The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 and Out - Ravens soar over the 49ers, Raiders look good, Eagles finally win

Episode Date: December 26, 2023

John reacts to the Ravens domination over the 49ers and how Brock Purdy played himself out of the MVP race, how despite the Chiefs having a decent defense, their offense has many problems, is Antonio Pierce going to be the next head coach for the Raiders, the Eagles finally got back to winning after beating the Giants but still have issues they need to fix. Finally, the Jets announce that they are bringing back their coaching staff, and would the Seahawks be better off with Russell Wilson. 5:20 - Ravens-49ers 17:50 - Chiefs are in trouble 24:40 - Eagles finally win again 32:32 - Jets to bring back staff 34:30 - Would Seattle be better with Wilson 38:31 - Morgan and Morgan Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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What is going on, everybody, John Middilcoff 3 and Out podcast? Monday night, Christmas, Merry Christmas. Hopefully everyone had a good couple days. Just witnessed the 49ers get shellacked by the Ravens. We're going to dive into that. Purdy MVP, Adios. Obviously, some other games today. The Chiefs are in shambles.

The Raiders, Antonio Pierce, Is he going to just be the next head coach of the Raiders and the Eagles? I'd say it's safe to say it kind of held on today. Ugly win, but hey, when you've lost three straight games, you needed a win, they got to win. So we'll dive into some of that. Some news yesterday on the Jets and their coach and GM coming back. And a couple other things, Seattle with a nice win in Tennessee yesterday. I watched a lot of that game.

Kind of a weird week. It really throws you off. I kept thinking today. It was like Sunday, but it's actually Monday. It's just very bizarre, the whole thing. But holidays, on weird days, we'll do that to you. And the game plan is I'll probably have some mailbags out this week. I'm at my mom's house for the next couple days.

I'll be back in Arizona on Thursday morning. So we'll just figure out, if there's a will, there's a way. And I got my equipment here. So we'll be firing out some pods. And yeah, so that's probably the game plan. It'll all be up on YouTube as well. Subscribe to the YouTube page. And if you listen on Collins feed, make sure you subscribe to the three-in-out feed.

Appreciate everyone that has. But first, you know what I got my brother for Christmas? I got him floor seats at a concert in early January in Sacramento. And he's like, where'd you get these? I'm like, where do you think I got them? I went to my smartphone and I downloaded a little app called GameTime. And then when I bought the tickets, I used the promo code John and saved a little coin. That's because I was in the giving season.

And my friends at Game Time have been taken care of me all year long, just like they've been taking care of you. get a pair of tickets to concerts, comedy shows, football games, basketball games, hockey games, you name it, just download the GameTime app. Very, very easy to do and use the promo code John, save $20. I

think I had the best present this morning, all because of my friends at GameTime. So Game Time, download it, promo code John. Let's face it. This was a really, really big game. These two teams are the best records in the NFL, especially the way they were currently playing,

were viewed as the top two teams in the NFL. And anytime you get a matchup like that, you know, the home team is going to be favored. And the 49ers weren't just favored. They were almost a six-point favorite going into this game. Rightfully so. Because you know what the 49ers are really good at? Is being the bully.

And one thing, when they play Dallas, when they played Philadelphia, when they played Pete Carroll, they get to bully and shove them around. Well, they've been bullied now twice. And you learn this lesson, I don't know if your kids do, but we did when I was.

kids. The only way to take down a bully is to hit the bully square in the nose. Hit them right in the teeth. You got to bully the bully. Well, the 49ers aren't used to getting shoved around. They're not used to not being the most physical team on the field. And luckily for them in the NFC, Detroit, Dallas, Philly, I mean, these aren't physical defenses. They aren't built like bullies.

That's not the way they operate. But twice this year, the Niners have four losses. Two of them, Kirk Cousins, lit them up like a Christmas tree. Joe Burrell looked like he was the MVP of league. The other two games in Cleveland and then today against Baltimore, they got shoved around. They got shoved around like they weren't the bully. Like the other team was the more physical tough team.

