The Herd with Colin Cowherd - 3 & Out - Caleb Williams update from rookie mini-camp, latest with Bo Nix, Bill Belichick on the ManningCast

Episode Date: May 13, 2024

John reacts to the Bears announcing at rookie mini-camp that Caleb Williams will be the Bears starter in week one and if that is the right decision or should they have made the rookie do a little work to earn it. John also dives in to the latest with Bo Nix, how Joe Burrow's surgery seemed to be a little more serious than originally thought and until he proves he's 100% it will be hard to believe it, and finally, the ManningCast has become must-watch TV again with Belichick joining during every first quarter. Lastly, John answers your questions in this episode's mailbag segment. 5:44 - Caleb Williams update 10:16 - The latest with Bo Nix 23:48 - Joe Burrow's surgery 26:27 - Bill Belichick joins the ManningCast 33:54 - Mailbag Follow John on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for the latest. Check out Gametime - the fastest growing ticketing app in the US, and the official ticketing app of 3 & Out and GoLow -  for tickets to all of your favorite NFL, NBA, NHL, NCAA teams. Concert and comedy show tickets, too. Go to Gametime now to create an account, download the app and use code JOHN for $20 off your first purchase. #Volume #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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What is going on, everybody? How are we doing, John Middilcoff, Three and Out podcast? Sitting around on Sunday, and I'm like, you know what? Let's fire a podcast. I watched a bunch of press conferences and was on the internet looking at football stuff. I'm like, I got some takes. So I want to talk about the rookie quarterbacks who were all on the field this weekend. The Bears named Justin Field Starder.

Some thoughts on Bo Nix. I want to dive into Bo Nix. Some information about Joe Burroughs surgery. It's not as seamless as I think I assumed. And then Belichick will be on every Monday night football game with Peyton Eli in the first quarter, according to Peyton Manning. So we'll talk a little football as well as the Middokoff mailbag. At John Middlecoff. At John Middlecough is the Instagram.

Fire in those DMs and get your questions answered here on the show. We do it every podcast, basically. so we'll do a little mailbag and yeah you guys know the drill you listen on Collins feed subscribe to the three and out feed YouTube everything's up on the YouTube page and we're rocking and rolling baby

OTAs I think officially about to start this week I don't know if every team's on the field but every team starts veterans rookies are all together and we'll spend the next I don't know month 40 plus days talking some ball as things happen at those

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last-minute tickets, lowest prices guaranteed. So let's dive into the rookie quarterbacks. A lot going on. First and foremost on Friday, I originally thought it was a pretty big deal. Like I was going to give Iber Fluse a lot of credit when they just go, have you talked to Caleb Williams,

how this process, the competition of training camp, starting quarterback? Is he the starting quarterback? Have you told him he's a starting quarterback? He's like, no, he's the starting quarterback. I don't need to tell him that. And I was like, you know, that's the way to handle it. Because one of my things always with some of these coaches,

especially defensive guys, like, compete, we got to earn it in practice. And then I just typed in right before I hopped on. I'm like, do they even have like an older veteran on the roster? You know, like a flaco, a Marriota, just some of those names that are around the league. They do not. I mean, they got like Tyson Badgett and Rippin. So it was an easy one for him.

But I do appreciate just there's no competition. There's no, you know, we'll just start it out. We'll see where he's at mentally. Like, no, he's a starting quarterback. I don't care of John Middlecops the backup. I don't care of Joe Montana. 60 years old is the backup. Regardless who's on the roster,

Caleb Williams starter immediately when everyone gets together on Monday morning. Obviously at rookie minicamp and starting the first day, we're all on the field together sometime this next week or two. So the Bears, and this is the thing, the Packers have had a huge advantage

in that division for 30 years. They have easily been the best run organization in the NFC North, right? The Bears have been very up and down with just their organizational structure. The Lions, for the most part, have been a disaster. Let's face it, I mean, all Lions fans know, these last couple years is so cool

because it's never felt like this. It's like, we got real coaches, we got real players, we got a real plan. Wait, are we the Detroit Lions? Are we the Pittsburgh Steelers? And Minnesota's definitely had their moments of being well-run, but they've also seen some weird times as well.

The Packers have been set the standard for consistency, and now it feels like, and this is why so many people are high on that division, is because a bunch of teams are well run. Now, that's why you play the games on the field, but, you know, the Bears, Iber Fluse with his new look, easy, this guys are starting quarterback.

