The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 12/28/2020 - HOUR 3 - NFL 3 Word Game & Peter Schrager

Episode Date: December 28, 2020

Colin summarizes every game from week 16 in the NFL. NFL insider Peter Schrager joins the show to tell Colin why the Washington Football Team cut former 1st round pick Dwayne Haskins.   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. 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're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 is big to me.

I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. 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. 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 Herd. We're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go. It's hour three. We're live in Los Angeles.

It's a holiday week. Thanks so much for joining us. This is The Herd, wherever you may be, and however you may be listening. Fox Sports Radio, I Heart Radio, and F.F. One, a friend Joy Taylor is joining me. She got a beautiful Christmas gift for me this morning, candles. And I didn't. And so now I'm guilty and have cracked ribs and just a bad day for men.

That's very thoughtful. I love, you know, I like candles. I'm not somebody who, like, expects. guess. Well, you're going to get one now. Well, you could just give me the money that you owe me. Oh my God, that's terrible. Don't make me laugh. Don't make me laugh. All right. I'm sorry. No, but I'm glad you liked them.

I did. Thank you very much. You know, I got into this discussion yesterday with my buddy Colin. That's his name, actually. And he's the one who told me I had a crack rib because he's had him all his life. He's kind of athletic guy. And he started explaining it. And I'm like, oh, yeah, yeah, I got crack rib. And I'm like, and he goes, yeah, does it? I'm like, yeah, here? Yeah, it doesn't hurt there. No.

You haven't seen a doctor? Well, it just, a rib heals. It's not like it's going to reset it. It's just, you just drink more milk and eat carrots and it heals. I think that's what you do. You don't smoke cigars. You do a lot of calcium, eat a lot of bananas in my rib heels. It's just cracked.

It'll solve itself as well. You may want to just like, you know, see a doctor. Okay. So we were talking about this. He said, Justin Fields, because I said, I think, you know, Trevor Lawrence is going to the Jags, number one pick. The Jets will number two pick, guaranteed. They'll get Justin Fields.

And he said, are you sure that he's better than Sam Darnold? And I said, no. But sometimes you have to do things to protect yourself. If I ran the New York Jets, if I stay with Darnold and Justin Fields hit somewhere, I look like a yes. The other thing is Sam's had like two coaches and hasn't worked with either. So it's not like he just had one coach. So the bottom line is, as a general manager, I know it would be selfish.

But my takeaway is if they're tied, I've got to take Justin Fields. Because if I don't, and he's going to get him if I don't, who's the team drafting after me? So now the team drafting after you is now. Cincinnati? Well, or somebody potentially, like let's say Carolina moves up. Well, I know if Justin Fields gets Matt Rule, he's going to succeed. Yeah. Right. So I know if I don't take Justin Fields, Carolina's got an offensive coach, a really smart young general manager, he's going to succeed in a division where Brady and Breeze are going to be retiring really soon. So, you mean, to some degree, you look at the landscape and think, okay, I'm not going to take this guy. Where's he going to end up? I don't want him ending up with Matt Rule or Matt Lafleur or some young offensive guy who smokes all of his numbers elevate. And I looked like an idiot. But also, Sam is a bit of a known commodity within your organization.

Like if Justin Fields comes in and he's not great, at least you tried. That's going to be the sense around the building. It makes me sound like I'm selfish. But if I was a general manager and there was a big decision on a quarterback where he goes if I don't take him kind of matters. If I was in the NBA and let's say I wasn't going to take a player, but many people thought I should take but he was going to end up with Eric Spolstra, I just take him. Because I know Spolstra has a history of getting the most out of his young players. Yeah. And so if it's a go-either-way thing, I'm like, well, I'm not going to give him to Spolstra.

Even if I don't have to play Spolstra, he's going to make him an all-star, and I'm going to look like a schmuck. Does that make sense? Absolutely. General managers need to keep their jobs, too. But I also think that there's something, too. Like Sam Donald has had his time in that organization. Even if you bring in a new coach and a new system, we know what he is with the job. Jets. He might go somewhere else and be great, but

there's built in excuses and reasons for all that. A new start. You guys needed a new start. But if Justin Fields comes in and he's not great, there's at least the sense that you made a bold move. There you go. You rolled the dice in that. Didn't play it safe. Which New York's not a play at safe town. It's a big

go for it city. Peter Schreger in 15 minutes joins us. Best for Last. We do it every Monday. The three-word NFL game, we describe every NFL game in three words. So the MVP race is he leading up Aaron Rogers, Patrick Mahomes. Last night I think Aaron solidified his position at the top of that list.