Why? Because Cleveland and Baltimore clearly are. Two of the better defenses in the NFL. In Baltimore specifically, Baltimore is not as sexy as their numbers look when you look at their personnel. You're like, well, they don't have like a historic edge rusher. Roquant Smith's a really good player, but not Ray Lewis.

Like Kyle Hamilton a lot, I wouldn't put them in Ed Reed's category yet. But as a unit, like they had the number one scoring defense in the league for a reason. One, they tackle really well. They tackle very hard and physically up front. I mean, their guys are fucking massive. They got Gidevion Clownie looking like a Pro Bowl. And like I said, the two linebackers make a bunch of tackles. Their D.Bs all fly around.

Hamilton's a good player. There's a culture and an ethos in that organization, where when they play a team like the 49ers, who most people view is one of, if not the most physical team, Baltimore doesn't look like we're the inferior opponent. It's why they kind of talk shit all week long. Like, it's kind of crazy that we're this huge underdog against these guys.

Like, what have these guys won? A lot of regular season games, last couple years. They've won some playoff games. But not in the AFC, right? So to me, Baltimore came in today and shoved and threw them around. And honestly, embarrassed them. and made Brock Purdy look fucking awful. And anyone tomorrow,

and I saw this a lot with people online on the ex-twitter.com, a lot of 49er fans, they're like, oh, his passes were all tipped. Well, he threw a red zone interception, which Rich Gannon once said on a broadcast, a coach told him it's the equivalent to killing a baby.

A red zone interception beside a pick six is the worst thing you can do as a quarterback. And he had one that was obviously, tipped right in front of him. Another one that was quote unquote tipped, he threw across his body, which you're allowed to freelance and make plays when you're playing the Arizona Cardinals, when you're playing Jamal Adams who, you know, couldn't cover anybody. When you're playing a team like this, an elite defense who has high-end players at every position, you have to play smart. You have to be careful with the ball. So when you are freelancing and keeping a play alive,

no problem with that. Making a decision to throw late across your body, that's on you champ. And even Troy Aikman said that. And tonight, like, let's face it. I thought Brock Purdy had no issue with him in the MVP mix and potentially getting it. Now, I've also, part of the argument is like there's not like a Tom Brady, Aaron Rogers, Peyton Manning 45 touchdown guy this year. Right. If there was, we wouldn't even be having this argument.

It's arguably the worst class MVP-wise based on statistics and just looking around the league that I can remember in my adult life. So it's kind of a skewed argument to begin with. We're not saying, like, well, Mahom's about to throw 50 touchdowns, and, you know, Rogers just led the Jets to 13 wins. He threw 43, but give it to Brock Purdy. That's not the conversation, right? It's like, well, Lamar statistically is really down.

A team's good. Defense is awesome. You know, Tyreek, give it to him, no problem. Josh Allen, well, after that pick he threw on Saturday, probably not. Right? So the class is bad. But after he does that tonight, like, I'm sorry, I couldn't vote for him. Like, that was bad.

He looked overwhelmed. and he's looked overwhelmed twice this year, and it happened against high-end defenses. And it's my argument with Brock Purdy all the time. If you've watched him this year, he's been freaking awesome. He's been damn good. Would I give him $200 million at the end of the season? Of course not.

He's in year two. Let's let this thing play out. Let's let him continue to see how he looks against good teams. And luckily, they benefit a lot because in the NFC, they don't see a lot of Baltimore and Cleveland defenses. Even Kansas City, Kansas City's defense is good. They don't play those. type teams. The NFC's defenses are awful. I watched Dallas yesterday, which the NFC East, like,

on the line, couldn't get a stop to save their life after they took the lead. The Eagles secondary is abysmal, awful. I have a lot of respect for Rahim Morris and what the Rams have done. Like, they got a couple high-end players. Let's pump the brakes. They're not exactly the 85 bears. It's not a great defensive conference. So when you put Purdy against the Browns on the road in Baltimore tonight with the entire country watching. He got rocked. Now, then the team kind of fell apart, injuries. But tonight was, and listen,

when you see this coaching matchup, John Harbaugh, Kyle Shanahan, both guys are $15, $20 million salary guys, both two of the higher paid guys in the league. John Harbaugh's CEO, right? He doesn't call the defense, doesn't call the offense. Got a staff. And the staff's really high end.