I would have actually thinking about it. A little shock that they didn't sniff around, I don't know that $5 million mark for just a veteran backup. Just basic principles of what it's like to be in the NFL. Like this is usually what we do. This is how we handled it. Even a flacco type, right? This is how I prepare.

This is what time I get up. This is what I like to do. Instead of just Caleb looks around as he's Tyson Badgett. But I like where the bears are headed. And honestly, it's, you know, the schedule's coming. out this week. I think Bears Packers should be either Sunday or Monday night football. Obviously, the Chiefs play on Thursday night. There was a rumor floating around that it's Chiefs Ravens. Personally, I would go Chiefs Chargers. I would go Chiefs Chargers. Jim Harbaugh's first game

Chargers. To me, they did that a couple years ago. If you remember, Amazon's first game was Chiefs Chargers, and that was with Brandon Staley, and it was fantastic. I would go Chiefs Chargers. But if they go Chiefs Ravens, I can't complete. lane, and I would go some route of either Niners Cowboys, Sunday night, or Monday night, and Packers Bears. Now, maybe they'll want to mix in an AFC team. You could go a little curveball if you went Packers, Bears, Monday Night Football. That would be a Monday Night Football game.

Packers, Bears. You could go Niners Jets, I think would be pretty good Aaron Rogers game, but I think Niners Cowboys forever. They loved going in some, you know, rotation. Cowboys at Giants or Giants at Cowboys, but the Giants have basically sucked for, you know, eight, nine years beside two years ago when they won nine games. But the Cowboys are a no-brainer to get an enormous number,

and the Niners are top two or three when they're good, rating team in the NFL, so that's probably what they end up doing. But I do hope that Packers Bears, I think Monday night, how badass that Caleb's first game, all the Jordan Love hype, that would be sweet. I do hope they go Harbaugh, but it does feel. like they're going to go Ravens. All we've ever talked about when it comes to young quarterbacks is, you know, guys that get highly drafted. And I would include second round

players. Where do you get drafted? What is your landing spot? Right? What type team do you go to? And for the most part, guys that get drafted high, as we all know, get drafted to such bad teams. If I hire you out of wherever you went to college at 22, 23 years old, and I put you in a company that is an absolute disaster, you individually probably will not have that much success. 99% of people cannot rise above dysfunction when they're young. I know I couldn't, and I know most people I've ever met could not as well. But when you get to go to just a normal company,

let alone a high-functioning one, you are going to be put in position to succeed. And then as time goes, it weeds out the halves and halves not. but I know for my own experience, I got to go to Fresno State right after I graduated from Cal Poly. Pat Hill, who had been there for a long time, the program was successful. It was an incredible landing spot. I got very, very lucky. I had a lot of friends that graduated.

And, you know, when we graduated in like the 08 range, a lot of these companies in the Bay Area were really taken off. And it was an Oracle, Facebook, you know, Apple had been around for a long time, but was going to a another stratosphere. And if you got in right there, a lot of them had a lot of financial success. It was a good time. So, Bo Nix, I wouldn't say got shit on, but most people thought, that's crazy. You can't draft Bo Nix there. So earlier today, I'm kind of bored, just kind of lounging around on Sunday. Grab the iPad, and I just typed in some basically cut-ups highlights of Bo Nix. And I've watched him play the last couple of years because I'm a pack 12 homer and that conference no longer exists. You know who he kind of reminded me of watching them play a lot of?

And I thought these two guys were very similar players in college. Derek's got a better arm, but Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppola. And both those guys who were drafted in the second round went on relative to where they were drafted to have a ton of success and make a ton of money. Now, Derek's career has been up and down, but I had a front row seat in the organization that he had to play in for a long time. And I'm not defending. I'm not acting like if he would have gone to the Pittsburgh Steelers or Andy Reid, he would have been some top five quarterback. But I think his career looks a lot different if he doesn't go to one of the more chaotic places for eight, nine years than the place he went to in the Raiders. And he was still relatively pretty good. Jimmy Garoppel is a good example of a guy.

Now, he went later in the second round than Derek. Where'd he get to go? Well, he immediately gets to go sit in a room with Tom Brady for three and a half years, be coached by Josh McDaniels, who's terrible head coach, damn good offensive coordinator, and be around Bill Belichick. And then when he gets traded, Belichick trades him to Kyle Shanahan.

