The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Raiders/Ravens MNF Thriller, Manning Bros Broadcast, Throwback Seahawks, Full Week 1 Reaction, Mailbag

Episode Date: September 14, 2021

John reacts to the Raiders thrilling OT win over the Ravens in the MNF opener, and what the Ravens did to lose the game that was inexcusable. He also explains why he loved Peyton and Eli Manning making their game broadcast debut, why this version of the Seahawks has a throwback feel from their Super Bowl teams, and why the Titans replacement for former OC Arthur Smith is a huge downgrade. He also recaps the rest of the Week 1 slate, and answers listener questions in the Middlekauff Mailbag.Make sure you follow John and The Volume on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest content and updates and check out FanDuel for the best wagering and daily fantasy action! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

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

Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at 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 here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 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. You know when you've been at a job for years and at your annual review, your boss gives the promotion of someone else?

A guy named Colton, who's been there like a month? And when you try to talk to your boss about it, he shut you out? Listen, AT&T hears you. For a while now, they've been making sure that. every customer both new and existing is being heard. At AT&T, everyone gets promoted to the best deals. Check out smartphone pricing for everyone at ATT.com forward slash best deals. Restrictions and exceptions may apply. The big game is finally here as we hit Super Sunday with the last game of the football season and Bet Online has you covered with more odds, lines, and props than ever before.

Betonline.net remains the best spot for all your sports scores podcasts and news this season. And it's not just football. Bet Online has up-to-the-minute info on pro-in-college hoops, NHL, boxing, UFC, along with live real-time updates of current games. Don't wait to take advantage of all the new amazing offers available for the 2022 season. Bet Online, where the game starts. They say there's no place like home. And as our loved ones age, they cherish home more than ever.

At home instead, we're dedicated to providing the trustworthy, customized in-home care that allows seniors to remain in-home homes with, dignity so they can be safe and happy. Home Instead's caregivers are reliable, trained professionals who offer services that range from personal care to memory care. A life well lived should continue at home. Call Home Instead at 877-88-6866 or visit us online at homeinstead.com slash IHeart. I've been watching Raider games every single snap for over a decade and I got to say that's the craziest thing I think I've witnessed over that time. Three and out podcast with me, John Middilkoff, after, I mean, one of the most insane Monday,

really just insane football games, but I do think when you put a game, whether it's a big college game or a pro game on Sunday, Saturday, Monday, Thursday night, and it's a standalone game. And it gets that just nuts. It feels 10 times crazier. That was very, very entertaining. We'll talk about that off the top. And for those of you that listen on Collins' feed, I'm telling you, I put out a Monday podcast now, a Monday podcast, but it's only on my feed. So type into Apple iTunes or Spotify, Three and Out Podcasts, subscribe to that,

put out a podcast yesterday where I reacted to some of the big stories from Sunday. And then today's podcast, I'm able to watch some of the games. that I miss. I dive into Seattle game, the Arizona Titans game, and just some of the other stuff going around the league, and obviously the Monday night game. So if you want to hear the Monday night pod, you got to listen there, volume sports. You guys know we're rocking and rolling now. And then we'll have our normal podcast today on Tuesday, if you're listening, maybe Wednesday. It's a podcast. You can listen whenever you want. And then again on Friday. So let's go, baby. And of course, the Middilkoff mailbag at the end at John Middlecopf is the Instagram.

slide up into those direct messages. And you guys know the drill. Anything else? Oh yeah, leave a review, if you could. Apple iTunes helps with the selling of the show. You know, if you like the show, leave a little five star. If you don't, you can leave a one star.

Don't really care. Just leave a review. It helps the algorithms. We're in this tech world. But let's dive into tonight. And I think big picture, it's year four for John Gruden. And he's got a 10-year-old.

contract, he makes $100 million. It's time. And a lot of times with a coach who has struggled for a couple years, you go, well, he inherited a bad team, which Gruden did, or at least a team in some turmoil. But the main thing we always say is they don't have a quarterback. And they usually have to find a quarterback. And that can be difficult. We know.

It's one, it's just hard. It's not an easy process to find a guy. And if you are just competitive, you're not winning two or three. three games, it's hard to get in the top five in the draft to land a guy. And then once you do land a guy, we all thought, not we all, but when the dolphins got two, you're like, we found their quarterback. And then we went, well, maybe they didn't find their quarterback, right? Justin Herbert is far superior. But that's not John Gruden's problem. He has Derek Carr, who played one of his better games in years, but really, he's been a good quarterback the last couple years. If the Raiders would

have made him available this offseason, he would have got a first round pickback for him. Like, that's the level of quarterback, which he has on his team. Now, he hires a new defensive coordinator in Gus Bradley. It looks like they were a little bit better on defense. Now, they're playing a team who had lost as a bunch of running backs, but I'm not trying to diminish the win. Derek Carr against the defense, that is pretty good, threw for 435 yards.

Derek Carr, you know, is probably right on the cuss of being a top 10-ish quarterback. He's somewhere probably roving between 8 to 12. Well, you can win with that guy. He is, I mean, the throws he made right before overtime the night were two of the best plays he's made really since his, you know, the season which he almost won the MVP. That was big time quarterback stuff. Like, I'm sorry, John Gruden, like, it's now. When you have that level of quarterback play, you put your stamp on this team. And listen, we could nitpick Cleland Farrell, who they drafted in the top five was inactive.

It shouldn't ultimately matter. Like, you have, you know, drafted and signed every. guy on this team is the guy you want. And you have the guy pulling the trigger. And clearly you have a lot of talent on the outside. Darren Waller, elite, tight end. Henry Ruggs, one of the fastest guys in the league. Brian Edwards kind of came out of nowhere. That guy they drafted in the third round last year. Hunter Renfro's, one of the beggar slot receivers in the league. Josh Jacobs is a baller. Kenyon Drake is their backup running back. Their offense is loaded. All their defense has to do is just kind of be a bend but don't break. They're never going to be.

a top five defense. But can they just not be like a bottom two defense? Because if they, if they can just play okay defense, they should compete to go to the playoffs. Because they have a playoff level quarterback. And if you have a playoff level quarterback in the NFL, you should be competitive. And then on the flip side, tonight was pretty embarrassing by a defensive coordinator who I think is really good in Wink Martindale. Time and time again, if you were watching the Peyton Manning, Eli Manning broadcast, and we'll get into that in a second. You might want to mix up some stuff. It's like, this is what we do. Well, if you, if you, if you, if you're go to defensive play call is zero coverage,

meaning you're in man coverage and you're blitzing everybody, I get doing that every once a while or in big spots. But if you've done it in seven big spots and in a game like tonight, that is just kind of bad shit crazy, you've done it on every big spot. They know it's coming. And Peyton and Eli were like, check to the play that you know is going to work against this coverage.

And he did it over and over and over again. part of playing chess is mixing up your moves. If you know every single time what I'm going to do in football as a play caller, offensively or defensively, it's a big disadvantage. You should have a couple curveballs in there. And I thought tonight,

for a guy who is a long resume of being an excellent defensive coordinator, winked martindale, tonight was not good. Tonight was borderline pretty embarrassing, actually. especially down the stretch of that last drive, and then in overtime. Like, you can't run the same play call over and over. And there were a couple shots of John Harbaugh talking to him,

kind of being like, what are we doing, bro? Come on, man. Let's mix it up here. And I think you saw tonight, and I love Lamar Jackson from an entertainment standpoint. He is a very fun player to watch. Run around. Who is not entertained by that?

At points, you watch him and you go, this is like a dude in high school that is going, you know, if you live in a small town, I grew up in Davis, California, a smaller town. So if a dude that either went to my high school or a team that we played, like in Sacramento or the Vacaville area, it's kind of like between the Bay Area and Sacramento, was going Division I, we all talked about him, right? This guy's going to USC, this guy's going to Oregon. And usually that guy, when you got on the field with them, whether you played against them or whether it was when you were younger and you just watched from the stands. He was the best player by a mile. And that's how Lamar looks running around in the

NFL. It's insane. It's like that's what a dude that's like going to Alabama or LSU or Texas looks like their high school film. No one can touch him. Here's the problem. He's kind of reckless with his body. And he's in the middle right now of negotiating a contract because he's his own agent, which is smart. I wouldn't want to pay an agent, you know, a couple percent when really they're not doing anything. And I think the Ravens want to build this franchise around. them. I mean, really, they already have. But it's different when you're paying a guy who's a 30 second pick, so he doesn't make that much money. When you're about to invest 130, 140, 150 million guaranteed, that's a big deal. And he's clearly proven as a human being, his character,

how impressive he is, off the field. I have no problem with that. My question is on the field. Passing-wise, you saw him, like, he can make the throws when the time is there. They're wide receivers. I mean, their first round wide receivers injured right now. So I'm not really judging him, he threw for 235 yards. I mean, Derek threw for 430, but Derek's a much better passer, just a pure passer, than Lamar. But Lamar's passing is good enough.

My issue is more, he looks to run too often, and then when he does, he's diving into piles. He's diving over guys. When he fumbled the night, he landed on his head. If I'm the owner,

if I'm the gym, if I'm the coach, every time he lands on his head, my heart sinks. And we haven't even paid him yet. So that is something that I just wonder internally, the Ravens talk a lot about, do we really feel comfortable investing in a guy that, let's face it, when you play like that, because of the nature and the violence of the sport and the collisions,

like can this guy sustain for another five, eight years playing like that? I don't know. Now, and I don't blame him for playing like that because his greatest strength is when he takes off and he turns into a video game character. He makes NFL players look like JV High School kids. He jukes him out, he runs right around him. It's really not fair. So I don't blame him ever for running.