Mike McDonald, his defensive protege who went to Michigan, he hired back to be his defensive coordinator to replace Wink is a fucking stud. If he was an offensive guy, he'd be a lock head coach. But because he's a defensive guy, you've got some hurdles. Munkin, the dude that was with Georgia the last couple years now, has been awesome for Lamar. His coaching staff tonight, like those two guys,

and clearly Harbaugh, you know, he's a big like swing swords and stuff, like motivation guy. He's got all sorts of curveballs. Had his team motivated and his two coaches, the offensive and defensive coordinators, ran circles around Kyle Shanahan and Steve Wood. Wilkes. Tonight was a clinic. Anyone that says, well, just a couple tip balls, bullshit.

What I witnessed for 55 minutes of that game was one team working the other. Now, that doesn't mean the 49ers have no chance to win the Super Bowl. That doesn't mean the 49ers stink. It means tonight against another high-end team that they easily could see in the Super Bowl, they got worked. And one problem is, and listen, I always say this about Kyle, because he can get very run heavy, which in a weird way I appreciate. because it's kind of a throwback,

but it's very different than most coaches, you know, franchises operate in 2023. But Aikman talked about, like, you go into a game, they asked them thinking it's going to be high-scoring shootout or like a low-scoring, you know, slug-fest. And he's like, I go into the game

thinking it's going to be kind of a lower scoring. You can tell right away what Kyle thinks your weaknesses are. And tonight, for whatever reason, he was obsessed with throwing the ball, which is a little out of character. Usually he loves to run the ball, establish the run. Tonight it was like, I'm going to sling the pill, I'm going to sling the pill, I'm going to sling the pill. Here's the problem. Trent Williams, who knock on wood, I hope he's okay. It might have just been like a little dinged up, get him out of there. We're down by 20 plus points in the fourth quarter. Like we doing here. This guy's very important to us. But he thought he could throw on him. Here's the problem. Beside Trent, it's going to be very difficult for those offensive linemen to straight up block Baltimore's front. Like I said, this ain't Seattle. This ain't Arizona. This is a high-end.

Super Bowl level defense. And they were working him up front, working them. And Purdy started getting hit, started getting rattled. And listen, for the first time, in a long time, he looked like a guy whose confidence was a little shaken. And they'll say whatever they want after the game. I understand, listen, I support the guy if I was, you know, Debo or any of those, Kyle.

But, like, if you just watch Brock Pretty play this entire season, he's been rattled a couple times. One time he had a concussion in Minnesota. The other time was Cleveland. when they were throttling them. I mean, throughout the game. It was a tough environment. It would have been hard for any quarterback.

Peyton Manning would have been hit hard. Like, it's difficult. Playing high-end defenses is what separates the good from the great. Right, you watch Lamar tonight, like, dude's got a lot of pitches. Dude's pretty seasoned. Dude's seen it all. He's a much better passer now. He's so under control as a runner.

Like, Lamar has become a very, very complete player. Which, even when he won the MVP, you saw him get exposed in the playoffs. This is a guy who, I mean, they're going to be, they should win the AFC because he's that good. And this is the other dumb part about the argument. Like, arguing Purdy has an MVP season. No one's saying he's like more talented than Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes. We're just talking about this season. And so far up to this game in the season, he had been fucking awesome beside a couple little moments.

Tonight was bad. Tonight was, you know, I don't know if it just completely discount you, but I saw he's no longer the betting favorite. It was ugly, and they got rocked. But to me, when he gets rock, that's also on the coach. Because it's like, well, you know, the coach runs it all. Okay, the coach is running it all. Mike McDonald, who's been a defensive coordinator in the NFL now two years.

Kyle, you've been an offensive coordinator in this league for 15 years. Are we playing chess? Because they were, and it looked like you were like, I don't know. It was weird. It was a very weird performance. And defensively, you know, they were putting some tough spots with some of the turnovers, but not their best effort. Now, running quarterbacks, I hear this a lot in like Ninersland.

