The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Best of from the week

Episode Date: April 6, 2024

John's best of the week! John talks with Mike Mayock about the top draft prospects and how he thinks they will do in the NFL (4:50), how Ryan Poles is making people rethink how they felt about him (25:21), and the big trade from the week that sent Stef Diggs to the Houston Texans (34:20). 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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On behalf of Boothill Casino and Resort in Kansas, 21 and over, age varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.com slash B-Ball for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. What is going on, my people? Happy weekend. We are going to start doing a little thing we call the best of,

where we take stuff that happened throughout the week, put it on a podcast for a little weekend listening. This weekend it will include stuff like Mike Mayock, breaking down the draft. Some of my thoughts on Ryan Poles, why I got to give the dude is flowers. And my initial thoughts when the trade, happen between the Texans and the bills with Stefan Dix, which obviously was the big news of the NFL week.

So we will have these moving forward every weekend, at least for the foreseeable future, and see how it goes. But I hope you guys enjoy, and yeah, let's rock and roll. Before we dive into it, though, got to tell you about my good friends, download a little app on your smartphone, and that app is game time. They are the official

ticketing app of this podcast. You go to any game, baseball, basketball, hockey, concerts, comedy shows, go do something fun and save a little money while you're at it. Your first pair of tickets, use the promo code, John, which is my name,

J-O-H-N, and save $20. You want to get to a baseball game, get out in the same, son, have a few bruskees. Do it on me. Promocco, John, save a little coin, and enjoy yourself. Don't even need a thank you. Download the GameTime app. Fastest growing ticketing app in the world. Promoccoe John. Let's talk some football. Yeah, I was looking at some of the athletic testing numbers from J.J. McCarthy. He's shorter than Alex Smith, but they're very similar athletes. And I would say J.J., obviously, the way he played for Jim Harbaugh, would have some parallels the way Alex

had a lot of success. The difference I would say is JJ has a better arm. So if Alex would have had a better arm, I mean, he was already a solid player. He might have even been really even a better player. What are your thoughts on JJ McCarthy who clearly looks like he's going to get drafted really high? Yeah, I've got to know, you know,

just like every old scout. I've got to, I, the only top quarterback I haven't done is J.J. McCarthy because I did a top 100 overall and he wasn't on my list. This is going back to last August. Okay. So I haven't done him. I find it interesting that, for instance, if you're going to look at Caleb Williams,

Jaden Daniels, Drake May, I would throw Michael Pennix in that group too. How about his, how about his pro day the other day? Four, five, five, it jumps 36 inches, Mike? Look, look. For a pocket quarterback, who he knows a great thrower of the ball, he's an athlete. I don't necessarily think I saw four or five, five on tape, but he is a big, strong, athletic kid that can layer the ball at all three levels. He took a beating against Oregon. He kept on ticking. Why I like him is he wins in the pocket. He can get outside the pocket, but he wins in the pocket. He shuffles, he moves, he keeps his eyes up. And some of his back shoulder stuff is high level NFL. I mean, he just has a gifted field. back shoulder at all three levels.

I don't think, and maybe it's the medical, but the kid's been healthy for two straight years now, and you've got to listen to your doctors, but I don't understand why he's not getting more traction out there as a high-level quarterback. Well, Mike, how do you balance that? Because clearly, as Dave speaks for itself, he was fantastic. He had several season-ending injuries, I think three.

And, you know, he's a little older. You're not a medical professional, when the trainer goes, well, he's fully healthy. He hasn't missed a game in two years. You see him at the pro day. He's running four, five, five jumping. He's clearly healthy right now. How do you balance that unquantifiable?

Well, when he was younger, he got the shit beat out of him, and he didn't make it through seasons. Now, what if that's never a case? Or what if it crops in immediately? Would that keep you up at night? Because he's clearly, I like him. You couched it well. And the conversation in the draft room,

we'd have our doctors and our trainers, and John and I and a couple high-level people in there. And I would be saying what you just said. I'd be like, wait a minute. Four years in a row at Indiana, he couldn't finish his season. Yet he transfers and starts every game the last two. And from my perspective, he had two ACLs. He had a clavicle, a shoulder.