Mahomes, frankly, has not even had a good December. Mahomes has more to work with. Aaron deserves the MVP. He's been absolutely magnificent. But Aaron's not the one who really won last night. Aaron wins all the time. He's good looking. He's rich.

He's got a Super Bowl. Aaron's life, he wakes up. He's winning. Who won last night was the Green Bay Front Office. Think about it. They draft Jordan Love and they said many reports well documented. It was to push Aaron Rogers. Oh, he said his best season ever.

They draft A.J. Dillon because their two backs are going to be free agents. We all questioned it. Oh, he was really good last night. You watch him and you think, oh, ho. They got a big East Coast running back is going to be good in that snow. Matt Lefleur as a head coach is now 25 and 6. They signed Aaron to an extension a couple of years ago. The cap hits 21 million for the last.

league's most valuable player. And the last couple of free agent signings have done really, really well. Last two years, they've went out and got Preston Smith, Zadaria Smith, Christian Kirksey, and they've all been terrific. Green Bay's front office won last night. And we kind of roll our eyes. You know, they go to bed in their khakis. They live below their means.

They drive a used car. In fact, they go to the car lot, and they buy a used car. And they don't spend their money and they work hard and there's that small town feel ethos. And this morning they were right. They got the coach right. They got the quarterback contract right. They don't go big and free agency, but they go smart. The draft picks look like they work. We argued all offseason. I certainly did. I said, this is the fighter that you put in the octagon. He's got no interest in taking a shot. Last night, they faced one of the NFL's most physical teams. And they ran the football. And they stopped the run. And they played great.

this morning, the front office of Green Bay. Coastal elites rolling their eyes at their khakis. They were right. Coach is right. Quarterback contract right. Second round pick is right. Free agent dabbling's right. They were right.

And by the way, they're not overly reliant on Aaron Rogers. What? What are you saying? He's only 12th in attempts. So in the offseason, they got Jordan Love to kind of push Aaron, and they wanted to be more physical, meaning they saw what San Francisco did to him. They didn't want to be reliant on Aaron throwing 45, 55 times a game. He is 12th in the NFL in attempts.

They're balanced, they're physical. This morning, they look smart, and they're absolutely for all the eye rollers, and I'm one of them. Check, check, check, check. They're one of a handful of teams? that should win the Super Bowl, and it's going to go through Lambo. And it's been remarkable through the years how few times Aaron Rogers and Brett Farr get home playoff games? They should play them every year, right?

Congratulations. Here's Aaron, feeling himself, and he deserves it. We had an opportunity to be in prime time. He gets a really good opponent. you know, I think we've all heard about the conversation about us not being enough good teams and, you know, not responding and playing a complete game. And this was our response. So I feel good about where we're at.

It's tough to play in the cold. You know, it's tough to play in Lambo. I think we proved that tonight. They did. They got it right. The draft picks, the free agents, the quarterback contract, the head coach, the front office, keep wearing those khakis to bed. You were right.

the critics myself included were wrong. I want to talk about Baker Mayfield. Oh, you knew I would. So when Baker Mayfield was drafted and Sam Darnel was drafted, I had said I didn't like Baker's personality. I thought he would be a franchise quarterback. I thought he was overvalued for a number one pick. I thought Sam was a bigger, stronger, more athletic, more mature guy. But over the course of their careers, it's been difficult for both. They've gone through some dysfunction. Okay, both have gone through a lot of dysfunction. They've gone through multiple head coaches. But the difference is, is Baker Mayfield had a very aggressive front office.

They got him OBJ. They got him Jarvis Landry. They've gone out and got him really good offensive linemen. They have spent money and mostly on offense. They don't spend money on the back end of their defense. That's all cheap draft picks. They put their money behind him. And Sam Darnold, well, all their good players are mostly on defense. And many of you have said, Colin, you were wrong. Sam Darnold is just no good in Baker's great. Well, Isn't it interesting? What happened to Baker Mayfield yesterday? Oh, nothing.

What happened to Baker Mayfield yesterday was Sam Darnold's reality for three years. Oh, the Cleveland offensive line went from the best graded offensive line in the NFL to missing two of its best starters. It was just average. The running game, like Sam Darnold, he didn't have any. Wide receivers, top three or four out. Yeah, that's sort of what happened to Sam Darnold's first. three years. Sam Darnold's career has been no run game, bottom five offensive line, and a

wide receiving core that's hurt. COVID can't play. Missing an action. No show. That's what Cleveland was yesterday. And it's funny how completely mediocre Baker Mayfield was. Three fumbles, lost of the Jets, a pass-a rating in the 60s, 53% completion percentage, and the fewest points scored on the Jets all year. This is not to take a shot at Baker Mayfield. It is the reality of the NFL. There are, and I really, I really believe this. There are only two quarterbacks in the NFL, maybe three, that can carry a bunch of meh. Aaron Rogers, Russell Wilson, and I still think Tom Brady can do it on some Sundays. What about Deshaun Watson? He's 4 and 11. I mean, that's what he is right now. Well, what about Mahomes?

