take a quarterback and a perfect situation. The mature Teddy Bridgewater for a year or two

is your mentor. That's very Alex Smith and Mahomes. Well, they went all defenses. Last year. So this year, they probably get a quarterback and just say, sit behind a pro Teddy Bridgewater for two years. That Matt Rule situation is going to work.

Carolina's on their way to be really interesting in about two years. So the Steelers have lost back-to-back games and don't look like the same team started by winning the season, in the season winning 11 straight. But Rathusberger doesn't want anyone to panic about the way the offense has been playing recently.

There's a lot of outside noise, right? And it deservedly so. We haven't played well. We've lost two in a row. The fans are getting anxious. The talking heads are doing what they're supposed to do and talk bad about us and all that stuff, which is, you know, we've earned it and deserved it recently.

What I would tell guys, and the mindset and the approach that I'm taking is it's not the end of the world. we've got three games left in the regular season. We have three weeks now to get it going, to turn it around, to give ourselves the best chance to reach our ultimate goal, which is winning a Super Bowl. I love being a talking head. Don't you love being a talking head?

I do. It makes me so happy. I'm just a head that's talking. I love being a talking head. Well, the last three weeks of the season look like this for the Steelers. They have the Bengals this week on Monday night. Which obviously we also. That's a Monday night game?

Yeah. What a crudy Monday night game that is. Then the Colts and Steelers. Which could go either way. Colts and Browns, you mean? No, Colts and Steelers Bengals, then Colts Steelers. Yeah. And then Steelers Browns is week 17.

I think Cleveland today is better than Pittsburgh. I really do. I really do. They're not playing better than Pittsburgh. I think if they play today, the Steelers win. But if they play this week, I think the Steelers should win. I do not. Well, here's the issue with the Steelers.

Well, there's multiple issues with this. There's lots of issues with the Steelers. They had big time injuries, Devin Bush, Bud Dupree. Huge. They can't rush the ball. Nope. They have 68 total rushing yards and their two losses. So that right there is a glaring issue.

Everyone knows what you have to have to have an active run game if you're going to win in this league. You can't just rely on Big Ben throwing it 70 times a gain. But the other major issue, and this is also playing into why there are so many drops, is everyone knows he can't throw over the top. Right. So he's averaged 6.8 yards per attempt this season. seven fewest among 35 qualified quarterbacks this season, 6.8 air yards this season.

They've dropped 10 passes in their two losses, six against Washington and four against the bills. Because he can't throw it over the top and no one's afraid of the long ball, the defense crowds up and just suffocates. And that's on top of, I think, if they have a real focus problem right now, that's why they're dropping so many balls.

It's funny. I just, I watch that offense and I'm like, I am stunned by smart people in the media watching that, and Buffalo does not have a great defense, thinking that is a Super Bowl offense. I think they're, I've said before, I'm not sure they're a top 10 team. I know it's disrespectful.

But when Ben was in his prime, they never felt quite buttoned up. Now they've lost two linebackers. They can't run. He can't throw deep. Even watching their highlights, I'm like, that is not a Super Bowl offense. I think even with the injuries,

their defense is still in good shape, they've got to figure out the running game situation. Like the next, just do that against the Bengals. Just run the ball. Figure out how to get that established again because you're going to need that in the playoffs. Finally, Cam Newton has not had the season he or the Patriots we're hoping for so far. But Brian Flores is not underestimating Cam ahead of their game on Sunday. He said, I think he's a very good player in this league.

I think he does a really good job extending plays. I think his ability to scramble is something that you always have to take into consideration on every snap. I think he's a leader. I think he's a problem. This is my bet of the week. Yeah, it is. Brian Flores. I'm not saying which way I'm going.

This is my bed of the week in Blazing 5. So it is in Blazing 5. We all know how Bill Belichick is against rookies. He's 21 and 5 against rookie quarterbacks with the Patriots, including the playoffs in 8-0 against rookie quarterback since 2015. Obviously, Cam does not have the throwing game that he once had, but he is still a huge issue running the ball. Miami is 22nd and rush yards allowed per game and 18th in passing yards allowed per game.

But they are tied first and takeaways, I think, if they can win the turnover battle, Miami, that they will, they'll take this game even with two as a rookie quarterback. My favorite bet of the week. My favorite bet in two weeks is this game. Blazing five tomorrow. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news.

