The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - 2021 Draft Class, the importance of drafting the person, Fugazi Friday

Episode Date: May 3, 2024

John takes a look back at the 2021 quarterback draft class by talking about why this class had a lot of hype but not many of them have made it in the league. John also discusses the importance of learning about the person who you're interested in drafting to understand if that person will be able to fit in with your current team, and how the guys behind the scenes during the offseason are never safe from losing their job. Lastly, John reads your Fugazi Friday comments during the Fugazi Friday segment. 6:25 - 2021 Draft Class 28:19 - Drafting the right person 41:00 - Fugazi Friday 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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See dkng.com slash B-Ball for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. What is going on, everybody? How are we doing? Happy Fugazi Friday. And we had a skip last week because of a little thing called the draft. About seven days officially away. I'm recording this Thursday afternoon at about 4.30. So the draft was starting last week at this time. Fun times.

But today I wanted to dive into the 2021 draft class because four quarterbacks, not named Trevor Lawrence, are on different teams and did not have their fifth-year option picked up. So I want to discuss why those guys failed And where those teams that made those selections are now Some thoughts on just the GMs who have spoken a lot over the last seven days And it's a consistent theme that they've been saying I've seen some unnamed executives talk about certain teams

Wasting picks and tradeups I wanted to dive into that how you You can't trade a second round pick to move up that far in 2025 Again not everyone's bad Like some teams are ready to win now and a lot of front office guys throughout the NFL because we've had a lot of turnover this is just the time of year where they get fired and I'm not talking GMs I'm talking about a lot of guys that you don't know and I just kind of want to discuss my experience

and how it's a lot different than the coaching world especially financially you know coaches make a lot more money than the personnel guys so it's it's honestly much more relatable to just normal people because they're not making an insane amount of money and then of course Fugazi Friday which we'll dive into No Middilkoff mailbag this week. We'll get back to it next week. That'll be the game plan. I might record a pot on Sunday for Monday,

but also might just wait until Monday. We'll see. See how I'm feeling this weekend. See what happens. And so next week, I got a bunch of questions. Keep firing at John Middlecoff as the Instagram. Make sure if you listen on Collins feed, subscribe with three and out feed.

Everything's on YouTube. Appreciate everyone listening. Thevolume.com. We got merch. I got three and out hats. He's wearing one earlier. And yeah, have a great weekend. But before we dive into football,

I got to tell you about my friends. A couple weeks ago, I was taking the dog for a walk and my neighbors were outside. I'm like, where are you guys going? And because she had a cocktail on, or a cocktail in her hand, they were dressed up. Like, oh, we're going down the road to a comedy show. Like, God, that sounds amazing. In this negative world we live in, go to a comedy show, get some laughs, have a brusky, enjoy yourself. Well, guess what?

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Last minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. There is no excitement like the draft, especially high in the draft. Everyone thinks they hit a home run. Unless you're the Falcons, you're like, what are we doing? Even if you like the pick. But for the most part, there's a reason every video you see put out by these teams on social media is excitement. Half the people in America get a divorce. Yet if you see their wedding pictures, they couldn't be happier.

Right? So the moment the draft happens, the excitement is at an all-time high. Now, if you hit it right and that guy becomes a star, if you draft Aaron Donald, if you draft J.J. Watt, if you draft Michael Parsons, whoever. We know all the star players that have been drafted, clearly the quarterbacks. That excitement lasts for a long time. But as Schaefter put out the kind of the breakdown on his little Excel spreadsheet, that we know that under 50% of these players will get a second contract based on the last 20 years of data. And depending on the position, that number is. even goes down. So when a player was drafted in 2021, that quarterback draft was highly touted. It turned out to be a fucking disaster. Trevor Lawrence, while he's still in question, is clearly a starting quarterback in the NFL. The only question is, is he just a mid guy, as the kids would say? Is he worth a big contract? He's got a lot riding on this season. If he gets the Jags back to the playoffs, win another playoff game, he'll get a big contract.

if he has a season like he did last year he won't but he clearly is an NFL player I don't know if we can say of that I mean an NFL starter we can't say that about the other four guys and they all had their fifth year options decline they all were traded

and I honestly think there's a chance Trey Lance is the worst one of the bunch and he got traded for the most well contracts play into this the Cowboys got him for two seasons these other guys got traded on their last season so you only have them under contract for one year.

And they were all declined because you're not, these guys are all currently backups. Trey Lance technically is a third string quarterback. You're not paying $20 plus million for that position. But I wanted to go over, I wanted to start with why each guy failed. Because there's always a reason. And let's face it, there are usually a lot of reasons

young people fail. Some stuff's out of your control. But let's start with Zach Wilson. that year BYU, the season in 2020, if you look typically, BYU plays really good teams. Plays a ton of other Power 5 teams,

plays of other top teams and other conferences. Obviously they have some, I wouldn't call them Patsys, but some lower-end competition. But on a given year, they could be playing Notre Dame, they could be playing UCLA, they could be playing Oregon,

they could be playing Oklahoma, they play real teams. That year, they did not. Their schedule in 2020, was a joke. Not their fault. A lot of these conferences canceled all these out-of-conference games

and because BYU is an independent, maybe they're in the Big 12 now, but at the time, I can't keep up with all the conference re-alignment. You know what I'm saying? And the best team they had on their schedule in 2020 was Coastal Carolina. And I watched that game

because there was a ton of hype on Zach Wilson. Didn't play that well. Didn't play that well at all. It was not debatable about his physical skills, good movement, good armed talent, could fling the ball around, but why did he fail with the Jets? Well, first and foremost, he was very immature. And I remember talking to Colin about this years ago.