What about him? He's had a bad December with a loaded roster and the smartest offensive coach in the game. What about Drew Breeze? Can't throw over the top. What about Big Ben? Did you watch Sunday? Outside of Aaron Rogers and Russell Wilson,

who just make me work almost every Sunday. And I think Brady's way closer to that than anybody wants to admit. This league is about what you're surrounded by. Justin Herbert can't mostly overcome a coach who's solid but not special. Baker yesterday or Sam most of his career can't overcome a bad receiving core and an offensive line missing two of its best players. Deshawn Watson can't save his team every Sunday.

At some point you need help. There's about three to four guys in the world that are great at quarterback. Everybody else that's close to that is good with an occasional great Sunday. day based on who's available to play alongside them. What happened to Baker yesterday was nothing. It's what's known as Sam Darnold's reality. One of them has had really nice help. One's had none.

Yesterday it was actually Sam who had the healthier receiving core and the better defense. And actually, I thought the better play calling. Why did Baker throw it so many times? Here's Baker after. Plain and simple, I failed this team. I put three balls on the ground. Two of them that, you know, they recovered. And then the other that on the fourth down, obviously, need to just hold on to the end ball.

This one's on me, but here's the thing. This one's going to sting for a day or two. But we have the Steelers to win and get in. Here's why I love the NFL. I won't spend too much time. I'll talk about this later. So we're going into week 17 in the NFL. 11 teams this morning.

A third of the league has no idea if they're in or out of the playoffs. This is only one team in the NFL this morning, as far as I can tell, Kansas City knows exactly they'll be, they have a buy. It's just, it's the gift that keeps on giving. I think there's nine teams with the potential to win one playoff game, Baltimore maybe two. But just think about this. We go through this entire season.

It's been, I mean, the weather, you start in September, and it's 85 degrees, 90 degrees of the game. Your battle in COVID, you get your buys, you have injuries. We go to week 17. And 11 of these teams don't know. You get a call this morning. Are you guys in a playoffs? I don't know. We got one more game.

I have no idea. What are your travel plans in the offseason? Really, I have no idea. I have to wait until next Sunday. You can't script how great this league is. still think Baltimore, if they don't make the playoffs, is the best team I've ever seen in the NFL that would not make the playoffs.

We added a playoff team in both the AFC and NFC, and still Baltimore may not make it. It just tells you the quality of play in the NFL. The bottom is very tiny in this league. It's enormous in baseball. It's enormous in hockey. It's enormous in baseball NBA. It's tiny.

Jags stink. Even the Jets can beat you. Jets beat the rams. and the Browns. Jags stink. That's the bottom of the NFL. All right. Three word game plus Peter Schrager

is right around the corner. One more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week, within the IHeart 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 super-reaching, Human documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the 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, 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 a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

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

It's my guy, Peter Schrager. He's on that Sunday show, Fox NFL, Kickoff, Sundays. at 11. You know, that show dominates another network. I'm so chippy and petty on a Monday. Why would I, what would I do that? Why would I poke fun at a place I used to work? All right,

Shregor's a bestselling author. New York Times bestseller out of the blue. Foxway, he's great. Bring him on. Let's hang out of Peter Shregger. All right, Shregs, I got some, I got some, I want your sourcing here, buddy. All right, let's start with this one. That Rams

loss felt like, I know they're going to beat Arizona next week, right? But you watch that game in your thought, man, McVeigh's body language, Goff, frustrating. It felt like more than a loss. It felt like a statement. What did you make of that loss to Seattle?

There's a couple of things that play here. Golf was terrible again. He was terrible against the Jets. He was terrible yesterday. He showed a lot of toughness because he broke his thumb in the game and then he said, keep me in. I want to still play. He wants to play next week. I could tell you that. That fourth down interception that he had, It's one of the worst interceptions you'll see.

He's a fifth-year guy. So now you're wondering, he had the whole field to run. If he runs seven yards, he's got, you know, first down and we're in the game. It just feels like this year he's just so inconsistent. And he's the fifth year as a pro. Everyone's focused on Carson Wentz and what he's doing wrong. And feel like that golf has been so underwhelming, which now leads to this interesting decision.

