The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 12/28/2020 - HOUR 2 - Where Colin Was Right, Where Colin Was Wrong & Trent Dilfer

Episode Date: December 28, 2020

Colin dives in on where he was right and where he was wrong after another week in the NFL and the start of the NBA season. He also talks to Super Bowl champion Trent Dilfer about the Packers win over the Titans and Lamar Jackson’s red hot December. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

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

A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok's podcast network on TikTok. Hey, what's good, y'all?

You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you not to be played with.

And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The HARD 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 Hurt at Fox SportsRadio.com or stream us live every day on the IHartRadio app by searching Hurd. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. It's our two.

It's a holiday week, really. Many of you home, thanks for joining us. It's the herd wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Fox Sports Radio, Iheart Radio, and FS1. You worked all last week. Yes, it is. So you're not, are you taking any days off this week? No.

No, I actually work Saturday again this week, too. So I work every day. Ladies and gentlemen, America's hardest working sports journal. and opinionist, Joy Taylor. Trent Dilfer in 15 minutes stops by. So next week, so the college football playoff games are Friday. Yes. So we get Ohio State Clemson.

Cannot wait for that game. Cannot wait for it. And then Alabama, Notre Dame, which I can wait for that. And then this week in the NFL Sunday, all the games are on Sunday this week. So they stack them all up. Nobody's going to know who's in, who's out. So you're going to get great effort from all the teams. We really kind of, because there's so many teams still in play,

we have like a bonus playoff weekend. That's what it feels. Because a lot of these games, like the winner goes in and the loser goes home. Well, usually in sports, we have too many playoff teams. Like you watch the NBA or baseball. You're like, that's not a playoff team. In the NFL, they added a playoff team for both the AFC and the NFC, and I could argue we're shortchanging somebody.

If Baltimore doesn't make the playoffs, it is the best team I've ever seen in my life not make the playoffs. Right now they have a top 10 defense. They have a Hall of Fame coach. coach. They're the number one rushing team. They're great on third down. In the last month, Lamar Jackson's the hottest quarterback in the league, not name Aaron Rogers. They may not make the playoffs. So what does it show me? It shows me the bottom of the NFL, of all the leagues. There's about 10 teams in the NBA that are just not good. They're rebuilding. And there's baseball,

maybe got 15, 12. In the NFL, the bottom is tiny. You watched the Jets yesterday. That's the second worst team in the league. The bottom is tiny and any given game you can lose to them. I mean, Jacksonville is the worst team in the league. They faced Red Hot Chicago. I think it was tied at half. I watched the first half of the game, not as much the second. But, you know, it's just, it's the bottom of the NFL right now is tiny. The Jets are the second worst team.

In the last two weeks, they hammered the Rams and they beat the Browns. You could argue it's the most competitive league. Oh, I think by far. Yeah. And it's also, the NFL is also the league where, because you don't have these guaranteed contracts like other sports, you can cut anybody. So if you're bad, you can get really competitive fast. Yeah, you can turn things around in an offseason. You have eight draft picks, seven, eight draft picks, two or three free agent signings, and boom.

You can solve, I mean, Miami, the dolphins essentially solved their defense in one offseason with Brian Flores. They solved it. Now, the offensive line is still an issue, but, I mean, you can really, you can go from one in 15 to like seven and nine, eight and eight if you solve one side of the ball and you get decent quarterback play. You can't do that in any other league. So here we go. Colin right, Colin wrong in a Monday. Where Colin was right. I said a month ago, maybe longer than that, I said, keep your eye on Seattle's defense. I think Carlos Dunlap has actually, and the return of Jamal Adams, is going to solve their huge problem.

They were a really good team with no pass rush. And now, arguably, first or second best pass rush in the league, only team this year that's held their Rams without a touchdown. The defensive line, as we predicted a month ago, the young players are starting. starting to gel. Dunlap's got four and a half sacks in seven games. And we kind of called this. We said most times you have a real weakness. You can't solve it in season. But we said the Dunlap move, Jamal coming back, and there's a couple of emerging young players. We think that defensive line, they're going to figure this out in season and they have. Where Colin was wrong. I only did Blazing Four this week and I did it on Twitter only, but I've got to own up to it.

Jacksonville, Colts, Rams did me wrong. Thank God for the Dallas. Cowboys, I'm 38, 39, and 2 on the year. So I need to have a winning week for a winning season, never had a losing season, ever doing Blazing 5. Cross my fingers. Where Colin was right? I said with Tua. I had this concern about Tua. I said, I know he's smart and he's steady and he's got the right temperament and he's accurate.