The jump going from Provo, Utah, to New York, is probably about as big as you would get in America. Seriously, because even if you're from a small town, like a lot of dudes are in the south, like a lot of guys that play SEC football, are from rural towns. are from smaller towns. But once you go play at LSU at Alabama, at Georgia, at Florida,

while that town, you know, Tuscaloosa might be big, but some of these, you know, were old misplays, you were under a microscope and you were covered like the NFL light. At BYU, it's a lot different. And that jump, clearly he was overwhelmed by his second season, he's throwing teammates under the bus, and it was a disaster. Then from a football standpoint, his talents never translated,

because you watch the guy that we talk a lot about these physical gifts. Part of playing quarterback, we talk about this at other positions. Like this corner is really instinctive. This running back has a great feel for where to hit the hole. That's also at quarterback.

Like you watch Patrick Mahomes, he has the physical gifts, but his innate ability to just feel things and make things happen, his football instincts are elite, most of the best quarterbacks are. Zach Wilson lacks those. Does not have them.

He's a very, very frenetic player. You can't run an offense with a frenetic player. Because you can watch an individual play with Zach and go, God. I think the most remarkable play he's ever made, they were playing the Raiders. And it was like a last second Hail Mary. And he rolled left. He's a right-handed quarterback.

And he like did this 360 to juke Max Crosby in space, who's clearly one of the best players in the NFL, rolling left toward the sideline, turned his body, contorted his body, and hucked that ball like 60 plus yards in the air. Like his physical gifts are high end, but his

actual ability to play the quarterback simply is not. And when you don't have that capability, right, when you don't have a good feel, I'll never forget talking to a dude with the Jets a couple years ago and you'd be like, you watch him practice, he's skipping easy balls. You

don't need to make the Josh Allen 60-yard bombs. I heard Slera say this with a coward yesterday. Those plays don't happen a lot. Do you know most of the plays in football are? Real routes to the running back. A quick slant to the wide receiver. A 10-yard out on 3rd and 8. You have to have the timing, the rhythm, the feel of the position, and he never had it.

So when you factor in questions with his maturity, factoring his limitations, it's an utter disaster. Trey Lance. Unlike Zach Wilson, high character, hard worker, never questioned. Even when he went through

some weird shit with the 49ers, that was never an issue they had with him. One problem I think the Niners had because

Zach Wilson's schedule was a joke, Trey Lance didn't have a season. It did not exist. It got canceled. They played some one-off game that honestly no one counts as anything. You can't even use that to evaluate anything.

So he had no season. He also came from, while he plays for the Alabama of D1AA, definitely at the time, North Dakota State, it ain't the SEC or the Big Ten or the Pac-12. So the level of competition, if you watch it, you're like, God, this is a pretty good prospect. He was completely overwhelmed physically.

One of the reasons they drafted him because they thought they were getting this hybrid player. Well, his athleticism will get into fields, which clearly translated his did not. And you watched him run, you go, this guy's not even very fast. Which is ironic because Purdy, who if you just looked at the two of them standing there,

and I did because I went to these practices, you'd rather have the big guy. Purdy plays a lot faster just moving around than Trey Lance. And then when it comes to throwing the football, it's just kind of ugly. He does not throw a good ball. ball. And then when you factor in, he's not that accurate. And a lot like Zach Wilson, there's a feel for the position because he's never really

played that much that he doesn't have. And a huge part to me of the failure with Tray Lance was the pressure on a guy from a tiny little school that was like, this guy was traded for three first round picks, which I hate that. He was traded for two independent first round picks and a swap of a first round. But that's not the way people talk about. Three first round picks. And it was a disaster immediately. And I think Kyle had turned on him by early on in his second year.

Because Kyle even tried to change the offense for him when he had to spot start his rookie year. Kyle's successful because of his offense. Not some hybrid running. He tried to like institute some RG3 stuff. The problem is RG3 could run. This guy can't run.

So he's just, I just don't think he's any good. Really good guy. I think a huge factor into his failures was his limited talent, the pressure, and just a disaster. But unlike Zach Wilson, that went to the herky jerky all over the place, weird organization jets, this guy got to go to Kyle Shanahan in a loaded roster. The other thing that I'll never forget, and these players didn't do it publicly, but it was clear, and I know enough people, they never supported him. You know why? They didn't think he could play.

and the cutthroat nature of football, everyone tries to like everyone. I've been in these, when I worked with the Eagles, during the season, you eat lunch with everybody, and at night a lot of the players, like the cohesion between players, obviously some guys are better than other guys,

but everyone's trying to lift everyone up. You get to a certain point when you view a guy as a liability and your goal, and you're a team like the Niners trying to win the Super Bowl, they weren't messing with it. They just were not messing with it.

and it was clear very early that, one, Jimmy Garaple is not even good anymore. They knew Jimmy was dramatically better. And Kyle rigged it the second year for Tray Lance to win the job. Trey Lance could never have beat out Jimmy Garopla. And then clearly once Brock Purdy got in, Brock Purdy's in a different universe than Trey Lance as a player. And he was picked 262.