It's one of the most dangerous abilities in the entire NFL for any individual player. Lamar in the open field. It is advantage. Lamar advantage the Ravens. But often he takes off, especially when he scrambles out of the pocket when it's a clear pass play, he just ends up in some piles, diving. that you just go, whoa, Lamar, because you just, you fear that he's going to get injured.

But what an incredible game, bad game plan, or not bad game plan, bad adjustments or lack thereof by Wink Martindale and the Baltimore defense. And really impressive by Derek Carr, a guy, let's face it, he takes a lot of shit. And some of it's earned,

but he's a lot more talented than I think the casual football fan, at least the way they talk about him, and a way just that it's, his game is perceived out there in the NFL landscape. I'm not talking about people inside the game. I'm just talking about fans and people that watch the game. I think most people think he's pretty average.

Let's face it, he's pretty underrated. He's pretty good. His problem is his organization has often let him down and definitely his defense has let him down. I got to give ESPN credit. Let's face it, they're a brand that has diminished greatly over the last several years. They peaked probably a day.

decade ago, right? You know, probably for like a decade span from the late 90s to the, you know, mid-2000s. Had a rough run. I don't really watch them at all beside for games. And I clearly, Eli Manning and Peyton Manning, they wanted to be on their Monday night broadcast. Because it hasn't really been the same since John Gruden left. And Lewis Riddick's my guy, but they're, they're putting programming on the same game on a different channel with people much more famous. That's not, that'd be like if Colin Coward had another main NFL podcast, but, you know, with another NFL scout that he was like, hey, you should check out this guy too. I'd be like, well, Colin, I thought I was the guy.

Like Lewis, Brian Greasy and Steve Levy, they're never going to admit it. They can't be happy. But they can't say anything because Peyton and Eli Manning. Of course, I'd put them on too. ESPN management deserves credit for talking them into it. And then Peyton is just, let's face it, he's a star. That broadcast tonight was extremely entertaining. It was fun.

It was relaxed. But then they could also get serious. And I think what you see with Peyton and Eli is they kind of balance each other out. And as someone that grew up with a brother, you just naturally have different personalities, typically, I think. If you get a family of four, three of the four kids are going to be, you know, on different ends of the spectrum with how they act and how they conduct themselves. One guy's extroverted. One guy's introverted. And you see that with Peyton Manning and Eli Manning.

Eli's a little quieter. Payton's a little bit more aggressive. But Eli's very comfortable around Peyton. So he kind of gets extroverted around. He said some funny-ass stuff. And Peyton and both those guys, when they would really lock in and geek out on place, it was fantastic.

And then Russell Wilson, who could be a little bit of a stiff, it was the most relaxed I've ever seen him. Of course. They're going to be relaxed, or he's going to be relaxed around Peyton and Eli. That broadcast, now, tonight was perfect. The game was awesome. It was fun down the stretch.

Those guys were at a loss for words when the Raiders throw a pick in the end zone in overtime. and then they blow a field goal, and then they bring on Derek back on, and then they throw a game winning touchdown. I mean, all their jaws are like hitting the floor, but it was cool to witness.

And we don't get to see, I mean, we've seen Peyton a lot, obviously, in commercials. He's pretty outspoken in different things in the sense of they put him for the NFL, ESPN Plus, but just in the setting where he's sitting at his house, I don't know if that was his house, his studio, wherever the hell he is, with Eli, and as it went on,

they just relaxed. And it was fun. It was easy to just kind of kick back and lock into those guys. It was a very easy watch. And you have to wonder big picture. We all watch our teams or just games, even if they aren't our teams, with broadcasters we hate. And I think more and more as we progress through this ever-changing media landscape, think about you're listening to a podcast right now. A decade ago, this stuff wouldn't even exist.

And I think we're going to get more and more of this. Now, Eli and Peyton probably, you know, ESPN paid this. them a lot of money. And a lot of the star athletes now have never been richer because of the contracts they've signed the last 10, 15, 20 years. So you have to pay for it. But if these media companies kind of see this, I do think they might have something there. Give alternative broadcast with, you know, guys like Peyton. Now, there are, you know, a million Peyton's walking around in all these different sports. But there are several of them. Guys that would be fun, that would be engaging. Make it loose. Don't have it structure.

and just let them cook. And that's what they did tonight. They let Peyton cook. Eli followed, and then they had guests who were fun. You know, Ray Lewis making fun. 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

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

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

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

What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam 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 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. 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.

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against the Ravens when his passer rating was like 0.0. Eli threw for like 20 yards and two picks. Like, that's entertaining. Hearing Peyton tell stories about when he, chewed out a ref. He called the league office. He wanted to get the refs number so he could write him a thank you letter. The league office told him he would not. They would not give him the address because they were scared that Peyton was actually lying and he was going to call and chew them out when he really just wanted to write him an apology. Like those are cool stories. I mean,

that's the type of stuff we eat up. And it was really fun to watch it. I'll give ESPN a lot of credit. I think they hit it out of the park there with Peyton and Eli. Okay, let me tell you about my friends at Fanduel. Football season's here. And if you, you've never bet on the NFL, there's never been a better time to give Fanduil Sportsbook a shot. Because right now, you can place your first bet risk-free. That's right. You'll get up to $1,000 back if you don't win. Fan Duel gives you so many bets to choose from. There are same-game parlay bets, player props, futures, and so much more. See for yourself why Fandual is America's number one sports book. 21 plus and present in Colorado, Indiana, New Jersey, Virginia,

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Tricare is a registered trademark of the Department of Defense. Defense Health Agency, all rights reserved. Okay, one game that I watched on, uh, on Monday morning was Seattle and the Colts. And one thing really stood out to me. And if you've been listening to me for a while, you heard my take on the Jamal Adams contract whenever he signed it three or four weeks ago.

And my ultimate take was, I have no issue with how much they paid them. They gave them less than $40 million guaranteed. When high-level guys get 90, 100, 120, you know, non-quarterbacks, that's what they get. T.J. Watt, the moment he signed his contract, the moment he signed his contract, signing bonus, at the point of signing, $80 million. Now, would I rather have T.J. Watt than Jamal Adams, of course, but Jamal Adams watching that game

brings more to the table than just, I think, some of the things we talk about. And let's face it, he has a major flaw, not great in coverage. But I do think he brings a violent nature to a defense that desperately needs it. When they really separated from the pack earlier in the decade, they were the hardest hitting defense in the league. They were physically on a different level. So when you got in between the white lines against Seattle, you were going to get destroyed physically.

You might win the game, but you were going to feel it. And for the last like four or five years, when Russ really became a star, their defense became Swiss cheese a little bit. And I understand Pete Carroll, yearning for a guy that is a multiplier for them, that when you put him around, he sets a tone and a culture by his style of play. When he is on the field and the ball or the ball carrier is in his vicinity, someone is going to get hit and someone is going to get hit really hard.

He is one of those players that right is on the borderline of being like reckless, but he's under control. And he is just cracking people. There was a play in the Colts game. He flew over the line of scrimmage on a fourth and short. It looked like Troy Paul Amalu, who just got in the Hall of Fame. And all these other guys came flying in.

It was an incredible play. And maybe Seattle looks even more physical because of the number changes. And it felt like four of their front seven guys are now in single digits. It does make you look cooler. If you're like a defensive end, you're wearing eight.

or like a linebacker and you're wearing nine. You're like, ah, the guy just, you know, if you weigh 240 pounds, like, they guy looks sweet. And Jamal's just flying around. Like, I get it. Because we know this about Seattle. If their defense is not Swiss cheese and it is just middle of the road, let alone kind of, I would say,

venturing toward the top 12, they're going to be an elite team. because watching the Seattle offense, Russ, we all know is an elite player. Tyler Lockett is one of the most probably underappreciated players in the league. He's like, you know, the West Coast version of Tyree Kill, he is a dominant little force.

I know that. Because every time that I watch him play, he dominates. His tracking skills down the field are elite. His ability to get open down the field are elite. his connection with his quarterback is something special. Then they have this complete freak show in D.K. Metcalf. So when you combine them both, and now they have a run game, or should have a more consistent run game,

because they bring the guys from the Rams that run the Shanahan scheme, I know their offense has a chance to be special. And if their defense, does it need to match it? If it can just be, you know, top 15 forward, they can compete right there with Tampa to be a top seat. Now, I don't know if their defense can last, but I do know this, and I saw Jamal Adams when he got paid,

he talked about this. Last year I was banged up, I was in and out of the lineup. It was hard for me to get my rhythm. He now says he feels healthy, and you felt him healthy last year, or I mean, on Sunday, if you're listening to this on Tuesday, it was a couple days ago.

But to me, what really stood out were like his teammates. It's like they all tried to match that level of physicality. It's like, God, this is kind of a throwback Seattle team right now. But with a modern day offense, kind of scary. They kicked the shit out of the Colts, shoved him around, and the Colts are a physical team. You know, the Colts, unlike the Titans, we'll get into in a second, are not soft.

That they want to get into kind of an old school brawl. And Seattle out-tuffed them. Really, that's simple. With the explosive offense, which Indy can't quite match. I think three touchdowns between D.K. and Tyler Lockett. and there's not, you know, in my lifetime, he might be the best deep ball thrower we've ever seen.

