The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 01/11/2019

Episode Date: January 11, 2019

Colin thinks that the difference between Tom Brady and Phillip Rivers is luck and in an NFL career that can be the difference.  He thinks Dak compares to another current NFL starting QB that most people dislike but should be more appreciative of.  Plus, Albert Breer of The MMQB explains some of the more controversial coaching hires in the NFL this week.  Presented by Perky Jerky. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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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.

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What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. you just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Mark keep coming to her. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs.

This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to the best of Heard podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday. From 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the herd at Fox SportsRadio.com

or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching herd. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowherg on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Friday. This is the herd. Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, we are live in Los Angeles, fired up for a Friday show. IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1, one hour from now our playoff,

Blazing 5, our official last blazing 5 of the year. We are packed today. Joy Taylor is joining me in a Friday. This is one of the last great Fridays of the year where you got four huge games. It's the last big football weekend until like next year. We got four massive games. Then it's down to two. Then it's down to one.

Exciting. This is a huge weekend. It's a huge weekend. I got a long story. I had to do some traveling last night. I want one sip of Red Bull before we start your show. Hold on. You're starting the morning with Red Bull?

It's delicious. Not great for your teeth, but delicious. That is aggressive. Okay. That is very aggressive moved by me. I want to start with this. I do not believe over the course of a 70, 80 year life luck plays any part in your life. I don't.

Even if you have a bad childhood, 18 years, you're out of the house. Your choices will dictate your life. Who do you marry? Who do you hang out with? What jobs you take? What jobs you turn down? If you had a bad childhood, are you willing to go into therapy? I don't think luck plays a part in life.

Good breaks, bad breaks. But the reason luck does not play part in people's lives over the course of 70 or 80 years is because you have 40 to 50 years to overcome childhood chaos if things are kind of messed up early. And nobody had a perfect childhood. You didn't. I didn't. Joy probably didn't. I know Goulay, Tui.

Those guys are crazy. Okay, nobody had a perfect life. But I don't think luck plays a part of your life when you have a 75, 80 year life. But what if your life was 14 years? That was it. Beginning to end. You would not have the time to overcome chaos, abuse, dysfunction. 12, 13, 14 years is the lifespan of an NFL franchise quarterback.

And therefore, luck plays a part in it. Bad ownership. Three coaches fired in four years. There's a lot of things you could not overcome. You simply don't have the time to overreact. overcome it. This weekend, Tom Brady, the luckiest quarterback of all time, will face Philip Rivers, the unluckiest great quarterback of all time. This is in no way to, in any way, dilute the greatness of Brady. He would have been great anywhere. But I doubt the greatest of all time if he'd not been

rather lucky. And this is not to say Philip Rivers would be the greatest of all time, but he'd have more playoff wins. In life, the shorter it is, the little bit more. The longer it is, less you can overcome. What if Tom was a charger and Philip was a patriot? Think about Tom's career. He is drafted by now, in arguably, the greatest football coach of all time. He lands with arguably the top owner in professional sports in America, Bob Kraft. he is drafted into a hyper-competitive, hyper-academic city.

The Boston Bruins, the Red Sox, the Patriots, the Celtics, all MIT, Harvard, all highly competitive. Sports matters in Boston, billionaires competing against other billionaires, to be smarter, more analytic-driven. It is not a coincidence. The Red Sox, the Bruins, the Patriots, the Celtics, all way, way above the curve on analytics. sports matters. Tom is drafted by the greatest coach, one of the smartest, most empirically powerful owners, and stable ownership groups,

in a sports city where everything matters, and, oh, by the way, gets to plan a division with three other dysfunctional teams, jets, bills, dolphins. Another break. The NFL in 2002 realigned divisions. Peyton Manning would have been in Tom Brady's division. He ended up in something now called the AFC South. Think that would have changed Tom Brady's career?

Let's now talk about Philip Rivers. Four head coaches. His first one fired after a year. The ownership, and I'll say this nicely, has been historically frugal. The city in San Diego, surfing is number one. When lose, nobody's losing sleep. You don't have the passion, the drive, the competitive, four different professional sports teams, four different billionaires, all trying to beat each other.