Running quarterbacks give the Niners trouble. Yeah, running quarterbacks, when they're playing well, give everybody trouble. Lamar Jackson, when he's playing well, is a tough guy to play. So to me, it's just, listen, the defensive line has to dominate. And when they don't, no different in the Eagles. Now, the Niners back seven is better than the Eagles. But when you are a very defensive line-oriented team, you got to pepper that quarterback. And they had a couple times where they were all over Lamar,

and he kind of wiggled away. And he went on to make a play, either with his legs or with his arm. And tonight was a coaching mismatch, a player mismatch. You know, the final score looks a little closer. Like, I don't do hollow points, you know, in late blowouts. You know, Derek Carr has made a career of this, throwing a bunch of yards, putting up a bunch of points when you're down like 20 in the fourth quarter and you end up losing.

You're like, oh, they only lost by eight. Yeah, that's not the game we witnessed. So there was a lot on the line tonight. And if you're the Baltimore Ravens now, let's face it. They are a Super Bowl team. They're a team that when you talk about them, they can win the Super Bowl. I don't think I was quite there yet,

but after you watch tonight what they just did on the road, one, to me, they're going to be the favorite in the AFC. And two, it's just, I just, they kind of got it all, right? They can run the ball. Their quarterback obviously can do it all. You know, the weapons on offense, adding Zay Flowers has taken them to another level. Beckham's solid.

And defensively, they're just really good. And we know how well coached they are, well motivated. The other thing is, like I said, early. Why the 49er struggle when they don't get to be the bully? When they shove you around, they can just engulf you. They just start kicking you on the ground. Well, if they start kicking you on the ground, you just get up and you start kicking them back, it kind of throws them off. And that's what Cleveland, and that's what Baltimore have, because they're tough, they're physical. And it's why I wouldn't want to play. Listen, obviously, you know, the Ravens quarterback situation is a little

bit better than Flacco. But that shit works in the playoffs. You know, you get these ugly games, you get these grimy games, and when you're just the toughest guy, you know, in the stadium, and they got 11 of them on the field at all times. I mean, that's just a tough team. I don't know. I don't see how they, especially if they get the number one seed,

how they don't win the AFC. You know, because we'll talk about Kansas City now, and, you know, congrats to Baltimore. That was Harbaugh, Lamar, the defense, Mike McDonald. That was impressive. It really was. If I'm a Ravens fan right now, too, I'm thinking Vegas, baby,

When is the Super Bowl? I'll see you there like Monday that week. I'm going to go hang. Because we go into the bowl. That's what I'd be feeling right now. And that's not what Chiefs fans are feeling. And I was in a lot of pain this morning. Sick, dehydrated, not really sure what I got, but I was struggling.

I was lying there in bed with iPad watching that game thinking, this is crazy. This is, they're really going to lose to the Raiders. And for a little while, they were getting their ass kicked. and then he throws the pick six to Jack Jones, the dude Antonio Pierce coached in high school, who was really good for the Patriots a couple years. Like, that guy's a player. He's had back-to-back games with pick sixes.

He just makes place. I like that. I know he's got some red flags off the field, but if you can keep that guy on the straight and arrow, the Chief's offense is just not, just like, oh, we got to fix the Chief, the Chief's offense is what it is. It's not very good.

They're a good defensive team. They have a good head coach. they have an extremely talented and historic quarterback who's won MVP, Super Bowls. But one, he didn't play well today. And too, offensively, like, they just don't score points. Like, that's just a fact. You just watch them, they struggle to score. They're not playing Al Davis-John Madden's Raiders series.

You know, beside Max Crosby, you should be able to score 20 points at home, no problem. And it was just really, really difficult for them to move the ball. And it has been all season. and whether it's the young wide receivers beside Rice have not stepped up, whether it's Kelsey getting kind of old, whether their offensive line is kind of underachieving a little bit, whether it's Pacheco who got injured today, who's a good player. But when their quarterback, like in the way the offense is currently constructed in Kansas City,

where it's going to be difficult, like the Tyreek Hill days are done. Travis Kelsey in the prime of his career is behind us. If Patrick Mahomes is going to play bad, you're fucked. Like you could lose to probably 20 to 25 teams in the NFL. Because defensively you're good. Like defensively, the Raiders did not complete a pass in the second, third, or fourth quarter. Think about that.