So I think it just gets back to, I don't think he really knows how to play football. And if you want to push back development and this is the pros. And obviously development matters, but there's a baseline you have to have to work with, and I don't even think he's there. So just an ultimate organizational failure. Justin Fields.

To me, he is by far the most talented guy out of this group. But his downfall is a major issue. Right? Like, you can have a house that has a messed up bathroom. It's like, oh, we can fix that over time, retile it, put a new showerhead, whatever. If your foundation is fucked up, The house is a problem.

I mean, if you're like, yeah, we got some major issues on the foundation, it's not going to work. If you can't throw from within the pocket in the National Football League, you just can't be a consistent quarterback. You can make splash plays, and because he's such a great runner, he makes other plays on top of that because he's got a big arm when he's scrambling around, he can make great plays. When he's running down the field, elite athlete.

That's why they're talking about him returning kicks, which I think is kind of tongue-in-cheek, but also kind of serious. he'd probably be an elite kick return, but he can't play from within the pocket. And that was never more evident that final game against the Packers, whereas you watched Jordan Love

and you watched him and you're like, one guy's playing a different sport than the other guy. Now, most coaches would tell you, especially at this point, that's not really improvable. He's going to be a good test case. We'll see him with Arthur Smith, maybe in a different offense,

maybe it can look a little bit better. But that was an issue. And listen, Kyle, they clearly missed on Trey Lance. But it was between Trey Lance and Mac Jones for a reason. They thought that Justin Fields had no pocket awareness. They didn't think he was natural there. He wasn't, they didn't even entertain taking him at pick three.

So I'm rooting for him, partly because I liked him coming out of college, but I'm also honest with myself going, that's probably not fixable. Though I've said before if I'm a Steeler fan, I'd rather see if it is than watch Russell Wilson dink and dunk down the field. Mac Jones I think this has a little bit of Zach Wilson His maturity clearly popped up

Which you go Well, Belichick forced him to work with Joe Judge's special teams coach And Matt Patricia, a defensive coordinator As the guy coaching him and running his offense I go, I hear you But when you're Mac fucking Jones I don't need you pouting on the sideline

24-7, 365 Now this year was an embarrassment and I think like any young person I've been there I would imagine a lot of people listening have been there as well when you lose your confidence I don't care what you do for a living

it's hard to function and he was lost at sea playing football he was a guy even I think he has limited physical characteristics no different than Kenny Pickett no different than Alex Smith I mean we've seen no different than Kirk Cousins to maximize that ability

clearly you need more help around you Dak Prescott, Tua fall under this. But confidence is a big, big thing. Look at McDaniel with Tua. I'm not the biggest Tua guy. I like the person. I just mean the player. They do everything humanly possible to prop him up.

And do everything humanly possible to build around him with weapons. And obviously, you have a great play caller. That's not quite the way it went with Mac Jones. Now, once you start seeing it, you go, these physical limitations, he can't lift us up either. but I'm a Belichick guy but once you get in bed with a player like this they are a little more dependent on the pieces around them

like Josh Allen could win some games with me you and three other people this guy cannot and I think I actually like Mac Jones you could argue the most unless Fields is salvageable Mac Jones is a legitimate backup quarterback to me he's a guy going to much more of a positive place with Doug if Trevor plays well

I can see Mack Jones being a backup quarterback in the NFL for like 15 years. Same thing with Kenny Pickett. The problem is that guy was drafted, one was drafted at 15 and the other was drafted at 20. I got news for you. Kenny Pickett's fifth year option. Ain't going to be picked up either. Could have seen that one coming from a mile away. But sometimes physical characteristics, if you don't have the instincts and the feel for the position,

you got no chance. And then when you factor on poor maturity around that, like Zach Wilson, they can't stand you. with Trey Lance it's weird it's like I'm rooting for you but like we're trying to win but we're fucking playing the Rams this weekend can you complete 65% of your balls because if you can't we can't play with you and that's how it became

I said this before obviously Trey broke his ankle two years ago in week two I think he was trending toward getting benched by the end of September I do not think he was going to be the starting quarterback very long you can see I know the team too well I've been of these practices like it was it was not trending well I don't rue for anyone to

get injured, but it was an easy one for Kyle because I believe he would have been benched and benched pretty quickly. Let's talk about where are they now. Let's rank the teams. Because these four teams, I mean, the Jets used the second overall pick. The Niners gave three first round picks. The Bears traded next year's first round pick to trade up for fields. And obviously

Belichick, you could argue that Mack Jones was a huge reason that ended his career. We'll see if it ended his career. He might come back next year. But you know what I mean. Ended his Patriots tenure. I think by far the team in the best spot right now is the Niners. Because Brock Purdy has proven to be a more than capable, I mean, he was in the MVP discussion.