It is gorgeous when that thing's up in the air. And when he throws it, and as someone who's been, you know, I'm an NFC West guy, who's been watching this guy play since he got into the league, when he lets it rip and that ball flies in the sky, there is not a human being. Seattle fan, whoever the opposing fan is, anyone gambling on the game,

that does not feel that ball is going to land in his wide receiver hands. And typically it does. because he drops her right like in the basket. Listen, he might be a little cheesy. He is a little cheesy for my taste. I just, I like authenticity, and it just doesn't always feel like, Russell, are you acting?

Are you being a real human? Now, I do think he's a great human being. He treats people well, so I got no beef with that. My issue is more with frauds when they act one way and then you hear they're like bad guy. He's 100% not a bad guy.

I just sometimes I feel like, is this guy really a human being? Or is he just, go ox? You know, it's like, Russ, just, just act normal. You're 32 now, you're an established NFL player, but it's his deal.

Listen, we all just got to be true to ourselves. That's just who he is. But I will not dispute. He's one of the most remarkable players and one of the most dynamic quarterbacks the league's ever seen. I mean, he's going straight to Canton one day. But if they build the team around him correctly,

and it looks like they got a pretty good squad, they're going to compete for Super Bowls. And the other team in the NFC West that had a really, really good day yesterday and I have a theory. And listen, you know where I stand on Cliff Kingsbury. I do not trust him. And I don't think that the offense has translated when it matters most.

But my theory on Kyler Murray. And I said it a couple weeks ago when I heard Steve Young say, like, I think there's some rumblings that they don't think he's a great leader. That's why they overpaid JJ Watt because they needed to bring in his leadership. And as of week one, JJ was healthy and he was out there making plays with Chandler Jones. They were kicking ass and taking names. But I've never disputed and never argued that despite some question marks, is he a true franchise quarterback as a person?

That is still yet to be determined. He might be when you factor in his height. Because I don't think we'll ever see, I'd never say never. But it's not going to be something that's going to be a consistent theme in the NFL. Five foot nine quarterbacks getting drafted number one overall. I'm not going to discount that it can never happen again. but I do think it's fair to

take an educated guess that we're a long way away from that happening again. But for that to happen, you have to have such elite skills. And that little dude in Arizona has elite skills. But my theory on Kyler Murray is this. Early on in the season, training camp now is a joke. No one tackles live.

Most of these teams don't even play their starters in the preseason. Then you play a guy like Kyler Murray who is never going to be fresher throughout the season that he is in September, who's operating at warp speed, whose explosiveness, whose change of direction, whose just play speed is off the charts. There is zero chance you can replicate that in practice. My guess would be the way teams attempt to

is they take one of their wide receivers from practice squad, they put them on the scout team offense against the starting defense, and they have them run around, you know, a guy, like a 4-4 guy. but that is not the same. And I think you saw against the Titans defense, that little guy runs around. If it was two-hand touch, the score would have been the same.

They could not get their hands on him. He looked like, it looked like varsity versus JV. It looked like someone, if you're at Florida or Alabama or Ohio State, the kids, they're scouting to recruit and offer a scholarship, that's what it looks like.

But that was the NFL. He toyed with him. Because there is no way in it. I think it's going to be like this, the next three or four weeks until these NFL defenses kind of get their legs under them and get accustomed to the speed because you don't get a custom to the speed anymore in training camp because you're not tackling. It's it's half ass even when you think you're going full speed. And maybe it's always been like that. There hasn't really been that many players like

Tyler Murray. It would always been challenging. But it's never been more challenging given the reps, given the physicality of the offseason or lack thereof and the limited reps you get in the preseason games. And that might be for the better, even though we, we did see a lot of injuries. And he toyed with them. There was no way to replicate that Monday through Saturday. And it showed. And especially when a guy is really talented, right?

It's not like, it's not just all physical attributes. Like, he's an accurate thrower on the move. Like, he keeps his eyes downfield when he's scrambling. So he's just, he's a menace. He really is. And I'm as critical, you know, on players and coaches as anyone. But here's what I will say. If you make it as a player on a 53-man roster,

that is an incredible fucking accomplishment. There is zero luck involved in that. The ability to make it to college football, to excel in college football, to then get drafted or invited to a training camp, then to beat out people in the training camp, that is, it's a merit-based decision ultimately, especially for guys that are fifth, six, seventh,

undrafted free agents. And even if you don't play well in training camp, if you're a first or second round pick, you deserve that by high level of play at whatever college you were at to get drafted that high. It is a remarkable accomplishment. Anyone listening, I think we all agree. To play in the NFL, to get to dress on a game day.

And listen, you get jaded when you're a scout or when you're in that world and you can get negative and be like, this guy sucks, this guy sucks, relative to other players. just because you suck relative to like DeAndre Hopkins or Keenan Allen as a wide receiver does not mean you're a bad wide receiver.

You're better than the overwhelming majority of humans that have ever played the position. It is much more difficult to make it as a player to the league than make it as a coach. I actually think with the money that has gone up, I say this all the time, I think the NFL coaching profession

has become the athletic Wall Street. It pays a premium. Every coordinator, I'm going to keep hammering this home. They make seven figures. That's why I never feel bad for coaches when they get fired, and a lot of times it's justifiably so, right? They deserve to get fired. They're all rich.

They are the one percenters of America. And for every Andy Reid and Sean Payton, those guys are head coaches. I'm talking assistant coaches. For every good assistant coaches throughout the league, like Brandon Staley was last year, or Nick Siriani or, you know, guys who are assistant coaches to get their shot,

there are a lot of guys that have no business being coordinators. They know the right people. I think the agents have realized, it's an easy way to use their coaching fraternity and the different people they represent to take advantage of the whole situation. Listen, we all live in the real world. How many people do you know make over a million dollars, right? That aren't pro athletes.

I mean, I'm talking actually no. The answer probably isn't that many, right? It is very, very difficult in America to find a job that pays you seven figures. And yesterday the Titans rolled out Todd Downing, who I watched when he was with the Raiders in 2017, he was atrocious. One of the worst offensive coordinators I've ever seen. I do think once you get to a point in life, you know, maybe past like in your early 20s, you can be taught things as you age, but there are instincts that come, right? Your ability to talk to girls. Your ability to close a deal.

Your ability to interact with other people. As a football coach, your ability, your instincts. to understand different play calls in a game. Now, you can improve on that, but you either, once you get to a certain point early on in your career as a human being, whatever you're doing, the instincts, you either got them or you don't.

And we all know those people. Some people are just like awkward or weird. They just don't get it in a business setting, in a personal setting, in a football setting. You're like, God, this guy's a little over his head. Or, God, this guy's just, you know, out of the loop here. This guy doesn't have a feel for the room. Todd Downing has no feel for calling offensive play.

absolutely none. And you either have instincts as a play caller or you don't. There's an ebb-flow to the play calls. And watching that game against the Cardinals, Todd Downing looks exactly like he did several years ago. It's like, hey man, Chandler Jones, he's one of the best past rushers in the league. Your guy right now coming off an ACL can't block them.

You need help. You can't run these play action boots toward 95. It's not going to work, my man. change it up. Arthur Smith, is he going to be a good head coach? I got no clue. Being a coordinator and being a head coach

are two completely different things. But he was a great play caller. His instincts for calling plays were elite. Just like you watch McVeigh, you watch Sean Payton, you watch Kyle when those guys are on, it's like, God, they just have a feel for it.

Todd Downing has no feel for it. I'm sure he's being paid seven figures by the Titans. He's stealing. Absolutely stealing. just like he was several years ago with the Raiders because he's completely over his head. I don't see how this gets better.

They have a ton of talent. You already got Vrable calling out Julio Jones. As a head coach and as a GM, I think we put so much emphasis and I hammer this home all the time on the draft, on the draft, on the draft. There is so much more to the job than the draft. If I'm a head coach, there's a draft,

there's free agency, there's developing my practice squad, but one of the most important jobs that we never talk about are hiring coaches. I mean, we do when it's really bad, but we don't spend that much time. Like, who are you putting on your staff? Nick Saban consistently has elite staffs. Right now his offensive coordinator is Bill O'Brien. I know everyone on Twitter eating Cheetos on their couch thinks Bill O'Brien's the village idiot.

He won the AFC South four times in six years. That happened and won multiple playoff games. So relative to most offensive coordinators in college football, they can't hold his jock. That's who his offensive coordinator is. Oh, yeah. His offensive line coach, Doug Marone, was the head coach of the Jags

who was in the AFC championship game like three years ago. That's his old line coach. So when Arthur Smith leaves and you go to Todd Downing, and I like Mike Vrable, but it was probably the easy thing to do. He was on staff, continuity. Continuity isn't always the right thing if the guy's not meant for the job.

and I just think Todd Downing, I don't think we do enough. We can be critical of players, but being a player's hard, it is. Now, if you make mental errors and just do stupid shit, no problem being critical. And we're always going to be critical

of the quarterbacks, even though we all agree, it's no one else, small percentage of humans can do it. But I do think a lot of people think they can coach football and a lot of people now get the opportunities, the amount of money that's involved.

I think we get a group of guys. And I'm not saying Todd Downing is in the profession for money, but I do think we have a lot of coaches in the profession. Money and fame comes with it now, more than ever. And you're getting guys that aren't like Belichick and Andy Reed and Pete Carroll. Like, I bet their first paychecks were like $5,000 a year. Like they didn't get in this for the glitz and the glamour.

