The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 12/29/2020 - HOUR 3 - James Harrison & Jamal Adams

Episode Date: December 29, 2020

Colin talks to 2-time Super Bowl champion James Harrison about the Steelers chances to win it all after a sluggish end to the regular season. Seahawks safety Jamal Adams joins the show to discuss their resurgent defense. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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Find your local station for the herd at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Hurd. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Oh, here we go, live in Los Angeles, hour three. The herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. Fox Sports Radio, IHart Radio, FS1. You want to see a, I want to hear a stat that means nothing, but I just think it's interesting. Joy Taylor's joining me.

So you have the NFL draft, and players come from everywhere. And high school football is big. It's big in Virginia Beach. It's big in Florida. You know that. You got cousins playing there. It's big in Georgia. It's big in Louisiana.

It's big in Alabama. It's big in Texas. Big in California. Western Pennsylvania. It's huge in Ohio. Big in Michigan. I'm from Washington State, the Pacific Northwest. All these states producing all this talent.

North Dakota's got quarterbacks. Hawaii's got a bunch of good football players. Half the quarterbacks in the NFL, 15, starting this weekend, are from two states. Texas and California. Isn't that crazy? So Josh Allen, California, Sam Darnold, California, Baker Mayfield, Texas, Ryan Tannanhill, Texas, Patrick Mahomes, Texas, Derek Carr, California, Alex Smith, California, this week, Andy Dalton, Texas, Jalen Hertz, Texas, Aaron Rogers, California,

Matt Stafford, I think it was Southland High School, Texas, Drew Breeze, Texas, Tom Brady, California, Jared Goff, California, and Kyler-Marie, Texas. And they're not even playing high school football this year in California, are they? Not in California, no. That's devastating. Oh, I feel so bad. I have a friend to a high school football coach. It's awful.

It's awful for the kids. Pandemic's hard because there's got mental health issues. You have to weigh with the economy, with the fear of losing. But just think about how that's affecting their futures, like college and to the pros, all those. Well, California restrictions. I've talked to a USC person. There's like, we can't lift weights like the SEC can. Like our weight program right now.

Yeah, I mean, that's why the Niners are in Arizona. Won't lift weights. I want to do things. Isn't that amazing? Half the quarterbacks are from two states. Some of it is because California's got great winter weather. But you'd think Florida would have a bunch. They have great winter weather too.

Yeah. I mean, Texas is obviously not surprising. Texas is like the king of high school football. You ever fly into Dallas? I'm always amazed by it. this. You fly into Dallas and you see about 8 to 10 high school football stadiums

and they all look like colleges. Yeah, the next level. Like 8 to 25,000 people. You're flying in Texas, you're like, man, they've got some big high school budgets here. They don't have those budgets everywhere else, but they do in Texas. So Jamal Adams of the Seahawks, boy, his

career has been reborn. James Harrison, former Steeter, is going to be joining us. Last night, the Patriots lost to the Buffalo bills, as we all kind of thought they would. Patriot season already out of the playoffs anyway. But I think this season is a reminder of just how valuable a great quarterback really is. I mean, we know certain things are really important in life. Like if you've ever had car trouble, if you've ever had unreliable transportation,

and we all know it's important to have like a reliable car. But man, it's you just, you can't even quantify how valuable reliable transportation is, and we all know it's valuable, but it's still underrated. It ruined your life. I had a buddy once that got a cavity. He's like, at least if I broke my arm, I could walk around. He goes, I can't think, I can't sleep. You get a cavity?

It ruins your life. It's like, last night, the Patriots lost at home with the best coach in football history, 38 to 9. What would Buffalo have won by against Doug Marone? Mike Malarkey, 51 to 3? That was against Belichick at home in a standalone game. And it wasn't even competitive, the gap in talent, speed playmakers. Bill Belichick, if that's not a wake-up call that he needs to give more personnel power to somebody else outside the organization,

I don't know what is. They haven't drafted a skill player that made a pro bowl in a decade. I think it was gronk was the last one they drafted, and he retired once. the numbers are staggering 11 first downs 200 total yards buffalo had almost 500 Buffalo had the ball for 40 minutes new england 20 cam passed for 34 yards and i talk about transportation being underrated even though you know it's valuable let's just admit it this morning tom brady was undervalued no i said it despite all the credit despite us knowing how great he was despite calling him the goat he was undervalued

I'm going to ask you a question. Try to figure out the answer. New England had a top 10 scoring offense last year. How? Their offensive line is better this year. New England was 12 and 4 last year. Their only losses were to three division winners and a really red-hot Miami team at the end.