In a division with Denver, one of the better NFL franchises, and oh, by the way, Kansas City as well, perennially, they're in the playoffs, are close to it. And oh, by the way, Phillips having his best year. And true to form, his franchise moves to a city and plays in a soccer stadium. luck plays very little part if you live a long and extensive life. It doesn't. Don't blame mom and dad. If at 58 you're a mess, that's on you. You could have chosen therapy, a better partner, better friends, and better locations.

But over the course of a 14-year life, the span of an NFL quarterback, you simply would not have the time to overcome chaos and dysfunction. bitterness, family squabbles. Brady would have been great anyway, but he would not be the goat without a series of lucky breaks. And Philip Rivers would not be Brady, but would be much closer. Luck matters a great deal at quarterback in the National Football League. It won't define you, but it elevates or slightly erodes.

That is not arguable. All right, let me shift to this. The Dallas Cowboys against the Rams. It'll be on Fox. That's our network. We can't wait for it. It's going to be interesting. I think Dallas has better players.

I think Dallas and Zamari Cooper showed up is a much better team than the Rams who lost their best receiver Cooper Cup. There's been great debate this year. What is Dak Prescott? Troy Aikman was talking about Dak Prescott, and he believes like I do, he's a great. grown-up, limited perhaps, but he's a grown-up. Here's Troy on DAC. He's a great leader. He's everything you'd want him to be. Don't know that there's a more solid individual in the National

Football League. And then what he's done on the field, I think that he has shown an ability to win games late, and that's a quality not everybody has. And he's shown to have that even in games when he's not necessarily played his best. And I think that's the greatest quality. Okay, so I agree with that. But I'm going to give you. you a series of traits. Pretty mobile above average. Joy, that sounds like Dak, right? Wins a lot.

Arm is average at times a liability. Not a big risk taker. He's a very solid leader. Smart appears to be very coachable, great in front of the mic, and his best year had a great defense. That is not Dak Prescott. That's Alex Smith. And if I say, Dak, we've seen him before.

It's Alex Smith. You wince. You don't like to hear that. But can I remind you that Alex Smith has had eight straight winning seasons, has been a pro bowler three times, has three division titles and five playoff appearances. Cowboy fan, you would buy that in a New York minute if I offered that this morning. We have seen Dak. It's Alex Smith.

And he wins. And he gets to the Pro Bowl occasionally. Every couple years, he wins his division. He gets to the playoffs, about half of his career. That's Dak. And you don't like to hear that. Because what Alex Smith is isn't Super Bowls. He always comes up just a little shy in that big game.

And that's why with Dak, the most important element to this entire career, is going to be expectations. If you go in today knowing that you're going to have a guy who wins, maybe every third, fourth year gets to a Pro Bowl, he'll win you a division title every couple years. Half his career is going to get you in the playoffs in the competitive NFC. Then you're fine with Dak. But I don't think the Cowboys probably beat the Rams this weekend.

And much like Alex Smith, the season ends with frustration disappointment. Dak can't quite make the throwdown field. Dak can't quite stretch the field. Dak isn't quite willing to take the big risk. Anger and resentment comes from one thing. Expectations. Take a deep breath. Know what Dak is.

What Dak is is is very good. He's Alex Smith. If you expect more, you'll be very disappointed. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

SportsSlice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch.

Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're free? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person.

Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. It's your responsibility to not just seek help, but to identify that you need help. This is Mental Health Awareness Month.

Tune in to the podcast, Just Healed with Dr. Jay, and take real steps toward healing, growth, and becoming your best self. When you hear the word healing, what does that mean for you? What came right back to mine are the three P's that I live by. I'll go through the process of healing

so that patience, that perseverance and that prayer equals healing to me. From understanding your mental health to doing the work, we break down practical tools, real conversations and the mindset shifts you need to move forward and thrive. You matter too. Your mental health is your responsibility, not your wife, not your partner, not your children, not the church, not the pastor, not the council.

It's your responsibility. It's time to stop putting your healing on hold and start doing something about it. Listen to Just Here with Dr. Jade on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcast or wherever you get your podcast. What's up guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. podcast, The Clifford Show. I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clipper Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. There's always been this confusion. The audience thinks we're rooting for this, we're rooting for that, we're rooting for big market, we're rooting for small market. The highest red at NBA finals ever, I think, was Michael Jordan against the Utah Jazz. And everybody was predicting nobody'd watch because Utah is a small city. But it was a great story.