And they got into it for the right reasons. And then it turns out they were good. We got a lot of people in it for the wrong reasons. And also that just aren't good. Like, this guy's just terrible at his job. So it's just something to keep an eye on for sure. Okay, let's dive into one of the more intriguing matchups that took place Sunday afternoon. And I think how it's going to play out the rest of the season.

And that was Mack Jones, verse Tua, Belichick, versus Flores. Obviously, Belichick taught Flores everything he knows. He worked for him basically his entire NFL career, became head coach because of what he did under Belichick. And there was an article I read a while back that Belichick, the last several years, when Flores was there, would take as coordinators in the offseason and kind of teach them the inner workings of the NFL, which I can only imagine being a fly on the wall in that meeting. It probably was pretty incredible. And Flores has done a really, really good job in Miami.

They have a very solid team. I actually think their team has a lot of parallels to New England. They can run the ball. They have a really good defense. They're just very fundamentally sound. They're good on special teams. Waddle now kind of is an addition to. that team that is something they haven't had for a while. But I think the biggest thing that you saw

on Sunday was I would take Mac Jones over Tua. I would take for the next 16 weeks and really moving forward, I think Mac Jones will be a better pro than Tua. And I think that's going to be the difference in these two teams. I mean, the final score was 17 to 16. And the Patriots were driving toward the end of the game and Damien Harris fumbled. It was basically the game. If they score on that drive. How if they kick a field goal, the game's over. The Patriots will have won. Now, it's an impressive win for Miami, but the problem is going to be for Miami, they're really going to struggle to move the ball. They're going to be very, very dependent on Jaylon Waddle, who looks like a very dynamic playmaker, impressive player. I mean, he's a

baller. Absolute stud. His play speed is really fast. I mean, he was moving faster than every guy on the field. But other than that, like, I just don't, I don't look at two and think playmaker. Now, Mack Jones is like a more athletic Kirk Cousins, but he's already like what Kirk Cousins became the last couple years right now. He's pretty solid. And like we said, coming into, you know, into the draft process, like he was the most ready made beside Trevor Lawrence. He, now, how much better can he get? I don't know. But the one thing New England does have, and he should only improve, I think they fumbled it, they lost multiple. multiple fumbles, is they have much better skill guys this year.

Kendrick Bourne from the Niners looked pretty good. He's a solid player. Like he was the third wide receiver on a Super Bowl team. Their running backs are good. They got multiple tight ends. Gilmore, their star corner is not even around. That team is going to get better as the season goes on. That's a Belichick special.

That always happens. Why? Because he's an elite coach. But if the quarterback can just get more and more comfortable, which he should, the more reps and more seasoning he gets. I like the Patriots big picture over Miami. And let's face it, like Miami's main issue, which was the main issue last year,

which was the main issue this offseason, which is a question mark right now, is their quarterback. There's a reason a couple weeks ago, the head coach had to get in front of the room and say, listen, Tua, we are not trading for a guy who is under investigation from the feds. you're our guy. That's usually not a good sign.

Because let's face it, I watch the Washington Charger game. Justin Herbert is in a different universe than Tua. Like, the argument's over. It's dead. There is no chance on God's green earth that Tua will ever even be remotely close to as good as Justin Herbert.

And let's go to that game for a second. Watching Justin Herbert, his box score, he was 31 to 47, which is solid, on the road against, you know, one of the best defense in the league, doesn't even do what I witnessed justice. To me, what really stands out, and this is what Tua does not, I think, is great at. There's a calmness to Herbert's game. There is just, I'm under control.

Like, I've been in this league for eight to ten years. Yet he's only a second year player. Now, I think when you really dive into Herbert, he was a four. year starter at Oregon. The other thing that jumps out, he is a massive human being. So when you see him on the field, you go, yeah, it's like what young Rathesburger used to look like. He can move. He has an absolute howitzer, but he is a pocket quarterback. And his calmness within the pocket is ultimately what every head coach is looking for. Because it is inevitable, even if you have the best offensive line in the league, you're going to get pressure.

They're going to send blitzes. You're going to have to work with. within that little five-yard radius of the pocket and right outside of it. And he already looks like a season vet. Like there is Mahomes, who of the quarterbacks like under 30, is clearly the top dog. We talked about it on Monday's podcast. He is just one of the all-time great entertainers in the league, let alone his talent,

which is absolutely immense and his just ability to just play the game. I would say the mixture of the right way, the understanding of what the coaches want, and then in a way that makes the fans just jaw drop. There is no one quite like Mahomes. But to me, a separating factor with him, and every great quarterback ever,

is there's a calmness. Like, they don't freak out right away. And I'm not talking about just in the pocket. There's just a frenetic nature to certain players, whether it's, I don't think it's necessarily scared. I just think you're just, certain guys are just completely under control.

regardless how many blitzing linebackers, how many defensive ends that look like Miles Garrett or the Bosa brothers are coming at you. I don't blame anyone for being jittery in the pocket. Most every single human listening to this, including myself, if you put us in a pocket with those human beings chasing us, trying to throw us into the ground,

even though, I mean, the amount of flags they throw, I am all for protecting the quarterback. This league is only as strong as his quarterback, and the league's never been stronger and the young quarterbacks are very, very talented. But holy shit. Like, not every time that a defender hits a quarterback is a flag.

We got to have a little leeway here. Like, if you just tackle the quarterback to the ground, it should not be a flag. And then that defender should not be scared for getting another flag for screaming at you, calling you an idiot. Now, sometimes I can probably be a little harsh on the referees, the zebras.

It's a hard job. I will be the first to admit. it. It is very, very difficult. And they are also being told, as we've learned anything all those years in the NBA with David Stern, he dictates and he pressures the zebras. I'm pretty sure the same thing happens in the NFL. And I get it. They are being hammered home by the league office to call those flags when guys hit the quarterback.

But I'm sorry, not every hit on the quarterback is some violent, malicious, I'm trying to kill you move. they need to stop throwing these flags for unnecessary roughness, for tackling the quarterback too hard, whatever the hell they call it. It's kind of embarrassing after a while. Like just let some of these guys play. Ultimately, at the end of the day, this is the National Football League.

This is football. Guys get tackled. The quarterback, he doesn't wear a red jersey in the games. But what makes great quarterbacks, even now that it's, when we talked about this, I think, last week with Aaron Rogers and Tom Brady, you know, talking a little mess about the modern day rules.

And listen, they have, you know, a good understanding of what things used to be like because that was the era in which they came into the league, especially Tom, right, came in 20 plus years ago. Aaron came in 16, 17 plus years ago. So they understand how violent the game used to be. So there is, to me, it's kind of, it becomes innate. and just instinctual after a certain while. I do think it's learned in college

and then maybe early on in the pros, but after a while certain guys don't even think about it. And when I watch Justin Herbert, his physical attributes are all pluses. They're elite. They are everything, a scout, a general manager, a coach would look for. But a lot of guys we've seen

that come into the NFL have those gifts, right? They're big, they can run, they can throw the ball hard, his accuracy, his touch. I can't even, I didn't chart the game. You know, I don't work for the Chargers. No one's paying me to chart passes. But I swear to God, it felt like five to eight passes were dropped.

I mean, he's hitting guys in the hands consistently. And he made multiple big plays in the fourth quarter, a touchdown to Mike Williams, another big first down to Keenan Allen, then we're just like, damn, this guy is the real deal. And I know everyone of the football team, who I saw within the last couple weeks they put out,

they've kind of taken down the list to six, seven names, and football team is one of them. Just keep the name football team. Like, I would just roll we're the Washington football team. That's our name. Like, we're the Washington football team. With the W, I think it's a good look. Just go with that.

The Washington presidents, that's terrible. Washington admirals, that's awful. Red Hogs, not awful, but just roll with the football team. I think it's fine. And honestly, the longer they go with this, I think it shows you that's probably where they're leaning, is just rolling with the W and just call it the football team. Fitzpatrick, I've said over and over

that if you look at his football reference, he's a great story. I played golf last year. I was just playing by myself. Girl I was dating in kind of the Central Coast, Monterey area. I was playing golf, went out early, and I got paired with like three,

dudes and they were, I'm 36, I think they were a couple years older than me. And, you know, the first couple holes, you don't know anyone and you're kind of at, like, resort type golf or, you know, somewhere. And they were from out of town as well. You know, it takes you a couple of while, couple holes to really start talking with each other. Get a couple cocktails. You start bullshit. Start talking.

You just naturally ask what I do. Ask what they do, where they're from. One dude played running back at Harvard. And right when Ryan Fitzpatrick was there. So obviously a couple football guys in the same golf group, we became buddies, we started talking the rest of the round. And I asked him, did anyone think when Ryan Fitzpatrick was at Harvard,

he would go on to be a 15-6-year pro? He said, of course not. No one thought he would get drafted, let alone he'd still be in the league all these years later. And he's an incredible story. And if you've heard him interviewed, if you followed his career, he's an easy guy to root for.

Right? I think if Ryan Fitzpatrick lived in our community, if we were all, whoever's listening to this, were neighbors with them, we had friends of a friends that were buddies with them, and we were around them, we would be huge Ryan Fitzpatrick fans. We would like the guy.

But I think he's a little overrated as a football player, and when you look at his football reference page, he throws a lot of interceptions. So this notion that the football team, that when they added Ryan Fitzpatrick, they were just going to be good, like just some consistent like double-digit win team, I think was a little overhyped.