You're saying it's going to be a slam dunk. They're going to beat the Cardinals. Cardinals are at least healthy next week. these guys are going to have golf with a broken thumb or a quarterback named John Wofford who has never started an NFL game. He is the career leader in AAF career touchdowns, if you want that stat out of Wake Forest, and Darrell Henderson's out. So they're going to have no camakers, no Henderson, golf with a broken thumb or a guy

making his first career start against Kyler Murray, Kenyon Drake, and of course DeAndre Hopkins. So the Rams, they are at a weird crossroads right now where if they did a million things, they would be in the playoffs already. If they beat the Jets, they'd be in the playoffs. If the Cardinals beat the 49ers on Saturday, they'd be in the playoffs. Or if they beat the Seahawks yesterday, they'd be in the playoffs, but 0 for three. So here we go. I mean, Jared Gough might be playing tough, but he has not been playing well. Arizona, San Francisco, a game we've not talked about. I would have bet money that Arizona would win that game. And instead, their offense just couldn't get it rolling. What was your takeaway on that?

Lifeless, didn't have much. I feel like I'm so negative. I'm like the Grinch right now. but there is something to take away from it from the San Francisco side. I got so many texts Saturday night from not only coaches around the league, but decision makers around the league being like, man, Robert Salah, I got those guys to play. And the Niners have had as adverse a situation as anybody. If you think about they've been living in this hotel in Arizona for a month, especially during the holidays, they're not with their families.

They're eliminated from the playoffs. They're out with all those injuries with Bosa and, of course, Solomon Thomas, and all these guys are at. And Robert Salat motivated these guys to play defense and not only play defense to kick Arizona's ass on Saturday, an incredible performance. And Salah's one of these guys, which a lot of teams are looking for right now,

leader of men. Like you see him on the sidelines and you might roll your eyes at a guy chest bumping his players. These guys want to run through a wall for him. So it's a weird year for coaching hires. There's going to be like seven or eight vacancies, but there's no slam dunks right now. There is no Kyle Shanahan or McVeigh.

or even last year there were all these big names that were young up-and-coming coordinators. Salah might be the bell of the ball, and it's for a team that's got six wins on the year. Yeah. I probably should have led with this. It's the most breaking story. The Washington football team has released Duane Haskins. Are you surprised? All right.

So we do the kickoff show, 11 a.m. Eastern, 8 a.m. Pacific. I came on yesterday, and I said that Ron Rivera very nearly cut Duane Haskins last Monday. They came back into the building, and Rivera was like, all right, I can't, in good. faith keep this guy around after those pictures came out. He was basically talked out of it by Doug Williams and a few other people in the organization saying, think about the other 52 men on that field. We can't throw Tyler Heineke out there in the biggest game of the season. Duane knows the offense. Let's fine him. Let's hit him in his wallet and let's put a zero tolerance policy in it. Well, after yesterday's performance, it wasn't like they were any better off with him on the field and

then kind of leaves the building and goes home and then does a media availability. they stripped him of his captaincy, which you make what you want of that, whatever. But this morning it was like there's no reason to keep this guy around. We have to set an example. And I think it's almost one of these philosophical things. Did he give you the best opportunity to win yesterday? Maybe. Or does the rest of the team roll their eyes and say, I can't believe this guy is our quarterback?

They're going to go into Week 17 with either Alex Smith, who they hope is healthy, or Tyler Heineke with the division on the line and a Sunday night game on NBC with everyone watching. but Haskins, he'll never be a Washington football player. I don't know what team he's on next year or if and what position he is. He might be second or third string, but I don't see him starting for a team next year. So Patrick Mahomes has a quarterback rating in the 80s during December. Their red zone defense is not good. Michael Vick said earlier maybe Andy Reid's experimenting.

But I've said this. If you watch the games, Buffalo and Green Bay this morning feel like better teams than Kansas City, doesn't mean they'll be in two weeks. Are there at least some concerns they're leaving a lot? They feel like they're leaving points at home. They're not getting, they're not very resourceful, this is what I'm saying.

They don't win decidedly. Like they don't have that Packers win over the Titans last night. They don't have that bills win over the Steelers where you're like, oh, man, they just win by three, six, nine points. They get by. I spoke to a lot of folks in the Kansas City organization after yesterday's win. And the feeling there is like, we're 14 and 1. we've wrapped up the number one seed.

We've got the only buy that has been locked up in the entire NFL. And there's critics coming out ever. They could have easily lost any of these games. But the bottom line is they don't. Do I think Andy Reid's getting a little bored and wants to try trick plays? Like that bizarre fourth down call where they're throwing a pass to my homes? I don't know. But if I'm a defensive coordinator, I have to worry about that the next week.