He was probably going to win the MVP up until that Baltimore Ravens game, which then tilted it to Lamar Jackson. But Lamar Jackson makes $50 million. Pretty makes $900,000. So when you factor in, he's a seventh round player who can throw 30 touchdowns and lead a team to back-to-back NFC championship games and to a Super Bowl, and you can, you can, you argue who knows how that eagle game would be if he didn't get hurt because I saw the Eagles. Now, they were different both years. The Eagles clearly were better that year. But we all know the game,

it was going to be a real football game. And it wasn't because he got injured. But any time, you can get a guy and you know he's good. You know he's good. And the thing with the 49ers, they have the most important piece, the head coach slash play caller, that in a weird way is the face of the franchise. Now, it does get a little more complicated when you got to pay him, but I would say Brock Purdy through a year and a half has been one of the greatest stories we've ever seen in the NFL. To me, a close second,

and the reason I put this team second and not first, because we haven't seen them play a down of NFL football. But no one right now feels better about themselves besides Chiefs fans than Bears fans. And to go from Justin Fields and having the first pick in your back pocket to end up with Caleb Williams, but also having a high pick and getting another wide receiver,

adding Keenan Allen and adding Montes sweat the bears are feeling pretty good Now the difference between the Bears and the Niners Why the Bears ain't getting number one I Kyle Shanahan's a big time coach Iber Fluse I don't know How's your offense gonna look? How's Caleb gonna be as a rookie? I think he's gonna be pretty good

But who knows? I mean we've seen this all the time I thought some of these guys in the 2021 drive class It's gonna be pretty good And they're all on different fucking teams Three six rounders and a fourth rounder So you barely give them away So things change fast I'm not trying to be negative

I can't wait to watch the Bears I think they're one of the biggest stories in the NFL But you do got to prove it on the field You're like, Purdy's not better than Caleb yet Well, we'll see I've seen Purdy be in the MVP discussion At the end of December Middle coffee being a homer

Well, one team was just in the Super Bowl With the lead in overtime I would say three This is going to sound crazy Is just the hope of Drake May It's just the hope of Drake May I don't like anything about the Patriots I think they are an organization

and turmoil. I mean, they have a GM that they can't name a GM that has to like prove his worth. The owner's son wants to have all this power. First time head coach, who hasn't even been coaching that long. The talent on the roster is not great. Their offensive line isn't very good. Who knows if Drake May is not, is even going to play this year. But at least you got the hope of a young player. And you know for a fact that you have him under a four-year contract. And if he's good, he'll be on your team for a second contract. That's why I have to put the Jets fourth because they had an opportunity to change their franchise. Turns out they didn't because any of these guys they would have picked would have been a

failure. But they get rid of Wilson and now they have a 40 year old quarterback that let's face it, if this year doesn't go well, could easily retire. I mean, he's openly talked about it before. So even if Rogers is good this year, what happens after this year? Like part of the way I rank this is the big picture. You know, the Jets really have a band date on the situation. Now, you would gladly to win 10-11 games or to win the division, it'd be incredible. To host a playoff game, it'd all be worth it. And you would think if they have success, Rogers

would come back for another year. But let's face it, the way he talks and maybe just talks a big game, but you are on borrowed time with the guy. And you have no future answer at the position. So I think the jets are in the most tumultuous situation given just the status of his contract, his age, his injury now. And let's face it, and I would have done this deal, I don't blame you for trading for Aaron Rogers, but he wasn't exactly coming off a great year.

You know, it was trending down. Broncos, traded for Russell Wilson, coming off a pretty bad year in Seattle, and it proved to be like the downward trajectory. So I would go Niners Purdy 1, Chicago, Caleb Williams 2, Drake May, just based on the Hope and the Youth 3 and the Jets in this weird Aaron Roger situation for. 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 you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clivert Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

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

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Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tapped Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jek. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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 y'all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people.

Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. The NBA playoffs are here. We'll be breaking down all the action on the Colin Coward podcast. You'll get my best takes.

Great guests like my buddy Nick Wright. Check out the Colin Coward Podcast. Part of the volume network available on Spotify, Apple, wherever you get your podcasts. One thing GMs have consistently talked about over this period of time has been drafting our type guys. and one thing you consistently hear post-draft is toughness, character, leadership, love of football. I mean, every GM says the same thing. Every single one. Like, we love the, I haven't seen Ray and Carthin talk about Mr. D.Y, but other than that,

the majority of the guys, and this draft seemed to be a pretty high character group, pretty high character group. Right? Guys that haven't been arrested. guys that just love football. Like, I've been around this long time. Like, it feels like a pretty high level top 45 picks. I'm just pretty good guys. Some of them really, really good guys.

But one thing I remember Les Needs said after they, I think their third round, their final press conference, was like, this has become a lot easier doing this with Sean. This is our eighth draft. So we know exactly what we're looking for. This is, the draft isn't a fantasy football. auction. You're not just trying to pick the best players. You're ultimately trying to pick the best

people that fit in. Clearly, you have to have the talent to play on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and this year, I think Wednesday, but we just use the figure speeches on Sundays. You've got to have the baseline of talent. And I would say most guys, typically, to get drafted in the first couple rounds of a draft, have some high-end physical gifts. I've always thought, What separates people is the stuff that you can't quantify. And it sounds cheesy, but the heart, the work ethic, the toughness. And toughness is more than just, you know, playing through a hamstring pull. It's mental toughness, the grind of the week.