It's the first time a team has won when they did not complete a pass in the final three quarters since like the 05 giants when Eli did it in a rainstorm in like Wembley in Europe. So it's crazy that they were able to win. Google the quarterback for the Aden O'Connell's stats today. Go to the box score. Wait, this team won and kind of easily? It's pretty nuts. The chiefs are good on defense.

They're not giving up a lot of points. They're not even allowing balls to be completed. Seven of those points were the DB scoring on Patrick Mahomes. And Mahomes easily could have thrown another pick that was overturned. It was pretty damn close that, you know, him and MBS just clearly aren't on the same page. And he threw it right to a DB. And the dude, you know, I guess it hit the ground, but it was an awful, awful. It was the type of stuff that scrubs throw.

And I think sometimes you lose your confidence, you stop playing well, you start forcing it. Clearly, they've been very frustrated as a group. But like, Kansas City is just not, it's pretty average right now. And to me, they could, the good thing with them is their defense is good. They could win a couple close games in the playoffs and be in the AFC championship against the Ravens. They also could lose in the first round. They also could lose in the first round. I'll probably pick them.

To me, they feel this year like a second round team. I'd be a little stunned if they lost at home in the first round. I don't see them going for. I mean, technically, they could still lose the division if they lose the last two weeks and the Raiders win the last two weeks. That's not going to happen. They'll win the division. But they're going to be 10 and 7.

They're going to be limping into the playoffs. And I think a lot of people are going to bet against them. I really do. Depending on the match, I definitely wouldn't bet against them at home in the first round. but I could see myself betting against them in the second round, especially if they had to go to Baltimore. I actually think they could match up pretty well against Miami because they played good defense, right?

So they would just kind of keep it a low-scoring game. That's how they're going to have to win. If they're going to win playoff games, it's going to be like 19 to 17, right? 23 to 17. The scores are not going to be, they're not scoring 30 plus points. Those days are over.

So that was shocking. stunning to watch the Niners get their ass kicked and stunning to watch the Chiefs lose to the Raiders, who I think we, Hunter Mayhan, a PJ Tour golfer, you're going to be a media star, he stud, Oklahoma State guy, tweeted at me today

that is Antonio Pierce the next Dan Campbell? And I said this the moment Mark hired Antonio Pierce, he wants to hire Antonio Pierce. He does not want to go through another coaching search. He's taking some big swings, like with Gruden, it failed. He went through a big coaching search and landed on Josh McDaniels. That was another disaster. And now he has this guy who's from Southern California who takes not just takes a lot of pride in the Raiders, grew up a Raider fan. That shit means a lot in the walls of the Raiders.

And he's proven to be pretty solid. And the players really like him. And today was impressive. Like that was a team on Christmas on the road. It's funny whenever they call Raiders Chiefs a rivalry. It's like, yeah, not since Andy Reid showed up. But today was, and they were ready to play, and they took it to him. And defensively, they've been really good. He's a defensive coach. Now, obviously, if they did keep him, who is offensive coordinator is going to be, where's he going to get a quarterback? They still would have a lot of questions. But I think he's trending to be the head coach. And if he can end the season, they're what, six and eight, so now they're seven and eight. You know, if he could end eight and nine,

I think right now after today I would bet on Antonio Pierce becoming the next head coach of the Raiders. It's an easy kind of take a deep breath from Mark. He made a mistake a couple years ago the year Gruden got fired in the middle of the season. Rich took over, led him to the playoffs, and he kind of overreacted and didn't keep him

and went to Josh McDaniels, which obviously hindsight is 2020, but it was the wrong decision. I just don't think you get in the same situation a couple years later, a guy that's well-liked, the players are begging for, same deal with Rich.

All the star players like them. No different than right now. All the good players on this team like him. Clearly, he's a high-level football guy. Tom, he's bringing, I don't think he's doing this randomly either. Tom Coughlin's been out in Vegas. Marvin Lewis is a close friend of him,

has been out in Vegas with him. I think trying to like, he's leaning on those showing Mark, he's taking this very, very seriously. He was in tears today, basically, after the win. I fully expect Antonio Pierce unless they get destroyed these last two weeks, which is hard to see to be the next head coach of the Raiders.