And it was Michael Jordan with 100 degree temperature. And the Utah Jazz with this pesky team that gave Jordan trouble. And there was all sorts of drama. ratings come from stories, not market size. Okay, that's the reality of it, is that Boston and the Patriots, this has been a dynasty. Alabama is a dynasty. It's not always big markets that control sports or get the ratings.

It's the best stories. So the Utah Jazz Michael Jordan Finals was the highest rated finals of all the time. Michael had played Barclay in the Suns. And you think that would be a huge rating because Bartley was a star. That was a little Utah Jazz. And so this weekend, if it was up to me that I was rooting for the best stories, because the best stories mean I'll get better ratings, the numbers inflate, more people watch our show, we can keep, build a bigger staff. We're rooting for the most interesting stuff to happen. So when you get up Monday morning, you're like, yeah, let's see what Joy and Colin have to say.

That's what we're rooting for. We're rooting for interesting. So let's go through all four games. What would be the most interesting outcome? Kansas City at Indianapolis. I believe the most interesting outcome is a shootout between the next Brady and Manning for the next 10 years, Patrick Mahomes and Andrew Luck are going to go toe to toe. And I want a shootout.

And I want Kansas City winning. And I want the MVP winning. And I want Andy Reid winning. And I think it's 3433. And this is Peyton Manning and Tom Brady early in their careers. Obviously Mahomes younger than Andrew Locke. But I want Mahomes to be flashy and no look passes and left-handed passes and be a contrast of styles that Mahomes comes out. He is Brett Farrb. He makes a real bonehead

interception. He makes some mistakes. But he has two or three unbelievable all-time highlight plays. Meanwhile, Andrew Luck is 28 for 34. He is workmanlike, a contrast of styles. He is boring, and he is leading them down the field, and the clock runs out. And Kansas City wins a wild shootout, and we have a sense when the game is over. Oh, my God. We're going to to see this a lot for the next decade. A Kansas City narrow win in a shootout gets everybody fired up. Because we know the chiefs are going to be around for a while. And we know the Colts with nine draft picks on top of this and $100 million.

They're going to be really good starting next year. But this one we give to Kansas City and then they go back and forth. Okay, Dallas and the Rams. What's the most interesting outcome, Dallas and the Rams? Dallas upsets the Rams and Dak is not good. Zeke runs for 150. The cowboy defense is great

and Dak Prescott struggles. And for the next four months, six months, nine months, what do we do with Dak? We're winning the division. We're winning playoff games. He's Alex Smith. What are we going to do if we pay him? And by the way, the Glitzy Rams give me all sorts of stories.

Sean McVeigh, O'N-2, both at home in the playoffs. Both as a heavy favorite. And the shiny, new, techie toy, it doesn't really work in January. And Sean McVeigh is maybe a little more style than substance. I don't believe that to be true. But Kansas City in a shootout winning, Dak playing poorly in the Cowboys winning and getting the NFC championship, and an equally big story is the Rams are.

There are a lot of glitz, and they paid for all these big stars, and it ain't working, brother. And all those teams that picked off that Sean McVatry, you're going to get a little concerned. How about New England Chargers? We said this yesterday. The Chargers don't beat New England. They beat them 3314. Tom Brady is overwhelmed, sack six times. The Chargers have better players.

You start to question Belichick's arrogance, letting Brandon Cooks go, Josh Gordon, leaving Tom with nothing. Ding Dong the Witch is dead. Dynasty is over. Tom Brady going to retire. Belichick getting heat. We have another off season where we question the dynasty going forward. Not just a charger win, but an overwhelming performance where the road-weary chargers go on the road. You watch the game for three and a half hours and come to the conclusion.

It's over. Kind of like that Bama Clemson thing. You're like, oh, Clemson's better. They got better coach. They got better structure. They got better players. You sit and watch that game and you think, oh, it's not even close. New England's got no players.

That's the best outcome. We're talking about that until Labor Day. Finally, Eagle Saints. Now, you're going to be confused by this. You know, I initially thought, well, Drew Breeze wins. Everybody loves Drew Breeze. But what if the story Sunday night is? Holy crap.

Philadelphia wins. Close game. Fourth and goals. Doug Peterson, Nick Foles again, pull one out of there, you know what. And then after that, it would be the Eagles at the Cowboys for the NFC Championship. Yeah, I'll take that. Yeah, I'll take that. If Philadelphia wins, another close situational game.