When you're tired in the offseason, do I want to do more? Do I get complacent where I'm at? How much am I willing to do to get better? And the better I get, the harder it is. The more money I get, the more fame I get. how much do I prioritize everything around football? And John Lynch said it to McAfee today. This was likes Les Need and McVeigh.

They were all hired. Less was already there. But McVeigh, Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch, same year. We know exactly what we're looking for. It doesn't mean you're going to be right on every pick. I mean, half the draft, be out of the league in a couple years. But you know the traits and the people that fit into what you do. It's why certain players fit certain places that don't fit other places.

Xavier Worthy makes a lot of sense with Andy and Veach. You know, Andy and Veach have worked together for 20 plus years? 20 plus years they've been together. Maybe it's like 18. But Veach was his personal assistant. It's a position Coach Reid has had for a long time. Sean McDermott started there as well in the mid-2000s. So when they're looking at people slash players,

they know what they're looking for. Eric Dacosta, Retire Ozzie Newsom, and John Harbaugh have been together forever. So when they draft Nate Wiggins and everyone's like, of course they did.

Of course they did. Because they're all on the same page. And I was watching some of McAfee with Howie. He's like, the reality is when you're a GM and a head coach, like, that's your football marriage. That's your football marriage. And the longer you're together,

I'm essentially married. Boy, might have a ring on the way, but that's probably keep that quiet. But the reality is, the longer you're together, you know more about the other person. What to say, when to say it, what needs to be said at certain times. You know, when they need support, when they don't need support. You get to know someone better. It's who do you know the best in your life? Even the older you get, your family.

Because for 18 years, whether it was your mom, your dad, your brothers, your sisters, you spend a lot of time with those people. It's why that relationship is unlike any other. They're just, nothing's even close. Some of maybe your childhood friends or your college friends, the older you get, you've had this longstanding bond. But it's harder and harder the older you get to create that level connection. And when you do it, it's pretty special.

But the time, if you meet a close person at 40, is not the same, you know, relationship I would have with my, brother that I've known since I was four years old. So I think these football teams that have the coach and the GM in place have just been together for, have such an advantage on the situation. It's why when I read these articles about people writing about, I can't believe the Rams gave up next year's second to get the defensive tackle from Florida State. Do they even read the value chart?

What are you guys talking about? I understand being critical when you give up first round picks. That is more than fair. That is a very, very valuable asset. But we just saw the Rams this year go toe to toe with one of the best teams in football the Lions on the road in the playoffs. If Matt Stafford is healthy with their roster,

you're talking about 11 plus win team, 1112 wins, and a team that a lot of people, if they're in the playoffs, will pick to win games. So their second round pick would be somewhere in the early to mid-50s. Guess what? If you have a first-round pick and a third-round pick, you can figure out a way to get a second-round pick.

It's not that big a deal. I can't believe the Lions traded a future third-round pick to get a dude in the fourth round. Who gives a shit? This is not the Carolina Panthers. This is not some trash team. These are teams that have one goal

when they step in O-Tee. And it's not one of those Brian Dayball getting in front of the team or Jonathan Gannon getting in front of the team I think we can compete for the Super Bowl. No, you can't. You got no shot. Let's just try to get over seven wins.

These are teams that look at everyone, like we got one goal, fellas, to be playing in February. You bet your ass we're playing in January. And we plan on winning those games. And if we're healthy, we'll be favored in those games. So trading, future second and third round picks

when the goal. Sean McVeigh almost left a couple years ago. Because that's all I've heard about. I can't believe the Rams traded this much. It's too rich. Sean McVeigh, to me, is on a year by year basis. He literally almost went to Amazon.

Had to think long and hard about it. You were not guaranteed to have Sean McVeigh like a John Harbaugh for 20 plus years or Mike Tomlin. You're just not. He's already super rich. Now as a child. It's an easy transition. Now, he might. I hope he does. I don't want him to leave the NFL. But every single year, especially for that organization, chips in the middle of the table. Look at the Lions.

How are they going to upgrade over Ben Johnson? Like, more than likely, Ben Johnson isn't just going to be their offensive coordinator for a decade. Probably be his last year, especially if things go well. So being aggressive about future picks when your time is now, never have. any issue. You're talking, it's one thing like a top 30 pick. We're talking about picks in like the 50s and the 60s. What are we talking about?

Another quick thing, most of you don't know these people. And I don't even know a lot of them. But I've seen some headlines about different teams, firing guys. When it comes to assistant coaches getting fired, it's very easy to quantify their impact. Right.

Like, you're the wide receiver coach. Your wide receiver suck. Like, you're just not doing good enough. coordinators to get fired. Very clear. Like this guy, not a good coordinator. And they get fired all the time.