I said, but I don't see a ton of special. And now he's been benched twice. And I think what worries me most of all, he's last in the league in like yards per attempt or yards per game. He's averaging, I mean, he went three straight, three and out against the Raiders after half. You just can't do that. The Raiders are a bad defensive team. And I think what I see with Tuah, with Joe Burrow, I see there's a certain cool, calm, he can move around. With Herbert, it's the arm, with Josh Allen, size an arm, with Lamar, it's the athletic ability. I don't see a lot of special. I just see a grown-up, accurate, adult can handle the NFL. But there is, I'm kind of waiting for the it.

And I've yet to see the it. Where Colin was wrong. I thought Tennessee was another physical team that would walk into Lambo and push the Packers around. And they did not. Derek Henry was mostly corralled. A.J. Dillon, actually, it was the big Packerback that had two touchdowns and 124 yards. I thought they played a game. I wasn't sure the Packers were capable of playing, which is, you know, Tennessee because kind of wins ugly and they're physical.

And the big running plays, and the biggest running play was Ryan Tannahill on a keeper. So I thought the Packers, it's not that they won, it's how they won. It was physical December football, and they were the tougher, more physical team. Where Colin was right? Said a month ago, watch Kansas City play. Something's not right. Last seven games, they're giving up 25 a game, their point differential shrinking, their turnover differential is now negative.

This is not the best team in the league right now. Remember, they were 7 and 4 week 11 last year, and then they got hot. But if you've watched this team for the last month, there's this sense that we have to anoint them a dynasty. They've won one trophy. They trailed the Niners in the fourth quarter. Patrick Mahomes has an 89 passer rating in December. They have the worst red zone defense in the NFL.

and Atlanta outplayed them for most of yesterday. The Chiefs are vulnerable, and I don't care what their record is. They're not the best team in the league right now. Where Colin was wrong. I can't even explain the Chicago Bears. Mitch Trubisky is on fire. In the last three games, he's completing 71% of his throws. His quarterback rating is 108.

They've scored 36, 33, and 41. and I said a month ago, I'm not sure Matt Nagy makes it through the season. Give the coaching staff credit. They have rebooted it. They're absolutely playing to Mitch Tribesky's strengths, which is short-passing, move the pocket, let him roll, let him be athletic. It absolutely can win games in this league. There's a little Jalen hurts to him where I don't think he's a great thrower, but he can make plays. He moves the chains.

and if you give him the right coach, a Jalen Hertz or a Mitch Trebisky, sometimes you can struggle to get him off the field because he gets in matchups, roll in the pocket. And I thought this team was dead, buried, GM, head coach, quarterback toast, and they are right now outside of Baltimore, maybe the hottest team in the league. Where Colin was right?

Urban Meyer, according to various reports, NFL teams are now interested. This has been something I've been on for about a year. How come you keep hiring all these Cliff Kingsbury who had a losing record, it fired in college, and Urban Meyer never gets a phone call. He's the second best college coach of my life behind Nick Saban. Super smart, high-functioning,

knows personnel really well, and also as an offensive kind of guru that kind of created his own way to see the world offensively. He is the NFL. Remember how good Pete Carroll was when he walked in the NFL out of college because he knew all the recruits? Urban Meyer, the first two or three drafts, if you have Urban Meyer, he's going to nail the drafts. Nobody knows college national recruiting like Urban Meyer.

Finally, teams are waking up. Where Colin was wrong. The Dallas Cowboys. They've won three straight. They looked organized. I thought, you know, I've always, you know, Andy Dalton got way too much heat early. But since the by, they've looked like they've been well coached. Now, their defense isn't very good, but I thought they made excellent adjustments yesterday.

Jalen Hertz had a couple of nice series. After that, Philadelphia only scored three points. They can still make the playoffs. I don't think they can win a playoff game, but let's be honest about this. They get decked back. They're going to be better at quarterback. Dalton will be one of the best backup quarterbacks. I still think they should move a wide receiver and get defensive help.

But this morning, you can say it. They've got a little bit of an offensive identity, and it looks as though they're at least capable of making in-game adjustments, which is a start. And not every team does that. Not every playoff team's great at that. Dallas now looks well coached. Where Colin was right?

