The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Aaron Rodgers Bombshell and NFL Draft Rounds 1-3 Reaction!!

Episode Date: May 1, 2021

In this episode, John reacts to the Aaron Rodgers bombshell news that he doesn't want ever suit up for the Packers today , and if there's any way to salvage the relationship. He also gives his top takeaways from rounds 1-3 of the 2021 NFL Draft, including who got the best value, and his thoughts on the first round QB's!Follow John on Twitter and SUBSCRIBE now to get all the latest content!! 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. 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, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHard 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 is big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors.

Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild. I mean, 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. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1,800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-ststststall.

Em chanted rose medley for $3999 or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. What is up, everybody? Back at it again on a Saturday. A little weekend, happy Saturday. Happy draft. As I'm recording this, it's the middle of the third round.

The Vikings pick 78 So we're just rocking and rolling I wanted to wait till the weekend Just to see if something crazy happened Obviously the Rogers thing is what I'm gonna start with And then just some of the main points I'm mainly gonna stick Listen I play the hits

We're gonna talk about the first round Some things that stood out to me And some funny things And yeah the quarterbacks And we'll dive into it a little bit The Middilcoff mailbag At John Middilcoff, my Instagram handle I'm probably gonna do that

on a weekend, which would probably be either Saturday or Sunday. I'm recording this on Friday, so someday this weekend, I'm going to throw a bunch. I have so many direct messages, aka DMs, and I just, I want to do a football podcast. And I'll save some of the DMs also for Tuesday's pod, but I want to make this just kind of a heavy hitter what was going on in the last 2448 hours. And we'll do with that. If you listen on Collins feed, you guys know the drill, please leave a review. and subscribe to the three and out podcast feed.

It helps with business. I want to start with Aaron Rogers. Biggest story in America, right? Absolute bombshell. He wants to get traded slash. He's never going to play for the Packers again. A lot happened on Thursday. We were all swimming.

Hell, me, you know, obviously I covered the 49ers really closely. It was like, the 49ers going to trade for Aaron Rogers? A lot happened. As I'm recording this right now, he's still on the Packers. But I think we need to rewind. And listen, full disclosure, candid about it, I was open about it a year ago. I thought they did the right thing when they took Jordan Love. They made a calculated, educated guess that Aaron Rogers' career was trending down.

You know why? Their first year, Goudicans and the floor as the head coach and the general manager, it didn't go well. So they thought big picture and they drafted Jordan Love at the end of the first round. Here's the problem. Sometimes when you make a decision, it does not have the desired outcome. A lot of people get married, guess what? A lot of people get divorces. A lot of people go to work at companies because they think they're going to move their way up

and make a lot of money and they get stuck and they're not able to move up. We all make decisions, at least the most of us, right, with the best intentions possible. and the information, I would say any good decision maker with the best information that's available to them. And most people in a company, in the NFL, in a household, are just giving suggestions. There's really only one decision maker. When I grew up, it was my mom or dad, right?

Ultimately, it was their decision. If you have kids, it's you. It's not them. They tell you what they want to do. You're in control. when you work at a company, you give suggestions. It's ultimately the boss or the owner's decision. All these kids that have been drafted tonight,

you know, the team is drafting them in hopes they're going to be a good fucking player. Pro Bowls, starters, second contract guys, they don't know. They're just taking the information at hand and they're making educated decisions because we all want an outcome that we really kind of can't control, but a lot of stuff in life is out of control. We're kind of hoping for. We know where we want it to go, but we don't know if we're going to get there.

And I think most people make the decisions with, I mean, I think, you know, I guess there are some, you know, bad people, but most good-hearted people make the decision that they think is best if they run a company for the company. If they run an NFL team, for the team. What does Belichick always say? I'm going to do the best thing in the interest of the team. I don't think he's lying. Doesn't mean everything always works out.

They saw Aaron Rogers, didn't go well, they took Jordan Love. Here's a simple reality. It backfired in their face. Rogers was pissed off. Don't totally blame him, even though at the time he was coming off a season where, I don't want to say he looked washed, but he looked like his arrow was pointing down.

Then he comes back and he wins the MVP. He carries the team, I don't know, to the NFC championship where they hosted the game at home, and he was the best player in the league. It's not even arguable. He was better start to finish than Patrick Gras. Mahomes, who might be the best, quote-unquote, player in the league, but last year, Rogers individually was the best player in the league.

And here's what Rogers does really well. And I told Colin this on his podcast. He had a quote, it's crazy when you read a book or you read an article that really you remember if it's really good. You don't remember the whole thing. At least I don't. Maybe it's my limited intellectual capacity. But I'll never forget this.