Let's see, they beat Atlanta in one of those, and they beat Brady in the Super Bowl in one of those, and they just beat the Bears in one of those, and they earlier this year beat the Texans in one of those. and they're getting into a habit that Doug Peterson, if he wins another one against a great quarterback, there's a Belichickian thing going on where it is not a coincidence. Philadelphia is simply smarter, owner, GM coach. We've got a Wentz-Fouls controversy.

I think Philadelphia winning close. Colin, what about the breeze, Brady, Super Bowl? Well, in my scenario, Brady doesn't get past the charger, so that's not going to happen. If you're asking me what's interesting on Monday, what is the most angst? Kansas City wins in a shootout. Dallas wins, but DAC struggles. The Patriots get absolutely rolled. And somehow, some way, on another fourth down situational moment, the Philadelphia Eagles shocked the world.

And we can't figure out what the hell's going on. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Dallas is the first playoff team. This is really amazing. Without a starter over 30 years old and 31 years. And you would think that would guarantee that you're going to be really good. But I don't think it guarantees anything, and I'll tell you why. I think when Kansas City plays Indianapolis this weekend,

you're going to see mostly the future of the AFC for the time being. I think both the Chiefs and the Colts have a great coach. Very, very, very, very good transformational quarterback talents, excellent front offices and good home field edges. I think Kansas City and Indianapolis and the AFC, you're going to see a lot of. I think in the AFC, you've got a lot of dysfunctional teams, Jacksonville, Miami, Buffalo, Sincy, Oakland. You got a lot of bad quarterbacks.

Even quarterbacks that are okay, Lamar Jackson and Marcus Mariotto, do we really, really buying them long term? Pittsburgh and the New England Patriots have Hall of Fame quarterbacks, but they're old and going to retire pretty soon. I think the AFC is going to be led. I know what the AFC is going to look like for the next eight years. You're going to see a lot of Andy Reed and Patrick Mahomes, and you're going to see a lot of Frank Reich and Andrew Locke.

You can see a lot of that. the NFC, I got news for you. I don't know what I'm going to see for the next five years. Dallas has the best young roster, but they're limited at quarterback. Philadelphia has maybe the best combination of, if Carson Wentz is healthy, owner, GM, coach, and quarterback. The Los Angeles Rams have a lot of money, new stadium, free agent destination, and they certainly have the GM, the quarterback, and the coach, right.

The Chicago Bears have my vote. vote for the coach of the year, so they got the coach right, and that defense is not only loaded, it's a bunch of kids. And they're not, except for Cleo Mac, you're not paying those guys much. Green Bay's got Aaron Rogers. I'm not giving up on Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll. They usually figured out and end up as a playoff team. And I've told you this before.

I think San Francisco is going to be a thorn for the Rams. When Jimmy Garoppolo comes back and Kyle Shanahan, I think they're going to win that division at least every other year for the next 10 years. Not to mention the Vikings, the Saints, and the Carolina. You know, Carolina's got Cam and Ron Rivera. I got good Luke Geekly and the Saints have Drew and Sean and Mickey Loomis drafts well. You know, I didn't mention Atlanta, Minnesota. You got real players there.

So the NFC, you've got bigger cities, more revenue, better free agent markets except for Green Bay, more competitive, better quarterbacks, better organizations. In the AFC, I got a lot of dysfunction. I got a lot of bad owners. I got a lot of bad quarterbacks. I got a lot of bad cultures. The cowboy talent is remarkable. I mean, it really is. First playoff team without a starter over 30 and 31 years.

It is an incredibly special team. But I don't think it guarantees anything in the NFC. When you compare the NFC to the AFC, AFC is kind of dysfunctional. There's a lot of junk in the AFC. It's not a lot of junk. I think the Bruce Ariens hire in Tampa because I think Tampa's kind of junk in the NFC. I think they write that ship.

I think they're pretty competitive next year. I think Bruce Ariens, James Williams, Winston, Todd Bowles. They've got a good roster. I think Tampa next year will be a real tough out. And maybe you could argue the same in the AFC with Cleveland, with Baker and Dorsey and their roster. They're going to be a tougher out.

I think they will be. But I know what the AFC is going to look like. It's going to be a lot of Andrew Luck and Patrick Mahomes for the next 10 years. I guarantee that. Coach, front office, quarterback, I guarantee that. No idea what. I don't even know what the NFC looks like next year. Seriously.