I said after the playoff loss for the Clippers, if you don't trade Paul George, you're going to have the same issues. He's not a franchise guy. He's just a really talented basketball player. Yesterday, Kauai is out. Clippers lose by 51. worst half-time deficit in NBA history. Afterwards, Paul George said,

no big deal. It is a big deal. It's a big deal because Kauai Leonard needs a Robin to his Batman. And once again, Kauai's out and you don't have your franchise guy that you're paying franchise money to to step up. Paul George is a nice guy and he's a nice player. But when you pay them that extension, this is what you're going to get. Questions?

if Kauai Leonard is not available. Where Colin was wrong. When everybody said Tom Brady was washed, I said, no, he'll probably be Matt Ryan. Yeah, my bad, I was wrong. He's Aaron Rogers. Tom Brady is going to shatter, shatter my expectations. Last three games, eight touchdowns, no picks. Right now in the year, he's got 101 passer rating, a 66% completion version.

percentage, 36 touchdowns and 11 picks. He had a perfect passer rating against Detroit. I'm being a little sarcastic here because y'all said he was washed. And I said he's not washed. He's going to be Matt Ryan. And by the way, Matt Ryan has been a top 10 quarterback in the league for the last decade. Brady is blowing through all the recommendations or all the predictions. Let me add this.

So a couple of the NFL people I know, like Tan-Ails had a very good year, and Aaron's had a great year, and a lot of the veteran quarterbacks, Derek Carr's mostly, you know, he's had a good year, and Brady's having an incredible year. One of the things that's not getting talked about for these veteran quarterbacks, it's the quietest year ever. There's no fans. And so for these Matt Ryan's and these Rogers and these Brady's and these veteran guys who have been around forever, it is much easier to operate at the line of scrimmage. Now, it's obviously, easy for everybody. But if you've been in the league

10, 12, like Philip Rivers, it's had a much better year than we thought. Brady's had a much better year than we thought. A lot of talk in the NFL is that the lack of crowd noise at these games is such an advantage for veteran quarterbacks. I mean, Ryan Tannahill's putting up, he didn't

play well yesterday, he's putting up huge numbers. So some of this is just COVID has a little benefit and that is nobody in the stands. There are no real road games. You know, it's just veteran quarterback who's seen everything, heard everything playing in utter silence. It's like practice. Brady looked like against Detroit, practice.

That's what he looked like. It was seven-on-seven drills. Trent Delfer is around the corner on A Monday. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the 4. 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-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 J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill,

waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because. of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence.

Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your Podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast,

Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. 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, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines,

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, Search learn the hard way and listen now. Tomorrow on FS1 player of the year frontrunner, Luca Garza, looks to keep up his historic starts the season as he leads 10th ranked Iowa. The Hawkeyes against number 19 Northwestern Big Ten hoops tomorrow at 9 Eastern on FS1 and the Fox Sports app.

Northwestern's had a good year. Some upsets in the Big Ten for the Northwestern Wildcats. They do a great job in their athletic department. It's a small private school in Chicago. It's hard to get into high academic standards. not always the most beautiful winter weather and they just have good football, good basketball, they work their tails off.

They're a great story. Trent Dilfer is joining me 15 years in the NFL, a decade and a half of a Super Bowl and a head football coach in Nashville, Lipsbyan Academy. You shaved your beard, by the way. You don't look like a man lost in the mountains anymore. So congratulations on that

as you're hanging out in your summer home and your winter home, I guess, in Lake Tahoe. Let me start with the Packers. you know, sometimes wins are wins and sometimes they mean more. And I did think in the building, a lot of my eye rolling at the Packers between the draft, the running back

in the second round, and who's Matt Lafleur? He'd been a quarterback. And, you know, they never spend money on free agency. And I look up this morning, I'm like, well, they kind of answered, they were kind of right on everything, right? Like, I thought it was kind of a good foundational,

organizational win. It said a lot of things about them, I thought last night. I'd agree. that and I think they won on their terms. You know, they want to get the lead early, protect that defense. They want to be balanced. I think that's what Matt LaFleuror has done the best job with with this offense is the

ability to spread you out, quick game, tighten you up, run game, play action. I think that first drive, they had four runs, four passes. You know, this is a football team that Aaron makes everybody better. And if you put Aaron in a position where he can operate at a high level early on, spread the ball around, have the freedom of a run game to accept the play action pass. They get a couple's core lead, then the defense plays better than its talent. I'm still not totally sold on them of finishing this race and winning a Super Bowl because of the defense, but if they can play on their terms like they did last night, then they're going to be tough to beat Lambo.

