The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 12/22/2020 - HOUR 2 - Herd Hierarchy

Episode Date: December 22, 2020

Herd Hierarchy: Colin's new top 10 NFL rankingsGuest: Nick Wright, Peter King Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

For 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 year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s.

84 was a wild year. It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. 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. On a Tuesday, second hour, top of it, live in Los Angeles, this is the Earth.

Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, Fox Sports Radio, I heart radio. And FS1. I am in such a good mood. Today I had a terrific night's sleep. I sat home last night, the power of the NFL. First of all, NBA starts tonight, so I go home every night and I have a game, which is unbelievable. And we've had COVID, we've had these staggered NFL games. So now we don't have a Thursday game.

We don't have a COVID game. Now I got like Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, nothing. Oh, the NBA starts. Joy Taylor's joining me, so it's just like perfect, right? Very excited for the NBA. And I think there's just going to be, you know, the NBA is a lot about storylines. There's a lot of them throughout the season. And we have some great ones this year.

We do. Hopefully cross your fingers. Last year, a lot of the stars got hurt early. Yes. Yeah. Zion's back and Katie's back and Steph is back. And I think it's really important. So here we go. It's the herd hierarchy.

I got to tell you, just to show you how many good teams we have. Baltimore is not in this. Do we get the stat now, too? I'm going to give you the stat in a second. I love Baltimore. They're 11. It tells you how good, how many good teams there are right now. Here we go.

Heard hierarchy. Time is now, let's go. The top 10 NFL teams, according to college. Number 10. Tampa Bay overcame a 17-0-half-time deficit to win. Why were they down 17? They're four and three in games this year. they've trailed by more than 10 points.

Why are they always down in big games? Now, you could argue so was Kansas City, but Kansas City's got a much higher end at the end of games. Part of Tampa is their back end worries me. They're 8-1 against teams 500 or worse. There's a lot of wins over a lot of junk. Brady doesn't appear to me to be the issue. The issue is the back end's not good.

The pass rush is inconsistent. They blitz a lot. They take a lot of chances in their back-end. often does not save them on those blitzes. I have them at 10. Number nine. Tennessee. I'm going to give you a stat that is insane.

You think you know all the good quarterbacks in the league. Since Ryan Tannahill got the starting job last year in week seven, he has 67 touchdowns, 11 picks and a passer rating of 112. Better than Mahomes. His yards per attempt, you think this is about, and I'm not saying he's better than Mahomes. You think this is Derek Henry. Folks, Adam Gase is apparently an atrocious coach.

Ryan Tentanyl's plan is arse off. And Derek Henry is unbelievable. Now, why are they ninth? They have no pass rush. They do not match up against the Kansas City. They just don't. This is a team that everybody that plays up, I don't think they match up with Baker Mayfield in Cleveland.

I think they make quarterbacks too comfortable. We got to come to terms with this. Ryan Danahill is a top 10 quarterback in this league, and Adam Gase can't coach because I saw him in Miami, and I thought he was a stiff, and he's just not. Number eight. Rams, listen, don't sell too much of your stock. There's a couple of things here that matter. They're one of only two teams in the NFL to outgain their opponents by over 1,000 yards. Vegas cares about that.

They have the number one defense, and they've allowed the fewest big plays in the NFL. So it's a really good football team. here's the problem. Jared Goff gets into these like turnover tunnels. And in the last seven games, he's got eight touchdown passes and 12 giveaways. It is a problem. It's frustrating McVeigh. It may shorten his career in Los Angeles, but don't kid yourself.

Jalen Ramsey allows them to match up with everybody in the NFL. You could put them on a Tyreek. You can put them on a D.K. Metcalfe. You can put them on a Devante Adams. And you know you're getting a pass rush with Donald. So they're a matchup. They have some match-up symmetry with almost every good team in the league Rams at 8. Number seven.

Cleveland. I got to tell you, their offensive line is the best in the NFL. You know what they remind me of? Dak and the Dallas Cowboys his rookie year. Here comes Dak, best offensive line easily in the NFL, great running game, and you're not putting a ton of pressure on the quarterback, and Dak and the Cowboys go 13 and 3. Listen, Baker's humming right now.