I have no idea about the NFC. If the Giants figure out the quarterback thing, Sequin Barkley, Shermer, the offensive guy, OBJ, watch out. What's up, everybody? John Middlecock from the Three and Out podcast. Brought to you by Colin Cowers Podcast Network.

You like Colin Show. You'll like mine. I'm talking playoff football, baby. Cliff Kingsbury, pretty polarizing. I'm more bullish than most. Tell you about it. The Green Bay Packers, I'm selling all my stock. Bruce Ariens, I'm so glad.

that he's back in the NFL. Talk it all on this week's three and out podcast. Also go over every playoff game. With me, John Middukoff. Let's go to our friend Albert Breer, Monday morning quarterback, via the Coward Global Satellite Network. Listen, we all know what's, what I think is funny in this, Albert, is all these organizations love their hires,

even though they have no head coaching experience. Some are hiring people like Matt Lafleur and Green Bay, one year of play calling. But yet in New York, they're banging on, Adam Gase, and my takeaway is, excuse me, but he got to the playoffs, beat New England a couple of times, has been hired multiple times as a coordinator. Adam Gase, to me, is the one higher I like, and it's the one getting the heat. What do you make of it?

I think it's a smart move by the Jets, honestly. This is about developing the quarterback and getting the most out of Sam Darnold, particularly while he's on his rookie contract. They got probably three more years of that. And to me, I look at this and I say to myself, okay, here you have a guy who has gotten career years out of Peyton Manning, Jay Cutler, Ryan Tannihill, went to the playoffs with Ryan Tannahill as a head coach and recreated an offense on the fly in 2011 with Tim Tebow at the helm. And so if you want offensive creativity and you want a guy who can work with a quarterback, you've got that with Adam Gase. Plus, you got three years of NFL head coaching experience. he's the only coach to bring the Miami Dolphins to the playoffs this decade.

Things weren't pretty at the end. I think you have to hope he learned from being part of the discord in that organization at the very end. But there are lots of pieces to like there with the Adam Gase hire in New York. Okay, I can't talk Darnel without Baker Mayfield. I'm a little reluctant on Freddie Kitchens. Never been a high school head coach. Only been a coordinator for eight games. I don't think he would have gotten necessarily a coordinator job around the league.

I don't like when my quarterback is learning how to be an NFL quarterback, hiring a coach who's learning how to be a head coach. I don't love this, but I was told John Dorsey wanted somebody, he didn't want Greg Williams, he doesn't want Hugh Jack. He don't want pushback. And this is John Dorsey's team. I mean, that's kind of what I feel. Here's the key, Colin, okay? And I know, look, the fact that he ran the offense the way he did, that's a huge plus. The fact that he developed Baker Mayfield the way he did, first is his position coach, then is his

coordinator. That's another huge plus. But the key word here, and remember this one is unifier. That's the way that everyone in the building felt about Freddie Kitchens, that he could be a unifier inside that building. Even Greg Williams, as they started winning, like even him, you look at him and you say, is he going to be combative down the line? Are we going to have the problems? And then you've got to roll it back and look at the history since Jimmy Haslam bought the team. The first regime he put in place, Rob Chisinski, Michael Lombardi, Joe Banner, that blew up. The next The next group was Mike Petton and Ray Farmer. That blew up.

And then again, there were internal problems when he had huge accidents and Sashi Brown. And so I think the quarterback part of this is important. I think the fact that he proved he could run an NFL offense over the last eight weeks of the season, that's important too. But to me, and based on what I've heard, the most important thing here is that they projected Freddie Kitchens to be a unifier inside that building. And if you look at the problems that they've had and Jimmy Haslam's seven years of ownership, you can understand why. I got to address something. I think I may have talked about it with you. Antonio Brown is as gifted, a wide receiver as this league has.

And we have clearly, Albert, in the last year, due to rule changes, quarterback wide receiver has been elevated in the league. So this is a transformational talent in his prime. The Roonies, who are patient, tolerant, and quiet, came out yesterday saying, I don't think it's going to work. I'm just going to throw a couple things at you. New England gets rolled this weekend, and they come to the conclusion, we got to give Tom help. I think Antonio Brown works in a lot of spots.