Like if I gave the football team you know, Justin Herbert, yeah, they would win 12 games. I give him Ryan Fitzpatrick. They might win 9. They could win 10. They also could win 7. So he goes down with the hip injury,

not ideal. I honestly felt Heineke came into the game like he's pretty talented. He can run around. He's got a big arm. I was pretty impressed. I also think we've been hammering this home. It's never been easier to play quarter.

back, especially for guys that can move. These modern day offensive coordinators, you know, can institute RPO's. They just have the ability to adapt offenses probably easier than ever before. A lot of guys now have the college NFL pedigree, right? A lot of offensive coordinators in the pros have spent some time in college. And just utilize the college game to work schemes. So whatever works for Heineke, we saw him flash a little bit in the playoff game. I'm not just saying this.

I was kind of impressed against the Chargers, given a circumstance they had to come in out of nowhere. So I wouldn't be that down in the dumps if I was a football team. But I'd also think you guys got a front row seat. Like, that's what a young franchise quarterback looks like. And I don't blame you. You got Chase Young, who's probably going to be

a fantastic $100 million pass rusher. He is an elite talent. But you did pass on Justin Herbert. Now it's easy to play Monday morning quarterback. No one thought you should take Justin Herbert, you know, at the time. But us on the outside, the media, we're not paid to make those decisions. Like, that's on you guys. Like, ultimately it's like, well, Miami, they took Tua.

Who wouldn't have? Everyone would have. Yeah, it's not their job to beat everybody. This isn't their job to get A pluses on Twitter from fans sitting on their couch, eating fucking Cheetos. It's their job to pick the right player. It's what makes this difficult. It makes it hard.

You know, like ultimately. Denver, who Teddy played well, but the Giants suck. The Giants are, Daniel Jones is not a good football player. The Denver Bronco roster is excellent. And Patrick Certainne, he's probably going to be a... 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, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

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

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

Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J.

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So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we

are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because

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and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app, search, learn the hard way, and listen now. Roller at one point in time in his career. But they better pray to God that Justin Fields is not a baller

that I know that I think he'll become because they passed on him. I don't think they even thought twice about doing it. And listen, Teddy looked good against the Giants. I think a lot of people are going to look good against the Giants. I don't think the Giants are any good. Joe Judge can make coaches run around the field and do push-ups. Listen, I mean, I don't know.

I'm not going to fully blame him because his quarterback sucks and he had nothing to do with that. And if your quarterback's bad in 2021, more than ever, you could get away with it 20 years ago, you get away with it 30 years ago, you get away with it in college, hell, a decade. to go. In modern day football, if your quarterback is not good, you will not win games. It's just that simple. Nick Sabin is a great example. They have the most talent

in the sport, and even he realized, yeah, we need to start getting NFL quarterbacks. It's not going to cut it getting just these fringe scrubs. We need to get first round picks. They got first round picks that never look back. They've gone to a completely different level. I think we all can admit that. They were really good, the first half of

his dominant run and decade. But since they started getting NFL quarterbacks, it's been a wrap. It's been over. Look at Ed Ogeron. Can't coach his way out of a wet paper back. Yet they gave him Joe Burrow, and he went undefeated. Won the national championship. Pretty easily. Like, I had one of the greatest college teams in the history of the sport. So if you're Washington, that's all you should be thinking about is, how do we get a legit starting quarterback? Now, it's very, very difficult to get guys like Justin Herbert. Typically, you got a draft in the top, you know, top five. We saw the Niners. They made a, they made a,

a pretty bold move, went from 12 to 3, and we'll see how that plays out. You know, it's going to be hard to judge this year because I think Jimmy's going to play a lot, but, you know, we'll be able to judge it in four or five years. We're a long way away from being able to like get a full grasp of was it worth it or not, but they gave up a lot. And they went from 12 to 3. And Washington football team probably won't be drafting, you know, I'd say at the earliest, like 15.

So it's very, very expensive to get up. But, and I don't know just watching college football this year, I don't see many Justin Herbert's and Trey Lances and Justin Fields in the group in the crop. You know, it's not, but when the crop is there,

you got to pull the trigger and you got to get your guy. And, you know, listen, sometimes you're going to miss, but I will never, ever fault the team for going all in. Listen, Ryan Pace whiffed on Mitch,

but at least he had a conviction and made the move. He just drafted the wrong guy. He should have taken one of the other two. But remember, he was picking at three and he moved up to two. He gave up, I think,

his third and his scum. fourth round pick. Again, pick the wrong guy. Mr. Ribicki over Watson and Mahomes. Hell, Watson, I mean, what a bizarre situation that is. Like Deshaun, are you just not going to play all season? To Texans, are you just, now they're 1 and 0. They're in first place. They're just going to make him inactive every game. It's just very, very weird. And yeah, I don't, I don't see that change anytime soon. This winter, there's something for everyone with the Disney bundle. Unforgettable stories on Disney Plus, like Marvel Studios Eternals. for this man.

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Restrictions apply. This episode is brought to you by the real cost and the FDA. If you vape, you could be inhaling toxic metals into your lungs. To make you feel how scary that is, we could have gone to town with some real scary music. Thrown in some zombie sound effects or some blood curdling screaming and over-the-top shrieking, You get the point. But nothing is as scary as the facts. Vaping can deliver toxic metals like nickel and lead in your lungs.

That's metal. In your lungs. Read up about the dangers of vaping on the real cost.gov. Okay, let's just go around the league. I haven't had a chance to watch every game. And let's be real. Like, I'm not watching the Texans and Jax. Refuse.

Too terrible of a game. But pretty impressive ass kickers. by the Houston Texans. The Jags, a lot of stories flying around, this was inevitable. If it didn't go well for Urban Meyer, and let's face it, it's not only not going well, they're kind of an embarrassment. He is immediately being talked about a week into the season. Is he going to be the next USC coach?

Would USC go hire him from Jacksonville? Would Jacksonville punt on this experiment that isn't going to go well? The Texans are going to try to lose games. situation with Deshawn, they're cool with just sucking. Urban Meyer, it's a train wreck. It's an absolute dumpster fire right now. Stories are going to continue to come out fast and furious about the internal workings.

There was a story this weekend about Jason, from Jason Lock and Forer that, let's face it, you've got to take some times with a grain of salt, some of the stuff that comes from him. But he's also been right on a lot. And some of the coaches feel that Urban Meyer is angry all the time. He can't handle this.

He couldn't handle losing in the preseason. Like, let's face it, drip, drip, drip, drip. Like, there's something there. This is not going well. Story that, you know, I saw yesterday as Trevor Lawrence had never lost the game in high school. He had never lost a regular season game in college. If you can't beat the Texans, who the hell are you going to beat? I mean, what would you guys say over under on their wins right now?

If I said three and a half, would you take the over? Because I wouldn't. They got 60 more games. I'd say in that 16 game stretch, they'd probably go like 3 and 13. You get a win here or win there, but not many. It could be a long year for Trevor Lawrence,

and is it crazy to think that Urban Meyer quits this job this year? He's miserable. I don't feel like, I think he wanted to test his toes in the water because he'd seen so many of his brother in, right? Nick Saban do it, Chip Kelly did it, Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh,

like all the elite college coaches got, all over the years have done it. It felt like I don't know if he was jealous, bored, hard to say. But you could also justify if you were going to leave a job, like if you left the cowboy job or the Steeler job for USC, we would never take you seriously again. Like you don't leave the big boy jobs for a college job. Nick Saban did it once upon a time,

but I'd say Miami, like we don't really take that franchise that seriously, though it's become much more of a high-level franchise since. The Jags, like they feel like, the minor leagues. They really do. So if he were to leave for the USC job, and I'm not saying he will, maybe he just quits and just doesn't want to coach anymore.

He's done that before, too. He just taps out. Then he says he's got hard issues, which I'm sure he does, but like Nick Sabin and Bill Belichick, they never seem to have any issues, right? I mean, do they just not get stressed out? Maybe they don't.

Some people don't. You know, Andy Reid just plows along. Sean Payton, Pete Carroll. I mean, Urban's like, oh, my heart. Maybe it is, but it feels like you always then come back you always get healthy. I don't know. I just got that guy red flagged.

I would not want that guy coaching my NFL team by any means. The Jets have a million injuries already. I did not watch much of that game beside when it came on on the Red Zone channel and it clearly didn't come

on the Red Zone channel very often. I played Sam Donald in my Draft King's league. That did not work out very well. He is just, you know, he's a work in progress. But the Jets are really, really bad. And they had a million injuries. A ton of it.

injuries. I mean, their star left tackle is out now for who knows how long with, you know, a torn MCL, I think I saw today. They've already lost their best pass rusher. It's going to be tough. This is going to be a long season. Unlike Urban though, I do think you can go Robert Sala, Joe Douglas, NFL people. I want to believe in them. I think it's much easier in any walk of life, in any business, in any relationship, when you truly believe in the person that you're either working for, you know, dating,

partnered with in business, to go through shitty stretches in life. Because you know what? We all go through rough stretches. Every single one of us. Whether it's losing our business, fired from a job, losing a parent.

I mean, all those things have happened to me. I'm not even 40. Like, you just, you go through it. And one thing you learn after you go through a couple tough things, like the sun comes up the next day. Things move on.