Without OBJ, he's a point guard, and he can pass to anybody. He's got time to throw. The running game is wide open. Play action pass all works now. 15 TDs, one pick for Baker since Odell's injury. I don't care what anybody says. He looks more comfortable. He looks like he's kind of controlling the offense.

His body language is good. Doesn't have nervous feet. His confidence, his accuracy has gotten very good in the last six weeks. Browns at seven. Number six. But Seattle's got a Hall of Fame coach and a Hall of Fame quarterback, and I would take them over Cleveland in a matchup, even though I don't like their offensive line.

The reality is the Seahawks defense is on fire since Carlos Dunlap, who we loved came over. Top five defense since he arrived, 28 sacks since he arrived. They've held each of their last four opponents under 20 points, and the running backs are healthy, which is when Seattle is scary. Carlos Hyde, Penny, Chris Carson. Now, their offense has been a little stagnant for a month as they rebrand. as they reboot their defense, but I still like them a lot.

Number five. Miami lost to Seattle earlier. I don't think they would today. Is Brian Flores, are the dolphins right now the best coach team in the league? Not saying he's the best coach, but are they the best coach team in the moment? I got to tell you something. They won last week, and they were missing four their top five players. They were missing Miles Gaskin, Devante Parker, Mike Gisicki.

They're only allowing 18 points. Tua is Drew Brees. He makes no mistakes. You're not going to get a ton of. of huge plays, no mistakes. He is the perfect quarterback right now for Brian Flores. I don't know what it is. They lead the NFL in takeaways, 20 straight games with one or more. I don't understand the lines in the NFL. Vegas doesn't buy them. They're only a two and a half point favorite over the Raiders. I don't get it. This to me is a top five team in the NFL.

Number four. The Saints. The last couple of weeks they've been gashed, but some of that is the defense is on the field for 42 minutes against the Chiefs. You're going to give up 400 yards. This really is a defensive story. They're a lot like Pittsburgh except Breeze can still play. I wouldn't take too much out of the Kansas City game. Didn't have Michael Thomas. Breeze was awful in the first quarter off the rib injury. This is still a high functioning team.

Number three. Green Bay. I'm going to know a lot more after this weekend against Tennessee. I know they're good. I know they play well with the lead. I know they beat bad teams. Can they go into the octagon? gone with a Tennessee, with a bruising running game, and play from behind or play after getting

punched. I don't know if they can. I will in less than a week. Number two. Kansas City, five turnovers in two weeks. They're the most talented team, but I don't love what I see. Red zone defense, red zone offense, been a little clunky in the last month. Listen, Kansas City was seven and four through 11 weeks last year.

They weren't the best team in the league until week 12 on. Right now this second, Kansas City is number two. Number one. And right now this second, Buffalo is rolling and is number one. I think they have the best coordinator in the league, Brian Dayball. I think Josh Allen is frightening. I think they match up with Kansas City and they've gotten better. I think if you go since week seven, seven and one, 32 points a game, second point differential, 400 yards in this moment.

Now, do I love, do I always love their defense? No, but I like it situationally. Best team last two weeks, I see. I cannot believe they dropped 48 on Vic Fangio's defense after a Steeler win. It was the perfect time for a letdown game. And they dropped 48 on at least a competitive Denver team. And Vic Fangio is a top five defensive coach in the NFL. And with that, I bring in my friend Nick Wright.

Used to live in Kansas City. Probably won't sit well with him. brought to you by Nick Wright. All right, Nick. Can you at least acknowledge that Kansas City is sputtering a little right now? Sputtering? Yeah. Can we show the hierarchy again?

Is that possible? I don't know. Because what I do know is that Kansas City went to the number one team and beat them. They went to the number four team and beat them. They went to the number five team and beat them. They went to the number 10 team and beat them. Baltimore is not on there. They went there and beat them.

Oh, but they didn't hang 48 on Denver. Is that the problem? They did hang 43 on Denver, though. Five points is the difference? Sputtering. I don't know. They just completed the greatest road season in NFL history, Colin. Look it up.