How? They don't have any players. I mean, this whole thing was always, remember, we always argued, it's the system. You'd see these newspaper articles. You'd see these articles in magazines, clearly New England coaches planting them. It's about the system. I want to talk for a second about the system, because the system got a lot of press. I've never met the system.

The system is Josh McDaniels, because Belichick lets Josh run the offense. So Josh McDaniels created a system as very, very, sophisticated. He actually took it to Denver. And so this morning I went and looked up how the system did in Denver. Oh, it was 11 and 17, fired after two years, and in scoring in the NFL, it was 20th and 19th. 20th and 19th. Okay, there are exceptions in life. The system then moved to St. Louis. McDaniels got fired, went to the Rams. Let's see how the system did in scoring. Oh, it was 32nd in the NFL in scoring dead last. Okay, all right.

We'll give him a quarterback. All right, let's give him Cam Newton in the system. He's a former MVP. Well, they're 28th in scoring. Brady, in 20 years, in the system, was never lower and almost always above seventh. They had a top ten offense last year with that. This garbage.

How? Again, the offensive line is better this year than it was last. And you see the duress sometimes, Cam, who's more mobile than Tom is under. This system is a bunch of nonsense. Tom Brady is the system. He's the system. Because Tom Brady went down.

Everybody talks about Bruce Ariens. Oh, first year with Bruce Ariens. Everybody struggles. Tom's not. He's going to complete 68% of his throws. His passer rating is going to be over 100. He's going to have like 37 touchdowns and 11 picks. Come on.

You tell me, maybe Bill Belichick, he relies on a system because he's won now 46% of his games without Tom Brady. These numbers are staggering. And Cam Newton, again, former MVP, nobody, we never said Cam Newton was Tom Brady. Here are the numbers. Tom Brady to Cam Newton. And we went in with realistic expectations for Cam Newton. He didn't get a preseason. He was kind of an odd fit with Belichick we thought in Josh McDaniels.

Look at the numbers. Brady, 24 touchdowns, eight picks, CAM five touchdown 10 picks. I mean, I'm sorry, but there are certain things in life we know are valuable, and they're still not given enough credit. Tom Brady now qualifies. That and a reliable car. So Dwayne Haskins is no longer a member of the Washington football team.

Talented kid at Ohio State. I said, I thought he looked like a number one pick. Big, strong football factory. won big games, not super athletic, but can move a little bit. But, you know, he looked like a number one picket quarterback. Big strong, stands in the pocket, can take a hit, you can bang off him. He's strong. You know, I asked Urban Meyer one time, I said, is he ready to start in the NFL?

And it was a little bit of a warning flag. He's like, no, not yet. That tells me it's probably some maturity issues. But every three or four years, there is a college quarterback that comes out. Now, Haskins didn't qualify as this. But we do know now that Haskins simply wants. wasn't mature enough. He just just wasn't ready to run a $5 billion franchise. But about every three or four years on this show, a college quarterback comes out. He's always talented. Baker Mayfield,

James Winston, Johnny Mansell. I was a little tough on Cam, not as much as Baker or Johnny or James. And I question their maturity. And without exception, oh, the media freaks out and the fan bases freak out, and everybody freaks out. And do you know why I question maturity? Two words, DeWain Haskins. Washington just wasted two years babysitting a quarterback. I think we should have a new term for quarterbacks. I had Jimmy Johnson on a couple days ago,

and he talked about the two things that mattered to him. Number one was decision-making. Number two was accuracy. Let's just be honest. about this singular position. I'm not saying it matters in baseball, hockey, soccer, basketball. I'm not saying it matters at any position except quarterback. But this is the one position in American sports, perhaps international sports, where two words are really important. Are you uniquely mature? Because I don't think Dwayne Haskins is any less mature than the average

22-year-old. I don't. I think he's the average 22-year-old. But from now on, let's just all acknowledge that this doesn't matter in hockey, baseball, basketball. I don't even think it really matters in football. But when you draft a quarterback, he's going to have to be almost square like Andrew Luck and Tom Brady and Russell Wilson. You know. You know. uniquely mature for a 22-year-old. He's going to have to deal with the press. The linebacker won't. He's going to have to deal with the owners and some sponsors.

The safety won't. He's going to have to memorize a playbook, not only for himself but his teammates. The defensive tackle won't. Uniquely mature. I'm not blaming the player all the time. I mean, let's be honest. Sometimes parents aren't uniquely mature, and you don't find your way until you're 32 years old.