It's tough, but that's just the way the world works. And when times feel like they're at their lowest, at their worst, we've all been there. Every single one of us have had a rough stretch in life. And once you go through it once or even twice, you realize, like, I can get through this. But when you have people around you who uplift you, who you believe in, it is so much easier to get through that.

then when you go through a tough time and you hate the person you're working for or you don't believe in the person you're working for, you're like, this is miserable, this is gonna suck. I do think it's easy to look at Robert Sala and look at Joe Douglas and going, I believe in these guys. That doesn't mean it's gonna work.

That doesn't mean when you make it out of the sewer-infested pipeline, Andy Dufrain style, that you're gonna end up one day on a beach. You might not. It may fail. But I do think big picture, it's easier to see like a three,

or four-year runway with these guys. And just give them the belief and be all in. With Urban Meyer, like, does he even want to be here? At least I know Robert Sala and Joe Douglas, they're all in. So it's going to be a long year for the Jets. Texans somehow in first place, right? The Colts lost. Tennessee lost.

And who else is in that division? Colts, Tennessee. Oh yeah, they beat the Jax. So they're in first place. Pretty crazy. For all the shit, we all talk, myself included, about Easterby and Casario. They're one and oh.

Now, it may be short-lived. I think the Colts ended up winning that division, but they're one and no. You got to give them their flowers, as the kids would say. Mike Zimmer's got a problem. I think Mike Zimmer could get fired before the season ends.

Something's just off. It just is. They had a great run. Their defense was excellent. Their run game was awesome for several years. Once they had digs in Thielen, Thielen's still a stud.

but something's just off. Like you lose the Cincinnati in Cincinnati with a quarterback coming off a devastating knee injury against a wide receiver that hasn't caught you know, couldn't catch COVID if he tried. I mean, that's how bad his hands were. Couldn't catch.

Then he has 100 yards receiving against you. Joe Burrell slices and dices you. You lose at Cincinnati. That is a terrible loss. That is an awful loss. I've been saying over and over, I thought Minnesota could be like a fringe playoff team. I thought if their defense is a little bit better,

I thought they compete to win 10 games. I can't take you seriously. I'm not trying to, I get it's week one overreactions. Like, I'm sorry, you lost to the fucking Bengals. I saw it with my own eyes. You lost to the Bengals in overtime. I don't take you seriously. I no longer take the Vikings seriously.

Like the Vikings and the Bears and the Lions, like obviously the Lions are the worst of that group. I'm giving the Packers a little bit of a pass. They have several years now under the floor of proving that they were good. I talked about it on the Monday podcast, like, bad week. I'm an awful, embarrassing week,

but I'm going to chalk it up to a one-and-done situation more than something that they're going to have a devastating season. Also, because look at their division. I mean, the bear situation is pretty dire. Andy Dalton and that offensive line's a joke. The Vikings just can't really win games for some reason, and the Lions are just not very good football team. So I guess you got to give the Bengals some of their flowers, right?

Joe Burrow coming back, making some plays, Jamar Chase. I mean, he took, I would say, of all the young hot shot type players, the guys that we talk a lot about, rookies this last month, no one took more arrows than Jamar Chase. He couldn't catch anything. People were acting like he was a bust. And then to come out in your first game, I think he had five catches, 100 yards, a 50-yard touchdown on a deep go route. Like, that's a good start.

That is a very, very, I would say comforting start. If you're a Bengal fan, if you're a Bengal coach, anyone around that organization, like, it's like, oh, thank God. Same thing with Penae Soule. Penae Soule was getting crushed all camp long. It's hard to play right tackle when you're a lifetime left tackle. What happened? They had an injury.

They moved into a left tackle. And what did you do? He looked fine. He's a left tackle. You can't just like, oh, he's a left tackle. Let's move him to right guard. That stuff's hard. I watch Penae Sule.

He's a big, powerful man. When Nick Bosa tried to run him over, he could handle it. Then every once in a while, he get beat with speed. Yeah, he's never gone against the speed in which he will see on a weekly basis in the NFL. But that's what a top 10 left tackle looks like. You got one. I take the guy on my team. Same thing with Jamar Chase.

Is the Vikings defensive backfield very good? No. But it's a bad defensive backfield. You should make plays. If you're a top five pick, what do you do? He made plays. Hat tipped to him. Big win for the Bengals.

Breaking news as I'm recording this part, recording this a little bit before the Monday game, a little inside the podcast. But Clay Hilton was fired. And the USC job is open. I'm a big believer. Like I guess we'll get in more as the year goes on, the candidates,

all the names are out there. My theory and my philosophy, when it comes to college coaches, I think regions matter. I think where you're from matters. It's why when you hear Jim or dabbo or Kirby, like they belong in the South. Listen to the way they talk.

Listen to the way they talk about God. That matters down there. It's impactful in that region. If you came to USC as, you know, as one of those guys and started talking about Jesus and God, it wouldn't resonate with us as much. But it also is much more difficult to coach out on the West Coast when you're not from the West Coast. It's why most of the guys, at least in my adult life, Jim Harbaugh, went to high school out here. Pete Carroll's from California. Jeff Tedford's from California.

Mike Pilate was from California. Chris Peterson was from California. So those guys know the ethos of the way we think. Just like if you're going to go coaching the Big Ten, having some feel for that region matters. And I think it's important in college sports. It is not important in the NFL. even though I do think people gravitate toward, you know, where they grew up, right? Belichick, Northeast guy, feels very at home, right? But Andy Reid had a ton of success in Philadelphia. He's from California, right? Now he's in Kansas City.

If you can coach, like, where's Sean McVeigh from? I don't know. He went to Miami of Ohio. I think he grew up. I don't even know. It doesn't matter. He lives in L.A. He looks like L.A.

It works. NFL, pro sports, like, it's about winning and losing. In college, there is more. that comes along with that. So if you're going to coach at USC, I don't think you have to be from California, but you do have to have some California tendencies. L.A. is just a different world from Ohio or Cincinnati

or New York or Florida or even Texas. And I see some of these, I see like Sark. Sark, we're talking about Sark coming back to SAC. He was escorted out of the building for drinking. Like that happened. He saw that. He's been the head coach of USC. He can't even coached Texas.

He's got his ass kick by Arkansas. He's not on the short list. Lane, I think I would consider. You know, PJ Fleck, Luke Fickle, Chris Peterson. Like, there are some, you know, high-level names. But I do think where you're from, experience out west, have you coached in the conference, those would be things that would matter to me. And obviously, at the end of the day, you have to be able to coach.

So being a good coach, first and foremost, and then I need you to check some of the other boxes. Because where you're from in college, in recruiting, when the majority of your recruits, at least a high percentage of them, are going to come from California, as they should. Then when you're killing it, like Pete Carroll started to do, then you pluck the best players. You know, you go to New Jersey, you go to Ohio,

you go to Florida, you go to Texas. Those are one-offs. The majority of your roster is coming from SoCal. Think about some of the best players under Pete Carroll's tenure with SC. The most famous players, Matt Liner, L.A. guy. Reggie Bush, San Diego. Mark Sanchez, L.A. guy.

You can get a large percentage of your studs from Southern California. And then, you know, the extra pieces, some of those extra pieces turn into like stars can come from other parts of the country. It shouldn't be that complicated. In SC, you know, I saw Mike Lombardi say it's better than two-thirds of the NFL. I wouldn't go that far. But it is, in theory, an excellent football job. Okay. Middlecoff mailbag, it's pretty easy.

You just go to at John Middlecough is my Instagram. You slide up into those DMs and you get your question answered here on the podcast. It's how we interact with the people. Because ultimately this is the people show. The show is for you.

And for me, kind of, just to talk, but it's really for you. Joshua, is it too early to tell? I know it's too early to tell, but do you have any favorites for MVP? Or has it changed since after watching the week once performance? Well, Matt Stafford was a guy that I definitely had circled to keep an eye on.

He had a good start. I'd say Russell Wilson is a guy that's always going to be in the mix. It's just going to be about him sustaining it. But you could argue Russell Wilson is someone that people want to vote for, right? He's never even received a vote, even though we've kind of, you know, we always relitigate that every year. Like, he's never earned a vote. But he has four touchdowns, first game. The Lockett and D.K. look incredible.

If they're running games good and the offensive coordinator, is good. They compete to be a top two or three seed. You know, I think he'll be in the mix. Matt Stafford, the AFC, I guess Brady. I mean, the usual suspect, but I'd say Stafford and Russell are going to be two guys that are going to definitely be in the mix. Matt, John loved the show. Got a mailbag question for you. I know it's early, but with Oregon beating Ohio State and UCLA taking down LSU. You think it's possible we can see a Pac-12 team make the playoffs.

Playoffs? We talking playoffs? Also, do you think Fresno can keep it close to UCLA this weekend? Here's the key for the Pac-12. I would love to see Fresno State beat UCLA. I really would. And I actually think Fresno is pretty good. They just beat... You know, I got my two alma maters, Cal Poly, who I spent five years, Fresno, where I spent two.

But, you know, I got a second degree of Fresno. so I wasn't, it was all not undergrad, but it wasn't seven years. I'm not Chris Farley and Tommy Boy. But I did treat Cal Poly a little bit like that. Cal Poly lost 62 to 3. So, but we don't belong. You know, Fresno State's higher level.