And his career on the field in terms of wins and losses has a lot of success. And I watch Bow Nix. I'm like, I see a lot of those guys similar size similar movement, both those guys were better athletes when they were younger, and pretty accurate. Now, I wouldn't say he has the most explosive arm in the draft, but watch him like, he's got a pretty good arm, throws pretty well on the run. And then it came up on my YouTube page, Sean Payton talking like, yeah, he was, we're very,

very excited to have him here. And all we've hammered home over the years is like, where you go to really matters. Patrick Mahomes, obviously, is one of the best players. we've ever seen, but we all agree he really benefited from going to Andy Reed. And just a lot of recent quarterbacks that got drafted. Like when Josh Allen and the bills took a chance on him, their offensive coordinator was Brian Dayball and obviously was very, very important in the growth of him as a player. Jared Goff was an absolute laughing stock his first year.

I mean, some people thought, like, is this even an NFL player? Jeff Fisher gets fired, Sean McVeigh comes in, and the rest is history. There was a little bump in the road at the end of his LA time, but he's gone on to have a very, very successful career. So I watched Bo Nix and any Oregon fan, and there's a lot of them out there go, I mean, last year his statistics were insane. The knock on him is a lot of bubble screens and stuff.

Okay, just remove those. Can he throw on the run? Can he be accurate down the field? Can he understand the offense? Well, Sean Payton believes he can. And here's the other thing. We know Sean Payton is also the offensive coordinator. So did he get quote,

on quote unquote, over drafted in history of the league, does a guy like him usually go 14? No, but if you did redrafts, which has never happened in the history of mankind, but if there ever were, guys like Jimmy Garoppel, Derek Carr, Kirk Cousins would obviously not have gone where they went. They would have gone a lot higher in their drafts.

They all would have gone in the top 15. Maybe not one overall, but they ain't going 25th. So if you can look at it like that The cost of quarterback inflation is what it is We see it every day in our lives The cost of everything we do is a lot more It's still if you need a car If you need a home like these things are the price

So we know it's well established now If there is a quarterback that has any talent And has any success in college At a bigger program and has any hype Like he's not lasting to pick 50 anymore Those days are done they're over. No matter how many of these guys like Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Mack Jones, and Justin Fields,

flame out and get moved on for fourth and six round picks. Don't get their fifth round option picked up. It didn't impact this class one iota. But if you're Sean Payton and you go, God, I see a lot of similarities in those guys who I would have loved to have as we transition off Drew Brees because I think I can win with that guy. And I've always been a huge fan of the draft.

from the marketplace standpoint, like you don't need to draft that guy right there. You could have got him two rounds later. But I hear a lot in the draft like, you know, this guy was probably more of a second round pick. Well, they drafted him at pick 31. I'll just use an example because the Niners took a lot of criticism for Ricky Pryorstall.

No clue how this guy's going to be in the NFL. I would say Kyle has a pretty good track record recently of drafting wide receivers and knows exactly what he wants. Most people would say that's pretty rich. you know, he's a top 50 player, but pick 31. Well, they don't pick again. They'll pick 64.

So they don't have that if they like them, and there's no one else in the group that they feel comfortable with, if he's their highest graded player, why not take him? Now, when you take a guy like, God, and this is what happened to Belichick at the end of his run, like, God, he just took a guy in the second round that we had fifth round grades on. Like, that's insane.

When you do stuff like that, I push back. but when it comes to Bo Nix if you view him anywhere in the world of Jimmy Garoppel or Derek Carr it's an easy pick that has nothing to do with how it's going to look I'm just talking about the value

the guy and I think his skill set actually is better than he gets credit for at least the way and part of it is you get you know there's so much air taken out of the room when we talked about Caleb rightfully so one of the bigger name prospects I would say of my life

I mean, seriously. I would say Andrew Luck's probably the most hype prospect of my life. You know, Peyton Manning, I was in like junior high. I don't quite remember. But obviously he was a highly touted. Everyone was talking about him. But part of that draft was like Peyton Manning Ryan Leaf. I would say Matt Stafford, Cam Newton, those guys were really highly touted in

Trevor Lawrence. And I would put Caleb right in the mix right behind Andrew Luck. In terms of hype, in terms of no-brainer, in terms of, of would have been the number one pick in the draft for multiple years. Had he not, you know, Andrew returned to school. Caleb didn't have an option. If Caleb could have come out last year, he would have, and he would have been the top pick.

So I just think that, I just wonder if Bo Nix is going to be a lot better than people think, just because I think he's going to be able to function in that offense, and if he's more talented than people realize. Now, is their team good enough? Is the talent just on the roster good enough for the team to be competitive? There are a lot of unanswered questions, but here's the one thing I know.