But owners can't wait for that. And the problem being is when you get a baker, or you get a Johnny Mansell, or you get a Dwayne Haskins, who they're just not perfect maturity-wise for the position, they often go to the worst teams. And the worst teams are the most chaotic with the craziest owners. with the most impatient GMs. It's a Cleveland. It's a Washington. It's a Detroit. It's a Jacksonville. And that just compounds it. But everybody always freaks out.

Let's just have a new rule on their show. For one position in American sports, baseball don't care, basketball, hockey, soccer, football don't care. For quarterback. Are you uniquely mature to get the keys to a $5 billion franchise? And if you're not, you're going to be criticized. And that's okay. Because Johnny's out of the league.

Duane may be out of the league. James, who's talented and productive, is now a backup. I'm not sure if Cam gets another shot, and he's been great this year. But the Duane Haskin's story is why we ask the questions. It's why we bang on it. Washington spent the last two years in the competitive division.

just babysitting. Can't have it. Not at that position. Anything else? Guard, Mike linebacker, safety, punter, I could deal with it. Can it quarterback. Only undrafted player to ever be named NFL defensive player of the year, James Harrison. What to make of the Steelers. Now Big Ben is sitting out week 17.

He joins us next. Jamal Adams, who has helped revamp the Seattle Seahawks. defense there in that Super Bowl window. He joins us in about 30 minutes. 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 I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win.

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

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

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

where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the look back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack on day, but yeah, yeah, yeah. 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 there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. So, Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations. with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. 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 Games, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. We were just talking about age before the interview with James Harrison, a Super Bowl champ. Only undrafted NFL player ever to get NFL defensive player of the year, 15 years, Super Bowls,

five Pro Bowls, still lives in Pittsburgh. He likes all the seasons. And so he is joining us now live from right, not far from where Joy Taylor grew up. And so in Pittsburgh, they loved their Steelers, and it is

interesting, James. Ben's not going to play this week. I don't know what happened last week, but something happened at halftime. Maybe it was about a half dozen Red Bulls, but he played his best half of football in like a month and a half. but when I watch Ben, listen, I can see Father Time.

It's not difficult to see. He's not the same. Is it time to draft another quarterback? Go get a darnald Wenz. Like, where do you sit on Ben today in the future of the Steelers? Well, you can't play the game forever. And to be honest with you,

I think they need to find that air apparent, you know, the player that they're looking at being the guy that's going to come in and replace Ben, being the person that will be sitting under Ben, watching Ben, learning from Ben. and I don't think they have that person right now. James, obviously he's iconic.

Moving off of Brady or a Peyton Manning or a Big Ben, sometimes it's hard to go. Dan Marino was yelling at people when they were trying to push him out of Miami. You know, Ben, will he be difficult? Will he push back? Will he be a guy that goes, all right, great career, thanks, I'm going to leave? Like, how do you think it will go? I think honesty will go a long way as far as them being,

up front and open with exactly what it is that they want to do. Now, if you tell a person one thing and then you start doing something else, we're going to have a hard time dealing with that person because you didn't do exactly what it is that you said you did. You were going to do. But I believe they were to be up front and honest with Ben and be like, hey, we're, you know, you can't play the game forever. We need to find that air apparent.

And when we get that guy here, we're going to need him to be on your heels and you're showing him the ropes and helping him out. And, you know, we're going to go. from there and hopefully, you know, we draft the right guy and you can help us do that. I think he would be open to doing that. I don't see Ben having an issue with that. But, you know, if they draft a guy just saying, you know, we need a better, more, better quality backup and they're actually looking to put him in that spot.

And that's not what they're telling him. Then I think you're going to have a problem. One and three after starting 11 and no, does Pittsburgh look like a team to you that could win multiple playoff games? Because that's the standard there. Right now, the way they're playing, I can't say that they live. look like a team that could win multiple playoff games. What they need to do is they need to correct the rush game.

They need to start catching the balls that are throwing to them. The thing that I'm seeing with the defense, I think you're starting to see, you know, the loss of guys like Bush, Dupree, Splang. The defense isn't playing up to the standard against the opponents that they have. You know, they got, you know, offenses like Washington and Cincinnati that, you know, they're a number one, well, actually, they're number two defense now. They should be, you know, crushing these guys. they shouldn't have an opportunity to score as many points that they're scoring.