And it's kind of crazy. I do this podcast for Colin. I once was reading his book just because I was a fan of his. work. And in his first book, it's really the only coward. I think he wrote two books. I only read the first one. But he had a great line. I remember writing it down. I didn't even need to. It's stuck in my head forever. That holding a grudge is like chain smoking hate. And I've never forgot that because I'm petty and I can hold grudges. I still do to this day. Even though I've tried, quote unquote, as I've matured, again, that's in quotations. You could say I'm not that mature,

but I'm definitely more mature than I was four or five years ago that I try not to hold grudges because I do think he was on to something. It's like holding hate inside your body. And the majority of humans, and I fall in this category, struggle to function when the grudge is at the top of my mind. I think as I've aged, I've been able to kind of compartmentalize a grudge. I still like a little grudge when someone I think kind of fucks me. It's hard for me to forget.

But I used to, definitely in my late 20s and early 30, And again, you're talking about a guy who got fired in the NFL, who had a rough breakup in radio, that it was just really angry. But it really, both times, the best thing that ever happened to me. And as time goes on, you kind of let it go. But early on, I would have been way more productive and probably made more money faster if I would have thrown it to the side. Because I'm not great at compartmentalizing anger.

Clearly, Rogers, who's like a year older than me, yeah, I'll be 37 this year. he'll be 38. So yeah, he's a year older than me, a class older than me in high school. I think, and he's talked about this, got very, very good at compartmentalizing his emotions. Because he's always been known as a petty guy, right? And I think a lot of people are. I don't think he's alone by any means. Most people are definitely not as talented at what they do as Aaron. And this year, he was laser-focused, he embraced the offense, and he eviscerated the NFL. absolutely destroyed them.

Basically took the, you know, gasoline, poured it all over everyone he played and lit the match. Up until the last game, when he was, he was, you know, it wasn't his best game of the season. But I'm not putting that whole game on Rogers. But they lost in the NFC championship game. One thing was clear with some of his comments after the season to McAfee. And then what happened this week, he never forgot. He just put it to the side. but like any true grudge holder

he never let it go he didn't you know wrap it up and throw it in the trash he was pissed off and in fairness to him all the Fenn Rogers here their decision to him was a major FU and it failed

it backfired because it pissed him off slash makes him hate them and they have a problem on their hands now and it's easy to say well just suck it up and come back together, look at the Seattle Seahawks. I was just talking to Coward about this.

They go acquire a tight end this offseason. They go acquire a new offensive coordinator. They go inquire a new offensive lineman, Gabe Jackson. They bring back Chris Carson. They do a good job of just simmering the fire around Russell Wilson. The Packers kind of do the opposite.

For the ninth time, in 10 years, they take a defensive player in the first round. Now, I always defend teams that win consistently because drafting in the late 20s is difficult. Kaleo Max and Julio Jones's and J.J. Watts aren't just sitting there when you're picking at 28, 29, 30. But that was basically like, yeah, we're just going to do what we do. We don't really care about Aaron's feelings.

And it's 2021. It's not 1996. Aaron not only is your franchise, he prints money for your franchise. The problem with their franchise, though, there's not an individual who understands how much money Aaron's making them. because their owner does not exist. So there is like this disconnect between a money guy that Aaron could go do and be like, what the fuck are we doing?

They have a team president who's an employee. And they have a GM. They're a front office run operation. I think they're in a tough spot. Now, I also think it's easy for anyone to say, I'm out, I'm not coming back. Aaron makes $35, $37 million a year. Last time I checked,

that's about $2 million. a game. That's a lot of coin. Is he going to sit out games? I doubt it. But if he's true and goes, listen, guys, I'm never playing for you again. Trade me. And in modern day times, that has more juice than it did in the Al Davis heyday back when Bill Parcells was coaching. Those days are kind of over. Even in the NFL, it takes a rare guy. Most players, you say, shut up, we don't care. He's the best player in the league. When he says that, it actually banners. And listen, they created this. They made a decision. I've been to several weddings. People are happy. Some of those people still happily married, several kids. Some of those

weddings, I'm only in my mid-30s, so you do the math. Some of these people aren't that old. Got divorced and got divorce fast. No one gets married thinking they're going to get a divorce. They made the move thinking Rogers was trending the wrong way. He wasn't. He fired back and played arguably his best season in five years. So now they got a problem on their hands. If they are going to trade them, one destination makes a lot of sense, the Las Vegas Raiders,

which a team that he literally put on the list of teams he would go to. I would have, listen, I understand the Niners were a rival. If you love Trey Lance, I don't know if they did, it doesn't get any better in the third overall pick and replace them with a quarterback. Because here's what you can't do.