The head coach is also the play caller, and for a long period of time, before everyone has been shitting on him, and he deserved it last year. I mean, early on in the season, like, what's going on? Part of it, by the end, it's Russell Wilson. I defended him for the way he got real Russell Wilson.

You don't like the guy, what's the point of keeping him? You didn't sign a contract, get him out of the building, especially when he's kind of a weirdo. But that's something to keep an eye on. It really is. And I love when videos go viral. This one I just saw on the internet was side-by-side, of Drake May throwing a football,

both of them throwing like a deep, basically a guy down the seam and Jaden Daniels throwing the football. And the ball is down the field with Jaden Daniels before it's out of Drake May's hands. And we talked a lot about this with Drake May situation. Like Brian Dayball was interested,

Kevin O'Connell was interested. It was a project. And part of dealing with a project is fixing them. and there's a lot to work with. The measurables, the character, everything. But like, you got to attempt to fix some stuff. And it's very, very hard.

I love golf. And I played Friday and Saturday. And I got a lesson probably two months ago and I've been working on some things. But I would say the majority of my shots are muscle memory and it resorts back. Any human being that has played any sport that tries to change something that is different from what they inherently do, it can be a very big challenge.

So I'm fascinated. I don't blame them for picking them, especially, and I said, if you're telling me, Dayball wanted them and Kevin O'Connell wanted them, probably, and they've even said this. Like, we knew the team's interested, it actually just, you know,

hammered home and reiterated our fascination or intrigue and just love of this player. But for now that the, players on your team for him to be good, you got to fix him or at least change him. And it's going to be very, very interesting because Alex Van Pelt was just running out of Cleveland. Now, was that because Deshaun Watson wanted him out? I don't know. He's a former quarterback. You know, Gerard Mayo. I'm sorry, as of right now, I don't consider he knows anything about offense.

How could he? He's been coaching for five years, and he was a linebacker. And let's face it, most defensive guys can be hard-headed when it comes to the offense, but I don't think Chirot Mell could just stand next to him and coach him up. So it's going to be a challenge. Getting rid of the ball and accuracy, like that was a downfall of Sam Darnold. He's got a loopier release, and he has a big arm, and accuracy can be a problem.

Just from the size standpoint, movement standpoint, and arm strength standpoint, Sam Donald has it all. But that loopy release gives that extra step to the D.B. And the accuracy's a little off. It's something that you've got to try to fix. And I watched Darnal last. he never really fixed it. Now it doesn't mean

he hasn't improved with his decision making, but it's interesting to see. I like projects. I'm pro taking big swings. But now you've got to figure it out. Now it's on the coaches. 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, 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

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 yeah, yeah, yeah. But just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting

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

There was an article that came out on Friday that, you know, he got the wrist surgery last year. and when I think of ACL or Achilles surgeries, and I think most of us do, I think we just assume, yeah, he's going to be fine. Eventually, like the timetables change, depending on who you are. You know, it could be eight months,

could be nine months. If you're Aaron Rogers, could be two months, whatever. But you're going to come back fully, like, healthy. Now, depending on your age, like I don't expect Rogers to be as mobile as he was when he was 30 years old. Same thing with cousins,

who's never been that mobile and who's getting older. But when you're a younger player in his 20s, like Joe Burrell, when I see surgery, he had surgery, he's going to be fine. I just assume 100% over time, right? And this article said,

actually, most surgeries, right, on ACLs, Achilles, elbows, whatever, have a 90 to 95% success ring. This specific surgery, surgery is actually 70 to 75%. What? This doctor also said that it is basically impossible to not avoid inflammation in your wrist

when you are using it, especially with a guy like Joe Burrow, who's just, there's no way to get around it. I mean, you use it every time you throw. And the key is the moment you feel it, like you've got to be very, very cautious. And I said this, I've said this multiple times. When that guy's on, he is as dominant as anybody. And he's the only really active player, because Brady's gone, to take Patrick Mahomes down in the playoffs. And, you know, obviously, we've seen his good at LSU and in the pros.