And they're scoring. Now, added with that, you know, the offense isn't rushing the ball well. So now you've got the defense on the field longer. You're talking, you know, anywhere from 31, almost 36 minutes, you know, a game in the last, you know, a month of December. So, you know, one thing compounds to another. And, you know, it really starts with, you know, the rush game, not being able to have an effective rush game. So you spent a year in New England and you have great respect and admiral. for Belichick in the system.

They got beat by 30 last night. The record's bad. When Brady left, did you think the drop-off would be this obvious? Is Tom better than we thought? I mean, you were there at the end in New England. It wasn't the most dynamic offense when you were there.

Are you shocked at how it's gone from playoff team, 12 and 4, to this? I didn't think they would get that bad. I honestly can't say I thought. they would make the playoffs because you know what time was working with you know you give that to another quarterback and you're going to get what you're seeing

here or maybe something a little better and what he has now in you know Tampa he has you know he has weapons in Tampa and the opportunity to go out there and you know use his arm exactly how he was losing it in New England with you know

with a better cast yeah I watched them just does Cam Newton have a future in your opinion what do you make of it. I'm sorry, I hate to say it, but I think it's over. Yeah. I think that's, I think he might have got his last, uh, his last hurrah. Yeah. So it's interesting. I'm watching, we have Jamal Adams coming up with the Seahawks. They had no pass rush for the first seven weeks of the year. They go get Carlos Dunlap.

Jamal Adams gets healthy. Now they have a top three pass rush. It's funny, you were, you were with a team that almost always had a good pass rush. Is pass rush scheme? is it players? Is it coaching? Like I watch Seattle, no pass rush, elite pass rush. Is it as simple as, well, they got Carlos Dunlap? Like, how do you explain it? Well, it can be players and schemes.

So if you got a player that, you know, is a dominant player and it's going out there and it's requiring people's attention, now you can try and scheme to where you got, you know, Jamal Adams, where he's an extra rush. You're not counting on the safety, having to be. be counted, you know, and, you know, 30, 40 percent of the, you know, the passing downs as being a rusher. So when he's coming in there, I know where, you know, he has a few, well, probably four or five of the sacks. It's like no touches. I think it was maybe two or three where he actually had to, you know, beat a guy to get to it. So it can be scheme. It can be player. It's a combination

of both. I think that's what they have there now. They got Dunlap, who was actually a good pass rush and could pass rush. And they have him who can fill in at different spots. depending on what's going on. They still be able to run the defenses that they need to run. So Cleveland is favored over Pittsburgh in week 17. You look at Baker, you look at the Browns, you look at their history. Do you trust Cleveland to beat Pittsburgh with a backup? Do you trust them to win a playoff game?

How do you feel about the Cleveland Browns this morning going forward? I don't believe in Cleveland beating the Steelers anyway. So I don't care if it was a backup or not. You know, that's not something I could prescribe to. And I don't even know if he's going to have, you know, his receipt. Because I think, you know, last week he lost almost all of his guys to COVID protocol, right? Yep. Four.

Okay. So if that's the case, then I think it's what, it's a 14-day plus a three-day reentry or something like that, right? So he's not going to have those same weapons at his disposal. And, you know, you lost to the jet. So I don't see them coming in. Well, I don't see them beating Pittsburgh, even though they are out. By the way, how many times did you lose to Cleveland? I might have lost to Cleveland once or twice.

Most blowout wins, right? Yeah, probably. Yeah. I'm trying to think for a while. I don't think Big Ben lost to Cleveland or Cincinnati in a decade. It was like twice. Yeah, so. All right, James Harrison, Super Bowl champ a couple of times.

Good seeing you, bud. Good to see you, too. Jamal Adams Seahawks around the corner. Here's George Taylor with the news. No, no, no, no. Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. Well, it's going to be a great weekend of football, starting with college football playoffs on Friday.