But they also make huge money. So when an offensive coordinator fails, and it's pretty clear he sucks, you know that guy's on a seven-figure contract? You know when a wide receiver coach or a linebacker coach gets fired? They're making $600,000. These personnel people that are getting fired

all over the league, it's not a lot of times based on your results, your ability at your job, because I know a lot of guys who have been let go, myself included, and he goes, God, the guy's really good at his job. The personnel department is much more about personalities. And did that guy bring you in? Do you get along with this guy?

And you know the other thing in personnel? They're much closer to normal people jobs in terms of pay. make an 80 grand make it 120 grand make it 150 grand and I saw a headline today of a guy that got fired at an organization

that I saw at the combine and he had left a very successful team with the buddy who was then running the team for a pay race but you could tell and he didn't say I don't know him that well

but he was pretty lit he had a few and I had a few too and I just vividly remember looking into his eyes and you could just tell like, God, I made a mistake. This sucks. And it has nothing to do with like, I'm not good at my job because I was with the team

that was rattling off playoff victories, going to Super Bowls for a decade. I know what I'm doing. But when you're not the decision maker, one, no one has to listen to you. Two, when you get fired, it's not like, well, he missed on seven of the ten guys we needed him to hit on.

That's not the way it is. where it's like, yeah, we fired our offensive line coach. Do you see the way our offensive line played? And the other thing is the money. It's why I feel no sympathy. I'm much... I'll talk shit about coaches all day long because half of them to me are frauds.

And half those frauds are making a ton of money and could never sniff that money in any other industry. Or these personnel guys get into it like I did because you're passionate about it. And then you realize you're not making that much money. It's a very fickle business. and if something goes wrong, a GM turns on you, they got to throw someone to the wolves.

I'm not acting like everyone in the scouting departments are good. That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm just saying when these guys get fired, it's never about their ability. Very, very rarely. It's usually about personalities and just restructuring wanting to bring in your friends. It's wanting to bring in people you're comfortable with.

And it's just, it's a shitty part about the job, and I just something I don't miss there is no amount of money. You could pay me to go back. No amount of money. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win.

I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment,

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

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

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

Then you're 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. Okay, Fugazi Friday. We had a skip last week.

We got a bunch. Wanted to dive into that right now. Because I got a couple of messages. I, I, I, I, I, did. DMs you back personally. You know, there's a line here. This is supposed to be fun and we're having, you know, kind of laughing at stuff. You know, some of the stuff and clearly, you know, impacts your life.

Someone loses their life in a situation about a Fagazi with insurance companies. It pisses me off too. But this is, I try to keep this lighter. So certain ones I'm just not going to read because it's supposed to be fun. But listen, it is what it is. So it's like if you send me a DM, I'm going to try to read it. Like this one, this is not super positive, but I was just fired from my job in television this Fugazi Friday. I'm a weekend reporter and meteorologist.

The company laid off a lot of part-timers. I'm using the job to pay my way through college. Now I'm stuck with the summer with nothing to do, right as the summer begins. The corporate people think laying off on-air talent making $12 an hour will solve the company's problems. Maybe there are other issues they need to solve. I hear you. Luckily, which we turn this into positive, you're in college, you're young.

There's other line of works you can figure out to just keep your head above water. And, you know, I think it's a good example. And, you know, I think there's probably some parallels when I worked in radio to television. Middle management never wants to fire themselves. So it's very easy for these guys where you go, what is this guy actually doing

who's making, depending on your market, 300, 500, 600, 600 grand. they will cut anyone's head off to keep that paycheck rolling in. So I hear you, I feel for you, the best thing about getting fired and I've been fired twice is being young when you're fired

because you still got options. I'd argue even if you're old, you got options. But when you're young, especially in college, you've got your whole world ahead of you. And that, you know, Fugazi that you went through,

getting fired as a part-time employee or laid off or however you want to, you put it, is something that kind of shapes you moving forward. and I think one thing that helps in life is to realize how if you're going to work in the private sector

how just cutthroat and cold this world is because that's what business is and the faster you get numb to it the easier it is to play the game because you're either getting played or you're playing it and obviously when you're young you don't have as much control but at least you know what you're getting into

and the quicker you kind of experience that to me, the quicker it hardens and puts those calluses on you to kind of know what to look for and know what you want. And I would turn that experience into a positive experience. I really would.

Even though it stings a lot early on. Because I've been hurt too. But then looking back, without those moments, it makes you stronger to attack life. A little Fugazi Friday. In New Jersey, and I think New York, the government officials passed laws

about the use of plastic in stores they are not allowed to have plastic bags and now you have to buy bags from stores whatever trust me I'm from California we've been doing that forever

this is a Fugazi by itself they also ban plastic straws now I have to drink my beverage with a shitty paper straw that disintegrates after two minutes and is horrible to use certain fast food places

will give me my beverage inside of a styrofoam cup with a plastic lid. So what's the fucking point? I know that it's a small thing, but when you have to drink out of a shitty paper straw, it's very infuriating. Going to other states is such an eye-opener. Trust me. When I moved there, I'll never,

I mean, a big reason I'm in Arizona is because in 2020, when everything in California was locked down, they would beat you with a stick if you left your house, let alone didn't have a mask on. I came to Arizona. for a golf trip, and everything was normal. I'm like, we're all breathing the same air. Everyone's here rocking and rolling.