And thanks for stopping by. The heard-line news. So when Aaron Rogers was talking about, yeah, I mean, I don't know why I wanted that year. Joy and I were looking at each other as it was airing, and we were kind of rolling our eyes. I have a feeling Ryan Rosillo, the ringer. He's got a great podcast now joining me live brought to you by Mercedes-Benz

or nothing. Let me guess you're going to defend. Aaron Rogers, because you guys are both cool, but good Lord, he was a little LeBron-esque, was he not? A little? All right, but see, he's on fire this year, and you've been anti this guy for like two decades, so you can't help yourself. So, I mean, Rogers even to the point when we were all back in the day doing radio shows across the hall from each other, I think Rogers even reached out to Van Pelt was like,

what's with that guy? Why doesn't he like me? So I think he's in a no-win situation. Yes, these guys, I think Koi is the right word, but if Roger says, I don't care about MVP's, it's not important to me. Then he's not telling the truth either. So a lot of this is just you can't really win. And winning a third one, considering only a handful of guys have ever done it, I thought it was, I thought it was, you know, look, I didn't think it was that big of a deal. Look, he hasn't been good for two years. You were feeling

great about shorting Aaron Rogers for like 15 years, which you would have lost money on it because you were on it so early. And then he's come back and maybe he wins it again. But I still think, I still think the Mahomes. By the way, can we jump to what you said before? Because I was losing it over here. I mean, whether we went history channel, Normandy, analytics, two-star recruits, I agree with you on the Heisman quarterback theory. But sometimes things happen and it actually doesn't mean anything. The MVP run is an incredibly interesting stat. And then you turn it into a segment.

And I'm afraid I might not get invited back here. But think about how close it was. Mahomes, if there's not an off sides, that's an MVP win in a Super Bowl year. So they would have won the Super Bowl. Brady shootout with Philly. He wins an MVP that year. He was unbelievable in the Super Bowl. The defense was terrible.

He also has the 2010 MVP, the 2007 where Brady was undefeated. And if it's not for David Tyree, then an MVP wins a Super Bowl. So I think it's something that happens, but it doesn't mean that from now on you go, you know what I really want? I want a quarterback that's just kind of like right at number six, number seven. That's what I'm looking for. Listen, I like the pushback. I'm always fond of the pushback.

That's why I bring you on the show to push back because I'm almost never wrong, but occasionally it happens. Maybe, yes, maybe. So people think sometimes we do stuff for clicks, but we both know each other, and I've been on this for like four weeks. I watch Pittsburgh play. They can't throw deep. They can't run the ball. They can't catch the ball.

I look at them and I'm like, I don't care about their record. I don't care. That is not a Super Bowl team. Am I wrong on that? Yeah, I think you're dismissive. I mean, if I have to sit here and tell you you're wrong and then pick the Steelers to win the Super Bowl, I'm not going to do that because I'm just going to pick anybody against the Chiefs. I'm just not going to. defense, any category you want to look at.

You can go traditional stuff. You can go advanced metrics. Anything you want to look at is like at worst the third or fourth defense in the league. And it's been that way all year long, even with some of the losses in that front seven. And the reason why they've still been able to be pretty good defensively is that that front has been so impressive from just a depth standpoint. Now, that Bill's game was ugly. I don't know what to tell you.

Joy's absolutely right. They're not a physical team. They struggle to run the football. They've had some decisions in short yard scenarios where you're like, okay, who are you right now? But they found a way with this incredible receiving core to let Ben approach the game differently by not taking deep shots and they've been able to move it. Look, the loss of Washington. Washington is an incredibly underrated defensive team.

I was dismissive. I was like, you're losing all these games. So they've ripped off a few. So they hit him at the right time. That defense is really good. And Buffalo, whose defense actually is a lot worse this year than it was last year. Maybe it's getting better. I just thought that was the kind of game.

We watched it together. Buffalo was clearly the better football team. But I'm not just writing off and putting teams like Tennessee and. Cleveland is automatic wins against Pittsburgh right now. Ryan Rissillo, the podcast, the Ryan Rissillo podcast, part of the ringer, Bill never calls me. So let's just be honest, let's not have any qualifiers on Brady. I'm just going to say to you, when you watch Tom Brady, I do think Tampa looks like a collection of talent and not a team.

