The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 01/28/2021

Episode Date: January 28, 2021

-Ranking potential destinations for Deshaun Watson-Why are people so enamored with Matt Stafford's talent? He doesn't win-David Culley is who the Texans could get, not who they wanted-The domino effect if the 49ers acquire Deshaun WatsonGuests: Greg Olsen, former Bears, Panthers & Seahawks Tight EndGreg Cosell, NFL Films Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. 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. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which 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 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's podcast network on TikTok. On the Look Back at it podcast.

From 1979, that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. 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. 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. 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 Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Heard. This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go.

It is a Thursday. We are absolutely packed today. Greg O'Sell, Greg Jennings, Greg Olson, Greg Scho. Live in L.A. It's the herd wherever you may be, however you may be listening. Fox Sports Radio, IHeart Radio, and FS1. Very, very exciting day today. Very exciting.

Joy Taylor is joining me. Joy, how are you? I'm great. It's, you know, it's the little things for me. Like lemon pepper wings and a very busy NFL news day. Wow. This is like this morning like, yes. So Deshawn Watson has officially requested a trade from the Texans per league sources. Now let's just start with this. This doesn't happen. You're not, you signed in the NFL after your contract.

They extend you and your franchise tagged. You don't get 25-year-old start. star quarterbacks on the market. This does not happen ever. The last quote star quarterback on the market was Kirk Cousins. All right. In the history of the NFL, this doesn't happen. He wants out. So now, that's the first thing. This is unbelievable. The second thing is this. He's got a no trade clause. He has to approve it. So let's just not make up crazy scenarios. He's not going where he doesn't want to go. There are eight teams that will be at least talking about it. I'm not going to count the Colts because the Texans are not going to trade him in division and play him twice a year.

I'm not counting them. And I'm not counting the Saints who are $100 million over the cap so they can't sign an expensive quarterback. Okay, just take them out. Here's the eight. Jets, Miami, New England, Carolina 49ers Washington and Chicago. Now, I'm going to put them in order as if I'm Deshawn Watson. I'm not saying the team that has the picks that can make it work. I'm Deshawn Watson. What would I choose based on a variety of factors? Number one would be San Francisco by a mile.

Okay, they are without Deshawn Watson, a top five Super Bowl favorite next year. They just had bad injuries. They lost their quarterback. They are stacked and they're not real happy with Jimmy Garoppel. So in terms of I just want to go to a team that can win, they got everything. And after San Francisco, the next seven I'm on a list, there's a but. On Deshawn Watson, I'd go Miami second. Why?

I got a really good defense and a really good coach. But they are rebuilding their offensive line. but I don't love their ownership group. Number three would be New England. Best football coach ever. Above average defense. Offensive line talents, not bad at all, but they have no weapons. And that division's getting better.

They got no weapons. They got no tight ends. They got no wide receivers. They have no starbacks. Number four would be Washington. but don't love the owner, a lot of dysfunction. You get a great defense. A bunch of first round picks up front.

You got a really good young receiver and you get a grown-up, an adult, Ron Rivera, who's got a long contract. So he's going to be there a while. That gives me coaching stability. Number five, and then it gets interesting. Denver is interesting. I really like their young tight end. I really like their young receivers. They've got some really interesting pieces on this roster.

I really like him. But Vic Fangio's in his 60s. He's probably an 0-and-4 start from being fired. John Elway is no longer the GM. They've hired a new guy. But I do like their wide receiving weapon talent. Number six, I'd go Chicago. Love their defense.

Love the city. But the GM and the coach are on the hot seat. They could both be gone by Thanksgiving. I don't like that instability. I'd get to face Aaron Rogers twice a year. Be good for my, you know, my PR, my billboard campaigns. I mean, let's face it, twice a year. I'm in the biggest NFL game of the weekend.

That'd be awesome for my marketing, my PR. Number seven, Carolina. I really like their coach and they got some nice weapons. But they're in a total rebuild. You're going to be in shootouts almost every week. Christian McCaffrey, sensational. I really like their weapons, but it's a rebuild. It's a rebuild job.