Dabo Swinney made some waves when he ranked Ohio State 11th in his final coaches poll this season, and he's standing by that ranking ahead of their playoff matchup with the Buckeyes. No disrespect. bag. I mean, people can perceive and take things however they want. It's not that they're not good enough. I just don't think it's right that three teams have to play 13 games to be the champion, and one team has to play eight. You know, so people have a problem with that. I don't really care. That's just, that's, it's my poll. And it doesn't matter who the person was is zero to do with Ohio State. Listen, it's a very fair argument. This is what the SEC and the ACC are saying,

because you were cautious, we went for it with COVID. We rolled the dice and we're being punished because we played 13 games. You play in a weaker conference, says in Alabama, and you've got to play eight. So, you know, I understand the people who were that went full steam ahead against COVID and just went for it being not bitter, but a little bit like, okay, you're playing five less games, five fewer games. And by the way, Ohio State also struggled in their last two games. Indiana, they struggled, Northwestern.

struggled. No, he has a point. Those teams feel like they have a right to go and lose dramatically to Clemson as well. That's like, that's what would happen anyway. So give me your score. And that's the reason why Ohio State is there. Okay, give me your Ohio State Clemson score. I don't know. I mean, I think Clemson wins by at least 10. I don't think it's, I don't think it's very close. You don't think it's very close. I don't think either of these games are going to be very close, no. How about if I do this? I have to give you the money I owe you. And by the way, I am embarrassed because yesterday I was going to go to the bank and it was pouring. Yeah, it was too disgusting to get out of the car yesterday.

Okay, do you want the $100 tomorrow or I'll bet it on Clemson and you get the winnings? So then you could get like $200. That's like, I'm cagey. I want you to put my money on Clemson. You'd think I would just give you the money. Box bed has Clemson at minus seven and a half. Yeah, I think so, yeah. Yeah, you can put it on Clemson.

And it'd be nicer if I just gave you the money since you won it. Well, it's fine. It's fine. That's actually not a bad idea. I was going to put money on closing anyway. You can just do that. I'll just do it. No, listen, the reason why this is the statement is so impactful is because he's not wrong, right?

But life's not fair. Okay? And college sports is an opinion sport. Yeah, you don't have standings. Like, I mean, basically you vote on who you think with completely unequal, who should play who at the end? I do think that these conversations are why there is some value to expanding the college football playoffs.

I'm with you. I think that there's just going to lead to more blowouts. And more ugliness. And more ugliness. However, there's something to March Madness. There's a million teams in, but it gives everybody a little bit of hope. We know one team is going to go on some miracle run. They're not going to win the championship, but they're going to go on an exciting run.

It's good for recruiting. it expands it. Everybody kind of feels like they have a chance. Even if we know they don't have a chance, the feeling that you have a chance, hope sells. Negativity sells. Hope also sells. So expanding the college football playoff. I think to your point, hope sells and college football feels largely hopeless. It does. For everybody except Clemson in the SEC, a little bit hopeless. Yeah, it's fair. We talk about all the time. It's why we have to be very calculated about how we talk about college football. Because unless there are big massive stories, it's very regional sport.

Yeah. That's how it's become. expanding it, would open it up to the West Coast, would open it up to the Midwest. Yeah, I've told my friends in the South this, I used to talk 50% more college football, but once a sport becomes regional or local, like regular season baseball games, as a syndicated host, I can no longer talk to. That's why NFL and NBA and the occasional huge college football matchup, or Tiger at the Masters, or a huge fight with Connor McGregor, those are national stories. Yeah.

But college football has become so insular and regional. and if it's not like literally Ohio State Clemson, it's hard to talk about it. Think about it. This weekend had four games instead of the two. And then we'd have Oregon against Oklahoma. Texas A&M would be in. You know what I'm saying? So even though we know that they're eventually going to get demolished by the higher-end teams,

it opens up for recruiting. Maybe it does spread some of the recruits around the talent around because they're seeing these other schools in the playoff. So the Cowboys are on a three-game win streak and still a lot. in the playoff race. Oh, that NFC East. It's always something with that C's. Backup quarterbacks, decent rosters, all missing.

Cowboys are missing a couple O-Linmen. Giants are missing. Every team in this division has played multiple games with the backup quarterback this year. And that explains why it's a mess. So Zeke says he doesn't want to hear from any fans lost faith in their team earlier this season. If you gave up. Five, six weeks ago, we shouldn't even be, we only want you on our side. I mean, we're just, what competitors this whole team is, we're a team of competitors,

and I mean, we weren't out of it. I think we're catching, we're catching fire at the right time. Zeeke, in all fairness, you weren't out of it because this division was a complete and utter disaster. Yeah, you should be fourth place everywhere else. Okay, if Alex Smith hadn't gotten hurt, this would be a complete different situation. Do you know the Giants can win the division? The Giants are five and ten can win the division. One of these teams could win the division.

Except for the Eagles. The Eagles are the only ones that are eliminated. If Washington beats the Eagles, they win the division. If Washington loses, then the winner of Cowboys Giants will win the division. So Washington, Dallas, and New York are all in play this weekend. Washington controls their destiny. If they win, they're in. But it's Taylor Heineke at quarterback.