Now, doctor, you tell me the other side of it. I know he hadn't missed a game in two years. To me, that means he's clean. Yeah. Right. The only way to me you get, this kid gets minimized medically is if the doctor pounds the table in your draft room and says, uh-uh, you're not even going to get one contract out of this kid.

He's got a bad knee or a bad shoulder. If the doctor doesn't say that, then this kid's got to be given a clean bill of health. Agreed. And to be, I mean, every year there are a couple of kids that are tough. I mean, the starting guard for Kansas City from Tennessee, Smith. Gray Smith, yeah. Gray Smith? I mean, he was a first or second round pick on every board, right?

And John and I both one of them. And our doctors told us point blank, no, he's got a heart issue that could be an awful situation if it turned the wrong way. We can't take him. And meanwhile, you get into the fifth or sixth round and Kansas City's taking him, and, you know, he started every game since, and you're pulling your hair out. So how do you balance, let's use him as an example, is he just a complete off the board?

Or like you get to a point like, what do we even care? It's the fifth round. Yeah, if it wasn't a heart, I think what you just said would be true. Like, okay, we get to the sixth round and let's take a flyer on a kid that could be a pro ball player.

I think our doctors, and I'm being respectful here, I think our doctors at that point, we're saying, wait a minute, if this thing went wrong in the wrong direction, we could have something awful. And I don't think we want to put that kid at risk for that. So we're in the fifth or sixth round, and John and I both want this kid, but they're telling us no. You've watched every top quarterback on film over the last two and a half decades. Caleb's been a well-discussed player for years now. What's, what are your just thoughts on the overall prospect? Yeah, I, um, And where would you rank them with some of the top guys over the years?

You know, the Staffords, the Lux, the Trevor Lawrence's, just the no-brainer number one guys? I don't know. That's a good question. Here's what I tell you. I think about him. He's my number one guy this year. I wish I'd seen him personally up close because I have not been in the same room

or the same building with them. And I don't like it when I don't see quarterbacks throw the ball alive. I'm doing everything off tape now. but having said all those things, I don't know how thick his frame is up top, but he's got a strong lower body. You can see that on tape. He runs through a lot of tackles.

He's strong in the pocket. What I love about him is I do forget all the fancy stuff, all the off-balance throws, off-platform throws, his escapes, his scrambles. You got to win inside the pocket to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. And this kid wins in the pocket. His eyes stay up.

He's got a natural feel. He took a beating this year, way more than he did in 22. And did he make some throws he probably wants to have back? Yeah, but he was trying to win football games. He was taking more chances. He was getting sacked more. And you can knock him on all those things. I see a competitor that can make every throw at every level.

He's stronger than you would think he is. and I think he's a high-level potential franchise quarterback. What about the next couple guys? Because it's kind of up in the air who's going to be the number two pick. How would you rank Drake May and Jaden Daniels? The Jaden Daniels thing, you know how, John, when you're watching tape and you're not really sure what to expect and you put the tape in, you go out. And the more you watch, the more you're going, holy crap, this is really fun.

That's how I was with Jaden Daniels. The more I watched from his legs perspective, it reminded me of Lamar Jackson when he came out. Like, he was as fast as he needed to be. He was not only running away from linebackers, he's running away from corners and safeties that have angles on him. You can't just make a decision that you're going to draft a guy because of his legs. But his accuracy on the deep ball, he had 55 starts. I'm a little worried about his upper body frame, but again, I think Daniels is really talented. Drake May had 26 starts.

You know what's interesting, John, you ought to go back if you haven't already. Take a look at North Carolina State. They're getting beat up in the second half. And one of my frustrations with him is that I felt like he was overly protective of the football at times, not throwing with anticipation, not throwing guys open. trusting his legs when things broke down instead of waiting to see if that second or third progression works. They get down like 16 or 18 against NC State. Offensive plays, I want to say, like 33 to 48 or 50. There's a collection of plays in there where he does all the things I just talked about him not doing.

He throws guys open. He throws with anticipation. He runs when he has to. He takes a couple shots in the pocket. gets up and makes another play. And the only reason he was doing it is because they were behind and he had to try to find ways to make a play. And if you can do it in those situations, I believe you can do it beyond that. So I like Drake May. I think I like Jaden Daniels a little bit more.