The guy's a fucking star. But there is no debating these injuries. And listen, maybe this doesn't crop up. But, like, I don't think these stats just come out of nowhere. I guess it's just pretty alarming. So it's something that just Anytime he's moving that thing around Or misses a practice

I think until we're proven otherwise It's fair to be a little concerned Which sucks I love watching the guy play He's one of my favorite players in the league That that team is a very enjoyable team to play Just the way You know they fling it around

They throw bombs They're a really really fun offense When he's on the field So I'm not I'm rooting for him to be 100% healthy And there's never to be an issue again But I don't know You read things like that

get a little scared. And last but not least, the moment Bill Belichick couldn't get a job, like Julian Edelman said, Foxborough High wouldn't even hire you, even though I think if Bill was interested, Foxborough High might have interest, but was to get on Thursday night football,

Amazon Prime, or Monday night football, which was impossible because of Joe and Troy. So basically your only option was, could you get in the booth for Thursday night football? Kirk Herb Street, college guy, one of the best college guys of all time. I don't love them in the NFL,

and part of it, him and Al have weird chemistry. It's just not a great broadcast. As someone who's been watching sports broadcast that I can remember for 35 plus years, I think we all agree. It's one of the rougher ones. It feels more like a lower-level Sunday game at 10 o'clock in the morning Pacific Standard Time

than it does one of the marquee games. When you turn on Sunday night football and you get Toriko and Collinsworth, like they just have really good chemistry. Just like Al Michaels and Collinsworth had really good chemistry. Joe Buck and Troy Eichmann have really good chemistry. There's his clunky. And part of it is like Kirk is in a weird way, an outsider.

And if you just remove Herb Street, put Belichick, it would be an incredible way to change the perception because there are two games a week that every owner in the league beside the two playing in the game, watch. That is Thursday and Monday night football. Well, that didn't happen. And I was like, God, I hope Bill doesn't do some like, pregame show or do something stupid.

Those are so dumb. You don't even get anything out of that. Plus, especially on Sundays, most of these owners don't watch any of that stuff. Because his perception is bad. Now, I do think the roast helped change it. I wonder if the roast was like a pivotal moment for society

when it's just like, yeah, we just say whatever we want again. Let's just let it rip. If those guys are doing it, like, it's one of the most refreshing events I've seen in a long time. It felt like a moment. It really did. Prop to Tom Brady for doing that. I know we got paid a lot of money,

but I can't imagine many people of his status would have pulled the trigger on that. Maybe he just really hates his ex-wife, but it was announced, I think, on Friday with Peyton Manning that Bill Belichick will be on every first quarter of the Manning cast. And for the first time, like most people, the Manning cast, when it first started, really cool. It was awesome. Well, the moment they hired Joe and Troy, I just started watching the

broadcast. I was like, I love Peyton and Eli, and I like hanging out with them, but they have weird guests on Zoom. And it just, I don't really care, like, what Kevin Hart's saying during the Eagle game. Like, I just want to watch the game. I do think getting Bill Belichick on the first quarter would get me, like, get me to change the channel. And I do think it'll get the owners to change the channel. Because one thing he showed at the roast and he showed at McAfee with the draft, I saw some of the clips. And this is like most people you follow like on Instagram, right, or Twitter or any of your social media channels, you're going to have a perception, you're going to think something about them, especially any famous person.

That's like, that's like fake. It's like reality television on on social media. If you, in hell, you might follow some people you hate. I do it. It's sick, I know, but I definitely follow some people I hate. I bet if you met them, they might be nothing like their online persona. And hell, you might like them. And I think most people assume, oh, Belichick, crumudgeon asshole. Tough to, dick, miserable, just not fun. And I wonder if he can loosen up because he's going to go on McAfee during the day, on Monday,

which his clips, especially if he lets it loose on a team or a coach, will definitely go viral and that will be passed around the NFL world fast. And I think him with Peyton and Eli could be very, very beneficial to his career. Because he's no lock to get a job next year. I know everyone thinks it, but I don't know. You talk about a 74-year-old guy, some of these teams that we think are going to suck. What if they don't? Some of these teams that are going to inevitably fire coaches, what if their teams just terrible?

And he's like, I'm not even interested in doing them. that. Maybe he would be so desperate. But I do think this will go a long, long way of just the owners that had, let's face it, I mean, he got one interview, one team interviewed him. Pretty sure they were like six or seven openings. And I think this could help change it. And I'm interested to watch. Like I said, I didn't go to Peyton and Eli at all last year. And not because I don't like them. I would say universally, most people enjoy Peyton and Eli on TV, BS and about football. It's fun. And part of it is I do this for a job. I kind of, I like locking in, and Joe and Troy are good. I mean, I know Joe Buck on the internet, everyone thinks he sucks.

Like, yeah, he's actually really good. Probably one of the all-time greats. And Troy's kind of my style. You know, he's kind of a dying breed of a guy that will just rip people. You know, that was an awful call by the offensive coordinator. You watch some of these broadcasts. Everyone's just the greatest. It's like, God, that's not what we're thinking. When we're sitting on our couch watching this game, We just saw him, you know, run a quarterback sneak on 3rd and 8. But I do think he's going to get a lot of traffic, especially in that first quarter. If I was Joe and Troy, I'd be like, what is? Now, both of them got enormous amounts of money.