You can't trade up the Denver Broncos for three first rounders in a second round pick, not get a quarterback back, and roll with Jordan Love. Because if Jordan Love sucks, and last year he definitely sucked, you get fired. And you never become a GM,

and you never become a head coach in the NFL again. So I do think this situation, ideally, you want them back on your team. Obviously. I mean, that's not preaching the choir here. That's what you want. That's a desired outcome. But if he truly makes us think,

I do believe he has the juice to force his way out and I only think there's one destination that makes any sense. That's the Packers. You get back a quarterback who you could immediately be competitive with, make the playoffs next year, Derek Carr, his teammate, Devante Adams from college, their buddies. Here would be one fixable thing. And I told Coward this on his podcast.

I said, listen, you want to make good, something in my business when you mess up an ad read and the company's like, you know, you screwed up the ad read or you forgot to read the ad, we need to make good. I imagine anyone listening, depending on what your industry is, probably pretty normal. If something screws up and we paid for it, you need to make good on that. Here's a way to make good on Aaron Rogers.

And listen, I'm not a salary cap expert. They would need to figure out some things. Go trade for Julio Jones. Go, hey, listen, Aaron, we're sorry. We messed up the Jordan Love trade. We'll trade Jordan Love. Get rid of Jordan Love. if that's what it takes, go get Julio Jones.

And then you got Devante and then you got Julio. Because here's what we know. It's laughable when people are like, you know, he'll retire, he'll go host Jeopardy. No, he won't. He's the MVP of the league. He wants to play football. The question is, does he ever want to look at Mark Murphy and Brian Gutakins in the face again? Because they took Jordan Love.

Put yourself in that situation. Even if you had a down year. You literally carried the franchise for a year. Multiple MVP's before last year. won a Super Bowl Helped I mean Clearly Rogers thought

McCarthy was a village idiot Whether that's true or not Like you'd say based on last year Aaron Rogers' case It looks pretty good Looks like I would lean he was on to something You either got to make good Or like understand like

He's kind of right on this You made a decision And that's what GMs are paid to do Not all decisions are easy and most of them, or at least probably half of them, when it comes to the draft, do not work. It's one thing, though, when you pick a player who can't play, whatever, you move on, you go find someone that can.

Through a trade, through the waiver wire, through whatever, free agency. It's another thing to pick a player to replace another player who happens to be the MVP of the league. Who happens to be a guy who needed more help, a team that was right there on the cusp. Gutikins blew it. So when I read like, you know, this is a tough spot for Goudicans. Yes, one that's self-inflicted.

He created this fire. There is no way around it. Now, I've said before, I'm not trying to like create new narratives or new angles. Because I've said before, do they get some credit for motivating Aaron? And the more I've thought about it, maybe a little. But Aaron's been great before. Like Aaron is just, I don't know, an elite player. So they made a move, a bold move.

It blew up in their face. And if I was them, I would work day and night to fix this thing. I'd be kissing his ass. I'd fly out to see him. I'd trade for Julio Jones. I'd do whatever's necessary. But if I do get to a point and he's got the juice... A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clever 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. 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, The best 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack.

I'm down to talk about crack all day, but yeah, yeah, literally. 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 Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're

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the genie's never going back into the bottle. It's over. To me, the Raiders are the only team that could keep these guys head above water and keep their jobs for the foreseeable future because they get a quarterback back under contract who knows your star receiver and it's pretty good. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at foxportsradio.com.

And within the IHeart Radio app, search FSR to listen live. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1,800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18th stem enchanted rose medley for $3999, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1,800flowers.com slash tune in.

That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. And we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the... And there they go. Almost on time this morning. Mom is coming out the front door. strong with a double-armed kid carry. Looks like dad has the bags, daughter is bringing up the rear. Oh, but the diaper bag wasn't closed. Dipers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, but Mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler. And now the eldest

daughter, who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat. Dad zips the bag closed and they're off. Ah, but looks like Mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car and there it goes! Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fan favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff.

Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size. Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by Nitsa and the Ad Council. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest.

It's a storybook world for them. You look. and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky. They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide is this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. Okay, before we get into some of my thoughts on the first round, I have to read this quote because it's one of the most incredible things I've ever seen.

And I love Dan Campbell. I've been a big Dan Campbell fan from an entertainment standpoint. Deuce Daly, I consider Duce a friend. He's on the staff. And I love Duce Daley. I'm rooting for the Lions. The Lions drafted a pass rusher. Levi-on-Zer Ricky from Washington.

He opted out this year, didn't play. I think the Niners were going to draft them. The Lions traded up to get ahead of them and take them. Here was his quote, after he got picked and went on with the Detroit media. If this doesn't sum up the Detroit Lions and the Dan Campbell operation, I don't know what does. Quote, I like fucking people up.