The Chiefs did something very important yesterday. They locked up that first round by, which means they don't have to play anybody next week. They don't have to play at all the following week. And that gives Clyde Edwards-Helair time to heal. I think the most overlooked story or the most underreported story last week was Edward Salar because he is so important to that offense. And you saw it yesterday. Levion Bell is not Clyde-Edwards-A-Layer and cannot do the things that Clyde Edward-Aler does.

If he's on the field, they are a dynamic team. When he's not on the field, they really had to rely on Kelsey at the end there. And Kelsey did bail him out. I'm just going to add lib this one. I don't have it in any notes. But it was funny watching the Steelers and the Coles. and I felt like I was watching the same team. Promising young players, good defense, not as great as we think,

and a couple of old heavyweights who have real limitations at quarterback. They can take a punch, can't really land too many. And as I watched the game, it was funny, Shrakes. I was thinking, boy, Carson Wentz could really solve issues for both these games. I know, it's crazy, right? And so then I'm watching Jalen Hertz, and he's effective. Now, he didn't win, but he's effective. And let me just ask you, we all know Philip Rivers was a one-year contract.

We know that's not long term. Is Pittsburgh in a dilemma with Big Ben, or could they move off him, or is Donald Wenz? Like, you're kind of gut feeling the next 12 months, or maybe six, on what we see with Pittsburgh at quarterback. Yeah, I think the Philip Rivers thing feels like a little bit of like a mercenary. Like, all right, we hired him for the year. Ben's got so much, so much history with Pittsburgh.

I think Ben's going to be able to go out on his own terms. I don't think it's going to be one of those deals where they're like, hey, Ben, you've been with us since 2003. but we went to the playoffs and we got to the second or third round or even we got to the Super Bowl, whatever it is, but we might go darnled right now. I think this is one of those deals where Ben has too much institutional knowledge, too much history, too much of that for them to not have an open conversation with him. I don't think they're going to move on from Ben after the season.

And I'll tell you something, second half, it felt like, you know, that Undertaker, we're a big WWE company here, that Undertaker meme where he like rises up. That's what it felt like a little bit with Ben Rothelberger. He looked great in the second half. It was like, here he is. So I wouldn't count out Ben in January just yet. Rivers, I don't know if he's there next year. Yeah.

By the way, what did you make of the Packers win? I said to start my top of this hour, I said it felt like an organizational win. Like we all kind of roll our eyes at the conservative khaki-wearing nature of the Packers. And then you look at that running back last night. And then you look at Jordan Love did inspire him. And Matt Lefleur was the right coach and all their free agents have worked. I thought it felt like it was big for the Packers and all their critics that, hey, all these moves, draft free agent, they're all working guys. You can hate them, but they're working, right?

Yeah, look, Aaron Jones, who's their running back is a free agent at the end of the season. Jamal Williams, who is number 30, is their other running back. He's a free agent at the end of the season. So they drafted a running back, AJ Dylan, in the second round, and everyone did flips and said, well, they already have those two guys. Well, you don't build a team based day-to-day week-to-week. team saying, okay, well, what are we going to need at key positions? I don't think they had any plan for A.J. Dillon to play a huge role this season. But gosh, if you're an NFC team looking at the Packers last time, you're like, who's this 28 who's banging on players and angry run into

the end zone? Oh, gosh, that's their rookie. And he's there also. So look, LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett, the head coach and the offensive coordinator, they're not Mike Vrable. They're not Sean Payton. They're not full of swagger and gusto and they're going to walk in and they're going to give you a wedgy and stick you in the locker. They're thinking. thinking guys. That's what they are. They're thinkers, and they're drawing it all out, and it's kind of going to plan. So I'm fascinated to see where this goes, but Rogers seems happy. He is happy, and he kind of likes this coaching staff. They could be scary this year. Yeah. All right, Shreg, great seeing you. Have a happy Monday and a great holiday week.

Love working with you. We'll see you next Sunday. You're the best, and our Sunday kickoff show is awesome. Thanks, Tom. It is awesome. And I will say, you know, people think I don't like Aaron Rogers. I think he's easily the MVP of the league. I think he's been great. He's taken a new coaching. I would vote Aaron MVP. You know, I've said this before.

This whole MVP thing drives me nuts. I'm not an award person. It drives me nuts. It's called most valuable players. It's not best stats. It's not best record. Kansas City could go 500 with Patrick Mahomes gone. They would not win big with Patrick Mahomes, but they would win.

Green Bay is not winning without Aaron Rogers. They're not winning games. We've seen what's happened the last 10 years when he gets hurt. They can't win games. So Aaron's the MVP. He's earned it. He's taken to the new coaching staff. And, you know, they had a good weekend.