And we don't know if Matt Rule's great yet. I think he is, but I don't know he is. And then number eight, and this is why it's fantastic theater. The Jets have nothing I would want. I want a dependable head coach, ownership, and front office stability and weapons. Jess don't have any of it. But of all the teams, this works best. they could give the Texans

Sam Darnold. They could give the Texans Sam Darnold and the number two pick so you get Zach Wilson. The Jets makes the most sense by a mile and I think Deshaun would make it work. And Deshaun has said I like Robert Sala. But what is fascinating

about this, the Jets are the worst choice but they're the one organization that the Texans can call and get a future star quarterback, a bunch of first, second and third round picks. I don't have to play them in division. I won't have to see him very often. In fact, I can get Sam Darnold for a year and a number two pick.

And then when the number two picks ready to play can trade Sam Darnold and get more picks, the Jets make the most sense by a mile, and I think it would be fascinating. But in terms of I'm Dishon Watson and what I as a. quarterback would want, Jets would be eighth. I mean, seriously, ownership do you trust? Front office, do you know? Robert Sala, who knows? Weapons bad, O-line, bad. They have one workable running back.

They got nothing. But my guess is this morning, the Jets are in the hunt very early for this. We've got a 25-year-old star quarterback available to the market. That does not happen in the National Football League. It does not happen. It's crazy. The last star available was Kirk Cousins. All right.

So yesterday I talked about something. I called it the mythology of talent. I always hear about talent. Oh, this guy's talented. That guy's talented. Do you win games? So according to a story, a third of NFL teams, a third, 10, 11, have inquired about trading for Matt Stafford, last three years, 14 and 33. But he's talented.

So Deshawn Watson, who had a coach that got fired in a bad defense and a shaky O line, last three years, 25, 22, a division title in the playoff win. Carson Wentz last two years won a division. Coach got fired, no weapons, and bizarre injuries. Matt Stafford's gotten 12 years. He's had four winning seasons. I'm not asking for the Super Bowl. I'm not asking for the NFC championship.

But 12 years, no division titles, no playoff wins. Yeah, I know he's talented, but even at Georgia, 9 and 4 one year, 10 and 3, Andrew Luck went to Stanford with Stanford's talent. In his last two years, he was 23 and 3. Even when he had Georgia talent, he was losing 3 and 4 games a year. Andy Dalton made the playoffs five times. Andy Dalton has the Steelers and Ravens in his division. division.

Mitch Trubisky in Matt's division has won at two of the last three years. And we don't know if he has the right coach, the right GM, or anything on offense. Sometimes you got to show me you can win. Andrew Luck had nothing. Nothing. When you tell me Matt Stafford had nothing. He went 11 and 5, 11 and 5, 11 and 5, 11 and 5 AFC championship. Deshaun Watson keeps winning games.

He's had nothing but dysfunction. Even in his own division against the Bears and Vikings, let's take Aaron Rogers out of it. Okay, so we can't beat Aaron Rogers. Against the Bears and Vikings, he's 19 and 22. It reminds me in the NBA, there's players like this. Everybody keeps telling me, I remember Tracy McGrady. Oh, my God, he's got so much talent. Tracy's a nice guy.

I've met him. Oh, my God, Tracy McGrady's got great talent. He never won a playoff series. Oh, Zach Levine. Oh, my God, Zach Levine. Oh, but how come he's never on winning teams? Well, Colony doesn't have a lot to work with. Chris Paul wins everywhere.

In a league of tall men, he's six, two and a half. Chris Paul wins everywhere. Chris Paul went to Oklahoma City. Joy and I watched. They were tanking. They were tanking. And they had nobody except Chris Paul. And they ended up what?

Hottest team in the NBA the last month and a number four or five seat. In fact, they traded Chris Paul from Oklahoma. city because he was screwing up their tanking. Then they trade him to a team that hasn't won in years. Phoenix. Now they're winning. Damian Lillard, Portland's not a hot free agent market. The second best player they have is a lesser version of Damian Lillard.

He gets to the conference championship. Damian Lillard wins games. He doesn't have a hot free agent market. He doesn't have a dominating cohort. How the hell did they get to playoffs last year? They had no wings. In the West, they had no wing defenders. But Chris Paul figures out ways to win.

Deshawn wins. Went as much as we criticize him. Wins. Damian Lillard wins. After a while, you got to give me more than talent. Because I'm the coach here. Everybody's going, that guy's got talent. That guy's got talent.