I do think Fresno State can push UCLA a little bit, but Chip should beat them. The Pack 12, what they truly need is for LSU and UCLA to run the table, or excuse me, not LSU, Oregon and UCLA to run the table until they play each other at the Rose Bowl. Two undefeated teams,

two teams potentially in like the top seven or eight be the biggest pack 12 game in a decade. It would be enormous for the conference. You'd get game day there. It'd be a big deal. That's what they need. So I'm going to put my biases aside and I want UCLA to win this weekend

and continue to win up until they play Oregon. And then you get Oregon UCLA for kind of all the marbles. And if one of those two teams is undefeated, especially Oregon after beating Ohio State, like let's face it. Ohio State is a lot better at LSU. Eddie O's not a very good coach. I mean, he's just not.

They have a lot of talent, but does he have any fucking clue what he's doing? I don't know. Probably not. Let's just be real. Nice guy. Probably, I actually, I've known some people that are around him, say he's kind of a dick.

But, like, it was Joe Brady, Joe Burrow, and Jamar Chase and company. I wanted to ask you about Aaron Rogers. At a certain point, do we have to admit that he can't play from behind? Is it possibly quits on his team when things get tough. Stafford, Ryan, Dalton, Tanny Hill, Carr, Joe Flacco,

all have more fourth quarter comebacks and Rogers. All of them have played less time in the league. He also avoids throwing interceptions by throwing the ball away at an alarming rate. Anyway, do you think these tendencies are holding the Packers and Rogers back for himself? I see what you're saying. I mean, they got boat raced.

Sometimes, sometimes during a season in the NFL, It shouldn't happen in college if you're a title contender like the Packers or it wouldn't. You get curb stomped. You get destroyed. Ideally, it happens like in the middle of the season when you're like seven and two. And then you just get your ass kicked. You're seven and three. It's not the end of the world.

When you're O and O, you're going first game of the season, the expectations are sky high. You have the reigning MVP. When you get beat like that, it's pretty jarring. I mean, it really is. It was the most eye-opening result yesterday. Because it wasn't just the Packers lost. He threw multiple interceptions. and James threw five touchdowns

on a neutral site. So it was weird. Is he a frontrunner? You just base the resume, you'd say yes. That is a little weird. I've seen Carr several fourth quarter comebacks. I watched them live. The other guys, I had not as locked in as Maddie Ice,

but yeah, it's a little bizarre. Do I think circumstances dictated a little bit, but I don't put Sunday in that category. There was no coming back when you're down like, 30 to 3. Do I feel like he gets a little, does he quit a little? Quit might be strong, but maybe he just gets over it and just moves on to the next game. I think maybe it's easier when you're an older player and as accomplished as him to be like, you know, I'm not going to lay it on the line down 25 points here in the third quarter.

Or some quarterbacks keep swinging, especially younger guys. But I don't put any stock into that on Sunday. What up? Cough from Brandon. with this 49ers injury news, would you rather have Diamie Brown on your fantasy squad to replace... 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 Clivert 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 a podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you here, unpack what we. went down and tried to make sense of how we survived it.

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

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

are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch life becomes about wins and losses Steve Burns, Dustin Ross because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth

or are you a good person because you're afraid because that's two different intentions bro absolutely and that's two different levels of trust I want you to just really be a good person Join me, Keir Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. Curtis Samuel in Washington or Elijah Mitchell to replace Mozart and San Fran. I think Elijah Mitchell's pretty good.

I watched his college tape when the Niners drafted him. Just YouTube. I'm just a YouTube scout now. And I was impressed. I think Louisiana Lafayette. he was good and he's a perfect scheme fit he's a one cut back gets downhill he's exactly what kail shanahan likes he honestly he's a little like rahim moister i i would go i'm biased but i would and partly i don't know who this brown character is for curtis samuel i would go with mitchell just

on the simple fact that kyle shanan loves to run the ball he's going to run the ball so elijah mitchell is going to carry the ball question for the pod from sean i understand that mac jones seems to be good and has already established himself as the future of the organization and that the Patriots defense is solid. But how far can the Patriots really go? Well, they're 0-1. They take long, exhausting drives to put up points and appear not to be able to throw the ball down field again this year.

Where when you look at the Chiefs, Seahawks Packers, ETC, who can get cheap, easy points. I just seem to be wary of the ability of Pat's offense to come from behind in a timely manner. Yeah, they're not built that way. the the Patriots are built on playing defense and low-scoring games. So if they win 11 games, they're not going to have many games where they're scoring 38 points.

They're going to win a lot of games 24 to 13. If they would have won that game against Miami, they might have won it 19 to 17. Like, that's the games they're going to play in with Mack Jones. Think Mike Vrable, Teddy Bruske, you know, think that era. That's what the games are going to look like. Even though I think Jonu Smith, Hunter Henry, did he play yesterday?

I don't think he did. When he plays, maybe he did. I watched the game on mute with the podcast in the back and I wasn't too locked in. You know, Kendrick Bourne made a play. Aguilar had a touchdown. The running backs, they're going to play defense and they are going to, you know,

try to score like 24 points. If they score 24 points, most games, they'll win. Maybe not like against the bills, but the dolphins, the jets. I mean, a lot of teams on their schedule, they'll be fine. Hey, John, huge from Ben. huge Ohio State and Vikings fan.

With the Bears looking god-awful in week one, my biggest fear is the Bears fire Nagy and then go get Ryan Day from Ohio State or B-enemy from the Chiefs. Thoughts. If the Bears do fire naggy, I think they go after a guy from Northwestern. Pat Fitzgerald. I think that was,

and that's the only job he would ever entertain, I think that would be the guy that they try to go higher. If I was Ryan Day, I would probably not leave Ohio State. I would keep Ohio State. I mean, you could be at Ohio State for a decade. Ryan Day is a pretty good coach.

I watched the, maybe I mentioned this on Monday. Remember the Monday pod. If you like this podcast, I also put one out on Monday, but it's only on my feed, so you have to subscribe to the separate feed. I watched two coaches press conferences on Saturday night. And it was Steve Sarkisian and Ryan Day. Sark had this kind of laissez-faire,

you know, wasn't that big a deal. Kind of a West Coasty vibe. Hell, I might have been the same, like same type vibe. Day was pissed off. Ryan Day reminded me of like the way Nick Saban would act after a bad loss. Urban Meyer would act. Sean Payton would act. You know, it's just like, okay, I see the fire in Ryan Day. Sark, now I get it. Personality and press conferences you could argue are pretty irrelevant. But it's like, I saw one guy where the standard and the expectations are sky high. And the other guy was like, ah, you know, we got to fix it. We got to get better. It's like, Sark, no, you're in

Texas, buddy. Like this, the expectations are sky high. You're making huge cash. You got, uh, you know, Your career got resurrected by old St. Nick. You might want to figure this out. Because Ryan Day, the way he conducted himself, he was pissed. I was impressed. I'm impressed with Ryan Day. I like Ryan Day. But would I hire him to be the Bears coach?

Probably not. I would also, if he asked me, not that he would. I would say stay at Ohio State, bro. Also, part of me hopes that we get rid of Zimmer after the season. Listen, if you guys do not make the playoffs, Mike Zimmer's not coming back. I'll promise you that. If the Vikings miss the playoffs, Mike Zimmer's going to get fired. 100%.

I barely, rarely, from Nate. Love the pod. Typically, the term helicopter parent means a parent who is overprotective. I think where I get mixed up with helicopter parent

and Disneyland Dad. So the helicopter parent, they around the kid and they freak out every time he leaves the room because they think you're just overprotective. Okay, I follow.

The Disneyland dad, kind of a scumbag parent who only comes when times are cool. Like, let's go to Disneyland. Let's go to Hawaii. Let's go to the To, story store. But when times are tough, like, where's he at doing your homework? Maybe I get those two mixed up. So we got the helicopter parent, overproductive parent, Disneyland dad, who just comes for

the cool shit. This episode is brought to you by KPMG Risk Services. KPMG believes that when you've earned the trust of all your stakeholders, that's when your business has a solid platform to grow. That's the trusted imperative. KPMG risk services develop and put in place dynamic risk strategies designed to help your business earn that all-important trust. Go to read.kpmg.us slash trust to learn more. This episode is brought to you by the new high-stakes season of billions on showtime. As Mike Prince takes his place on the Axe Capital throne, he's determined to shake up the game. For Chuck Rhodes, new money means no mercy, and he's got Prince in his crosshairs.

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To get inside. Each other's mind. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. We've all felt left out. And for some, that feeling lasts more than a moment. We can change that.

How at Belonging Begins With Us.org. Brought to you by the Ad Council. Walk a mile in my shoes. Good day, John. First off, love the show. Really happy. You're on the volume of sports. Me too.

Happy to be here. Happy to be wanted. Happy to be hurt. One for the mailbag. I'm from Australia. And I've only really gotten into the NFL the last couple years. I listened to the bit from Brady

last week in his interview saying the NFL has changed so much in how the quarterback offense is now protected through umpiring. I don't seem to understand the need for umpire to make calls and flags on unnecessary roughness. That isn't really there, in my opinion. I would agree.

For example, I saw that in the Jags Texan games. Taylor was pushed, albeit hardly, once he was out of the play on his run of 20-yard line. This resulting in a flag didn't really have an impact on the game because the Texans had ran away with it. But my question basically is, why do you think umpires feel the need to call that when it didn't affect Taylor? The Jags were down and out because part of it is,

they're instructed from the league. Safety is such a it's just such a hot button topic inside the league. They were sued for a lot of money for a concussion lawsuit years ago and they vowed to clean up the game because I think it scared them

that the game of football was going to die and rightfully so. And when I say die, it just meant like it just it ruined the game because of concussions and CTE. The media was obsessed with it. It's weird. The media like they get obsessed with something and then they just completely forget about it and they move on to the next thing. Like I haven't heard anyone mention CTE in like seven years.