It's a good weekend to be a Packer fan or a Packer executive. You looked very smart. The running back, Jordan Love, the free agents. You know, Aaron's only 21-6 against the cap this year. They signed him early to an extension. Now he's a disc. Now next year, I think it's mid-30s. But by the way, for Aaron Rogers, mid-30s, you can totally live with that.

I watched the Seahawks yesterday. And when Russell Wilson signed that contract, There was like, ugh. I'm like, time out. There were two drives all day in Seattle. End of the first half, end of the game. Two drives the whole game that were impressive, both engineered by one guy in the entire stadium.

Russell Wilson, he's worth every penny of his contract. Joy Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. If the guy can win the game for you, then that contract isn't, ugh. You should be really excited to give him all that money. The defense in the Ram Seahawks, the defense has dominated the game.

One guy kind of just made it happen twice. In four hours, you got two decent drives. And it was basically Russell running around, making crap up and making great. He had a fade pattern in the end zone. It's like, that's why you pay. Yeah. I don't want to pay people $35 million, but it's like that's why you do it right there. I mean, ask some of these teams who don't have a quarterback if they'd like to pay them,

Aaron Rogers or Russell Wilson's $35 million. They love to. Good transportation. If you're paying $1,000 a month for your car, but it's great transportation and live in bad weather, it's cheap. Like, you cannot, you can't put a price on transportation in a city with bad weather. You cannot put a price on a quarterback that can take a bad old line and win a division. There is no price in the NFL on it.

So Alvin Camara tied an NFL record scoring six touchdowns in the Saints, 52-33 win over the Vikings on Christmas. day. He is the fourth player in history to score six touchdowns in a game. It hadn't been done since 1965. He also finished with 155 rushing yards, which is his season high, and the wind clinched the NFC South for the Saints for the fourth straight season. Obviously, the Vikings defense is very depleted due to injury and did not play well. This was fun to watch, though. It was really impressive. Annie had these really cool Christmas cleats on, which you can see in the video here. Very, very impressive performance by the Saints in a game that locked up the

the NFC South for them. I like the Saints before the season. I like the way that they're going into the playoffs. I do. Listen, so now I got Taysam Hill for 12 to 15 plays. Kamara is healthy. Michael Thomas will. Drew Breeze is healthy. And I think their defense is better than Tampa's, Green Bayes, and even though nobody

wants to admit it, probably Seattle. New Orleans, honestly, should be favored to get into the Super Bowl. They should. I think that just Aaron Rogers playing the way that he is. is giving the nod to the Packers right now. And they would have to go to Lambo. Yes, that's the other big question. How is Drew Bree is going to play outside the dome in some place like Lambo?

Like that really is the question. But you have Tason Hill. You can get creative. Sean Payton is very creative with their offense. And listen, Vikings' defense is not great. So cut three of those touchdowns off for Alvin Camara. If he's running like that, that's going to be a rough day for anybody. The Saints can get the number one seat in the NFC with a win against the Panthers.

combined with a loss by the Packers. They play the Bears. And they play the Bears. And the Bears win and they're in. So you're going to get a, that's a really interesting. We know Green Bay's better. But off a Sunday night big win, bears playing, fighting for their playoff lives. That, what's the line on that game?

What is the Fox Bet line on the Bears and the Packers? That is interesting to me. I'm going to guess. Is the game in Lambo? I would say Oh boy, that's a tough one. I don't know if it's up yet. I would say Green Bay favored by three and a half.

Well, obviously the Seahawks have to win as well. So the Saints, Packers, and Seahawks would all have a 12 and 4 record in the scenario, and the Saints would get the number one seat based on the conference winning percentage. But yeah, that Bears game is very interesting, and obviously the Seahawks have to get the win as well. Well, this weekend of games, like you have to watch every single game. And all the games are Sunday. Yes, all the games are Sunday. It's basically like an additional wild card weekend this weekend.

So the Cowboys kept their playoff hopes alive, winning their third straight game in a 3717 victory over the Eagles. Andy Dalton threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns in a dominant win. Jalen Hurts had a season high, 342 passing yards. But struggle with turnovers committing three and two in the red zone. and Phillies loss eliminated them from playoff contention. It got pretty bad after Fletcher Cox went out for the Eagles, but it's not really a surprise. The Eagles are struggling a lot this season.

Yeah, I mean, listen, Michael Gallup played well. C.D. Lamb is good. Amari Cooper. We know where the Dallas Cowboys don't need to draft a player. They are stacked. You might want to pull it Carolina and just go all defense. Yeah. And maybe an offensive lineman. Yeah.