Well, they're not going to win. So Washington's not going to win. So the winner of the Cowboys Giants gets to the playoffs. That's the story. and right now the Cowboys are playing better and have a better offense. By the way, all you people that bagged on me for, I think I always said,

Dax better than Andy Dalton, but as a distributor of the ball, Andy's pretty darn good. You all whacked me for that. Well, you know what to start it for a long time. Maybe it just took a little bit of time to get rolling. And I think that the Cowboys, don't think that the Cowboys are one of those teams

that we probably should have been more patient with. They are the Dallas Cowboys who we're not going to be. But it's McCarthy's first year in a COVID-shortened season, It's just going to take a little bit more time. If Dak hadn't gotten hurt, they would have run away with this division. And maybe that's not saying much because the division isn't good. They're not really that great.

But they'd be in a much better situation. So this is a washed year for them anyway. Finally, Jimmy Garoppolo was good enough to get the 49ers to the Super Bowl last season. But there's a lot of speculation about what's going to happen next year. Kyle Shanahan says he does think that Jimmy G will be in San Francisco next year, but he stopped short of fully committing to him. Well, yes, I do believe James Mayor quarterback next year. Guys, you can't say anything with certainty.

I mean, you don't sit here and make promises on anything. Jimmy, you can win with. He's proven he's a starting quarterback in this league. Look at Jimmy, look at what he's done. Look at where he's at with this financially end. We better have a very good answer if you're going to find something better than that because Jimmy's shown in one year that he's a guy who can take us to the Super Bowl. We think Kyle Shanahan is a great young coach.

His record's like 5 and 28. He's 7 and 26 without Jimmy, There you go. So Jimmy G's pretty valuable. Yeah, I mean, I think similar to Dak Prescott, maybe they're not the top five quarterbacks in the league, but they've certainly shown their value this year. They can win a bunch of games. They win a lot of games, and they can, if they're in a right situation, some people need really great situations around them to be great. Other people are so great, they can elevate others, and then they still have limitations because there's too much to bring up. It's fine. You can win both ways. We've seen it in the NFL. everybody's not a dynasty, right?

Maybe you're not going to win two or three Super Bowls, but you can win a Super Bowl with the middle of the road quarterback. Yeah, I think so. I mean, if Alex Smith was starting this weekend for sure for Washington, I would pick them to win and win the division. He is not, so they're not going to win the division in Dallas probably is. I mean, literally the division hinges on Alex Smith's multi-operated need. Yes.

I mean, and Alex Smith is considered solid, he, you win the division with him, you don't without him. It's that simple for a while. I don't think Washington can go to Philadelphia on Sunday night and win with their third quarterback. I don't think they can do it. The question with Jimmy G. Obviously, is his health.

Like, he's got to say health. He's injury prone. Yes. He's in a third year of his five-year deal. He doesn't have any guarantee money remaining on the deal and he'll be an unrestricted free agent in 2020. I think he's going to be there next year, but he has missed 23 games due to injury. So that's just a factor in his career.

I would draft a quarterback in San Francisco even if I brought him back. Yeah, I think you have to. Well, joy with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Herd Lie News. I said I wanted to get Jamal Adams on the show sometime.

I said a while back, and today he's going to be on. Seahawks Safety, help revamp that defense. In a Super Bowl kind of bubble window, it feels like Jamal Adams next. The Herd. 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 Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth.

Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what y'all saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert 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 Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so 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 for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah.

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

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person

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 hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the hard way and listen now. First game I went to as a kid. Professional sporting event was a Seahawk game against John Elway, and I think the Seahawks beat him.

And Jamal Adams is now joining us. He's part of the Seahawks. Fourth year, three Pro Bowl. So let's start with this. How you doing, bud? Good to see again. God is good, man. How you doing, buddy?

I'm doing great. It's interesting. Joey and I talk about this all the time. I can't imagine having a job where I can work at a place I love and get traded to a place I didn't love. The opposite happened to you. You were in a losing culture. And one day you get a phone call and they say,

hey, we're going to ship you to Seattle where they win Super Bowls and they're really good. I mean, when you first arrived in Seattle, like, did it feel different? Just on the feeling that it was a winning team and a winning culture and the whole building, did it feel different? different to you? Yeah, it did, man.