And over there, I was like, what is going on? And last year, when I went to Tahoe for the summer, you know, in Arizona, we don't have, you just get a plastic straw, you get a plastic straw. I went to Tahoe. And we went to Starbucks, and they gave us a paper straw. You can't solve a problem with something that doesn't work. that is not a solution.

A paper straw is not a solution to the plastic straw because a paper straw melts in water. It honestly is one of the... In California, I mean, you could do crack

on the sidewalk, yet you can't have a plastic straw that give you a paper straw that does not work. You're like, what are we doing here? Nothing ever makes sense. But until social media,

I have never heard of people that rooted for the government. That's what's weird to me is like the media cheers on the government. Where I come from, we made fun of them all. Every single one of them. Like, one of the biggest Fugazis of all time is the government and people that work in government.

Obviously, there are some capable people, but the way the setup is, like, how is this solving anything? Hint, it's not. And it never does. And that's a consistent theme with society. So plastic straws It used to drive me up a wall

One thing I remember in like 2021 When everything in California was still By 2020 I was like, I'm not going to complain about this anymore I'm not I hate being angry all the time So I just left And I've been happy ever since So and I don't know my situation is different

Than other people's situation But I just One thing I try to get away from is just complaining about all the things, and everything in the Bay Area used to drive me nuts. Little stuff like that, paying for the bags. I don't pay for bags. Give me paper bags, plastic bags, my own bags, whatever.

I can have any bag I want here. So you just, sometimes you've got to move and you realize society operates a little different if you just cross an imaginary line. But paper straws are not a solution. They don't work. Fugazi Friday. NFL draft rankings immediately after the draft.

Tough to get sold. on someone being a good or bad pick without watching them play a snap in the NFL. Totally agree. Not much to say. Fugazi Friday. Friday weddings. Cheaper for the couple, but a pain for the guests. I've got five this calendar year and I've got to take half or full days off just to attend.

Rehearsal dinners would be on Thursday. I'm going to defend the Friday wedding for a hot minute. Wedding costs, having been to a lot over the years and just knowing people, knowing the finances that it costs for weddings, it's outrageous. It really would. It really is. I'm hammering this home. I will gladly go to the courthouse next week and get married. And however much money her side had set away, give it to me. I'll put in the stock market. I'll buy something, do something. but I have Now I get it It's a big moment for people's family

Everyone's different And I know especially You know for For her it's a really really big deal But the costs on these weddings I mean I think you can't have The lowest budget wedding You would struggle to get it for 25 grand

I mean this is a lot of money So you're talking 50 80 100 grand I don't care. Most people are not upper middle class, let alone rich. That amount of cash to invest is a lot of money. And the price is clearly with inflation, is the price of everything, has never been higher. But it's, if it's the difference, if you're someone,

and I get it, and I understand it's hard for people attending, but put yourself in their shoes. Let's say they have 30 grand to put in a wedding. And it's the difference of like, we want to do it here, or this. This is where our families live, so we want to do in this area. We can't afford to do it anywhere under 50 grand for a Saturday wedding. I think it's tough.

And I get it. From your side, if it was me, I'd probably say, I can't make it. Got to work. But to me, it's the cost. It just gets back to the outrageous price of everything, which literally everything has never been higher. And starting with this stuff, the venue, the food. I mean, it's just, it's not cheap, man. Now, weddings, you know, relative have never been, quote, unquote, cheap.

But I would say hearing some of these stories these last couple years, it's eye-opening. You're like, you spent, what? I hope you got a lot of pictures. Fugazi Friday. Annoyingly thick burgers. Burgers at restaurants have gotten too tall and are impossible to eat properly. All your toppings will fall out,

and you'll need a sink shower for your hands and face afterwards. Risky meal choices for first dates. Napkin management is a nightmare. At least with wings or ribs, you know exactly what you're signing up for. Ordering a burger in 24 is playing Russian roulette.

People's jaws can hang and the toothpick sword doesn't do shit. I think it's fair to say, unless you're going to like some diners drive-ins and dines, like a place that's known for a specific special burger, you should not need a massive knife to cut the thing in half. You should be able to grip the burger and fit it right in your mouth.

I'm with you. I think the perfect size of a burger even with the toppings. Now, obviously it comes out if you're at a restaurant, the feng shui of the look of everything. They want everything to look cool, including the food, to have it kind of layered. But if you can't press it down, and have a crisp bite.

And again, there are certain places, certain barbecue joints in Texas or the South or, you know, every place has their, like, specialty. But you're running the mill restaurant that's just serving a cheeseburger, I'm with you. Because the toppings, everything, it's like, I can't, this is not a functional meal.

And I just don't want to order the chicken. I want a cheeseburger, but can we just make it possible to bite into the thing? and as a lover of cheeseburgers, who probably over under cheeseburgers in my life, 40 years old, 365, so we're talking, I don't know, a thousand. A lot of times I've eaten two, so it, hell,

could be 1,500. I've eaten a lot of cheeseburgers. Yeah, I hear you there. Here's a little Fugazi. Airline charges $125 for my pet to travel. Under the seat zipped in a carrier for the entire flight. I don't know what, you know, we fly with little lollies on South.