Now on the Eagles. The talent mismatch of the Eagles and Giants is as wide as the Grand Canyon. There's a reason, and the stat came up today, the Giants have not beat the Eagles or the Cowboys since Brian Dayball took over. Those two teams have owned them. Why? There's a giant gap in players.

It's why I was so confident last year in kind of pounding the table for Brian Dayball to be the coach of the year. I'm like, I don't think people realize how shitty his roster is. Now, he doubled down kind of on that roster with Daniel Jones and it's backfired. And the Tommy DeVito thing clearly came to a screeching halt. He's benched out at a halftime. They go to Tyrod Taylor.

But today was a good example. Like, I don't think the Eagles are really playing that well. I just think the talent when they play that team, it's just too hard for the Giants to overcome. And they still almost overcame it, right? They got a kickoff return fumble that they immediately score touchdown. They hit a late bomb. from Tyrod Taylor. They had some

explosive plays, but they're still not quite good enough. There was one play that was kind of the dagger where Jalen was scrambling around like a third and 15 and hit A.J. Brown

for a huge gain. They kind of shifted the momentum. Then they ended up scoring with the Andre Swift and it turned out to be the, you know, the difference in the game. But when you watch the Eagles, and this is why,

speaking about the Niners, the Niners are so much more physically tougher than the Eagles and the Cowboys. It's why when they played those two teams, they destroyed them. But the Ravens, for example, you can't play them like that.

They hit you too hard. They tackle too well. And you watch the Eagles back seven. They don't cover that well, and they're just not that physical. And it really shows in these games. Now, they have so much offensive firepower. I mean, A.J. Brown, Devante Smith.

DeAndre Swift is a really good player. Jalen, to me, looked a little healthier day. His arm looked lively. He was running the ball really well. They go like seven deep at offensive linemen. Like their guards get injured. It's like another guy that could be a starter. God, they're just deep.

And the tight ends of stud, offensively they are just so talented. I just don't think their defense is good enough. And ultimately, it wasn't quite good enough last year, but it was clearly playing at a much higher level than it was this year. So, you know, the Eagles had to win today. If they would have lost today, across my mind, like, would they fire Nixiriani?

If they just lose the Giants at home on Christmas? They didn't. And everyone got to smile. You get a win on Christmas. But I do think that, they are very, very vulnerable going into the playoffs. And depending on their matchup, I mean, their defense can give up a lot of points.

You can really, what Kyle Shanahan thought he could do against the Ravens, you can't. You can throw on the Eagles relentlessly. And their guys just aren't going to be able to cover you. And if you get a little space, their guys are going to miss tackles. And if their defensive line is not getting home,

your quarterback could throw for 350, 400 yards. If you got good wide receivers, they could go off. And it's hard to win in the playoffs. in 2020, in a passing league, when that is your huge weakness. Pass coverage. Big place. It's really difficult. Too many teams, just look at the NFC.

It's why the Cowboys lit them up a couple weeks ago, because they have a good passing game, in theory, not the other day. But the Lions, Lions are stacked with offensive weapons, so are the 49ers. So it's even the Rams. I mean, Pooka Nakuoka, Cooper Cup. They're going to throw the ball with Matt Stafford. So it's just not fixable. There is no scheme that you can use to overcome the holes when your guys can't cover.

It's impossible. I don't care how much zone defense you play. Eventually, I'm going to get your guy in a situation where he has to run with my guy. And their guy simply can't do that right now. And it's not something you can fix in the middle of December. That's an off-season project, which I would expect them to do a lot of rehabilitation to the secondary. Obviously they got some young players coming up, but, you know, the Bradbury Slay situation, those guys are older.

And, you know, that's the hard part about football, right? It comes fast. You don't totally know what's going to happen. And then all of a sudden, you're like, God, this guy's a step slower. He was just good last year. It's like, it happens like that. It's the hard part of talent evaluation. It's the hard part about being a general manager in the NFL because the guy can look really good for three straight years.