I mean, I think Troy signed for a buck 50 and buck signed for like $80 million. But I wouldn't love that because it's going to make some people change the channel. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. call it grotesque, others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes

for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying.

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

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

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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 a little camp?

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 on day, but just so you all right. Yeah, yeah. Literally. But just so you all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see

there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really? Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years

for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, Middilkoff mailbag. Add John Middlecoff is the Instagram. You guys probably have Instagram. So just fire in my DMs. Add John Middlecoff, two Fs, DMs wide open. For the pod. I'm curious as to what you think was going through Rahim Morris's mind to take Pennix at 8. He hasn't proved himself as a head coach and he took a very capable quarterback.

I think he means cousins. So he basically set himself up for a bidding war amongst fans in the owner of the team. I would understand if Blank wanted him, but it's like he set himself up for failure. You know the most underrated part about this entire story has not been that they fell in love with them the last month and a half, that Cousins was shell-shocked, how much money they gave Cousins, all this stuff. It's just simply that this guy in his first year and a GM that has, has had three seven-win seasons. His 21 wins in three years. Set up their locker room for weirdness because you have to factor in that cousins, at least I haven't read, while he might be ready for week one, he is not going to be participating on the field in full-speed drills for

OTAs. So Pennix is. This is not some young team or some veteran team that is like, hey, listen, We wanted cousins, young guy. This is a bunch of young guys. Bejohn and Robinson second year. Drake London, a couple years in the league. Kyle Pitts, just got his fifth year option picked up. These are young, impressionable people on offense that are going to be getting the ball with, you know, on the field, in the huddle, practicing with Michael Pennix for a month

and a half. Who think they're going to go out of dinner with? Cousins are Pennix. The locker room dynamics. I heard this about New England forever. One reason when they were winning all the Super Bowls and always drafting somewhere between like 28 and 32, while why Bill often traded out of the first round,

and even if they were higher than that, was because he never liked a rookie on these teams that are really good to come in making a decent amount of money that he didn't view as some like can't miss player. And obviously, he did draft some guys high, but I think you have to factor in the locker room dynamics. This is not an Excel spreadsheet. These aren't widgets.

So we can argue over the wasted money on Cousins, the wasted draft pick. Well, they did it. They got the two guys together. Well, one guy can't practice, and he's the guy making $45 million a year. He has no equity with the fans or the players. None.

Yeah, they saw Cousins be good in the league. But it's 2024 now. And he's in the training room. And this kid, who has been in college for five years, ready-made starter. Now, I don't know if he's going to be good or not. I think he probably will. I like Michael Pennix as a lot as a prospect. My point is no one knows.

But they're going to see the kid slinging around. I heard someone, like Albert Breer told Rich Eisen that some people in that building because they came from L.A., right? Think there's like some Matt Stafford there. Well, if there's some Matt Stafford there, how the fuck a cousin's going to beat him out? and it just shows you like they, the coaches fell in love with them. The coaches fell in love with them. Because this pick doesn't happen without the coach.

This is not a GM pick. It's just not. You could have taken Spencer Rattler in the third round if you wanted to take a young quarterback. You would have taken a defensive player there. Oh, there wasn't a guy we had great enough. Just take the defensive tackle from Texas. No one's complaining.

I get the defensive lineman, the ends, but they easily could have taken the defensive tackle from Texas right there. And the moment they made this pick, it's weird. And the moment things get weird in locker rooms, there's usually no coming back from it. So I just, anyone comparing this to the Packers is the dumbest thing of all time. Jordan Love was, one, a complete project,

and two, he was going in, a quarterback room led by Aaron Rogers, who had multiple MVP's and was easily one of the best players in the league, even off a down year, had no chance to beat him out. The fans knew it, the players knew it, my mom knew it, we all knew it. That ain't here. Because I heard someone say this the other day, and it was like, God, that's kind of right. It's not like they're buying Peyton Manning in his prime. What does he really accomplished between, listen, Kirk has a solid player, but he's just a regular season player. You're not getting some like all time great.

You're getting one of the highest paid players of all time. But he's not exactly Mr. Accomplished when it comes to the resume in terms of like playoff victories, dominating performances on prime time games. I think the risk of all the human dynamics is nuts. I really do.