I like to get off the line and just put my helmet or my hands on an offensive lineman and fuck up an offensive. scheme. Pretty much. I like pushing them back two or three yards and just making them feel like shit. End of

quote. This is a great tweet, Chris, who tweeted this out. The press conference was like a Scorsese film. Goodness. I like that. I love everything about Dan Campbell. I love this kid. That's awesome. I don't know much about that player. A lot of Pact 12 players.

Pena Sewell. that guy, the Oregon safety. A lot of guys that got drafted in the top, like 50 picks did not play this year. But I want to start. We'll get into the quarterbacks here in a second, but just some picks that stood out to me. Listen, I love wide receivers.

I love running backs. I like offense. I consider myself an offensive guy. I don't know that much about defense. Even if you just put me on the whiteboard. I'm not a defensive guy. I can evaluate defensive linemen. Linebackers and definitely DBs are not my strong suit.

I lean offense. In my career in the league and definitely in college, two offensive coaches, our best players were always on offense. I feel very, very comfortable evaluating, talking about being around offensive people. So I like wide receivers. But I fundamentally don't believe

when you get a sweet quarterback and draft a guy like a Joe Burrow, like, I mean, I don't know if two is sweet, but you drafted them really high, you have to protect them. and in the draft, you have to have a hierarchy. Offensive linemen are more important than wide receivers. Why? I can get wide receivers in the second and third round.

And I understand that Tua played with Jalen Waddle. Guess what? I love Jalen Waddle. I understand that Joe Burrow played with Jemar Chase. Guess what? I love Jemar Chase. I like both those players. I would take them on my team yesterday.

Those guys are badasses. But I would take an offensive lineman, Pena Sewell, over both those guys. and both teams passed on them. I disagree fundamentally with that philosophy. Joe Burrow was out for the season last year because they could not block. Well, you got Jonah Williams coming back, you draft Penae Soule,

all of a sudden you're cooking with gas. We're going. The Miami Dolphins. You get Penae Soule, you got Austin Jackson, you got two tackles. I understand, like, I get it. I want wide receivers, but you got to get the guy help first.

I remember when I was doing stuff with the Raiders, they drafted Amari Cooper, the year after they drafted Derek Carr. But they already had Gabe Jackson, Donald Penn, and Rodney Hudson. Like they had a core group of offensive linemen already on the team. I like building in the trenches early in the draft.

I didn't like those picks, not because I didn't like the player. I just was like, I don't know. Here's another thing that really stands out, and I don't necessarily totally blame them this year, but it's happened now like twice in four or five years. Why do we always know who the New York Giants are going to take?

We always know. The Eagles jumped them, and maybe it was clear, maybe I'm being unfair. But Harry Roseman flips with the cowboys to get Devante Smith, because he knew the Giants were going to take them. The Giants do a poor job. job, just in general, of keeping it close to the best who they're going to draft. I just didn't quite get that one.

And I got to give the Cowboys a lot of credit. They trade back with the Eagles because, guess what? It's not like, you know, we don't want to play Devante Smith. Devante was either going to the Eagles or he was going to the Giants. The Cowboys were going to have to play him twice a year. So they said, shit, we might as well take the extra third round pick and draft the same guy that we would take anyway. then it turns out obviously the Giants move back

with the deal with the bears but I like back to Dan Campbell their excitement when they took Pena Seul because they're just trying to build in the trenches because that's the one place where you can still be really physical I love it I like the running backs going 24 and 25 Naji is a baller

Travis E. TN baller don't love Urban Meyer you know dropping he's a third down back no Urban he's your starting running back. And the rookie they had last year is good, but as someone in the league told me, they're like, you know,

Urban's either going to be two things. The Jags are hoping he's going to be Jimmy Johnson. He might be Butch Davis. Now, Bush Davis won pretty big in college. I don't think Urban's going to be Butch Davis, but comments like that, like, is he going to be Jimmy Johnson? I don't know. And I like their first two picks.

Hell, I like the third pick. The guy, the corner they took from Georgia. So I just, to me, value, value, value is key. Like Certain and J.C. Horn. Those guys are plug-in-play starters, at premium position, draft 8 and 9. Like those two picks for the Panthers and the Broncos. That's not out thinking the room.

But taking wide receivers, when stud tackles are on the board, look what happened a couple picks later. What do the chargers do? were Sean Slater shit we'll take them what do the Jets do they trade up for Tucker from USC I like taking

offensive linemen really high because history would say I can get badass wide receivers in the second and third round so I just didn't love those picks and let's talk about the quarterbacks we've talked to you know forever about Trevor Lawrence

he's a big time talent it's going to be on Urban Meyer and the coaching staff he to me is going to be good enough. It's going to be whether they can surround them. They already got E.T.N. They got some wide receivers. They should be pretty talented on offense.