You're like, let's give this guy another contract extension. Then all of a sudden you do it. not the same guy. It's not because of lack of trying. It's not because of lack of work ethic. It's not because of lack of studying. It's like he just lost a, you know, a half second on his 40. And he now no longer can run with the wide receivers. So yeah, man, that was crazy. 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 Podcasts 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'm saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th.

You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music.

The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space. for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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

And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack 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. 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. A couple other things I wanted to touch on was the jet. yesterday

Woody Johnson I guess this would have been what day would that have been it came out Saturday Sunday morning I'm all screwed up came out Sunday morning that he talked

with someone at the New York Post and said that everyone was coming back Robert Sala Joe Douglas and those guys he thought they had made some positive strides

and I'm getting a little workout on well I'm thrown off now it would have been Sunday watching Jets commanders and commanders, I'm storming back. And I keep thinking,

the number one thing the Jets hang their hat on, because offensively, for the majority of the season, they've been awful. I think they went like 12 of their 15 games where they scored one touchdown, one offensive touchdown. Yesterday they scored a couple more, but for the most part,

offensively, they haven't been an embarrassment. Well, defensively, if you just listen to casual people talk about them, they're discussed like one of the better defense. Yet whenever I watch them play, it's the last two weeks. Dolphins lit them up like Christmas tree, two weeks ago with Tyreek out. Jacoby Brissette and the Washington commanders, who are awful, moving the ball at will against them,

in a drive for basically their season right down, scored a touchdown. I don't even know how good they are at defense. Now, they have a couple good players here and there, but basically, and Colin asked me this a couple weeks ago, like, what would you do? Well, I know what's going to happen. They're going to bring them back because they're just going to say, well, because of Aaron Rogers.

Well, Aaron Rogers coming off, he's 40 years old, off a torn Achilles, which somehow he almost healed in like four months, is going to save this franchise? Seems borderline impossible to me. I think they have so far to go. I don't even think they are remotely close to being good. Now, obviously, as bad as they are this year, but I picked him to be a playoff team this year

when I thought Aaron Rogers was going to be healthy. I don't know if they would have been a lock to make the playoffs if Aaron Rogers had been healthy all season. I really don't. Their offensive lines too bad. the coordinator's not good enough. So I don't know, man. That seems kind of crazy to me.

I was thinking about this when Seattle beat Tennessee in a crazy kind of walkoff touchdown to D.K. Metcalf in the corner of the end zone. And the Rams obviously won on Thursday night. My argument was going to include Kyle Shanahan, but he got punk. Now, John Harbaugh makes, you know, $17, $18, $19 million. Between Kyle, Pete Carroll, and Sean McVeigh,

that's probably 45 to 5. $50 million in coaching. And the NFC West, more than likely, is going to get three teams in the playoffs. Rams are going to make it, Seattle's going to make it, and obviously the 49ers have already clinched. This is why I'm so hard on Dean Spanos and the coaching situation with going cheap on coaches, because like Seattle, listen, they'll probably be won and done. But like these last couple years, if you're a Seattle Seahawk fan, you can take a lot of pride.

My team won 18 games. Majority of the games I got to watch, we had a chance to win. We were in them. We won a lot of them. So I was like, you would have been better off what? If you're nine games,

you're not going to win like two, so you're never going to be drafting that high. Being like six or seven and drafting 10th? No, you would always much rather be competitive. It's the best part about football, waking up on Sunday and having a competitive football team.

And Pete Carroll has brought that. And obviously Sean McVeigh has brought that too. But why do Seattle and why do the Rams get this because they pay for it. Both guys, two of the highest paid coach in the NFL, can take random players, turn them into awesome players, take mid-round picks, turn them into impact guys, and listen, part of the reason Seattle has turned it around is because the Russell Wilson trade. Right? So whenever I see this, would they have been better off with Russell Wilson? I don't know. I watch Russell Wilson against Belichick get fucking worked over Christmas dinner, Christmas Eve.