You know, it's funny. I was looking up a number this morning on, let me look at this real quick. It was Lamar Jackson. And, you know, I've come, you told me this years ago, there's a lot of different ways to win in this league. and Lamar Jackson in the last month has 117 passer rating and for his career it's over 100 and I keep hearing he can't throw and I say listen it's not always the most beautiful thing but I do see touch I do see him coming out of halftime second half and making adjustments I know it's not going to win any beauty contest but I watch him Trent he wins he's a hard matchup I think he throws good enough when you consider the other elements, doesn't he? I agree. I've always said this about him. He throws it actually pretty darn well in between the hashes for all the reasons you're saying. He can change speeds on the ball. He can change

trajectory on the ball. He anticipates well in the middle of the football field. And he gets some open looks in the middle of the football field because he's so dynamic as a runner because his running game supports that so well. Where he struggles outside the numbers, you know, when you get those isolation throws out on the boundary versus tight coverage, but guess what? Soon who 20 quarterbacks in the NFL? There's very few that can anticipate well versus tight coverage and throw people open outside.

This is a guy that, and here's what I like the most about the Ravens. They've identified his DNA, what he does best. Obviously, handling a very complex run game, him running the football, him being a threat in the run game, and then him dominating in between the hashes as a passer. They don't try to do anything else. And that's why he's been playing so,

well the last month or so. I have them as one of the few teams the NFC that can beat the Chiefs and get to the Super Bowl because they've found their identity and they're calling plays that Lamar does best. You know, I'm watching the Seahawks Rams game yesterday and, you know, I've watched every Rams snap because I'm in Los Angeles. This year we didn't see their preseason games, but their games all kind of look the same. You know, it's a lot of this counter stuff. The offense doesn't change a lot. And I look at it and I think, okay, so you are what you are, and I get it. But when I watch Jared Goff, here's my big issue, is that if he is off, if you move him out of what he had at the line of scrimmage, if you ask him to add lib, the accuracy goes, now he's

having a confidence issue, the ball doesn't come out good. And I look at myself and I know he's won games, but I look at myself and I see McVeigh's body language and I hear him and I don't know if McVey and Gough, is it maybe Gough the wrong quarterback for McVe's offense? I don't know. They've been pretty successful. I agree that Jared has to play the game a certain way. He needs to play on time. The longer the play develops inside the pocket, the worse he gets. He tends to be better in the play action game. He struggles in the dropback game. The only thing that does doesn't fit completely is they boot so often. They make it and boost.

So they change the launch point so often. And Jared's not the most athletic guy. And one of the advantages of changing the launch point and getting outside the pocket is if your receivers aren't open, is having a mobile quarterback that could then go attack the line of scrimmage as a runner. Steve Young, think of Steve Young. They did a ton of naked and boots with Steve Young. It wasn't there.

Boom. He's using his feet. And he's getting you eight to 15 yards of offense. That's the only. mix. It's the only fit part that I don't see. I do think Jared does a great job the line of scrimmage, handling the run game, handling all the checks. I think Jared's a good football player. Is he great? No, but I think he's very good and he has the ability if they stick with him to be even more successful than he's been to this point. So what are we

to do with the Tua benching? I mean, Brian Flores, I guess at some point you're paid to be a therapist when you're a head football coach. What do you make of the benching? What does it mean? Well, I think this was one of the few head coaches and get away with it. He's pushed all the right buttons this season. I thought Fitzpatrick said something really interesting. I don't know if this got any carry-on media, but in one of his quotes, he said, this is the one coach I can see doing this

because he communicates so well Monday through Saturday. And I think that's a big piece of this, is what Brian Flores is telling these quarterbacks during the week, how honest he's being with them, the expectations for you to. Hey, Tua, you do A, B, and C, and you're the guy. But as soon as you don't do one of those things, we got a pretty good reliever we're going to bring in

who I know will do those things. And as long as you're honest and transparent with the quarterbacks going in, then I think they can live with it. You also have two pretty unselfish guys here, too. You have a unique room. And I thought the announcing crew did a good job. I think it was Kurt Warner talking about that dynamic,

how these two have really, like a big brother, little brother relationship. I was in a very good room like this with Matthew Hasselback in Seattle. When the two guys really respect each other, they really have a bond and they're in it for the greater good of the team. They're in for something bigger than themselves. Then I think you can make these decisions. If there's animosity between the two players, if one player is a very selfish player, if he's doing stuff behind the scenes, then you can't do this stuff. So I think Brian Flores has pushed all the right buttons. He's been honest with them. And you have two unique