I like Michael Pennix in that conversation. And then, you know, you talked about McCarthy, a couple of guys that, you know, people are talking about Bo Necks as a first round pick. And I didn't see that. I don't feel like his physical traits match up with those other guys. And two guys that I think we don't hear enough about are Spencer Rattler and Michael Pratt from Tulane. Like I would put those two guys with Bo Nix, to be honest with you.

Safe to say second day guys. I mean, second round guys, excuse me. For me, Rattler and Pratt would be second day guys. and I think Rattler's talent is second round all day long. I mean, if you put the Georgia tape on, you know, and they're leading or tied or whatever it was at halftime, I mean, it's all him. He was getting a crap beat out of him with a bad offensive line by University of Georgia,

and he just kept making plays. Now, in the second half, he got the crap beat out of him, and so did they. But he just kept trying to make plays. I think he's got armed talent. I think he's athletic. I think he can escape. pressure. I like Rattler and Michael Pratt is, I would, he's not quite as electric, but I think he throws with anticipation and timing and he'll be a quality backup if not get a chance to start somewhere.

I'm with you on the Jane Daniels. I threw on the Malik neighbors cut up and you just, it's hard not to watch the quarterback. I mean, grows the accuracy, but you know about the athleticism. I would say a lot like Lamar, Lamar got very, I mean, he's lucky in the sense that he got to go to the Ravens, a high level operation with a high level coach and good defense. I mean, who you are as a quarterback, especially a dual thread quarterback. And same thing with Drake May, right? I mean, I think some comps are a little bit like Josh Allen. I think Josh is more physically gifted, but in the sense, needs a lot of work, but there's a lot there to work with. But I'd say Josh is somewhat of an outlier of a guy that maximized all those things.

Whenever you draft a guy at that position specifically that just, you just not quite sure, Isn't that pretty risky proposition? Because the one knock on Jayden is he's thin. I know he weighed in a 210. Most people think he weighs 195 pounds probably. But he has done it at the highest level against the best competition in the SEC. I turned on that NC State game. I remember in the middle of the year, all this hype.

And you're watching that middle stretch of a season. You're like, what am I missing here? And you don't. But clearly, because when people talk about them, some of the first things they say, well, he's six, four, two, three. Right. And that's the first thing you say about him. That's, you know, what about, you know, it's accurate, his anticipation.

So it's a polarizing girl. I don't want to keep you all day, but obviously the wide receiver class is pretty good. And I think I'm from Northern California, the Sacramento area. So Napa's right up the road to go from Napa high school to Georgia and on a team with 700 NFL players, most of whom they got drafted really high and immediately be one of their best players. I think Brock Bowers is one of the better college players I've seen in recent memory. and at that level, if the chargers were to get stuck at five, which is possible, right, if the four quarterbacks go, they're going to have their pick of the litter.

They don't need a left tackle, so all, technically, I'm sure he could probably play right tackle, but the wide receiver or Bowers, I would put Bowers right there with the wide receivers in terms of what I've seen. What's your thoughts on Brock Bowers? Yeah, I think more and more, my buddy Daniel Jeremiah calls it kind of a positionless NFL right now and I agree with them. Like I don't care what label you put on wide out X, Y, Y, Z or tight end

Y, F, whatever. I don't care about the label. He's a playmaker. Okay? And you're going to be creative in ways you use them. Just like San Francisco does with their tight end out of Iowa. Kittle. You know, similar kind of size body type to Bowers.

Bowers is a baller. And whether it's making catches against corners, safeties, and linebackers, running away from people using his body. What I like is he'll even line up in line and compete. And I don't think he's going to make a living in line in the NFL, but he'll compete.

And that just, and as a former scout, John, you and I, we're looking for competitors, right? You know, we're looking for guys that compete their asses off.

And that's what about, he's a gifted dude in the past game, and he will compete in the run game. Is he a top 10 pick? I think on paper, with talent-wise, yes, he is. And I don't care

whether you, what you call him, but it's a little bit, you mentioned Lamar Jackson a minute ago. And you said, it's lucky Baltimore drafted him. Well, to Baltimore's credit,

they've created a whole offensive scheme around what he does well. Sure. And that's what Greg Roman was good at. That's what, you know, some of the things they did to put Lamar in position to win.