You know, from the day I walked in, you know, the first thing Pete and Mr. Snyder told me was to be myself, you know, come here and be myself and come win ball games. That's what it's about, you know. So this organization is one of one. It's very unique. And I'm just fortunate enough to be here, man. Well, you know, Pete's very different. Even though he's a 68, 69-year-old guy, he's got a lot of enthusiasm.

So tell me, how is Pete different than other coaches you've had? He cares about his players on and off the field. You know what I mean? And I think that's what makes it special. You know, you go to war for a coach like that. You know, you just want to play for him. You want to give it, you know, obviously he's not a me guy. He doesn't want all the praise, but you want to play for a coach like that.

You'll go extra hard for him. He's full of energy, very unique. You know, he's himself at all times. doesn't care what anybody thinks about him. And I got his back forever, man. That's my guy. So you're different. You have most sacks by a defensive back in a single season.

At times, I don't like, you're a safety, but not really. You remind me a little bit of Honey Badger in that you're just a real instinctive football player that blow stuff up and make stuff happen. In the Seattle defense, does Pete consider you a safety, a linebacker? Like, do you have a specific label or how do you feel you should be? or are treated there in terms of position? Well, I just, I classify myself as a playmaker. You know what I mean?

I can play. I can play anything you need me to do. I'm in any position, really. And, you know, I don't really classify myself just as a safety. You know, I classify myself as a defense of weapon. You know what I mean? And so I'm just going to continue to play my ball, continue to do what they ask me to do, continue to learn.

And that's all I can do. So we thought on this show, I've been a fan of Carlos Dunlund, lap forever. Smart guy. He got into a bad situation. He got into a situation like you. He was in an organization that wasn't winning games. And then Seattle goes and gets him and now both

of you go from losers to winners. Have you and Carlos talked about the difference? Because he had a similar situation to you, Jamal. Absolutely. Absolutely. We talk about it all the time and we're so fortunate. We always tell the guys over here

that, hey man, if you're a rookie, or you've been here for your whole career, you're really spoiled, right? And they spoil the guys in the right way over here. They treat us how we're supposed to be treated. But at the same time, they let us have fun. They let us be ourselves and, you know, just be unique in our own ways. And then, you know, come together as a team and, you know, chase championships.

That's what it's about. So far for the Seahawks, because I thought the Ram, Rams have, you're in a division now where it's crazy. You got Russell Wilson running around and Kyler Murray running around, a lot of offensive coaches. And you kind of – is there a team in the playoffs, an offense that – what does worry you about Seattle going forward? Are there things that you think you have to get better at right now? Because we're running out of regular season here. What does Seattle have to get better at?

We're hitting our start at the right time. You know, I like us over anybody. that's just the confidence that I have. That's the confidence that we have as a group. And we know what type of guys we go to war with every day. We know what type of staff that's preparing us each and every day and every week. So we're going to be ready. You know, whoever the matchup is when the time comes, we'll be ready for it.

But at the end of the day, we just want to, you know, continue to stay focused on the mission. We have one more game left and that's versus the 49ers. So the next game is important because it's the next one. Russell Wilson's obviously a tremendous transformational player. Now you practice against Russell Wilson every day. Is it better than you thought? I mean, give me a thought about practicing with Russell what it's like every day. Yeah.

I mean, the ultimate pro. You know, what you see is what you get. You know, he's all about his business. He comes to work each and every day. You know what type of guy you're going to get. You know what type of teammate, what type of. what type of leader you're going to get on and off the field. And he's the ultimate competitor.

He wants to win. And I respect him so much. That's my guy. I always call him three. And, you know, we're starting to build a great relationship. And, you know, like I said, man, I just have so much respect for what he does on and off the field. He's always at work early and he's always leaving late or whatever case may be. He's always putting in work, man, true pro.

So D.K. Metcalfe is, it doesn't even look like the rest of us, right? like he's just a different body type. Do you, when you face him every day at practice, I mean, do you, as a guy that's been around this league a while now, almost a half decade, do you talk to him? Do you tutor him? Is he accepting of it? What do you do with some of the young Seattle offensive players at practice?

Yeah, I just tell him to keep going, you know what I mean, and keep elevating. You know, I'm still young in the game myself, right? I'm only 25, you know, year four. So, you know, I'm still young and I'm still, you know, going to continue to learn, but I always tell those guys to, you know, never stop learning and continue to learn, be willing to learn and, you know, always stay coachable because, you know, there's so much knowledge out there and you don't know it all yet, you know, no one knows

it all yet. And, you know, you just want to keep elevating your game. So that's all that matters. Now, I'm from Seattle, so I can handle the rain. I grew up. My high school football games were all in the rain, Jamal. You know, you were down in Louisiana. It can be warm and how are you acclimating to Seattle's slightly gloomy winter weather? Yeah, it's different, man. I will say, it's different. But I enjoy it. You know what I mean?