Eight and no beating the best team in the league Buffalo, beating New Orleans, beating New Orleans, beating Miami, beating Tampa, all in their buildings, beating Baltimore. No, they're not sputtering. The offense could be better. That's why they only scored 32 points in New Orleans. What are you talking about? Sputtering.

They've lost one game since before last Thanksgiving. One game. Well, we see out of your mind. We see the sports car slightly differently. Now, you will have to admit, you had created this narrative out of thin air that Brady was an old relic. You needed to rust-proof the old car.

It was sputtering down the road. His numbers with a new city, new team, new playbook, no coordinator, new roster are better than Aaron Rogers last year with a new coach. Same team, same city, same space. Brady has shocked you how competent he is. Has he not? Well, competent. Yeah. And you know what?

As you get older, competency is the goal. There's competency tests. Make sure you still be able to drive the car. So I guess competence is what we're shooting for here. No, I'd like to congratulate Tom Brady. He's 9-0 this year. And he's doing it all by himself. Because as we know in Tampa, the rules are when the Bucks win, it's because of Brady.

And when they lose, it's Bruce Ariens and all of his terrible teammates' fault. So the Bucks, O and 5. Tom Brady, 9 and 0, put them together their 9 and 5. Colin, I told you after the Chiefs went to Tampa in 1, that what was going to happen is Tampa's going to get in the buy, and then win four consecutive games going into the playoffs and be everyone's hot playoff team before losing in wild card weekend in the postseason. They are halfway home.

The only thing that was surprising about that football game was that they were down 17-0 to the Falcons. If you don't have a pass rush, the bucks will eat you up. If you do have a pass rush, the bucks are drawing dead, which is why I'm going to caution you of this because of how much you love Tom, you don't want them to move up to the five seed. If they move up to the five seed and get Washington, they will lose. The Washington pass rush will beat them, and while they'll probably lose if they're the sixth seed and get Seattle or the Rams, at least it won't be as shameful as losing to a seven and nine Washington team, which will happen if they get the five seat.

Interesting about OBJ, it is not his fault. But we have all in our life had an older brother, a boss, a mentor that we kind of want to impress. So Baker comes to Cleveland, here comes a superstar. And I think he kind of like wanted to make OBJ know he was aware of him. I'm not blaming either of them. But I do think it's indisputable. Baker's now the point guard. You know, he can pass to everybody.

He's more comfortable. His body language is good. This is not me blaming. He is absolutely a better quarterback without OBJ. When I watch him now, he looks totally comfortable. There's no pressing. You know OBJ, you like him. Is it possible?

Is it possible he was an issue? You're right. No, you're right. You're right. This team's, this is the odd time. where removing a super talented player has made the team function better. And I actually think it puts the Browns in a great position because Odell, if traded, that contract becomes super palatable.

The guarantees are already paid out. The base salaries like, I think, 12 to 14 million a year over the rest of it. So I think at the minimum, they'd get a good second round pick, if not a late first round pick. and in fact, I might even be able to tell you, Colin, they might be able to get the latest first round pick. How about the 32nd pick? How about a team that's going to win the Super Bowl? That's going to have Sammy Watkins coming off the books.

That, you know, could we see Odell follow the Randy Moss career path? Unbelievable start, odd second stop, and then an unbeatable third act for Randy. It was in New England. For Odell in Kansas City? I mean, the rich get richer, possibly. Who knows? It's just something people are talking about. By people, I mean me.

But yes, I do think the one thing you got right about the Browns all year was Odell. I do think that. I think everything else you were wrong about, but the Odell thing, I think you were right. I really appreciate that. Nice assist. Okay. So let's talk about this. I understand people who liked MJ over LeBron.

First of all, he was the best player. He was the best looking. he was the most glamorous. He had the best shoeed thing. Like Michael was, it was just a force of awesome. Everything. Cool, glamorous, great. Triangle offense.

It was Chicago, big city. And I understand it. And I also understand people who liked the NBA more 20 years ago, even though the players are better now, because it was very tribal and intense and a rivalry. It was like college football in the South. Everybody hated everybody. But I do think those people think the LeBron MJ debate is over.