And that's the same thing with Bauer. You've got to put him in position to win. You've got to take advantage of what he does really well, and that's win in the past game. And I think he's special. Would you be comfortable taking him above the other three wideouts if you were in a position if you could take either? I love neighbors.

I love Marvin Harrison. A dunze is, I have a dunce, just a notch below those two. And I think Bowers as a weapon to, yeah, I think you could lump him in there. But again, the caveat is if you're going to take a guy at four or five or eight or even, you know, if you're going to take that tight end somewhere in there or that whiteout, you better find ways to get him to football.

You can't just draft him and say go block the defensive end and pass protection. We're not doing that. Can I get you out of here on this. Most years they're just, you know, littered with defensive players, whether it's a couple corners, some pass rushers, Miles Garrett, Nick Bosa, whoever. It doesn't really feel like that in this draft. Who's a defensive player that you just go? I don't think we're talking about them as much.

And sometimes it's because the quarterbacks take up, suck up so much oxygen. But it legitimately, I mean, there's a chance that defensive player does not go in the top 10, which would be kind of crazy, but it definitely is on the table right now. I think there's some edge rushers that are exciting. You know, the Dallas Turner from Alabama. The kid from Penn State, Chop Robinson. I think the Latu kid, Latu from UCLA, he's gifted. He's a big, strong kid that can play on either side.

He can play with his hand down. He can stand up. He can drop. He's an athletic kid. I like him a lot. Verse from Florida State. I think any of those guys are worthy of talking about the linebacker from what, A&M, is it Cooper? Yeah.

Boy, is he fun to watch on tape. And the two corners that I really like are Turrey and Arnold from Alabama. And a kid that I don't think people are talking enough about is a Lasseter kid from Georgia. I mean, I think he was my, he and Arnold were my two top rated corners. And I'm seeing a lot of second round grades on him. And I just, I think he's a better player than that. What do you think the keys are? One more question.

At corner now. living it day to day like you did, is that, I've always thought the top end speed. It's hard to be a slow corner. Obviously, you can get away with it a little bit in certain type defenses, but still, you're going to get put in position. The level of talent at wide receiver in the NFL right now has to be top of the bottom, never been deeper. It's hard to kind of hide when you're a high, four, five, low four, six guy.

Is that a make or break number for you that you need to, I mean, have some speed at a certain number cut off, you're not touching? I try not to get too heavy on the cutoff on the numbers. I want to know what they ran. More importantly, I think in today's world, a back shoulder throws is, can a corner find a ball with his back to the quarterback? And the other thing is, I think you've got to be cognizant of what your defensive coaches are asking your corners to do.

You know, are you a single high team playing off and mostly zone concept, cover one, cover three? Or are you going to be a press team? Or are you going to do a little bit of both? And I think once you answer all those questions and you know what your defensive coaches are looking for, the fit is the most important thing. I mean, I've played with some corners that are 4-5-5 that just have a great feel for the game. and they don't look 4-5-5. But the hardest thing to find I always thought is

when the corner's back is turned, you're a pressed corner and you're running with the receiver and it can either be a go, a fade, or a comeback back shoulder, all the advantages go to the wide out and the quarterback. Can you find the football, whether it's a deep throw or on the back shoulder? And a lot of these guys,

no matter how gifted they are, they can't find it. And if you can't find it, ultimately you're going to get exposed. Yeah, I've always thought instincts or an attribute. You can't quantify, but in a lot of positions, you either have it or you don't. It separates the men from the boys at the highest level. Well, Mike, what times your tea time tomorrow? Probably 9 a.m., John. 9 a.m. Well, enjoy.

I cannot thank you enough for doing this. and, you know, respect the hell out of you and enjoy this next couple weeks leading up to the draft and have a great summer. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

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

I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Clever Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement

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

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

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

Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam Jett. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack.

So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. 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.

I got to do somewhat of a 180 because the first year I was really hard on this guy. And I had heard really good things. Obviously, knowing the guys from Kansas City, everyone really liked Ryan Poles. Just high-level guy had a front-row seat and been a big part of everything the chiefs did in their personnel department. But people just really liked them. And I always heard like humble kind of low-key guy. And then his first introduction as the Bears GM, he said something that I was like, oh, my God. He said basically, we're going to take back the north.