I actually had a buddy in the league text me just imprompily. Like, you know, looking at the Jags roster, I can see them winning six or seven games. They have a lot more talent on the team. Obviously starts with the quarterback. But to me, the coach, we'll see. I mean, the jury's going to be out. We're all going to be watching it pretty closely. It's a fascinating watch.

Two guys I got Red Flag, though, are Zach Wilson, I think, is going to be difficult. I really do. Their team is not very good. It's just not. They signed Corey Davis. They don't have a running back. They drafted, you know, they drafted a wide receiver last year high in the second round. But, you know, this guy's coming from BYU, New York City, the pressure. I just think it's going to be really, really difficult. First time head coach, first time coordinator on defense and on offense. LaFleur's brother has never called plays. obviously he's worked with Kyle forever. So the pressure is just, it's New York, it's angry, it's just, it's going to be intense.

Here's the other elephant in the room. I think Sam Donald's going to be pretty good in Carolina. So part of Zach Wilson, the reason you're there is because they traded Sam Donald, who they drafted number three overall. So if he's playing well and Wilson's struggling, it just could be difficult. I think Mack Jones, everyone just assumes Mac Jones is going to be good. First and foremost, Mac Jones didn't fall. I actually think he got drafted relatively high.

15 for Mac fucking Jones? And I'm not a Mac Jones hater. I'd say historically Mac Jones goes in the second round, like pick 45. 15's pretty high. And I love Belichick. I think he's the greatest coach of all time. But let's not act like he's some great drafter recently.

Could Mac Jones be good in New England? Sure. Could he also struggle? 100%. Sean McDermott is a big-time defensive coach. So is Brian. florist. Do you know what New England is that Alabama is not? Cold, snows, rain, sleets. Mack Jones is not used to that weather. I don't know how he's going to play in November and

December. It's tough. The pressure also of playing for Bill Belichick, now I get he played for Sabin. This is a different level. It just is. He doesn't have Jalen Waddle. He doesn't have Devante Smith. Naji Harris ain't walking through that door. And I know they signed a couple tight ends and they signed Kendrick Bourne and they signed Nelson Aguilar I don't love Nelson Aguilar in that weather. That's going to be a challenge.

To Justin Fields the value for Justin Fields is a guy almost 6 feet 4 inches tall who ran in the 4th with a big time arm in the history of the draft height productions there never been in trouble off the field

that guy usually goes in the top 5 so for the bears to get him at a that's highway robbery. I was texting with Nagy. He's so fired up. Like just the value there, that just fell in his lap. That's crazy.

Now, I don't know if it's going to work or not, but that talent, you could combine Trisky, you could combine Dalton, you could throw in Foles. I don't know Foles accomplished a lot. Those three could combine their talent. They don't equal fields.

Now, talent doesn't equal success in the NFL at quarterback. But it's hard to just find these type talents who also produced in college. So for the Bears to just be there at 20 and all of a sudden this kid starts falling down and they're able to get up to 11, Ryan Pace should go to church this Sunday

and say some thanks. I'm not even a religious guy. I don't even know what you say, but you hit your knees, you look up top and you go, how did this happen to me? We ended up with Justin Fields because we were about to go into the season with Andy freaking Dalton.

Like, it's like maybe Andy Dalton starts. I heard someone say like maybe he could be the Alex Smith. Alex Smith. Andy Dalton, one, he's not as good as Alex Smith, too. Justin Fields should start day one. Andy Dalton, you're the backup, buddy. Enjoy being a $10 million backup. There's nothing wrong with that.

But Justin Fields should start day one. And it's, if he's good, he could save really their jobs. Here's the other thing. An underrated part about getting drafted is, where your narrative starts with the fans in the media, especially in a big city. It's like if Mack Jones,

I'll get to the Niners here in a second, had come to the Niners, it would have been very, very negative from the jump. In a weird way, people would have been rooting against them. Instead, he goes to the Patriots, and it's beloved.

He looks like a savior. Justin Fields, the moment they, we looked up at our television screen and said, a trade is in, and the bears are on the clock, and you're going, oh, my God, they're going to get Justin Fields, and they get Justin Fields. There is not a team in the league that's a big market team that went into the draft with more

negativity, with more thoughts of, we're kind of screwed. Our team sucks. To within one pick to go, we have hope. Another reality is in the Midwest, the Big Ten is king. these Big Ten schools, 50,000 people go to them. I'm sure many people listening attended one of those universities. Wisconsin, not Notre Dame's on the Big Ten, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Indiana. These are enormous schools.