West Airline. She's a service dog to mitigate panic attacks and she does a really good job, but it doesn't cost you anything. So I don't know what airline you fly on. Yeah, I don't know what to say to that. I'm pro I'm pro little dogs being on the plane. If they're good travelers, just sit under, take a little snooze. No issue with dogs. I would say my experience with dogs definitely better than kids. I don't blame any way you're traveling with the kids, but obviously little kids sometimes just freak out on planes. And they're crying. There's nothing you can do.

Now, there are levels I sat next to one where the parents were like on their iPads and stuff. Like at least try to help like your kids crying bloody murder here. I don't think I've ever had an issue with another dog barking, saying a word. A lot of times when people come sitting next to us and Lully's on the plane, like I didn't even know a dog was there. If he just comes right on the seat, lays down. Takes a snooze, flying back to Southern California and Northern California. So, I get it, though.

If I ran the airline, I would charge as well. I played a round of golf last Sunday afternoon, and the round cost over $100. On top of that, I had to pay $25 to take a cart. The course requires you to take a cart at that time, and there is no option to even walk. What exactly am I paying for here? The carts are electric, so there's no gas that needs to be filled. It just seems like an extra way the course can start. Screw you. Am I missing something?

Well, I've never seen the books of a golf course, but in college for a couple years, I've played in a, you know, been playing golf my whole life. If you ever go to a cart barn, right, with the electric carts, which they all are now, there are a million chargers. So I would imagine there is some cost, could be speaking out of turn, of charging all the carts for the operation. Anyone running a golf course listening to this? Maybe you can chime in, but maybe it's to compensate that.

Maybe it's just the wear and tear of the golf course. If it's cart path only and they charge you, that feels like, are you fucking kidding me? Now, if you can drive it anywhere, you know, you've got to pay the maintenance of the grass. Depending on where you're playing $100, I mean, if the course is decent, that seems like a pretty good deal.

Now, if it's podunk nowhere, but if it's $100 course, nice course, so you're basically charged $125 for a round of golf, I'd argue it's a pretty good price point. Again, I have to see the course and where you're living and the different options, but I'm going to push back on that a little bit. I would just view it as the cost of the round, 125. Honestly, that course is stupid.

They should just build the cart's price into the round, especially if they're mandating that you take a cart. Have Fugazi Friday for you. I'm not sure if you have this in the States, but in New Zealand we have pay less payment. But the Fugazi as the banks are charging businesses who pass on the customer 1.5% to use paywave or something similar. I can save that 1.5% by inserting my bank card and tapping in my pin.

It takes about 20 seconds longer, so isn't a big deal. But when I'm out and I have my phone, the fact that an extra 1.5% is tacked on to pay less is a massive rip-off and a bank Fugazi. Your thoughts? I don't know exactly what that would be in the States. I don't think it's not called pay less,

but I'm an investor in this company called Toast. Whenever you go to a restaurant, some gas stations have them, when you tap your card, that little mechanism is the brand. And the reason I invest in, they get a cut

every time that a transaction happens. Like someone has to make money. They're providing a service. So I've never worked in the banking industry, but we're all getting ding some way or another. Like that's how all these people make money. Right? If you have a nice credit card with, you know,

usually you're paying a yearly fee. So it's just in some way or another, I don't call me old school, put any of my credit cards on my phone, like Apple Pay. I guess is something a lot of people use. I just carry my wallet with me. So if I have an issue, I just use my card. But I'm sure I'm getting dinged all the time. I don't even notice.

I guess maybe here in the States you're just so numbed all the charges. I mean, you get taxed on taxed on tax. You're like, fuck. Just here's the money. I was staying at a hotel the other night. When I see a card left from me on the nightstand with a name on it, the name was of the housekeeper that cleaned the room. I was staying in.

And there was a QR code on the card. The card stated, it's never been easier to tip. And the QR code for a website to tip the housekeeper that cleaned my room. Fugazi, or is this common place? Well, I think with technology, I would imagine this stuff's going to come more in vogue, stuff like that. I do think whenever you're staying at a home,

hotel and you see the amount of shit these people have to clean up. I try always to leave 20 bucks or 10 bucks or hand them the money. I would never put it in the QR code because who knows how that thing's getting divving it up. If you just leave the cash, you can just put it in their pocket. But yeah, I mean, I think more and more of these QR codes, they're not going away. I'll promise you that. But I do think the housekeeping one is an easy one if you feel, you know, you're not obligated, but like it's that's that job sucks and i mean i leave my hotel rooms just when i'm saying by my

towels everywhere it's dirt you know you just food it's just gross think of the amount of people that they it just that sucks i always try to do that sometimes i'm not going to act like i do it every time sometimes you forget but i would always leave cash i would never in a million years hit the QR code zero chance will never happen till the day i die because you can just there's always always going to be human coming in, just leave the cash on the desk. When with this? Fugazi Friday. Let me know if that drone donut company goes public, I'd short that stock into oblivion. I agree.

The drone donut company will never work. Have a good weekend. 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 headwriter 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 IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that'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 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.