Then within his first year, he's trading for Chase Claypool. I think if he could, he would walk back the statement of the state of, the North and obviously the trade of Chase Claypool. Now, I give anyone a little bit of leeway early on a job. I don't care what you do. You're going to make mistakes. You're going to have things you would like to take back. And as a GM, in a very public job, we get to see all those mistakes and warts.

In my, there are things I'd like to take back that no one will ever know. Just like if you're listening. There are things when you started a company, when you first started working for somebody when whatever, when you first started dating someone, maybe your first marriage, a bad breakup, you would like to change, you don't get to do that. But for the most part, it's not public. Ryan Poles, the last, I would say, 12 to 18 months, has been one of the best GMs in the league. And every time I watch him talk, if you just watch him on McAfee, I went and watched his interview with the local press at the owner's meetings, you go, this guy's really, really

impressive. And this is the guy, the way he communicates, the way he carries himself, is the guy that I had heard about with the chiefs. And one thing he said at the owner's meetings, which I don't think a lot of teams do. And I think a lot of times in the NFL, scouts can feel like independent contractors. They're just out on the road, collecting all this information. They're kind of part of the draft meetings, but ultimately, they feel kind of irrelevant. the coach, the GM are going to do whatever they want to do. Thanks for collecting the information. We're paying you $150,000.

Keep on working, man. And you just feel like, and I know I used to feel like this, what am I even doing? Like, what's the point of all this? And Ryan Pohl said that when they get back, I don't know if their draft meeting start this week or next week, they're going to split their scouting staff into teams and basically argue what they should do with the ninth pick.

Some people are going to argue for offensive linemen, Some people can argue over wide receivers. Some people can argue over defensive players. And obviously trading back, they have a limited number of picks this year because of previous trades is an option. But I do think empowering the people you work with is very, very important. Because to get the most out of anybody, like money goes so far. Whether I pay you $50,000, whether I pay you $5 million.

If you don't feel like the work you're doing matters, you're not going to get the best out of that individual. And I don't think it's shocking that an offensive lineman, who let's face it, they're very team-oriented. Harbaugh, Jim did at the owner's meetings, went on this long kind of diatribe of the importance of the offensive lineman, right? No other position is dependent on everybody else quite like them. And they get no credit.

They really do. And if they fuck up, we all see it and crush them. But if they do well, no one really mentions them. It's like, yeah, they should have. And I think typically those guys, one, they've always made good coaches. But two, anyone who's ever met a college or an NFL offensive line, they're typically pretty smart guys. They're pretty well-rounded guys. And I've always had the theory of they get yelled at the most.

they're constantly getting yelled at by their coach. More than I would say any other position, offensive and defensive linemen, but specifically offensive linemen. And they are also tasked with the job of protecting the highest paid guy and the most important guy in the quarterback. So not shocking that Ryan Poles

understands the importance of inclusion with the staff. Now, I'm not saying this exercise of including these guys is going to lead to a better draft pick. But I do think it's very important. And I think if you, you never would because these guys can't go on record, but just went around the NFL

and talked to individual scouts on individual teams. A lot of them would say, yeah, I don't, I know my job is important. They need me to do what I'm doing. But sometimes I don't feel that important. and one thing specifically, like position coaches in the NFL, historic amount of money.

A wide receiver coach in the NFL makes $6,000, $700,000. Both coordinators making millions, D-line, O-line coaches make seven figures, tight-end coaches, I mean, random coaches are making $400,000 or $500,000. The pay scale for scouts is nowhere near that. I mean, there are a ton of scouts all over the NFL, especially the younger ones, making under $100,000. Yet their job is to accumulate this information on first and second and third round picks. But they're not compensated like coaches.