That's why they're so wildly inconsistent. It's got kind of an AAU basketball field to it where I know the guys are all great, but they're all kind of doing their own thing. But let's just talk, Brady. when you watch Brady today, is he good? Is he average? Forget the stats. What do you see? Physicality, arm, all in? He's good. This is the best I've seen him through the football in three years. I'm actually blown away by it. I mean, there was that Carolina game where they put a 40 where I couldn't believe the velocity and just juice behind some of these throws. It was really impressive. And, you know, part of it is the offense. But from an arm standpoint at 43, that's not the question at all. It's clearly that Tom is, is in a situation where he's not as comfortable because it's all new guys where in New England you're coming into his world. It's his offense. It's an evolution of almost two decades

of him understanding all the different things that he wants you to do. A lot of it is those quick routes off the line of scrimmage where they just understood with the rule changes that they get separation and they'd move the sticks that way. So I think it's been him not necessarily always comfortable. But if you're saying, A, he's not the same old break. Okay, yeah, fine. He's not the best quarterback in the league. He's really probably not one of the top four or five. But he's still really, really good. And this Tampa team, despite the record, has moments where I go, look, they're at the opposite ends throughout the entire season. Collin. We know that. They've had marquee games where they look awful. And they've had other games where they've beaten good teams.

I thought the Minnesota win was a nice win considering who the Vikings had been. So I like the way he's looked, but I don't look at him as the guy that's leading the league anymore. I don't think anyone else should. I've got to ask an NBA question. And I was, Joey and I were talking about this yesterday. I read the article on Hardin. And I said yesterday, I said, wait a minute. Am I bothered by what he did, or am I just bothered because he doesn't win? Because if he won a title, I wouldn't give a rip if he went to strip clubs and showed up late to practice. Michael Jordan punched teammates was difficult.

LeBron can be a diva. So you're a guy with an incredible NBA Rolodex. And I know, we both knew this stuff was going on. I mean, I was told this stuff, and you've got a deeper Rolodex NBA guys than I do. And I do read it and I think this is cartoonish. And I think, no, what bothers me about Hardin is he. unravels in the playoffs. I don't give a rip about this stuff. So are you bothered by the lack of winning or his actions? And do you think this goes on everywhere or Hardin is just really uniquely

diva? Well, okay, that's a lot of different things. First of all, just because you win doesn't mean everybody's doing the right things all the time. All right? So I think we both understand that. There's plenty of teams that have won championships where you'd go, wait, that guy does that or he doesn't like him or what's going on there. So that stuff happens. That's not a problem. I also think the diva part of it, these front offices and ownership are so scared because you need one of these five, really probably more five than ten guys in the league. But they're so important to have on your team because

if you don't have it, you don't have a chance that you start to cater to them. But what I'd ask, which I thought was so funny about the article, and you and I have been laughing about this, is that Westbrook who controlled everything in Oklahoma City, okay, from the temperature to which reporters he talked to, if you were a big, you weren't allowed

to get rebounds off a free throat. Like you had to let Westbrook get the rebound. It was understood that he goes. from that dominant force culture to Houston is like, man, this place is messed up. Like, think about that. Think about that. Now, Westbrook's argument would be, we show up on time. Houston's approach apparently is like plain departures were like suggestions, okay? So all of this stuff starts to come out because now once your guy is turned on you, like Hardin has turned on Houston. This happened when LeBron left Cleveland the first time.

A bit of article about all the concessions that they had to make to LeBron. I don't mind concessions. I don't even mind that the divas asking for this stuff. Sometimes I wish I were more delusional in my career and just be like, yeah, I'm awesome, like do more stuff for me. But what I'd ask any of these guys, and I think this is the point that you're getting to here, is does this help you win? Is winning important, or do you just post stuff on Instagram where you're like, man,

I'm built for one thing? Like what? Max contracts and freedom of travel? So that's the part that is frustrating because it feels like, and look, Hardin's playoff resume is flameout central, okay? Flameouts all over the place. I don't understand why Houston fans still defend him. He doesn't want anything to do with you.

Westbrook loses in the first round all the time, unless he goes somewhere else. So we could be really unfair and say it's only happening. They're only losing because of these guys approach. But I think there's other teams that also cater to guys that actually win games. It just looks this bad when you want out and you're in Vegas and Atlanta. And then you have media availability. And you're like, yeah, I was my personal trainer.

what's the problem right all right Ryan we'll talk soon great seeing you buddy you've really done a nice job sprucing up the place I knew you've you know when you used to anyway I just you look you're doing well for yourself congrats you got like two coffee makers or something back there way to go buddy nice talking yeah thanks man espresso all right Ryan Rissila podcast bill doesn't call me I'll just drop that out again all right coming up next I do this about once every three weeks I'm gonna if the playoffs started today here's what they look like here's who I pick and here's who ends up in the super I'm telling you, there's some great playoff games, if it ended

today, some unbelievable playoff games. Star quarterbacks going up against each other. 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 full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping

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

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

for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the look back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack 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. So. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?

Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations. with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

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So we do this. I do this about once a month where I say, let's just pretend the playoffs ended today. Now, a lot of what's happening in the playoffs, 75% it's locked in or really close to being locked in. The teams that have the division leads, they're going to be favorites down the stretch, barring a quarterback injury. The wild cards may change, but I don't think they'll change dramatically, although I see one potential move. So let's go to the, we have a little playoff music. Let's go to the AFC. as of now, the number one team Kansas City would have a buy in the first round.

So the seven-seeded dolphins would travel to Pittsburgh to face the second-seeded Steelers. I'd take Miami this morning. I think they're a better football team. I think they're tighter. They're not turning it over. They can run it and throw it, and the receivers can catch the ball. I'm going to take Miami for the upset at Pittsburgh. I would take the bills to beat the Colts.

It'll be snowy, windy, and cold. and I just think they have more playmakers offensively and an athletic quarterback in Josh Allen against the league's least athletic quarterback. Titans Browns, I'm going to take Cleveland again. I said it a couple of weeks ago and I'll say it again. I think it is a great matchup for the Browns. They don't have a pass rush.

That means Baker Mayfield is comfortable. That means Baker Mayfield can play with the lead. Kevin Stefansky and the staff. Keep it, you know, the bumper car rule. Keep it in the middle here. The bowling alley when you're a little kid, keep it in the middle. You don't have to go outside and make plays that don't exist. I think Cleveland beats the Titans.

I think it's one of the Titans' worst matchups in the AFC is Cleveland. Next round, Kansas City rested. Now host the Dolphins. Miami's still a year away. It's baby steps. This is a Kansas City win and convincingly. Brown's Bills, this is not a great matchup for Cleveland. They're going to have to get into a shootout because their back seven in Cleveland is not good,

and Buffalo's got all sorts of weapons and the strongest armed quarterback in the league. Don't like this matchup for Cleveland. I like Buffalo convincingly, Cleveland should pray for bad weather, so both offenses struggle, but I take the bills. Then we go into the AFC championship game. Chiefs the one-seed, bills the three-seed. I like Buffalo today, a better team that's better in their race. Red Zone, playing better defense, very healthy, on a roll with momentum, fewer penalties last three

weeks. Buffalo upsets, it's not much of an upset, upsets the Chiefs, probably be about a three, three and a half point spread. Buffalo's in the Super Bowl. Let's go to the NFC. Cardinals at the Saints, obviously Green Bay has a buy. This is a bad matchup for Arizona. Saints win the game convincingly. Rams also, at home, already beaten the Buccaneers once. I think their defensive line pressures Tom Brady. Gough is more comfortable. Rams beat the Buccaneers convincingly. Seahawks at Washington, second time they've met in a month, all take Seattle as long as their running backs are healthy. Second round in the NFC looks like this. Green Bay now off a by and rested and healthy against the Seahawks. I like Seattle. If Chris

Carson, Penny, Homer, and DJ Dallas, and are healthy. I think they're a bad matchup for Green Bay. This is not a team. Also, Devante Adams, D.K. Metcalfe. They're both going to have their way in that game. I like Seattle against Green Bay. Like, I like the Colts against Green Bay. It's a bad matchup.

Ram Saints is a complete coin flip. This is the one team in the NFC that matches up with the Saints. I'm going to go New Orleans in overtime. Check back with me in three weeks on the health of both teams. Then we get to the NFC championship, Seattle at the Saints. I'm going to take, again, this is really close. I'm going to take the Saints now that Drew Breeze is probably not going to play, like a Clayton Kershaw, a LeBron, or a Drew Breeze last year,

or a Peyton Manning in Denver. He comes in fresh and rested. The rest of the league has to go way back to look at Saints films. because they've been running Taysam Hills offense for the previous five, six weeks. I'll take the Saints close in this game. My Super Bowl, Bills and Saints, and I'm not predicting that until I see it. So, by the way, I've been on Kansas City and Seattle in my two previous predictions. This morning, I'm Bill's and Saints.

I had Saints Ravens at the beginning of the year. All right. Obviously, Ravens's not looking so hot. That's the one team I think is going to get in. Just keep your eye on the Ravens. streaming service coming now next year called Discovery Plus, US only. They've got your favorite brands like the Food Network and HDTV and exclusive originals. NFL meat sandwich.

Greg CoSell next. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and headwriter, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On the Look Back at it podcast. In 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 you 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. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college. college football journey or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the 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. This is an IHeart podcast, guaranteed human. Thank you.