selfless people you're dealing with. So, you know, we know Kansas City's good, but it's funny. Mahomes is passerating in December's in the 80s. And, you know, Mike Vick came on earlier and he said, I think Andy's experimenting a little bit, like finding out what

they're not good at and finding it what they are. I guess you can do that when you're them. But boy, Trent, it's hard for me in the NFL to watch a team struggle in December and think, oh, here comes Buffalo, they'll be fine. Isn't there a little concern with how Kansas City's playing despite winning?

Normally, I would say yes. I think they're an aberration to a certain degree. They're just different than everybody else. Their floor is so much higher than everybody else's. Andy knows they can play, they can play sea level, just middling football and still beat people. They played really well defensively. They made plays when they had to. I think the one thing he has in his back pocket, he was running back.

were banged up. I think the thing he has in his back pocket is we can get into the playoffs and we can run the rock. We can play action pass and we can make big plays. And they didn't do any of those things last couple weeks. But that's what playoff football is. He knows you can get into the playoffs. He still has the magic of Mahomes. The dynamic playmakers everywhere, they're coming out of their ears. But he'll get back into the playoffs. They're going to run the rock at a higher level. They're going to play action pass off of that. When they play action pass off of it, you're going to see home run shots and they know they can trust the quarterback on third down to convert long-yard situation and keep drives alive. I still as bad as they're playing, and I agree they're not playing well.

I think they're by far the favorite to win the Super Bowl. Finally, you played 15, 14, 15 years in this league, and there's one or two things that are really hard. I said this with Seattle. It's almost impossible to have a weakness and in-season make it a strength. Seattle's pass rush, Dunlap, Jamal Adams, good coaching. They've done it. I also think it's hard when you lose, you can lose a game, but not the locker room. To kind of lose the locker room, have a buy like the Cowboys come out, and it's like, you're limited, but you're not a bad football team anymore. And I think Mike McCarthy did what's really hard is that you kind of reboot or re-engineer

the locker room during the buy, and they have limitations, Trent. But, you know, they play hard now. They didn't look like they played hard in September. that's what I see with the Cowboys now. Not just winning, but the way they're playing. What do you see? I agree. I tip my hat to Coach McCarthy and the entire staff, the entire building,

because it takes the entire building. It's not just the head coach and some speech he gives. Frankly, when the head coach gives those speeches in a tough situation because I've been on those teams, you kind of roll your eyes. But on the whole building, when everybody says, hey, let's buy in, let's change. If you don't like the way things are going,

change the way you do things. And let's really have a high. accountability. Let's play for a purpose bigger than ourselves. Let's make sure we all finish this race strong. Then you can have change. And I think that's what the Cowboys have done. I give Coach McCarthy that staff the players, the veteran leadership, other people in that building, a lot of credit for how they've been able to turn this thing around because it did. It was, it was one of the few times it looked like a team just didn't care early in the year. And now it looks like they really care. There's a passion. And I still don't think they're very good,

but there's a passion and an energy and a juice to them. Like it's a complete 180 from what they were the first half of the season. I mean, listen, Trent, the Bears were on a six-game losing streak. They were awful. And I watched the Bears first half against the – I watched them last two weeks, and I'm like, you've got to give the coaching staff credit. Like, it is – you can lose locker rooms in this. You've been in a locker room probably before, but you just lose the guys in the last month.

Here's the difference. You know, about six, seven years ago, the league changed and became significantly younger. All those old six, seven, eight, nine, tenure vets that used to make up the core of your roster are now first, second, third year guys. Well, in the old days, the olden days when your team was veteran-laden and you went through a tough time, vets had the ability just to cash it in, pack up the U-Hauls, let's get into the off-season, I'm too big for this. Well, now you have more of a college vibe in the NFL.

And if you get an organization, they can create that college enthusiasm, that college energy, that inspiration, younger kids tend to buy into that more than older grizzly vets. And I think that's why you're able to see the bears, the cowboys, other teams make these midseason adjustments because you're doing with a younger, more impressionable player that's willing to listen, that's willing to change. Instead of the grumpy old man, it's like, eh, I'm done with this. I'm packing the U-Ha. I'm taking the kids to Hawaii as soon as this thing's over. That was really smart. That's really thoughtful. Well, we knew it.