And my argument is, Anthony Davis, if you look at all the second best guys to LeBron for the last eight years, only one appears to have perfect chemistry and a perfect teammate, AD. You start looking at Hardin and Steph and KD and Kyrie and Hardin. And I look at this and I think, folks, this LeBron AD thing, this could be a three, four year run. Am I nuts on that? No. I mean, they're the overwhelming favorites this year.

The only thing you're nuts on is when you're listing all of Jordan's like accomplishments and accolades, you said best looking as if Kurt Rambis wasn't in the league at the same time. But it's neither here or there. I, uh, listen, I think that it would be, I will take the Lakers over the field. I think the clippers are not better. Do you know the best point guard on the Clippers roster? Chauncey Billups and the second best is Tailu

and they're both coaches. So that problem is not solved. And out east, Brooklyn to me is going to be the most watchable team, the most interesting team. They are going to have the best offense in basketball. Kevin Durant is going to stake his claim

I think once again as arguably the second best player in basketball. But that team is going to be atrocious defensively. So bad, I don't think they get out of round two in the East. I don't think you can beat multiple good teams in seven-game series with defenses that bad. So now who are we talking about? Now you're talking about beating the Sixers, beating the Bucks,

beating the Mavs, beating the Nuggets. So I am old enough to remember the consensus opinion being LeBron James chose Los Angeles because of his family, because of space jam, because of movies, because he's already accomplished enough. He doesn't need any more rings. He is in a different phase of his career. Maybe he chose Los Angeles because he had just an inkling Anthony Davis might shortly thereafter join him and that they could win three championships in a row. Maybe that's why. This is just, you know, another thing just some people are saying. You know, that OBJ chiefs thing. You know, only you would come up with that.

That's not going to happen, but it is a delicious idea. And I thought to myself, I mean, if you're, listen, I'm just saying, if you're Brett Veach and Andy Reid, you have the 32nd pick of the draft, which this year they used on a running back, who they didn't really need, and Sammy Watkins and his money's coming off the books,

and you're looking at the draft, you're like, well, there's a solid inside linebacker from Georgia or O'Dell Beckham, I'm just saying I think Odell Beckham Jr. could fit. And I might be able to help him find a house there. There's some gorgeous areas. Great place to raise a family. If Odell's ready to settle down, I can talk to him about it.

Good seeing you, buddy. You're doing my show tomorrow. Nick Wright, multiple talented platform. You too have a great time off, buddy. Happy holidays. All right. Thanks, man. Nick Wright.

No, it is interesting. You get to a point with Kansas City. This happened years and years and years ago when San Diego was really good, the Chargers. And AJ Smith was a GM, and they, like, gave up all their picks for Eric Weddle, who was a safety from Utah. And they had so many Pro Bowl, it was like 10. Their takeaway was none of these guys can play. Like Kansas City now is like they figured out, you know, they draft this, they draft that, everything's solid. You know, I mean, you get to a point where some of these teams are willing to give up two or three picks to just get a star for one or two years.

Listen, Kansas City, when you're in that Super Bowl window, it is kind of funny. One Super Bowl gets everybody three years contract extension. Two gets you six. And he reads in his 60s, Brett B. You go from, oh, a champion, John Calapari's got one. Two at Kentucky changes everything. You can't question them. First one, you can go, well, he had Anthony Davis.

It's amazing one to two in Kansas City. You get that second one and you're a legend. The first one is, well, Brian Billick on a Super Bowl. And not as he's a bad coat, but I mean, that's the difference. No, there's a big difference between one and two. Brian Billick and Tom Coughlin. Especially back to back. Yep.

Joy with the news. Oh, I got to take a break. 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, Superhuman, documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care which I'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 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-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 a little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down,

and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you're just so you. 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, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses.

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On my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Christmas Day, it's an NFL special as the Vikings take on this. Saints. Coverage begins at 3.30 Eastern on Fox, also available on NFL network and streaming on Prime Video. I can't get my hands around Minnesota. I can't get my hands around him. I haven't been able to all year. I thought they were going to be much better. So did I. I like their coach. I like their GM. Um, playmakers on offensive. Justin Jefferson's been unbelievable.