And it's a huge thing that scouts talk about a lot, that they feel underpaid. Most industries, I mean, listen, most of my friends do not work at sports. I'm not exactly in the media crew. Work in the private sector. I've been making a lot of money for a long time because you start at a much high higher rate. In scouts, you don't make anything to start with. And the same thing with coaches, but even a quality control coach, the lowest guy on the totem pole typically starts like $80,000. That's not the case. So including people in your operation to me always leads to a

healthier building, a place where people want to work. I stop watching the dynasty. I just think it's it kind of pisses me off the treatment of Belichick. Now they didn't really talk about this in the documentary, but I know it's true because I know a lot of people were... Belichick did not care

what any of the scouts thought. That's why a lot of scouts were pretty miserable there. Didn't pay well and he did not give a crap what you thought. Now, there was a benefit to working for the Patriots

over a 20 year span. You became a Super Bowl champion and when you interviewed to other places. I worked for Bill Belichick. I was a part of Super Bowl teams. I kind of have a piece of the secrets. I'm not talking coaches. I'm talking scouts. And a lot of them have gone on to other jobs and made a lot more money because of it. But he was not very inclusive at all. So props to Ryan Poles for getting that part of it. And I'm pretty excited to watch where the bears are going.

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 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. I'm like Clifford Taylor the fourth. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told,

and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok.

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

Each episode, we pick a here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day but just so y'all know I mean at this point

Mark this is the second episode where we've discussed crack so I'm starting to see that there's a through line We also have AIDS on the table right now so Thank you 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 podcast Okay, we had some breaking news on Wednesday morning. Thing with the NFL, I think this modern day, last three or four years, it has really upped its game in the constant drama, in the constant offseason moves. The personnel guys, high-level players flying team to team, at all hours of the night, at, you know, before free agency, after free agency, and through the draft, let's face it, is really amped up, which is fantastic for us to talk about football, because the drama brewing with Diggs now has been a couple years.

This is not out of left field. This is not like, I'm just going to pick a player. The Cowboys just traded C.D. Lamb. Seattle traded D.K. Medcalf. That would be, didn't see that one coming. this one not shocking because he's been on the trade block before. Now, I want to dive into the move. I think two things can be true.

One, this is a blow for the bills. I'm going to read you some stats. 127, 103, 108, 107, 8, 11, 108, 8, 11, 108. Those were his catches and his touchdowns the last four years on the Buffalo Bills. He has been a fantastic, productive player in a place, let's face it, they've been playing late into the season, not an easy place to play. It's freezing cold. I mean, the weather is a massive, massive factor.

And this guy's proven to be a high-level outdoor player, a high-level big game player. I know he dropped the ball in the playoff game against the Chiefs. But Dick's been fantastic. There's no way around it, even with the drama. And drama's been going on with star wide receivers for a lot. long career time. It's been going on with this player. Why do you think Minnesota moved on for him? He was good for Minnesota. I guess his last year was a little down, but the year before he had 102 catches. Now, they did one of the great win-win trades in recent memory. They traded him

straight up essentially for Justin Jefferson. It worked out for both parties. But this is, I'm not going to act like this isn't a blow to the bills. They just traded one of, I don't know, their second or third best player. Many would argue their second best player. Many would argue their second best player. But here's where I feel really, really confident is every single person, universally, whether you're a fan of football, whether you talk about football. I'm not talking about people in the league. I'm just talking about millions upon millions of people that are texting with their buddies right now. People like me that talk about football for a living, not me, but most of you, we'll go, oh, the bills, they're in trouble. They've cut half their roster. They just

traded digs down year for the bills. And listen, they might not be as good as they've been, but here's what I will not do. I will not pick against the bills to win the AFC East. I just won't. Why? Because I view them a little bit like an NBA team. When you have Luca, when you have I honest, when you have an elite player, and even if your team's a little questionable, I'm not betting against you until you lose. And when you lose, I'll tip my hat to the other team. Why? Because unless they play Patrick Mahomes, they have the best player on the field every single game, who plays the most important position. He's the second best quarterback in the NFL. I know Lamar Jackson has won multiple MVP's. I'm sorry, Josh Allen is better. No shade at Lamar.

He's the third best quarterback. Ask the Chiefs, I have. Andy Reid, Steve Spagnola, the players. Who scares them more? Who has given them? more trouble in the big games. It's Josh Allen. Now, they are going to have to figure this out on the fly. Look at a team a couple years ago that did that. Tyree Kill better player than Diggs, and they pivoted.