I mean, that was. Russell Wilson to me is anyone arguing for, him is like obviously was a huge fan of him which i was too is like holding out hope that that's ever coming back or he's gonna be like he's he's the averages the day is long and when you factor in his money it's below average because of what you're paying him right and so when i watch gino smith play like he's not great either but what's the gap between those two guys well the gap financially is gigantic and it's like i can win just as many games with gino as i can with russ and you could argue with the cohesion and how much everyone likes each other,

I can win more. My team is closer together. So just a massive, massive win for the amount of money getting paid right now in the NFC West. There's a reason these teams are not just being competitive, but going to the playoffs. Because they don't go cheap.

Part of the reason the Eagles went after the Arizona Cardinals for tampering because they wanted to give Vic Fangio $5 million a year to be Nick Siriana's defensive coordinator. They had planned on making him the highest paid defensive coordinator in the NFL. But Jonathan Gannon kind of screwed him over in the Arizona. They mess with them.

And Vic walked to Miami, where he's the highest paid defensive coordinator in the NFL. So it's like, are you willing to do everything possible? When I hear the Spanoses who are clearly leaking out, they're very offended that people are calling them cheap. Look at this. Look at how much they pay the players. If your argument ever is in the NFL, look how much we pay the players, you're a fucking clown.

Everyone pays the players. This is not baseball. Everyone has player money. It's called the television contracts. What about our new practice facility? Nobody cares. No one has any clue where teams practice in the NFL. This is not college football. How much do you pay the things that we do pay attention to? The coaching staff. Well, consistently, you're on the lower end. So, like, that's why everyone rips on you. Not because you have this beautiful practice facility. Nobody cares. The Raiders have had the nice practice facility in the NFL since they moved to Vegas.

We all make fun of them because they lose guys. games or you're judged on winning and losing and coaches. No one cares how awesome your practice facility is. So, yeah, I just think that big year for the NFC West getting three teams in there. That's for sure. And we'll end on this. My Morgan and Morgan player that made it look easy.

I think this is an easy one. I saw a stat yesterday after the Tampa Bay Bucks killed Jacksonville. The Baker Mayfield has a 10 touchdowns and one interception in the month of December. and obviously Tampa's playing really well. I got news for you. They're going to beat the Saints next week and they're going to win the division.

And honestly, they have some positive momentum going into the playoffs. They've been really impressive. They really have. And offensively, Mike Evans and Baker look really in tune. Defensively, like I give Todd Bowles credit. They're just, they look like just a pretty well-run

buttoned up operation. But Baker-May Field, I'll never forget. Colin thought he should retire. and just go work in college football and just, you know, be like a Joel Clat. And I said, even if he's a disaster, which I expected him to be, I thought Tampa was going to be terrible. I thought the Rams were going to be terrible. They're both going to the playoffs.

Even if you're a terrible NFL player, you can always go do stuff on college football. It doesn't matter. But Baker's been pretty solid. And I get asked a lot in the mailbag how much Baker and what Tampa is going to do this offseason. I could see them, you know, maybe like a two-year contract, like two years, 40 million. guarantee like 20, 25. If you're Baker, gives you kind of a little landing spot,

gives you some solid money, it'd be pretty easy. Maybe he'd want more than that. He's making $4 million this year. It's not like you'd give him $30 million, but he's probably worth more than $10 or $15 million. It's kind of a weird spot. You know, it's kind of, I would imagine

some of the comps will be like Gino, even Daniel Jones. It probably end up getting more money than I think, actually now that I say it out loud. I don't know if Tampa would give him Daniel Jones money, but whatever the Gino content, track is, I definitely could see Baker getting that.

So that's more like $20, $25 million. Props to Baker Mayfield, because he's taking Tampa. Last year they made the playoffs, but let's face it, that felt like a fake playoff team. This year making the playoffs that they definitely feel like, you know, they're a real football team. It would probably be one and done. I would imagine most people are going to bet on Dallas to beat him again in the first

round, but they had a much better year this year. And a huge reason is Baker Mayfield, making it look easy. So if you're ever injured, you can check out Morgan and Morgan. Their fee is free unless they win. For more information, go to for the people.com slash john or dial pound law. That's pound 529 from your cell phone. That's FOR the people.com slash J OHN. The volume.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes.

Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast is. 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have any.

with, but you're having him with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast. Guaranteed human.