Well, what's the biggest city in the Midwest? Chicago. This guy's going to have people pulling for him. And that hasn't been the case with Trubisky. because early on people realize, oh my God, Mahomes and Watson are elite. Our guy sucks. Now, Justin Fields may end up being bad, but everyone is going to support him the first couple years with his ups and downs.

He has everyone pulling for him. And I'm not talking about the coaches in the front office, because that's all Trubisky had. The fans gave up on him. The fans have this guy's back, and there's something to be said about the momentum of a player when they're drafted pulling for them. I see that in my backyard with Tray Lance.

The 49ers overpaid to get up to three because they wanted to control the situation. I never thought for a minute Mac Jones would go there. And some people have said that I'm telling you, Kyle would have picked them, other people have said it was a lie. I don't know Kyle, I haven't asked them, I don't know what to believe.

Here's what I do know. The information is in. Had they picked Mac Jones at number three, it would have been the biggest overpay, arguably in the history of America, in any business. Because Mac Jones, I'd argue, was overdrafted at 15. But you can't trade pick 12, two other first round picks, and a third round pick for Mac Jones, because we saw his value, and let's face it, Patriots, little desperate. Cam Newton can run the ball, can't really throw anymore.

Thank God. Either Kyle loved Trey Lance, which he acted like he did after Thursday night, talked into it whatever, but he took a guy with a high ceiling. Now, probably the riskiest pick in NFL history. Started one game, small school, team traded the farm for him. But the team is well equipped to kick ass and take names. They just drafted Trey Sermon as I have been recording this. They drafted a guard.

They already have Trent Williams. They have Debo Samuel. They have Brandon Ayuk. They have George Kittal. They have Rahim Mozart. Their offense is pretty loaded. Here's another part of their team. Because the Patriots took Mack Jones,

Jimmy Garoppolo doesn't really have anywhere to go. So Jimmy Garoppolo has no choice. He just gets to kind of be the starter slash compete with Trey Lance. But Jimmy Garoplo has a lot on the line. He's 29 years old. He's not 40. He potentially, if he acts like a good guy, help, starts and plays well,

can have a long career as a starting quarterback and make a lot of money. But if he acts like an asshole and treats him poorly, when he's in no position to do that, it could limit his chances. Jimmy's represented by Don Ye, a Tom Brady guy. Like, they're typically pretty smart, high character.

He knows what's on the line. They kind of got Jimmy by the balls in the sense of Jimmy's just going to do what they tell him to do. And right now he's technically the starting quarterback, and ideally I think they would like him to just play well and Trey Lance to back them up. Personally, I would have an open competition because the moment you draft a player,

whether it's in second to seventh round or the first round, their clock starts. Now the great part about a first round pick is you have a fifth year option, which meaning times a little bit on your side. But I would rather slowly integrate Trey Lance. I went to Cal Poly. We consider it Harvard of the West Coast, even though it's not Harvard of the West Ghost

because guys like me could get in. But they had a motto, and I live by it to this day, because I don't learn anything by just reading a textbook. 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, 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. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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 a podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. 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 AIDS. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know.

I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack, so I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now, so. Thank you for finishing that sentence. 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, Ryan, Korn, and I'm talking. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough.

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

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. We're sitting there watching a teacher do PowerPoint presentations. It's like, hey, teacher,

no one's fucking watching you click this button and change slide to slide. We don't care. This is not how most of us learn. but that's another argument for higher education another day. Our motto was learned by doing. We had a lot of labs. We did a lot of like hands-on projects.

They were big on internships. They were big on actually getting jobs for school credit. It was big in my major. And as I've gotten the last 15 years of my adult life, whether it was working in football, working in radio, now working in the, I introduced myself now. I used to say I was a podcaster. I introduce myself now with a straight face and I say I'm a streamer.

Say, what do you do for a living? I said, I'm a streamer. They look at me like I'd probably make like $5. Little do they know. But I say it with pride. I used to be kind of insecure about it. I'm a podcaster. Now I don't even say that anymore.

I say I'm a streamer and I kind of smirk. But I've learned how to do all this stuff through trial and error. The reason Josh Allen was able to kick ass and take names this year and lead the team to the AFC championship games because he had ups and downs. downs this first two years. Mahomes is an outlier. I like my guy playing from the jump. Now, I get it. If he's clearly not ready week one, I understand because Jimmy's there. But you have to get this guy ready because this guy isn't just the future, but he's also the present.