Now, they had Travis Kelsey, who's a first ballot hall of famer. But I also think your division matters. If you told me the bills played in the AFC North, I'd be like, I don't know if their roster's good enough. If Burroughs healthy, obviously the Ravens, if the Steelers ever get competent quarterback play, the Brown's roster is still pretty good, even though Deshawn Watson's a major question mark.

He'd be like, that's really hard. I think it's going to be a struggle. They play in the AFC East. I'm sorry, I think the Patriots are borderline laughing stock right now. I really do. Starts with ownership. Robert Kraft, a legend when he had Belichick, but everything that's transpired since,

I'm short in that organization in the short term. I just am. The roster stinks. they have a first-time head coach who's only been coaching a couple years the transition to taking over for a legend and I know the team's been down a little bit but I'm sorry

I think the Patriots are not going to be very good I think the Dolphins to me this is a blinking neon sign of like hey let's take a deep breath we're not going to extend to a if we can't win the division this year with this guy

he's not worth $200 million we can't do it we know he's not as good as Josh Allen. We know he's not as good as Patrick Mahomes. We know he's not as good as Lamar Jackson. And he never will be. It's impossible. He does not have the physical capability. You could argue he's been solid, which he has. He's been better than I thought he would be as a pro. But I've seen him in the big games. We saw it last year with it all in the line. And he kind of crumbled like a cookie. There's no way around it. So under no circumstances,

do I think as long as you got Tua and they got Josh Allen, whether they got me or they got you playing for them, am I going to take Tua over a Josh Allen-led team? It's not going to happen. Who has been consistently winning, who still has a lot of guys who have played on these teams the last couple years. I'm not doing it. I'm sorry. It's not going to happen.

And the Jets, who in theory have a roster full of high-priced, former pro bowlers, bright lights, high picks. all these guys have long injury histories, the older players. I mean, the linchpin of the whole operation, the quarterback, is 40 years old coming off an Achilles injury. Their coaching staff, we have no clue if it's any good. And I'm talking about their head coach. I know their offensive coordinator isn't good.

Now, he could be mass if Rogers is an elite player, but he hasn't been an elite player in a couple years. Even before the injury, it was kind of questionable. And now he's coming off a major injury, even if it's a major injury, even if it's not as catastrophic as it once was 10, 15, 20, 30 years ago. He's 40 years old. And we have recent examples of older guys not named Tom Brady falling off a cliff. So I can't, in good conscious, pick the Jets. I'm still picking the bills to win this division, even if they have a lot of question marks with their offensive skill guys. And they're clearly probably going to be

in the mix to draft a wide receiver in the first round. Luckily, really good wide receiver class, really good. So I think when you look at the overreaction from the bills, they're screwed. They're done. Well, they have a team that's dominated the last four years in the regular season, won this division four straight years. And like I said, have the second best quarterback in the NFL, has a guy in the playoffs who is fantastic, let alone just big regular season games.

when everyone's going to go left, I'm sorry, I'm going right. You're going to pick the Miami Dolphins and Tua to win this. They had it mapped out the last two years and could not get it done. And a large reason was his average play down the stretch. He can't play outside. He cannot play in the cold weather. The Chiefs who played in one of the coldest games of all time in that first round playoff game, when they woke up that morning and saw the weather,

they knew, even if they didn't have a great game, the other team had no shot. They didn't have a snowball's chance in hell to beat them. And it played out that way. So the Patriots, even if things go well, they're going to have a rookie quarterback. So I just, I think the overreaction of the bills is going to be predictable,

but I'm not buying it. I'm really not. And on the flip side with the Houston Texans, this just shows you, man. Like, David Cully and Lovie's Smith kind of crawled through the sewer and the shit like Andy Dufrein to get out for D'Amico and C.J. Stroud. And now they're in a position where they have a quarterback who just had one of, if not the best rookie season by some metrics he did, who clearly, the eye test statistically,

every metric just looks like a star. Now, part of being a star is doing it over and over. so he's going to have to prove that now everyone's gun informed that he can do it. I don't see how you would bet against it till proven otherwise. D'emiko has been a rocket ship since he was a player. Anyone who spent any time around D'Amico as a player knew this guy was special. Not shocking that he's gone on to be an elite position coach, one of the best coordinators we've seen in recent memory, and then a star head coach.