And congratulations. The beard. I can see your face now. I couldn't in November. So it's a win for all of us, Trent. Thank you. It was my Christmas present to my wife. She was not real happy with the old beard.

All right, buddy. We'll talk soon, Trent Dilfer. Supplement I take every day is MDrive, nutrients, digestive enzymes, more lean muscle, M drive. Check it out. Here's Joy Taylor with the news.

No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, not terribly surprising, but Washington has released Dwayne Haskins. This just didn't go well. No. Move comes after he was benched in yesterday's 20 to 13 loss to the Panthers. He completed 14 of 28 passes for 154 yards and two interceptions and a fumble before being taken out in the fourth quarter.

In a statement released this morning, Ron Rivera thanked Haskins for his contributions to the team over the last two seasons and says he believes it will benefit both. sides to go their separate ways. You know what? If you just didn't know about anything other than watch him drop back and throw the ball, you would say that's a successful guy. He's big, he's strong, he can throw an accurate. He has a beautiful release. When he completes balls, you're like, oh, it's beautiful. He looks like a number one quarterback, but the concern out of Ohio State was always maturity. Even Urban Meyer came on this show and said he's not quite ready to be a franchise quarterback, but unfortunately in pro sports, you are go. This is the Baker issue. This was the Johnny Mansell where there's something there,

but you're asking a 22-year-old to run a $5 billion franchise, and some guys are just not ready for it. No, they're not. And I'm very pro-player. I try to be gracious with people. I try to think, what was I doing at 22? Would I be capable of doing this? And the answer is no, but I also wasn't in a space of that level of responsibility at 22. either. And more and more, you know, you have young athletes going through camps. They are working with people like Jordan Palmer. Like, you have a lot of mentors. The league has done a really great job with rookie symposiums, partnering guys with older vets to bring them into the league. You can even prepare now for the Wonderlich. It used to be just you took it. Now you can

prepare for, like, there's really, it's an academy. There's the football academy. There's the Football Academy in America so that this, you try to weed all this stuff out, so when you get the job, you're ready to go. He's just, he's not a rookie. Last year, the selfie thing, it was, it was ridiculous. I wasn't outraged by it. It takes a lot for me to get outraged. It was just like, what are you doing?

Like, this is silliness, and it's not a good look, and you have to be aware of what's going on in the game. And to me, like, if you're not on a level where you're proven and you're a winner and what you do on the field cannot be. be questioned, you shouldn't even be paying attention to any of those other things. And I'm not going to be in the gym every single day. No. But when you're on the field, you should be aware of what's going on. Like you can't be taking a selfie when the game is not over. And obviously we know what happens. He goes to a party with his girlfriend's,

his girlfriend's birthday party, whatever. I don't care about the dancers or whatever. That's nothing to do with it. In 2020, every single person on planet Earth is aware of what's going on and what the repercussions of being around other people are. Now, if you're an NFL football player, it's a bit heightened because not everyone on planet Earth has been tested every single day and has to go through COVID protocols to walk through the door and has to come in on their off day to get tested and has to wear contact tracers. Everybody's not doing that. So you can't be unaware of where you're supposed to be. It's too much. This is a franchise that is going through a lot behind the scenes.

They cannot afford any other PR situations. Ramavira is a no-nonsense guy. you're just not going to get this grace on top of the fact because you're not playing well. Yeah, not going to happen. Now is he going to end up somewhere else? Maybe. But if he doesn't, I wouldn't be surprised. He's had some chances. Yeah.

I mean, this is why GMs, why guys like me come out and are critical of Johnny Manselan Baker or James Winston about judgment. Because by the time you get to the NFL, they're not going to be patient. Like, literally, they almost cut him before the game Sunday. Peter Schrager reported that after that incident with the dancers, like, half the building they were raising hands voted and like let's get out of here I was I mean obviously Alex Smith is injured and Ron Rivera owes it to the other guys on the team to put the best player out there

to give them an opportunity to make it to the playoffs because despite the fact that obviously Dwayne Haskins doesn't care about that, the rest of the guys do and they deserve an opportunity to go to the postseason so I think that's what it ended up coming down to now Taylor Hineke is going to get the start next week. But if I was Ron Rivera, there's no way he would see the field again.