I think that's it. Get an offensive lineman, go all defense. So Washington advances to the postseason with the win over the Eagles this weekend. If Washington loses, then the winner of Cowboys Giants will win the division. So the entire NFC East pretty much comes down to this weekend. That's how it should end. For the NFC East? Yes, just ugly and people could have wrapped it up and can't.

So I always love these stories. So it's Christmas last week and we're in the holiday season and a lot of NFL quarterbacks always get into the Christmas spirit and give their offensive linemen the big guys' presence over the holiday weekend. So here's some of the gifts that were given out. Tua, I think that is scooters from Russell Wilson. Russell Wilson got his lineman custom scooters. Dak Prescott gave his lineman Segway go-carts. Tua got his lineman grills and meat sampler packs.

Oh, I like that. Josh Allen, yes, you're a big grill guy. Josh Allen got his teammates to set up golf clubs and golf lessons. I think is very nice. Josh Allen delivers. Kyler Murray got his offensive line original paintings of themselves.

What? What? I thought it was interesting too. Where do you put a painting of yourself? Like where's an appropriate place in your house to put a painting of yourself? There's not.

I think maybe if you have a walk, if you have a nice walk-in closet. Well, if you're an NFL lineman, you're making a lot of money, you may have a den, Yeah, like a smoking room. It's a guy room. What's it called?

Man Cave? Yeah, maybe a man cave. And Derek Henry also got their offensive line, a Pac-Man arcade game, which is pretty cool. My son loves, I love Pac-Man. Yeah, Pac-Man is great. These are nice gifts. These are all really thoughtful. The painting of themselves, so I don't know if it's actually like a portrait or maybe

they're like funny, elaborate ones. But all these gifts are cool. I think that's a nice job. I love that. I love that. Derek Henry's a good dude. Derek Henry is a good dude. He's a Hall of favor.

Oh, absolutely. No question. Joy with the News. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Heard Line News. We should do that as a segment. How many people playing in the NFL are Hall of Famers right now?

I mean, Russell Wilson's going to make it. Brady's going to make it. Bree's going to make it. Ben's going to make it. Roger's going to make it. Do you say, Russell? Yeah, Russell's going to make

you can't put my homes in yet. Oh, oh, oh, Ronnie Stanley if he's healthy, left tackle for Baltimore's in. J.J. Watt. You guys don't like Ronnie Stan? I think he's amazing. He's a top 10 left tackle all time. Andrew Whitworth's going to get a lot of votes. He's going to get a lot of votes. Oh, Aaron Donald already in. J.J. Watt will get in.

J.J. Watt gets into the Hall of Fame. Adrian Peterson. Green Peterson gets into the Hall of Fame. Let me try to think of something else here. Larry Fitzgerald. Julio Jones gets in. Oh, God, Larry Fitzgerald's going to be the commissioner in five years. Travis Kelsey gets into the Hall of Fame.

Gronk. Oh, yeah, yeah. Gronk gets into the Hall of Fame. What are we done, about 15 or 20? That's about 20. I'd have to look at Bobby Wagner's stats. I think he's really close. I think Bobby Wagner's really close.

Does he have, does he need to know? year. Sometimes it's just, instead of five good years, it's seven. Bobby Wagner's going to get in. Also, they're, pouncy. The center, he's a Hall of Fame player. Probably, yeah. Pouncey. Who am I missing here? And I feel like we're forgetting someone very obvious. Oh, Tyron Smith, Cowboys. Will Travis Frederick get in, retired early? Will he get in? He'll get a lot of votes. Zach Martin would get in. Zach Martin. Zach Martin gets in.

Fletcher Cox gets in. He'll be a Hall of Famer. Fletcher Cox for Philadelphia. It's a lot of guys. We're pretty good off the top of our head. And we're not even counting Patrick Browns. How come I got so much pushback in the control room from Ronnie Stanley, the left tackle for the,

because he's only played in the league five years or something? He's a, how long does he play? How long is Ronnie Stanley played in the league left tackle Ravens? He's absolutely a hall of famer. He's great. You can't put more. How long has Ronnie Stanley played in the league? Four years?

Yes. This is. Okay. Okay. So he needs two more years. He's drafted in 2016. Okay. So he needs two more years.

David Bactiari gets votes. Absolutely gets votes. I have so much fun doing this. This is a fun impromptu game. Calais Campbell's close. Again, he gets votes. Philip Rivers gets votes. I think Phil Burbers is getting in the Hall of Fame for sure.

Von Miller. Vaughn Miller. Vaughn Miller. Super Bowl MVP. All right. Okay. Oh, Richard Sherman. Does Richard get in?