The rookie receiver from LSU. I just totally whiffed on the Vikings Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, this Jets win Sunday has made things very complicated for everyone. The Jaguar is now in position to get the number one pick and draft Trevor Lawrence. Head coach Doug Marone is not thinking about that possibility just yet. He said the team is only focused on winning. We're trying to win.

I mean, we're doing everything we possibly can. And that's my job right now. And I owe it to the coaches and players. None of us are going to look at this in the future. I mean, no one knows what's going to happen tomorrow. Never mind, you know what I'm saying at the end of the year. But I do understand the question and appreciate it. But that's not the way we think, myself, players, who are just too competitive.

He's right. He's not telling any lies. He's not concerned about that right now. They just want to go out there and play. That's what coaches and players do. It's up to front offices to figure out how to tank. Their remaining schedule and the Jets remaining schedule is interesting, though. So the Jags are the Bears and the Colts.

Those feel like. Those teams are playing. for something. They're playing for something and they're playing better. Yes, yes, that's good. So what do the Jets play? Jets play the Browns and then they're at the Patriots. See, um... Anything is possible? Well, Browns would beat the Jets, but this is where New England goes with Jared Stidham.

It's totally possible. Now, it was your theory, but the Jets went ahead and won. Yeah. I think Jags going to draft first. That's tough. It's going to end up being the Jets. To your point, the Colts and the Bears are not only better in playing, but to your point, they're both playing their best football of the season. Yes.

So this is the current draft order Jags at the top Jets number two, Bengals three, Panthers 4, Falcons 5. Now Panthers are going to draft a quarterback, right? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I would think so, but I think in that situation, you really have to love the guy. Well, I think the Trey Lance guy that we're not talking about now because we're now into the Zach Wilson from BYU. I still think Trey Lance, when I look at his video on YouTube, because I don't watch him play, I don't think he's played this year.

If you watch his YouTube stuff, he looks fantastic. He looks like 2020 NFL. I would drafts a quarterback every year, not in the high rounds, obviously, if you don't need one, but I would take a quarterback every year. Do you like Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville? Yeah, I actually think it's a bizarrely good job. First of all, it's attractive to free agents because cost of living, no state tax, warm winter weather. They have a ton of cap space.

Trevor's going to be great. It's a southern player in a southern town. They really need a rock star quarterback. It's a college football town, so I think he fits there. And again, I think Trevor Lawrence makes the job really attracted to a coach down in Jackson. And, you know, that division's always been odd. It's not like he got Mahomes in it. It's not like he got Aaron Rogers in it.

That division's always been like year to year. Somebody else looks good. Look, I'm a big city cat. So I like Trevor Lawrence to New York more. But this is an easier fit. This is an easier fit. And this feels like Joe Burrow to the Bengals. Because Trevor Lawrence can come in right away and make things better.

I don't know that Justin Fields can do that. And honestly, I think if this ends up finishing this way, it's just going to become a very interesting situation for the Jets overall. Now, I probably would still take Justin Fields at two just because you kind of have to. And I think, I do think that's going to happen. I really do. Yeah. I don't have a strong conviction either way.

Yesterday I thought I'd go Darnold. You know, the more I talk to people, either one is, the Jets are going to be better next year. They have so many drafts picks and so much cap space. I still think even without Trevor Lawrence going there, I still think it's a good job. You're not going to get the best candidate because that's, it's still a, it's still New York and you still have to deal with the New York media and the New York expectations where you aren't going to have that in Jacksonville and you're going to have Trevor Lawrence. But I don't think it's a bad job just because. because Trevor Lawrence isn't there.

And at the end of the day, there's only 32 of these in the world. So people still want them. So the Steelers seem to have the AFC North locked up when they were at 11 and no. But now they've lost three straights and their chances of winning the division are getting worse. According to Fox bet, before last night's game, the Steelers were a huge favorite minus 5,000. But after the loss of the Bengals, they're holding on by a much smaller margin. They're still favorite at minus 333, but the Browns are closing in at plus 275. The Browns are going to win the division.