But I really think he weighed well, I think Haskins is better than Heineke and I owe it to the rest of the team to give us the best opportunity to win. That's what I think it came down to. But I'm not surprised by this at all. I would have not let him see the deal. I heard things a year ago from somebody that works at Fox. There were a lot of problems that he was not showing up on time, that he was leaving the building early. So this is one of these things where if you've been working in our business for long enough, you have enough sources. You were hearing

stuff last year. Like even in preseason, people were just saying, man, he's not as committed as you'd love a rookie to be. So, you know, I don't think the ending here is shocking to people that well connected in the NFL. There's a, there's a lot of things that are, they can be out of your control. You can go to an organization that's dysfunctional. Yes. You can lose players to injury. Bad head coach can get fired. I mean, look at Deshawn Watson, what he's had to deal with in his career. The things that are within your control, being on time, not going to parties during a global pandemic, things like that, you need to take care of. So the Chiefs held on to beat the Falcons in a close 17 to 14 game. Atlanta gave Kansas City's offensive problems, holding them

to fewer than 20 points for the first time this season. The Falcons had a chance to send it to overtime, but Young Wayku missed a 39-yard field goal at the end of the game. I'm not laughing. You know, this is, of course, what happened, that Atlanta outplayed them. Atlanta had a lead, lost it. Like Atlanta does, valiantly move the ball down the field with a chance to tie it. And then it would have been any other team in the league after Kansas City scores, three and out, four-in-out game. No, Atlanta drove all the way down the field to win the game and whiffed.

Of course Atlanta did that. This is of course what happened. God. I honestly feel bad for Falcons fans. How can you expect any other outcome at this? No, I live in every game. I live in Los Angeles. Atlanta is the Chargers South.

Yeah. This is what, like, at some point structurally in the organization, it's not a coincidence. Why Atlanta and the Chargers, now Chargers actually almost gave yesterday's game up. But when I was watching this game, I'm like, it wasn't just that Kansas City, took the lead late. It was that Atlanta tortured its fans by, by the way, Matt Ryan had four or five big draws up the side and you're like,

oh, they're going to win the game. And he's a great kicker too. It's wild. Well, the Chiefs clinched the top seat in the AFC with the win and they will get the only buy in the conference. Patrick Mahomes was 2444, 278 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Travis Kelsey had

a big game. He set the record for the most receiving yards in a season by its height end with 1,416, a previously held by George Kittle. He also became the first tight end to have two 100 catch seasons. So a star for them, obviously. But look, they got the buy, so they're happy. Only team in the playoffs, we know exactly where they'll be.

At home. Everyone else is still up in the air. All right, so this was crazy yesterday. Obviously, it was a full day of NFL games with a lot of implications. But there's NBA basketball being played. And without Kauai Leonard, the Clippers found themselves in a historically bad situation. They trailed them abs by 50 points at halftime. the score. 77 to... 7727 at the

half. I didn't watch the game. I saw highlights on YouTube. I saw the score at half and I'm like, what is that? It's a tragedy. It's the largest half-time deficit ever in the NBA. And it didn't get any better in the second half, obviously. They lost by 51 points, which just set a new franchise record. 124 to 73. Paul George said it's not that big of a deal. I'm off the clippers this year. They made me a liar last year, so I'm off them, but. Landry Shammett and Montres Harrell are gone, so their bench is not as good. They don't have a true point guard.

I don't think they got better this offseason, and I think it's, it's, I don't want to overreact to the beginning of the season, but to me, Kauai Leonard is in a different category. He is, he's separate. He's beyond reproach. He's a great player. He won a championship. He's a great player. He carried the Raptors and won a championship for the country of Canada. Like, he's in a separate situation. He is a champion. Kauai, Anthony Davis.

There's no questioning them. They're great players. I know what he can do in the playoffs. I've seen it for years. Paul George is the question mark on this team. I don't care about the money, whatever. Everybody has to get paid. Every team has to pay somebody.

That's not the important part. Your number two, you have to prove that you are that guy. You can't come out here and say it's not a big deal. It's a very big deal. It was historically bad. It is a big deal. It's okay to say that was horrible. We are taking responsibility for how bad it was.

It is a big deal. It's not just one game. Well, when Kauai is missing, you are now the franchise player available. Like when Michael Jordan left, Scotty Pippen still took the Bulls to the playoffs and was a call away from the finals. Like, it mattered that Pippin validated his robin. It's like, okay, Michael's gone. I'm it. And Scotty, that's why Scotty got a job in Houston and Portland and big money.