I think it's I think it's really, really high. Question for the mailbag. You have the best. podcast out there. Carlin, I like you, buddy. Teams are concerned about running quarterback sneaks because of injury risk. Why do more teams not put the backup

quarterback in these situations? Well, if you put the backup quarterback in those situations, the other team knows. Like, they 100% know what's coming. So I think that's, coaches just hate, you know, tells on their plays.

So you would never like, when you bring a certain guy in, if it was just like he's only running quarterback sneaks, that's why they would never do it. Were there ever any players in the NFL that you remember that had a fear of flying? Kind of like Madden in the bus? No.

Because it'd be impossible to play college football without flying. So think about the overwhelming majority of guys come from Power 5 schools. You got to fly. Hell, Cal Poly, they had to fly to play Montana or whatever. So you can't really play football at a high level in college or the pros and not fly. Found you last year in the middle of season. I haven't missed an episode since.

Mailbag. I watched The Eagles, this Grant. All Access 24 draft video on YouTube. I did as well. One thing I noticed was that a couple days before the draft, the Eagles had a red star meeting, where the scouts could put a star on a guy that they really like and bring him up to the rest of the group.

I don't know if you were part of those, but from your perspective, what's the point? Everyone brings up different players and says the same things about each player, tough, resilient, high football IQ, ETC. How much does Howie a GM take from this meeting? It's only two days before the draft, so how much of an impact can it have?

I feel like it's more for the scouts to feel like they're heard. I think it's more, I think a lot of teams, do versions of this. The point is, leading up to the draft, there is so much happening. So many names out there. Your board's huge. Your group has spent so much work on grading all those players on that draft board. It's basically to kind of get a little clarity in the room, right? Because there's so much noise. There's so much white noise. There's so many just shit

flying around. And if you're Howie, if you're a GM, it just gives you a chance to to hear like six, seven, ten names that you just know like if we're in position, because again, a lot of it's out of your control. And one of the names on there was Jeremiah Trotter. That's a bad example because he, he's an eagle guy. So it's like they would have been talking about him no matter what. But just any player that if they've been talking about hammered home and the scout hammered home in the Red Star and then it's the fourth round in how he's thinking, should we just take this guy or, you know, we were going to trade. But now instead of making a trade, let's just draft this player because we all liked him.

He came up in the Red Star meeting. But I agree. It's not like you couldn't quantify the power of that meeting. Is it necessary? Would their draft have looked the same without it? Because like you said, they've already talked about these players and people know they like them. I think it's just a hammer at home. It's just, it's like practice.

it's like did you really need that last rep on Friday afternoon? Did that? Was that the reason you won the game on Sunday? No, but it helped. So I think it's just repetition. Listen, Howie's making seven figures, but no one else in the room is.

And most of the guys are closer to 100 grand than 300. So it, and this is not like some nine to five job. This is a hundred hour a week job. So given the amount of people, even my girlfriend's friends who are just rushing it in business, rushing it. And I'm talking,

funny, whenever I read about pay for younger people, I mean, her friends are in their late 20s, early 30s. I mean, I was like, Jesus,

didn't sniff that type coin at the time. But they ain't working 70 hour weeks and they're doing it. Because, you know, you get in the right industry. at the right time, you're good at sales, whatever. Football, no matter what, it's like, it are long fucking days, long days,

nine, ten months a year. So for the equivalent of the work ethic, it's like, geez, you get out of it, you realize, God, that's not really adding up, but you've got to make those guys feel included. It's why the video that went viral of the Colts, I don't know if you saw it, but, one of their scout was just hammering this guy all spring long.

The DB from Auburn. I forget his name, but he just loved him. He loved him. He pushed him. He pushed him. Then in the fifth round, they looked up at the board, and Chris is like, screw it, we're taking him. So he calls the DB from Auburn,

and he looks back and all the scouts are in the room, and he calls up, I think the guy's name is Jamie, the scout. And he says, come up here. You're making the phone call. And part of it is like you've got to keep your people included if you're in a management position because it's easy to just feel like you're just an independent contractor. What's the point of this? I'm just evaluating guys to evaluate them.