They play the Steelers Week 17. So if the Steelers lose to the Colts, yes. The Browns beat the Jets this week, which we're assuming is going to happen. Now, the Steelers Colts could go either way, obviously. But if they lose to the Colts and the Browns beat the Jets, the winner of the Steelers Browns Week 17 will be the AFC North champion.

Folks, Uncle Colin's going to make you a little money. Bet the Browns to win the division. It's an easy one. Browns are better than the Steelers buy a lot. They're going to blow them out. But if they're not. the Steelers beat the Colts. No, that's not going to happen.

No, that is not going to happen. They're going to lose four straight? Yes, they're bad. You're Pittsburgh girl. This is painful. They're bad. I am and I've always been extremely honest and fair and very self-aware about the Steelers.

They're very tough on the Steelers. They got smoked by the Bengals. It was painful. That game wasn't competitive for three of the hours. No, it was ridiculous. It was ridiculous. It was ridiculous. Finally, we love it.

this. The annual NBA GM survey has been released. I love it. And a large majority of executives believe the Lakers will repeat as champions. 81% chose the Lakers to get the title again. The Clippers came in second with 11% of the vote. They also believe

Yonis will win his third straight MVP and he got 32% of the vote. Luca came in second with 21%. And LeBron and Anthony Davis are tied at third with 18%. Do you have the one question? There's always the one question. Who would you build your franchise around for the next five

years? Janus and Luca tied for best player to start a franchise with. Stop on Janus. He can't shoot it to Shooters League. I like him, but can we stop with this? Here's what I'll say. Are you going to do like a preseason well we can't do preseason because obviously

the season starts today. But maybe we'll get into some NBA predictions next week. I can tell you right now I am not going to have Janus or the Celtics in the final in the NBA finals. Rubit, I am so done with that whole situation with both of them. Great

fun teams, great regular season teams, do it in the playoffs, get to the NBA finals, and then I will start putting them in those predictive spaces. Now, obviously, Brooklyn Nets haven't proven anything either, but I do think that they're going to be a lot better. Nick Wright is right. There's no defense to be found, but I think that the offense will make up for that. If you go look at the roster of the Brooklyn Nets,

it's a lot of guys that can score. We've got a lot of points. And let's not forget what they were in the bubble. A lot of those players are coming back and a lot of their best players weren't even with them in the bubble. Lamello Ball was also picked to win Rookie of the Year, which I think is solid. I would go with Luka for MVP. I don't see Yonnes winning a third straight MVP.

I like Luka or AD. I don't know. I think Yonis, I mean, I think LeBron will like cannibalize that MVP thing for, I mean, Anthony Davis would just have to have such an incredible season, I think. And Luca is just a star. And the MVP conversation starts as soon as the season. starts. There you go. Joy Taylor with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Hurd-Ly News. So excited.

It's just a great time. I tell my kids, like, COVID's tough, but take the wins out. Silver lining it. Take the wins out. Tonight NBA starts. NFL season is never more important. Big bowl games around the corner. With this, the next next, next, next seven weeks, it's going to be unbelievable. It's such a great. And for a lot of the country, it's cold and you're stuck inside. You can't go outside. So the silver lining is going to be so many crucial games over the next two months.

There's some sports to watch every second of Christmas Day. Every second. Football and NBA. Good stuff. Peter King is around the corner on a Tuesday, Joel Clat next hour. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the I-Hard Radio app. Search Herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

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

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

or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for Raw, filtered 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 a here, unpack what we? went down and tried to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, We get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

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

Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app, search Learn the Hardway, and listen now. Man, I love me some NFL. You know what I like to? We've talked about this. In the NBA, sometimes it feels like all the glamorous markets get all the players. Buffalo's great. Green Bay is great.

Tennessee is great. New Orleans is really good. Kansas City. Kansas cities right in the middle of the country as meat and potato cities are going to own this league. Baltimore is really good. Peter King is joining us NBCSports.com. And, you know, Peter, what I love about the bills, they have given Josh Allen so much support. They've done it the right way.