It's like, Paul, the star's gone. Be competitive. Have to. Joy with the news. Well, that's the news And thanks for stopping by The Herd Lie News Why Tua being benched is not a big deal

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

Embeded in the games and with the athletes For a full year Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care where you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand-new podcast. the Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,

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

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it.

And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust.

I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Really, it's not. I'll explain next to the herd. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Good to have you in, almost through two hours.

there's Peter Schreger, NFL information guy going to be joining us last hour. So Tua got benched, and to make it worse, he got benched against the Raiders defense, which is awful. First of all, Brian Flore is the head coach for Miami. It's not a therapist. He does things for the right reasons. I think, as Trent Dilfer said, good communicator. He can get away with this. But there's something to remember here.

And I think what is happening in the NFL, the high school coaching for quarterbacks is better, the college coaching is better. the NFL is now accepting college and sometimes high school schemes, so they're just more good quarterbacks. We currently have three backups in the NFL. They're all former starters, and they do something significantly better than the guy that has the job. I think Marcus Marietta is a significantly better athlete than Derek Carr.

Derek's the better quarterback. I think Ryan Fitzpatrick is a significantly better athlete than Tua. I think Tua potentially is the better quarterback. I think Andy Dalton is a significantly better quarterback. just a distributor of the football accurately, throws a better football than Dak Prescott. Dak's the better quarterback. So in this instance, Tuah should get this

because it was Tua as a freshman at Bama who was inserted into a huge game to add juice. That's why Tua against Georgia went in. We need juice. This was Ryan Fitzpatrick adding juice. Tua had three straight, three-in-outs against the Raiders defense. He's also an evolving player.

He's also a rookie with no training camp. And the other thing is, you know, Miami now has a top three pick in the draft. My guess is they won't go for a quarterback. I think that could do a little damage to his psyche. Just like Jalen hurts to Carson Wentz. I think it's really hard for a young quarterback. You go first, second round, you draft a quarterback. I mean, if this company was signing people to replace me and I'm 55,

I think it kind of gets in your head. But I think in the end, Tua is, uniquely equipped for that. His strength has never been. He's the best athlete. He's got the biggest arm. It's always been sort of his resolve, his temperament, his maturity. And he was a great teammate to Jalen Hertz when he was added to a football game in college to add juice. I think similarly, he gets it. Flores is a communicator. Fitzmagic. This is what he does. This is what Mariata can do. This is what Dat can do. There are backups in this league that are better than the starter at specific things.

And when it comes to juice and energy, that's Ryan Fitzpatrick's game. The other thing is, listen, I have watched the NFL go from ripping mobile quarterbacks to now demanding mobile quarterbacks. But one of the things I've seen in golf, I've seen it in basketball, I've seen it in baseball. Not everybody has the perfect shot or the perfect swing. Lamar Jackson, the criticism really baffles me. So in the last month alone, Lamar Jackson is completing 70% of his throws, 8 TDs, 2 picks, 83 rushing yards a game. They're averaging 37 points as a team.

He's 4-0, 70% completion, 117 passer rating. But what's interesting about Lamar Jackson is a kid I love baseball. Baseball cards. I'd memorize stats and numbers. I can still remember some. but baseball is paralyzed by numbers. What I always liked about football, you play a game, you lose, nobody cares about the numbers.

It's all about the W. Not only does Lamar Jackson have a passerating now, and we got a lot of starts, over 100. So don't tell me he can't throw. His passerating, you've got to be able to throw to get a passer rating over 100. He's got a passer rating over 100. The weakness of this team is wide receivers.

So it's not only he has a great wide receiving court. But the other thing is, 36 career starts, 17 picks, half an interception of game. So he makes almost no mistakes. That tells me he's got very good judgment. It tells me he's unbelievably coachable. And the other thing is, he is 29 and 4 in this league against everybody not named the Kansas City Chiefs. I think the Titans last year, I think that's what the Ravens are. I think the Baltimore Ravens are the Titans of last year.

They've got an identity. They're mostly about power running. They can throw the ball with touch and spots. They're playing with house money. Everybody sold them off mid-season. I think the Ravens are a nightmare to play, and I don't get the critics of Lamar Jackson. 26 and 4 against everybody not name the chiefs.

Folks, this isn't baseball. Win the games. He does. Hour 3 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, 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 Smygle and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. 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.

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 fourth. 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 Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford Show on the I Heart 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. Hey, what's good, y'all?

You're listening to Learn the Hardway with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast.

Guaranteed human.