Because his contract tells you that is. You don't have an unlimited amount of time. Like you really have to take advantage of these next three or four years. And the way you take advantage of his second and third year is him being ready because he played his first year. And I get it. The Niners think they're one of the best teams in the NFC. And roster-wise, if their quarterback plays well, they definitely are. But I could live with some ups and downs with a rookie quarterback knowing it's going to benefit me in two years more than, like,

trying to win a playoff game this year with Jimmy Garoppolo. Now, you could argue if Jimmy Garapolo were to win a playoff game, his value goes up and you can flip them. So, I mean, there are two sides of this argument. It's a fascinating story where I don't think there's really any – Trevor Lawrence is the starter day one. Zach Wilson's the starter day one. I would make Justin Fields

the starter day one. I know Bill Belichick said Cam Newton's the starter. I'm going to call bullshit. I would expect Mack Jones to be the starter week one. Trey Lance, a little more complicated, but I lean just

make him the starter. I really do believe that. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1800 Flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1,800

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Brought to you by the ad council. Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinwiddie host of the new podcast, Navigating Adoption, presented by Adopt U.S. kids. Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts. Visit adoptuskids.org slash podcast or subscribe to navigating adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council.

And I, you know, the fourth and through the seventh rounds, they're going to be a ton of players go. I say the same thing every year. I don't put that much stock in anyone that's drafted on the third day because you can get drafted in the fourth round and I've been lucky enough to go to these practices for a decade and you realize within a couple practices, whether you work for a team or whether I'm just on the sideline watching and you go, God, who's that guy?

And they're like, oh, that's one of our undrafted free agents. And the thing with football, it's the greatest competition meritocracy, probably in America, that you get, some of these guys show up, they're immediately making, you know, they sign a $35 million contract if they're a first rounder. Other guys show up,

they get a $5,000 bonus. Someone drafted free agents don't even get a bonus, but let's say $5,000, $10,000. That's all the money they get guaranteed. $10,000. And within a week, the head coach, the general manager goes, holy shit.

This guy, going to be a starter for us? That's how fast it happens. And there's no league like it, right? Baseball, you've got to work your way through the minors, and obviously anyone that's ever known any minor league baseball player will tell you, I mean, the hierarchy that goes there, I mean, is big. And I'm not saying there's not a hierarchy in the NFL.

Right, first round picks are going to get more reps than the undrafted or free agent. But the undrafted free agent 100% can't just make the team or can't just make the team. He can start. It happens every year. Same with a sixth round pick and beat out a third round pick. A seventh round pick can beat out a second round pick. Now, the seventh round pick could get cut if he sucks. Second round pick can't.

but that guy can start and that guy can play and it happens every year. Another thing that I talked to a buddy about a couple days ago and I've been thinking about for a while is when I got in the NFL in 2010 and historically it was always like this, if you were a quote-unquote weed guy, you smoked weed. It was a huge negative.

People looked at you like you were a bad guy. Hell I know. My parents are older. My dad's gone, but he would be in his late 70s. My mom's 72, 73 years old. When I was growing up, they thought weed was like crack cocaine.

They thought if I smoked weed, I would go to jail. I'd lose my ambition and I'd be a loser. I smoked a little weed in high school. The problem is I didn't really like it. Back then, I couldn't control my mind and I freaked out. In the last three or four years,

I've been in business with weed companies and I got back into it, the edibles. And I'm in just much better control of my mind. I love it. It helps me sleep. It's made me much more creative. It's led to a lot of topics I've done over the years on this podcast. It's really helped me in the business I'm in. Think of different topics, think of different angles. I am way more creative on it. Personally, and I've been drinking for 20 plus years, and I've never drank less than I have the last three or four years. I hate being hung over. But here's one thing I know, and I don't, I'm not against drinking. I love to drink. It's

fun. I just hate being hung over. Drinking, having been a guy that's drank for a long time, and someone who's smoked and taken edibles now for a long period of time, drinking is infinitely worse for you. But if you're in a draft room and I tell you, you know, this guy parties a couple times a week, it's like, oh,

he's just out with the boys, shotgunning some beers, taking some shots, chasing some ladies. It's a plotted. Yet in these draft rooms, I had a friend tell me that he's like, you know, we had these draft meetings and these guys are crushing these guys. for getting high in playing video games

or getting high in hanging out with their buddies. I'm like, you fucking morons, they're harmless. And I think people that have changed their thought process and is realizing, because I heard of a prominent player in this draft, one of the knocks on him was he liked to get baked, he liked to smoke a little weed and play video games. People are like, loser, what's he doing?