And talk a little bit, if you could, for a couple of minutes, just about the culture in Buffalo. You know, I said the other day, the difference between the Steelers and Buffalo, one of them won the Super Bowls, one lost. But Buffalo, if you go back 30 years, they've had a lot of good players, a lot of good coaches, a lot of good teams. But, man, Peter, they are so rolling right now. You know, Colin, I had an interesting conversation with Jerry Hughes, who, by the way, the day that Sean McDermott walked into the building, January 15th, 2017. That's less than four years ago. Jerry Hughes is the only active player who was active in 2016, who is left of the 53 men on the active roster. Wow. The only active player then. So that's what we talked about. And one of the things that Jerry Hughes talked a lot about was how, you know, basically this coach got to know, everybody on the roster. And while it was not their plan to denude the franchise and totally

bring it back up, when you have a coach who communicates with everybody, one to 53, or now one to 69 with practice squad, you have a coach that communicates with everybody, one to 69, and you pick the right quarterback for your franchise. And there's one other decision they made. I was critical of Brandon Bean, the general manager, for giving up so much for Stefan Diggs. And the other night afterwards, I said to him, I said, hey, Brandon, you got, you know, now Stefan Diggs, obviously, is the number one receiver in the league statistically. He's playing absolutely great, and he's a pure franchise receiver, if there ever was one. He pointed out two very interesting things.

Number one, he was under contract for three more years, whereas, you know, you knew that D'Andre Hopkins was going to need a huge new contract. You know, and so Stefan Diggs is under contract for a while more. And number two, they traded, in essence, an extra four, five, and six to get them as well as their one. Minnesota took Justin Jefferson with that one. And so if you're just comparing the two things, you'd say, man, Minnesota got great value. And Minnesota did. But as Brandon Bean said, he said, look, we didn't know how much we were going to be able to work with the players in the offseason. Even if we take a receiver in the first round, how much is he going to be able to contribute opening day?

That is the strength and the wise move of getting Stefan Diggs. ready to step in day one as a huge factor in their offense. Steelers and Saints both have Hall of Fame coaches, better defenses than offenses and Hall of Fame quarterbacks, and a quarterback that looks just about ready to go. The difference is the Saints feel like they're prepared for it. The Steelers feel like this morning they're not. Peter, what is plan B?

Big Ben, I don't know if you turn this around. He just doesn't look like there's much left. No, he looks old. And the worst thing I thought last night was, you know, he was fairly inaccurate last night. And, you know, if you're going to be sort of a statue-like quarterback, you better be, you better be able to hit everything. And last night, clearly he didn't. He had another interception dropped. You know, you're showing some of the bad highlights now.

are you going to show the dropped interception that would have ended the game? Yeah. But I do think, I think you're absolutely right. The Saints, now we don't know right now if they're going to keep James Winston and have Winston and Taysam Hill do a duel in training camp next year. We don't know that. But at least they've got a plan. And the Steelers know that Mason Rudolph is not their long-term guy.

I mean, there's a slight chance he will be. but I think the Pittsburgh Steelers have to be in the market for a quarterback in the first round wherever they pick this year. So I had Jimmy Johnson on yesterday and Trent Dilfer and Trent said Justin Fields is who you take if you're the Jets. He's not Trevor Lawrence, but it's not that big of a gap. And Jimmy said, I don't know, maybe I'd build a fortress with all those picks and cap space, give Donald one more year. And if it doesn't work, just the next guy is going to have a nice unit of players.

What do you think happens this morning? Where do you lean on that, Peter? I lean on the Jets, just a gut feeling because you don't even know who the coach is. Suppose they hire Eric B. Enemy as the head coach and B. Enemy goes, I love Justin Fields. Or suppose you bring in Bienemy and he likes whoever, you know, one of the other guys. The one thing that the Jets can do at number two, you're absolutely right. Because a lot of people still love Sam Darnold. if you give Sam Darnold one more year and it is a disaster, you've got a high pick next year.