You don't build around him. But, man, I can't believe somebody wouldn't trade for him, Albert. What are you hearing? Well, I mean, first thing you got to take a new account is his contract. And I'll give that to you in two different ways. Okay, there's three years and $39 million left on his contract. For most teams, that's going to make him attractive because you look at what the top receivers are making. It's somewhere between 16 and 18 million a year.

Odell Beckham's in that range. Mike Evans is in that range. Sammy Watkins is in that range. And so to have Antonio Brown presuming he'd be okay with going forward with the contract the way that it is, that would be a very, very attractive number to a lot of teams. But not in New England. And here's the reason why, while you still have certain guys on your roster who have agreed to take less, it's very hard and it's been historically very hard for them to take on guys

who are getting paid premium prices. Look at what Tom Brady's making about 15 million a year. Now, I'm assuming they'll amend that after the year, but right now it's 15 million a year. Kronkowski is making 10 million a year. Julian Edelman has been fantastic for them is making about 6 million a year. So you look at what those guys are making, the premium guys in their roster, the salary structure in New England is completely different than it is in most other places. And so to bring in a guy like this, you'd almost have to blow up what you're doing. They wanted Brandon Cook's back, but this is the reason why they couldn't bring them back was because to make it happen, they'd have to blow up their salary structure.

And so that's why I think Antonio Brown would be a little bit of a tough fit in New England. The other thing, in Colin, you know this over their history. New England has always bought low on these guys, whether it was Randy, loss coming in on the deal that he came in on. If you want to look at that summer, when they brought in Chad Johnson and Albert Hainsworth, they've always bought low on these guys, and that gives them a modicum of control. I think if you buy high in a guy like this, that premium number, you don't have the control over the player that New England likes to have. So the Rams Dallas game is intriguing. We know that Jerry Jones has said, I love me some deck, I love Jason Garrett.

We all know that. And we all know that Sean McVeigh is very bright and Goff is the future. But if the Rams lose this weekend, there is a little shine off Sean McVeigh potentially. You know, they kind of went all in in Los Angeles with, you know, Akeeb to leave, Marcus, Peters, and Domen Sioux. If the Rams lost this weekend, do you think it would slow down the Sean McVeigh coaching tree thing and that some, and then, I feel like there's this tsunami of Sean McVeigh rolling over the league. Yeah, I mean, I would say it would be, I don't think it should change the way anyone looks at Sean McVeigh.

Best point differential in the league the last two years and the best record in the league over the last two years tie with the Patriots and the Saints. And you look at where the Rams are coming from. Sean McVeigh has done a fantastic job by any measure. I also think there's a little more to what we're seeing than just Sean McVeigh. I know a lot of people you can trace them back to Sean McVeigh and everything else. I think that this is about owners and where owners are in the league right now. And it's harder to draw a rating than it used to be.

It's harder to draw a fan to a stadium than it used to be. And I think that there are a lot of owners in the league that watch that game at the end of November between the Rams and the Chiefs and pointed at the television and said, give me that. And so I think what you're seeing now is an overreach for guys that have backgrounds and those sorts of offenses. It's a little more difficult when you look at Andy Reed's tree because Doug Peterson was already picked from there. Matt Nagy was already picked from there.

Whereas when you look at Sean McVeigh and the people that have worked with him traditionally, they're young and they came up with him. And so I think that part of this is, you know, an owner looking at not just winning and losing, but the entertainment product and saying, I want what they've got in Kansas City and Los Angeles. And then they look at Sean McVeigh's tree

and they say, okay, well, this guy is a, perfect. That guy isn't perfect. I think ultimately two or three years from now, we're going to find out that some of these hires were overreaches. But I think there's certainly an element of entertainment that goes along with the winning and losing that owners want right now. Albert Breer, Monday morning quarterback. I mean, the guy is just available to us every time we call with all sorts of good stuff and information. It's going to be a great weekend. Read his stuff. I do. Senior NFL reporter. Albert, thank you so much again. You got a call.

Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slices Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network. work on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests.

I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person

because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search

learn the hard way and listen now. It's your responsibility to not just seek help, but to identify that you need help. This is Mental Health Awareness Month. Tune in to the podcast, Just Healed with Dr. Jay, and take real steps toward healing, growth, and becoming your best self. When you hear the word healing,

what does that mean for you? What came right back to mine are the three P's that I live by, I'll go through the process of healing so that patience, that perseverance and that prayer equals healing to me. From understanding your mental health to doing the work, we break down practical tools, real conversations,

and the mindset shifts you need to move forward and thrive. You matter too. Your mental health is your responsibility, not your wife, not your partner, not your children, not the church, not the pastor, not the council. It's your responsibility. It's time to stop putting your healing on hold and start doing something about it.