It's like, guys, this isn't like 1978. and really the reason weed, I think my parents thought that, was because big tobacco, which clearly cigarettes are way worse for you than smoking a joint. Now, I don't smoke weed because I'm scared to like burn my lungs because really the only thing I can productively do is talk. And if I ever couldn't talk, I'd have a problem putting a roof over my head. So I just take edibles. But I know a lot of people smoke and they're fine. it's like one thing I know about alcohol

within a couple months ago I lost a friend a guy I grew up with one of my best friends in elementary school in junior high in high school we went to college together he had a pretty big drinking problem

I don't know anyone and I've known a lot of people who have smoked a lot of weed and where I was from maybe I was around it early around just drugs in general was like junior high people that didn't smoke in weed

I'm 36 years old for well over 20 years. Never had an issue. Not one. So I think these teams that have changed their philosophy on like, there are players on every team in the NFL, star players that get high all the time. You know the NBA is full of? Potheads.

The best players in the league, several of them. We have a running joke in the Bay Area about Clay Thompson. No one cares. It's not that big a deal. Do you know what I'd rather have? star player doing in 2021 getting high than have a drinking problem and that is a theme right now and we talked about it a little while ago within the last couple months about this draft about guys that play video games like that's a big thing i mean i remember when i first got to the league and we

always read about when we were a kid guys that like guys like to party and guys like to go to club and guys like to do recreational drugs like cocaine right and it's like you got to be careful with those guys. And I think that human, because the way society's changing, the way these kids are growing up, they're more likely to play a video game to connect with their friends on the internet. I'm talking about star

college football players, then go to a club like the guys 20, 30 years ago, do blow and drink. That's just the reality of the society that we're living in with technology. And honestly, I say that's a good thing. And I heard about a star player this draft who I wouldn't say he fell

but went a little lower than he stood one of the knocks about him was like you know he just gets high too much it's like well have you watched him play he's like yeah he kicks ass it's like you guys man have an antiquated thought process here my dad

would roll over in his grave if you heard me talking like this around marijuana because I've been around that generation they they thought it was meth like they thought it was a hardcore drug it's just it's just not You know, it really isn't. And I'm someone who was very anti-marijuana for probably most of my 20s.

Because it used to make me feel really weird. And it turns out it was really control my, I was immature with my mind. Now, everyone's different. I'm not saying like everyone should smoke marijuana or take edibles or drink. Like everyone should do what they want to do. But my overall point is we need to be careful with the way we say like being a quote unquote weed guy in college. Do you know what that is?

That's the norm. Do you know what used to be the norm in like 2005 or 95 or 2000? Guy drinking. Most guys drink. I bet most guys still drink, right? I'm sure if you're listening, you drink. I literally have a glass of wine in my hand right now. I'm not a big wine guy, but I just had this new sponsor in my other podcast,

and it's actually pretty good. I'm not going to lie. But my point is, just overall, the teams that are just get ahead of this stuff make better decisions. And they don't pass on a guy. It's one thing to pass on a guy in this draft. And the thing you realize, I'm out of the loop now. Like, going into the draft, I don't know stories about every player. But when a guy gets drafted, especially on teams that I'm interested in, I'll text my friends, an executive, a college director, and I'll go, what's his deal?

And he'll go, you know, he fell because he had an issue in college, something that's pretty shady, something with a girlfriend. He'd be like, whoa. But then you hear, you know, we thought, you know, he might have a weed problem. And he'd be like, uh, seriously? Like, that's your issue with him? Like, come on, guys, get with the times. There's a big difference between, and I'd say, and honestly, this is going to sound crazy, but I would imagine 15 years ago, domestic violence and being a guy that smokes weed would both have been equal demerits. would have both, and some teams got you pulled off the board.

Think about that. Now, luckily, I think some of these forward-thinking coaches, some of these open-minded coaches, some of these coaches, I don't know, that are just locked into the way society is, don't think like that anymore. But you'd be nuts if you didn't believe that some of these old-school scouts,

old-school coaches, and old-school GMs, I imagine most of the owners dabble, but still factor that in. and it's the reason sometimes you look up you go, why is this guy falling? Why is this guy not falling? Sometimes it's information that teams only have. Good or bad. But I think you'd be surprised

with how much marijuana still factors in, which to me is just insanity. Have a great weekend. The draft, I just looked up, it's, I guess, officially over for the night, so we're on to the fourth round. By the time you're listening to this, you know, they'll probably be looking at a zoo or something going on.

But have a great weekend. Have a great night. Adios. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts, I'm here to tell you that 1-800flowers.com is your ultimate birthday gifting destination. 1-800 flowers has thoughtful and artfully created options that are guaranteed to deliver the best birthday surprise. Shop thousands of unique gifts at 1-800flowers.com for exclusive. of offers and great values.

To order today, visit 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. 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. 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 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. I mean, it was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Listen to look back at it on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of football.

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's podcast network on TikTok. 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 IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed Human.