And now they have a roster that's, really good. And I've always said this about the Cowboys. Players want to live in Texas. It has no state income tax. A lot of guys in the league are from Southern states. The problem, the Cowboys, who are the brightest lights team, I'm not saying the results. I'm just saying the brand, the power, the money that comes with it, never have any free agency money. Rarely do big things in free agency because they're paying their own players a lot of money, including the quarterback. Well, because a lot of the Texans better players are on rookie deals, what happened this offseason? They got really, really aggressive, really aggressive. And everyone's going to pick

them, rightfully so, to win this division. And if things come together, I don't think it's out of the realm possibility that they could compete with the Chiefs and the Ravens. So this is a team that the trajectory is pointing right at the moon right now. And the only question is, how do you handle it? Because last year, they got to sneak up on a lot of people, like the Lions a couple years ago. Even the Lions a little bit this year. In 2024, no one's sleeping on those teams. Everybody is taking them seriously.

You're getting every team's best shot. And when you win your division, you get a harder schedule. than when you've been shitty. But this is why, Casario, I mean, last year when they moved up to get Will Anderson, they get a guy who's a dog. I mean, who's a badass. Might never be Miles Garrett or Nick Bosa,

but he's a guy that you can go to war with. He's wired the right way. Same thing with C.J. Stroud. Same thing with Tank Dell. Now, Diggs is a little bit of a question mark in terms of he can be a lot. So, but you take, you have to take some of these flyers. And Casario, who is with Bill for a long time, what did New England do?

They built their core of guys, high character, never had to worry about all ball, 24-7, no drama, and then occasionally they drop in a guy. And it would work because what are you going to do? Either shape in or shape out. Now, they got, I would say, relatively bold. They gave a second round pick in 2025, which is equivalent of a third round pick, right, this upcoming draft, time value money, right? A pick later is not worth the same as a pick now. And they basically traded a second round pick for digs and a couple late round picks, but totally understand why they did it. To get a more explosive offense, to go with some of their younger wide receivers, to go with their young quarterback, and because they have the cap flexibility, because their

players are on rookie deals. The power of a rookie deal isn't just, we got rookie deals. It's when you get high level players on rookie deals. I don't care if I have a quarterback on a rookie deal if he stinks or he's average. Having Mac Jones on a rookie deal, who cares? Not any good. Can he picket? Not any good, right? The power of Brock Purdy, he's the top three or four quarterback immediately in the NFC. By some metrics, he was the best. That's the power. And C.J. Stroud, immediately a top three or four quarterback at the AFC.

Second pick in the draft makes $7, $8 million instead of $40, $45 million. It gives you a lot of wiggle room. And this is why you bet on the coaching staff, on the players that you draft that are just high-level dues. So I'm telling you, everyone is going to bury the bills, not me. I'm just not doing it. I'm not saying I'm going to be right, but as long as you got Josh Allen in that division, I'm picking you to win it.

I just, until I'm proven wrong. And the Texans, it's just, you'd be a fool if you're not excited as a football fan to watch the squad play. I mean, they have not only got more physical, but adding this explosive playmaker to the group that they already had to that quarterback, feels like sky's the limit.

The other thing that they have to go, like their division. they're going up against the Colts who have a team full of like just solid guys and a quarterback that we know nothing about. Now they brought in Flacco and we've seen Shane Stuyken be a really good, you know, head coach slash play caller. So they're going to be a problem if the quarterback is solid. The Jags have a lot of question marks. The main one is Trevor Lawrence, any good?

And the Titans, who splurged a lot in free agency, but let's face it. Their biggest question mark is the question mark that you want to avoid at all cost. Do they have a quarterback? What's the deal? Can Will Levis play? Because if Will Levis can't play or is just average, like somewhere between 20 and 32, as a starting quarterback this year, they have no shot.

Period, point blank, end of story. They have no shot. I don't care how good Ridley is. I don't care how good Tony Pollard is. I don't care how awesome Ligerius Sneed is, who claims his knees just fine. So the Texans, now the heavy favorite to win that division again. And the bills, I'm telling you, just bet against them all you want.

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

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

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun,

thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Bo Your Mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.