But for about two years, every single media member, now a lot of them covered the NBA, wanted the NFL to die. It didn't. It's thrived and it's printed money. But the NFL pivoted and they want to avoid big collisions at all cost. I think part of that pivot has become an overcompensation with violence. And I think they, every time. anything is close, they throw the flag. Even though I think at this point in time,

the league used to be very violent. And football still is violent, but it was really, really violent. 70s, 80s, 90s in the 2000s. The last five or six years, they have just basically, you know, through the rules, forced it out of the game.

So when you get a big hit, there's no violence, malicious intent. It's just because the guy's trying to make a tackle. Because these guys now in college are taught that if you, lead with your helmet, if you head hunt, you get kicked out of the game. So now these guys

have it wired into their head to avoid it. So when you see a big collision, they're not trying to have a big... They're just trying to tackle the guy. But sometimes two guys are running fast, it just happens. And I think the referees, they are just instinctive now, the flag goes. It's why you see, I didn't see this play with Tyrod Taylor, but it happened to Mack Jones was tackled around his ankles. It's a joke. It really is pretty

embarrassing. But I think that if Roger Goodell was sitting with me right now, he's like, listen, we're going to be, we're going to lean on one side on this. And it's pretty clear which side we're leaning. So if it's even close, we're throwing the flag. Tie goes to the runner. Tie goes to you're getting a 15-yard penalty, which sucks. And any fan, if you're a team or if you're a player or coach and you're on the wrong side of it, it is, it is not fun. It feels, I would say it feels very, very unfair. You know, you know, when you're a little kid and something happens to you, and you're like, Dad, Mom, this is unfair. And I bet if you look back, it's truly not. As you get older, you realize some things in life are just kind of unfair. What happens to certain

people, things that you even see that doesn't even impact you that you see from afar. You're like, God, this is not, this is not cool, man. That's what it feels like sometimes with the referees, when it comes to the flags with unnecessary roughness, defenseless receivers. But they've been taught that. And it comes from the league. And they're, protecting their money. Because at one point in time, it looked like this is something that could really take down the leak. And Hollywood made a movie about it and they just pivoted.

And now it feels dramatically safer. It's very pro-health. So, yeah, I don't think, trust me, it's only going to get worse. Which team do you think leaked the info that Pat's trying to move up in the draft? I saw she after tweeted out. I refused to click on it. I just don't think it's that relevant. You know, I mean, they traded up to three to get Mac Jones, but they ended up taking

Tray Lance. They took Tray Lance. So they traded up and then they changed her mind. Like they took Trey Lance. Mac Jones might turn out to be a really good player. Under no circumstances, could you have taken Mac Jones at three overall. You could not take Mac Jones at three overall. That's not his value. You don't pay $10 million for a $3 million house. Even if you really like the $3 million house. Maybe you pay four. I'd have been cool with if you really like Mac trade up 12 to 10 or something. Taking Macs, taking Macs, at three would have been one of the most irresponsible moves in the history of the league when it comes to the draft. It would have been insane. Tray Lance was worthy of the three pick, third pick,

even though there's a huge projection there and there's a lot to go. If Kyle Shanahan would have, and clearly it's not going away and people think that, I don't know. I've never asked Kyle. I don't know, Kyle. He's never told me. Or people around him, I know a lot of people in that organization. I don't even bring it up because I'm not going to get the right answer. and they are not a leaky organization. They don't even, I don't get any good information. I get way better information

in a lot of other teams. I do the 49ers, and I know about seven people that are important in there. That's not like, they're not gossipy that way. But I just do know that you could not have taken

Mack Jones at three overall. He would have been the least talented player, just physical characteristics in the history of the draft that's ever gone third overall or that top three. You couldn't have done it. And look where he went.

The market spoke. He went 15. The market. spoke. Tray Lance never would have lasted to 12. So I don't have all the information. Do I think Kyle Shanahan like Mac Jones? I do.

I'm not like trying to act like that wasn't in play. And he didn't think Mac Jones was a good player. A lot of coaches did. And this is where I think coaches sometimes struggle with the draft. There's a value to this. It's like you don't need to trade up to three. So if he did, if that is true, that's kind of crazy. And props to whoever in that front office,

talk Kyle out of it. Now, if Mac Jones turns out better than Trey Lance, those guys are probably screwed and Kyle's going to kill him. Literally, he might because Kyle, hell, Brandon Ayyuk, who was their first round wide receiver, who I was at training, I probably went to seven training campraxes. He was awesome. All of a sudden, Kyle just benches him,

and it's like, you know, he's got to learn to be a pro. Kyle Shanahan, which I do respect for being a younger coach, has some old school characteristics. Like, when you piss him off, you just will not play. It's like, where's Brandon Ayyuk? first round wide receiver. Arguably, your number one wide receiver. Oh, yeah, he's just on the bench. Like, why? He just needs to learn how to be a pro. He's got that Belichekian thing to him. Like, I have some conservative things to me. I'm pretty conservative when it comes to money,

but I'm pretty liberal with everything else. You know, socially, about as liberal as you get. When it comes to my football players, very open-minded. Best players play. I don't give a shit about being a pro. Is he good? Can he make plays? It's playing. Trying to win games? Trying to win on Sunday? Because if we are, like Brandon Ayyuki didn't run hard on Wednesday's practice, that doesn't bother me as much. I get it. I'm not a head coach, but I don't know. I was trained by some, you know, talent trumps all the coaches that I've been around. I think Kyle's, it's something he battles sometimes because it can be, you know, a little bit of a tight ass with some of his guys, which, you know, it had success two years ago. But like Kyle, you're going to need to play Brandon Ayuk here, buddy.

Like, I get, you know, he's pissing you off about something. I don't know why, but let's get him on the field. You know? Can't draft him in the first round just because you're mad at him. I get it if the guy can't play. The guy can play. I've seen him. I've been around the NFL long enough. That dude can play.

Are his practice habits great? I don't know. The practice I've been at, he looked fine. But who knows? You know, once training camp ends, no one's allowed to practice besides the coaches and the players and the staff, so no one sees it. Clearly, he's doing something. He's not studying hard enough?

I don't know. I'm all for, you know, getting on the same page. but let's figure this one out. I know you don't like the Rams, but I love them. I don't not like the Rams. I love Sean McVeigh. But is Sean McVeigh in trouble if Matt Stafford fails? I only see a two-year window before Aaron Donald starts to climb.

Here's a thing, Anthony. Matt Stafford is not going to fail. He's too talented. He's too good. Sean McVeigh is too good of a coach. You saw it, you know, on Sunday night football. It's going to work. Now, are they going to win super?

Super Bowls? Are they even going to get to the Super Bowl? I don't know. Are they going to be freaking good? And are they going to win enough games to be in the playoffs? You bet your ass they are. They are going to be a problem. Matt Stafford is an exceptional talent. And he's not like he's 38 years old. He's 32 years old. Sean McVeigh is a fantastic coach. You mesh those two guys together. The scheme works. The evidence is in. You saw what Rogers did last year. You see what Russell's about to do. You saw what Matt Ryan did, with Matt Shob, like, when you get a guy as talented as Stafford, like with Rogers, it becomes a cheat code. Like, it makes Jimmy Garoppel and Jared Gough look good. But when you get a guy with an enormous arm who can move, who's smart,

I mean, I think they are really, really scary. I do. I mean, I think they are a major, major factor in 2021. Do I think they're going to win the Super Bowl? I don't know. I mean, shit, if I knew, we're all just guessing. If I knew who was going to win the Super Bowl, I'd place $50,000 on it right now. I have no clue. Tampa, Rams, Packers, Steelers, Chiefs. Who knows, right?

Chiefs probably be there. But the NFC team, it's going to be hard. But I think the Rams probably not quite as good as Tampa. But the thing in the NFL, it's not basketball, right? It's not baseball. Like, you don't get seven games. You get the one game. So if I'm healthy in the playoffs and maybe you have a major injury,

I can beat you. Even if it's on the road. See, you don't. the time. Eli's two Super Bowls, Wildcard, both years. Think about that. All the road games. To won two Super Bowls. Be Belichick twice. Elie Manning, beat Belichick twice. Say that out loud. Eli Manning, beat Belichick and Brady twice. Sometimes it's about getting hot and getting in a rhythm and feeling confidence and just letting it kind of snowball. And then just, you know, you just play your good games. Like you just get hot at the right time. Your team plays great games. Your coaches put

together perfect plans. And all of a sudden, you win a couple of playoffs games. You're right there. That's all it takes. I think the Rams have a good of chance as any. Appreciate everyone listening. Have a great week. Check out the volume on YouTube. Obviously the volume, all the shows, rocking and rolling. You can see them all followed on the social accounts. They tweet them all out. And I appreciate everyone and I will talk to you guys soon. See you. The volume. The following message comes from Data Aiku, the platform for everyday AI. Let's face it,

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with Dataiku. Visit dataiku.com to learn more. That's d-a-a-i-u.com. 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 use. 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 podcast. A win is a win 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, 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 Cliford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast,

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. For 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it with our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year. 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. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.