Yeah. And then you can stock up on your quarterback. And Colin, suppose you do one of two things. Suppose you stay right there at number two and take that great Oregon tackle, let's just say. Or you take that pick and you trade it down for, say, two ones and a three. and you're still saying the top 10, and you got another one in 2022, in addition to your Treasure Trova picks this year. So to me, I think the Jets, I understand that everybody in New York is hanging black crate paper who loves the Jets.

I get it. And of course, you wanted that great quarterback, you know, Trevor Lawrence. But if you can't get them, you got time to be smart. you've got a really good personnel guy as your general manager. Get a treasure trove of picks for that pick at number two. The best you can, see if Donald is still your guy. And if he is, if he is, all of a sudden now, you have a great base of talent to surround him with. A couple of minutes left, two and a half minutes.

Tom Brady, is he better, worse, or about what you predicted going into the final couple weeks of the regular season, Peter? He's about where I thought he would be. Now, did I think he throw for 320 yards at one half of a football game against a very aggressive Rahim Morris defense? No, I didn't think he would do that. But you can see he still got the ball, the arm to throw the deep ball, as you see the Antonio Brown, which is an absolutely picture perfect throw. He's got a great group of receivers. And look, as I wrote in my column, Look, you know, he's not necessarily better than he was last year, but he certainly has.

Last year he had one of the worst skilled position groups in the NFL. And now he has, he's in the top three. You know, he's right up there behind Kansas City, I would think, in terms of skilled position players. So Brady is in a great position. And he's going to be significantly better after 16 weeks this year, numbers wise than he was a year ago. Yeah. And I think he's every bit the player that he was a year ago also. Peter King, NBCSports.com, Hall of Fame voters since 92.

It's great seeing you. He's on the board of selectors for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Peter, have great holidays for you and the fam. Thanks very much, Colin, you too. You bet new streaming service coming. It's calling Discovery Plus, called Discovery Plus, Food Network, HGFET, and some exclusive originals. Next year, U.S. only. It is interesting.

I mean, the Steelers and the Saints, I was thinking about this this morning, have a lot of similarities. Hall of Fame coach, defense better than their offense, Hall of Fame older quarterback, limitations throw in the deep ball. The difference is the Saints feel like they're kind of prepared for next year and the Steelers don't. And I think some of that is on the quarterback. I think Big Ben has been needier. I think he's been a little more difficult. I mean, he got upset when they drafted a quarterback in the third round. Drew Breeze has been much more honest with the Saints front office and says, Yeah, give Tayson Hill 15 snaps.

I think, you know, it's funny when a star leaves, can you have honest conversations with your old or quarterback? And I think the Saints have honest conversations last two or three years with Breeze. Breeze got in a little trouble before the season with his teammates. They didn't run out to save him. Drew, you save yourself. The Saints haven't babyed Breeze. They've supported him, but I don't feel they've coddled him or babyed breeze. They've supported him.

They've had real conversations. Drew, you're getting older. We're going to draft. We're going to bring James in. We're going to Tassum Hill is going to get 10, 15 snap. Those are real honest conversations that stars don't want to hear. Ben, it's been a little more coddling. You know, they take a quarterback in the third round.

Ben's upset. I'd bring him in and say, stop talking. We'll draft one in the second round next year. So it's one thing for Carson Wentz to be a kid in a team draft Jalen Hertz. I get the pain there. Ben's got rings. He's got money. He's got a legacy.

He's not the same quarterback. So, you know, when you have. have a star, can you have really honest conversations with him? And I think the Saints have been a little better at that like, let's have conversations. And Drew's like, okay, I want to go on television.

And you can just, you know, air it out. Ben also can't stop talking about possibly retiring. So I don't know why it's even a conversation for the Steelers. I thought they missed it by not signing a solid backup this offseason. You saw what happened when Ben was gone. You had Mason Rudolph and Duck Hodges and you almost made the playoffs.

Sam Darnold's got a spot. Darnal wouldn't be bad. Knows the AFC. Doesn't beat it much, but he knows it. All right. Joel Klatte will be joining us. Jason McIntyre will be joining us on a Tuesday, one more hour to go. In L.A., it's the herd. 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 Mike and, Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for

banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's

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

I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

On the Look Back at a podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. 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. 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.