No one actually cares what I think. Even if they don't actually care what you think, you're going to lose them and you'll build a bad culture. It's just business one-on-one. So I hear you with, does the overall impact of some of this stuff matter? matter. You know, it's hard to know the specific return on investment of all this crap. But I think it is very, very important to have people like they feel included in the process because it's very, very easy as a scout to just feel like you're not even part of the draft process. You're like, wait, I drove city to city, not making much money, eating subway sandwiches and powering down

Mountain Dew and had no life, didn't see my Beyonce, my family, my kids. I just grinded my balls off. And now we get to the draft meeting, which is the fun part why I did all the work. And now no one even cares what I think. That sucks. I mean, it really, really sucks. Think about whatever you're doing in any of your company. After a while, it's like, you spend a lot of time doing something. You want to feel like it has a purpose. like there was something behind it. And when it doesn't feel that way, so I think it's more for that,

like the kind of bringing the group together. I do think there's a tangible value just because you hammer home the names. You see some of these boards, even on some of these videos that are all blurred out. I mean, you can barely see. There are so many names up there. It's just easy to get, you know, kind of convoluted. You look at it.

You're like, did we like this guy? We like this guy? recently news broke that Adion Mitchell, Adonie Mitchell, Adonay Mitchell, I think I'm saying his name right, the wide receiver from Texas on the Colts, would be wearing number 10 to signify the 10 receivers that were taken before him in the draft. I'm a Colts fan, but can't help but think this is cringe and immature, especially coming from someone that dropped in the draft because of possible character issues. Is my thinking out of line, what do you think? My first The first reaction is I just don't care.

I don't think it matters. It would have been more unique when less guys, there was a small, small handful of guys playing receiver that didn't have a number in the 80s. But how many of the receivers now were 10 to 19, you know, that have numbers in the teens,

or I guess even single digits. So to me with the number change, it's like, you won't even notice. It's an easy thing to say once he gets good. I don't think it matters at all. And I don't think it's a reflection. Like, he might have worn 10 no matter what. Because the numbers on the team are already taken.

Yeah, I don't think it impacts. I can't make a judgment from a character standpoint because he wants to wear 10. I mean, kind of wide receivers in the league, we're 10. No. Why wouldn't the Steelers play Justin Fields at running back? Ravens put Lamar and Flacco on the field together, but they split Flacco wide, which was worthless. Haysam Hill had found a role as a second quarterback on the field and has even thrown passes. Is there a downside to having a guy back there that can run well and also throw like a semi-legic quarterback?

Seems like it could create a problem. Yeah, I mean, they're already talking about putting a kick returner. People laughed, but it's like Justin Fields would be a dynamic kick return. I saw Sean Peyton said, I don't think people realize how many explosive plays are going to come from this kickoff. Because there's not like a line of defense, right? When you're playing a defense, there are guys in the line of scrimmits, the defensive line. Linebackers backed off, you know, anywhere from three to six, seven yards.

And then you have multiple corners on the outside as well as safeties. The safety is essentially the kicker. And everyone's at the line five yards away from, you know, the people trying to block them. So if you reverse field and can make a guy miss or break a tackle, I think we are going to see countless touchdowns and definitely big plays. So Justin Fields has proven to be an incredible open field runner. Like, let's face it, he's got a big arm, but he's not accurate and doesn't play well from the pocket. So far, he hasn't been a good quarterback. Though I would like to see what Arthur Smith can do him. There is no one that argues,

open field ball in his hands. He's one of the more dynamic players in the league. Now, it's different catching the ball than just getting a snap to you. But yeah, I mean, I definitely would have, because Russell Wilson no longer, like the athletic element of his game is long gone. I think we're going to see,

especially if they think after training camp, like, you know, making this guy good quarterback's not necessarily possible. Why wouldn't you just utilize the skill set in his tournament, into a hybrid. I think it could happen fast. Like, Lamar proved really quickly that he could throw. And it's going to be harder for Fields.

If Russell's just the starter and he's not playing, you might as well want to use the player. But the problem is your backup quarterback, and then if Russell were to get hurt, you'd kind of be screwed. So it is a slippery slope because that's my thing with the bears. Like, what if Caleb got hurt? You're going to play with Tyson Badgett?

You do have to put some thought into the backup quarterback, because you're one just broken foot, broken finger, you know, just broken leg away from the quarterback, concussion, just a concussion. And then all of a sudden, like, that guy starts multiple games. So I hear you. Hopefully they do that. You think the internet would break

if Justin Fields returned a kick in the new kickoff rule and took it to the crib? That'd be badass. Appreciate everyone listening. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and Friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get. your podcasts. On The Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84 was big to me. I'm Sam Jay. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick a year, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. With our friends, fellow comedians, and favorite authors. Like Mark Lamont Hill on the 80s. 84 was a wild year.

It was a wild year. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Listen to Look Back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get. your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me.

Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifers Show. This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes,

creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Cliford Show on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcast, wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes,

follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. This is an IHeart podcast, Guaranteed Human.