Listen to Just Here with Dr. Jay on the IHeart Radio app. Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game.

This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue of 42. A rep, my mama wants you to wave at her. What? Where's she at?

Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Let's go to Greg Jennings via the Coward Global Satellite Network. Decade in the NFL, Super Bowls, Pro Bowls. Let's talk about the Packers because Cliff Kingsbury, I didn't love the hire. But I do like Vance Joseph now, a grown-up defensive. Sarks been in college and pro. I feel better today.

The Green Bay thing with Matt LaFleur, Greg, he's been a play caller for one year. It wasn't a great year in Tennessee. I don't, you know, again, people think I'm anti-Packer. I don't love it. It feels weird to me. Your thoughts? Yeah, I didn't love it. I think it was a curveball, a huge curveball that no one saw coming.

And quite frankly, when you look at why they're saying that he was the interesting and intriguing higher, and I'm sure that this isn't just everything that they put their eggs in the basket because of. But it was known that, well, he and he was going to keep Mike Petton as a defensive coordinator. So we like that about him. And I thought to myself, if you're going to hire a guy, just hire Mike Patton and then get your own offensive coordinator. Why would you bring in the head coach because he said he's going to. to keep your defensive coordinator. Like, I don't know how much they're really so.

Obviously, they are sold on him. But I have some red flags, and he's going to have a huge, huge microscope on him, like magnifying glass. It's going to be an interesting year for the green guy. By the way, let me just ask you about the young guys, is that, I mean, a veteran NFL player is 34. Some of these coaches are 34. There is this sense that if you ever had a beer with Sean McVeigh, you get a job interview. What do you make of the whole McVeigh tree? Well, it's an interesting dynamic. You have a young coach who has been around great coaches

for a long time in Sean McVe, the John Gruden's and those type of offensive minds. But he still hasn't proven to win in the playoffs. However, you have all these organizations. who loves what he has provided for a young team with a young quarterback with a with a fresh mindset offensively and innovative mindset and it's intriguing and so we everyone's looking at this and Sean McVe like well if they did it with McVe maybe we can do it with our hires so you see all these kind of random hires that no one ever saw coming but one thing that McVeigh understood which is what you were talking about before you had me on with Claimsbury is he he accompanied his staff with Wade Phillips, a proven defensive mind head coach who had been around for a long

time to kind of balance what he was getting ready to do. And I like that about what Sean McVey has been able to do. Can these other coaches mimic that and create a staff that makes them better that pulls even more out of them, we'll see. Yeah, the Sean McVeigh coaching tree is definitely more of a weed than it is an actual tree at this point. So I look at your picks. It says here you like the Saints, they're favored. You like the Patriots, they're favored. You like the Rams, they're favored.

But you are going to go with the dog on the Colts. And this is the pick I said earlier on our Blazing Five is I'll take Kansas City, but I kind of feel like we got ourselves a shootout here. Why do you like the Colts? A couple of reasons why I like the Colts. The one main reason is because of the way that they're playing and the quarterback play that they're getting out of Andrew Luck. And defensively, they look really, really good.

Making a lot of plays for that team and that offense, getting the ball back into Lux's hands. but secondly is back in 2011, 2012 season, we went 15 and 1. The year after we won the Super Bowl, we had one of the most high-inscoring offenses in all the football, if not the high-end scoring offense and all the football could put up a lot of points. However, our defense couldn't stop anyone, but they could create turnovers. And when I look at the Kansas City Chiefs, they remind me of who we were that year. They can put up a lot of points.

but their defense not really able to stop opponents, but they will take the ball away. In the playoffs, that all went for nothing because as an offense, we had to carry that team and we didn't produce the way our defense needed us to produce and how we had produced all year. And the Kansas City Chiefs have a small margin of error because their defense can't stop an offense like the Indianapolis coach.