It's very relaxing when you want to relax. And, you know, I don't go out, obviously, you know, with COVID, you know, I'm in the house. I don't, this is probably a rare, you know, chance that I take. And I go, you know, get my pedicure, you know, every Tuesday. But other than that, man, I'm in the building. I'm leaving the building, I'm going home. You know what I mean? So I'm just focused on the mission.

And, you know, God is good, man. Mani Petty today. So you got your pedicure just moments ago? Absolutely, man. Got to keep it right. Joy is shaking her head. She's like, yeah, totally. You have to take care of your feet.

Got to take it. And listen, bad feet, ugly feet are a problem for everybody. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Pretty boy off the field. Pretty boy off the field. Jamal, congratulations. Good to have you in a winning culture. And the defense, I just saw a stat here today, number two past defense since week 12 and 31 sacks, most in the NFL since Carlos Dunlap and Jamal Adams returned in week nine.

So you are absolutely humming and you're healthy and your running backs are healthy. Are you healthy, by the way? Do you feel good right now? I'm good enough. And that's all that matters. I'm good enough. That's the NFL. Good talking to you, Biden. Absolutely, Betty. Thank you, man. You bet. He's a, he's really actually, he's a Pete Carroll player. So he's, sometimes you're like, oh, he's a little overly aggressive.

When you go back to Pete Carroll at Seattle, they had a few penalties. Like Pete would let guys play. Pete's always been, and he actually, when Adam Gase struggles with stars, Pete very much embraces stars. That's why one succeeds and one doesn't. I don't get that in professional sports struggling with stars. Okay, it's not for you. That's where the stars are.

You can't deal with a star. Anytime a coach is like, ought to do a star. It's like, okay. You're a college coach. You're a college coach, and you're probably not going to be great. This is where the stars are. But Pete, like he said, like Pete lets you play. Like Pete's practices are big energy.

You know, Pete is so unique in the NFL. And I've had GMs say, I don't understand Seattle's draft. I don't understand. They do things just everything a little different than everybody else. They draft a little differently. They're the only team in the NFL that can struggle with their first round picks, but they're great with their fourth round picks. they've had some misses in their first round picks

and like they'll make picks when they did Rashad Penny a couple years ago. I had two GMs are like, I don't even understand that pick. That's not even what they need. I think what they've done in the middle of the season's been impressive. Unbelievable. Going from having no pass rush. They're like Tennessee. They had no pass rush. Yeah, but Tennessee didn't do anything about it.

Nothing. Tennessee is a team that they had a cornerback issue. They didn't sign Logan, who I love on this show. Like, sign him. And they didn't have a pass rush and they didn't do anything. Seattle had both those issues. They didn't love their corners, and they didn't have a pass rush, but by Dunlap and Jamal Adams coming in, made their corners better. So Seattle's issue now is actually switched.

It's more of an interior offensive line issue. They don't get a ton of push. It's better than Pittsburgh, but they're not getting a push. And it does feel like sometimes. If Chris Carson's not healthy, you feel like you don't have much of a running game. So Seattle needs a draft a corner. and an interior offensive lineman, and that kind of solves their two little dilemmas. And at this point, they're little dilemmas.

That's about all they are. The supplement I take every day is MDrive, powerful ingredients, backed by science, helps you get energized stronger, leaner. Go to MDrive from N.com today. Refine your prime with M. Drive. You know, I've talked a lot about how I live in Los Angeles now, and all the L.A. teams are good. All of them.

It just doesn't make any sense. We have the best players. We have the best teams. Rams now are a little sideways, but they'll make the playoffs. because they'll lose to Arizona, but the pairs will lose to Green Bay. But when I was a kid growing up in Seattle, our team stunk. So it was like, I got a championship with the Sonics in the 70s.

The Huskies were good in the early 90s. The Seahawks were entertaining, but like now in Seattle, it's like the Seahawks are just good every year. And if Russell Wilson stays for 10 more years, they're going to probably be in the playoffs, eight of those 10. Seattle deserves it. I'll tell you that. See you tomorrow, The Horde.

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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what 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 Podcast Network on TikTok. On The Look Back at it podcast. From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild... It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.