Yeah, I think he does. Yeah, Richard Sherman gets in. All right, we can't just do a whole show like this. There has to be some structure. I mean, we could have been more organized here, but it was impromptu. I think we did pretty good. Not bad at all. game next.

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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking.

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.

To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. 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. bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Keer Gaines, is 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. All right, best for last. Every NFL game can be described. We believe succinctly in just three words. And here you go. Minnesota, New Orleans, lights,

Camara, action. Alvin Kamara, first player in the NFL since Gail Sayers in the mid-60s to have six touchdowns in a game. In fact, it ties the oldest single game record in NFL history. Ernie Nevers back in 1929. I didn't see Ernie play.

We don't have film of it. Congratulations to Alvin. Tampa Bay Detroit. Admit you're wrong. You thought Brady was washed. I thought he would be Matt Ryan. He's way better. He's like Aaron Rogers.

First of all, in his last four quarters, two against the Falcons, four against the Lions, six TDs, no picks, and 680 yards passing. 13 years, Tampa Bay playoff drought. Brady arrives. Made the playoffs. San Francisco, Arizona, too much Kyler. Season high, 50 pass attempts, season low, 66 passer rating.

They're simply asking too much of him. I also wonder for Kyler Murray's smaller body taking a lot of hits in a great division if he's not wearing down a little at the end of this year. Miami and the Raiders, still occasionally magical. Ryan Fitzmagic. Game winning drive, 19 seconds, even somebody pulled on his helmet. Listen, too much of a gunslinger in 2020

to be my franchise guy, but incredibly athletic, lets it rip, strong, never nervous in big spots. He feels he's like a little bit of an outdated relic, a gunslinger, like a less talented Brett Farve, but he can be magical. He has his moments, and he did.

against the Raiders. Giants, Baltimore, control their destiny. Ravens can clinch a playoff berth with a win against the Bringles, and I think they will say what you want. The Ravens are a top 10 defense, a top 10 coach, the number one rushing team, top 5 on third down, and Lamar has had a beautiful month. Baltimore simply too good, in my opinion,

not to be a playoff team in any conference in any year. Colt Steelers, two old heavyweights. Listen, Big Ben had three TDs and 340 passing yards, and it snapped a five-game streak with an interception, at least one. I thought this pass was the first time in about seven weeks where Ben aired it out. I don't know if it was Red Bulls at half, but it was his best half of football against a pretty decent defense in Indianapolis. Good for the Steelers.

Cleveland Jets, Baker botched it. Hey, I know he threw 53 times, but he had three fumbles. He put it on the ground. I know he was missing a linebacker, receivers, offensive linemen. Welcome to Sam Darnold's reality. This offense is virtually perfect, best, highest-graded O line, very dynamic receivers, two great backs, excellent tight ends. this weekend they couldn't run.

Offensive line production regressed, and Baker was very average. Atlanta, KC, ugliest win streak. Ten straight, the Chiefs remain the worst red zone defense in the NFL. Atlanta was two for two in the red zone. Red zone defense, 78% of the time, people score in the Red Zone on the Chiefs. That's the worst in the NFL. Chicago Jacksonville. The Windy City, meaning we never know which way the wind blows with the Bears.

They're either awful or on fire. Four straight games, 30 plus points, has not happened in Chicago since the 60s. Cincinnati, Houston did not watch. Carolina, Washington. Carolina, Washington, down the Dwayne. Dwayne Haskins is done. he was bad, 37 passer rating, lack of maturity, biggest game of the year for Ron Rivera and the kid couldn't step up,

feel bad, he looks the part, he's big, he's strong, he's got a rifle for an arm, pretty accurate thrower, but maturity dooms him. It happens to a lot of young quarterbacks. Denver Chargers, not a lock. Folks, Drew Locke's career, 59% completion percentage, 77 passer rating. I'm Elway. I'm losing patience. Ram, Seahawks, just two drives. A seven-place 70-yarder, and then a nine-player at the end of the game,

Russell Wilson twice in the game took it over. Two great drives all they needed. Philadelphia, Dallas, playoffs, still possible. The Dallas Cowboys beat the Giants, combined with a Washington loss, and they're in the playoffs. How about that? And Green Bay, Tennessee, a statement win.

Packers' defense held Ryan Tannahill under 150 passing yards and Derek Henry under 100 rushing yards. Packers had no penalties and no punts. Impressive. In bad weather at Lambo, looks like they'll be hosting their play. off ride. That's good stuff. All right, we'll see you tomorrow for everybody here. We thank you so much during the holiday

week for Joy Taylor. I'm Colin Coward in LA. See you tomorrow. Be safe. It's the herd. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make

you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the

I-heart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. in probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that 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 and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 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 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.