This is why I'm picking the Colts. Yeah, you know, people that I, even Vegas, people, a lot of people like the Colts this weekend, which I love Andy Reid. And I'm going to lean Kansas City because I think Andy off a buy is really good. Okay. So I said this earlier. When people get upset, whether you're a parent, you're a dad, you're a mom, you're a player, you're a coach, anywhere in life. If you get upset, it's generally because something didn't meet expectations. You go to the airport.

You're mad at the airline because you're 15 minutes late, right? The plane? Okay, if you look at DAC and you line up all the traits of DAC, mobile, not a great arm, not a big risk taker, a grown-up, low-risk, mobile. He really is Alex Smith. And everybody goes, oh, well, Alex Smith has been eight straight winning seasons, three Pro Bowls, three division titles, five playoff appearances. If I was a cowboy fan, I would sign up for Alex Smith's career from DAC. I think the problem in Dallas is Cowboys have higher expectations

than what is reality I think DAC is Alex Smith I think they play alike DAC's a little heavier I mean is that a weird comparison because I think the Cowboys are going to go to the playoffs this weekend and lose and the question's going to be after the game

you can't win the big one with DAC which is what everybody's been saying for nine years with Alex Smith. Your thoughts? I don't disagree with you I can definitely see that why you would draw that comparison. Alex Smith always needed guys around him to make sure that he was able to kind of be the best Alex Smith we were able to see in the same goals with that Dr. Prescott. However, I think their mentalities are a little different. I think that Jack Prescott thinks and believes that he's more than just Alex Smith.

Now, from our vantage point, yeah, we can see that comparison because his team has supported him while in Dak Prescott's mind, he believes that I'm better than what everybody's giving me credit for. I've won in this league in the regular season. Now I've won a game in the playoffs. If he continues to win, why would he not see himself as one of the elite quarterbacks or believe himself to be one of those elite quarterbacks? he has every right to feel that way. I just don't think he is personally. But to your point, I agree. That's a fair assessment. Yeah.

By the way, finally, this Pittsburgh Steelers never, the Rooney family is patient, tolerant, quiet. They came out yesterday and said, yeah, we don't think this Antonio Brown thing's going to work out. Antonio's obviously 100 catch guy, dozen touchdowns, 1,500 yards. He may not work in Pittsburgh. He works all over this league. you don't think New England

I mean I'm sitting to myself thinking where would he land Pittsburgh probably wouldn't send him to New England right where do you think he I mean no no that's like that's like giving your big brother something else that he can beat you up with

then you know it will beat you up like absolutely not Pittsburgh has been trying to get over that New England Patriot hump for years and to send one of their best players if not their best player outside of them Rothersberger over to Big Brother?

Absolutely not. Absolutely not. That will never happen. Okay, but do you think Antonio? They said basically they're going to trade him. I mean, you ran a franchise. I mean, it's funny, I wouldn't build around him, and I'm not into diva receivers.

But that's my problem with Odell Beckham. I'm not going to build around him. I like having Odell on my team. I have a problem with O'Don. I like somebody that can make 100 catches. Would you bring Antonio on a team? I would. I would definitely bring Antonio Brown on a team.

And let me say this, Odell Beckham, he gets, in my opinion, he gets a really bad rap because he's never had, like, character issues. He's never had these run-ins with teammates and with coaches. His things have always been the extra antics on the football field because of his playmaking ability. It's never been anything that we questioned off the field or with teammates. So let's leave Odell Beckham out of this. Antonio Brown, however, completely different player.

What they provide is similar, but what he brings to the table from a personality standpoint is a lot greater and a lot more to handle. And I think when you're thinking about surrounding him with a young quarterback and a young team, you got to be leery of the influence he'll have on that team. That's a very fair point. Antonio, with a veteran quarterback, you know, a Matt Ryan, you know, Russell Wilson, and a veteran guy who can handle it. I'm not throwing him up there with Josh Rosner.

Good point. Greg Jennings, who is dressed for a Minnesota weather. It's only 32 degrees today. So that ain't bad. January standard in Minnesota. Good talking to you, bud. Absolutely. This is a bad hair day. A lot going on. We'll talk about it. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. In every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves,

their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to SportsSlic. On the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slica Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Spice. Myrtle and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L'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. What's up, guys? This is Cliver Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliver Show, I'm bringing you conversations.

about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue 42.

Hey, rep, my mama wants you to wave at her. What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast. or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam?

It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. You just understood.

That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis' keep coming to him. He's like, you know I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the Iheart radio app,

Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.