That gets coaches fired. You got talent gets coaches fired. Chris Paul just won. Damian Lillard wins. The Sean Watson wins. Wentz, maybe fourth of those four, he was won a lot of games with a mess around him. I mean, think about this. Since Matt Stafford came into the NFC North, Mitch Tribiskey's won a division twice,

Case Keenham, Jay Cutler and Teddy Bridgewater. Twelve years, you got to give me one. Aaron Rogers has been hurt twice. You got to give me one. I got nothing against Matt Stafford. I think he's talented. But boy, if a third of the league is after him, it shows. you the mythology of talent.

At some point 12 years, you've got to start winning more games. 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. 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 which I'll say it. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger

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

And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people.

I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick 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's big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point,

Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. 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. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way 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. Trip 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 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,

is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search, learn the hard way, and listen now. So the Houston Texans dysfunction remains embarrassing.

It's cult-ish. So they just hired David Cully. He's 65. He's been in the NFL 27 years as a coach. He's never been offered a coordinator job. That's the new coach. Tim Graham, who covers the bills, a Buffalo sports writer, chatted last night with somebody who worked closely with David Cully when he worked in Buffalo.

Tim Graham said, what kind of a head coach do you think he'll be? He's an awesome person, silence. What about as a coach? Terrific guy. What impact that he have in Buffalo? A great guy, silence. Folks, late bloomer is overrated. In comedy, there's one exception, Rodney Dangerfield.

The great comedians, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Seinfeld, John Stewart were noticed in their early 20s and crushing it by their late 20s. In American Idol, ever noticed the stars are young? There are no late bloomers. John Madden would be one of the all-time great coaches, but Madden, former coach of the Raiders, had an intense fear of flying. So he retired early to be a broadcaster where he took Winnebago, the Madden Mobile around the country.

John Madden was brilliant. He was hired at 32 as a head coach of at the time, the Raiders, a marquee franchise. Nobody hired 30. people in their early 40s. Madden got it at 32. Andy Reid, a head coach at 40, Belichick 39, Saban 36, Urban in his 30s, Tomlin early 30s, Don Shula early 30s. Everybody in America, every industry, mine yours, NFL is seeking great young talent. Nobody slips through the cracks for 35 years.

I'm sure he's a terrific guy. This is a bad hire. Never been offered a coordinator. It just doesn't work that way. It just does not work that way in the NFL. Sean McVeigh had teams vying on him, Shanahan teams vying on him, Tomlin, Shula, Belichick, Andy Reed.

That doesn't mean you can't be fired. It can be a bad fit. Pete Carroll was. He got hired to get. He was fired. He got hired again and again. Like, come on, man. This is the late bloomer thing. And I get it. Maybe there's, this is a bad organization that just kept hearing no thanks. That's what happened here.

Houston, people wanted Eric B. Enemy to get it. He should thank his lucky stars. He didn't take it. He was smart enough to not take it. This is a bad organization. They were left with this coach. This was not their first choice. they got two words for the last three weeks. No thanks. And you're wondering why Deshaun Watson wants out. This is what they get. He's a nice guy and a lot of nice guys.

Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. I've known Greg Olson for a long time. Used to bring him on the show at the other place in here. Warms my heart. He is now a part of Fox Sports NFL analyst. Really smart guy, really thoughtful guy. I do feel some guilt because he was down to Buffalo and Seattle, and I texted him twice, pushing him to go to Seattle,

and it was Buffalo that made the NFC championship, so I am riddled with guilt. Brought to you by Mercedes-Benz, the best or nothing. Hopefully it didn't sever our relationship. That was a really bad move by me. I feel terrible. How are you? I'm doing good, man.

I appreciate it. I look back on those texts, and I put a lot of stock on what you thought, but I'm glad I still went to Seattle. It was a good experience. I was happy for Buffalo. I had a lot of friends there, I had a lot of people there, but I'd be lying to you if I said I wasn't a little having a little bit of buyers remorse,

you know? So Deshawn Watson is 25 and now potentially on the market, which as you know, Greg, because of the franchise tag, it just doesn't happen. This is not what happens in the NFL, especially for star quarterbacks. So if you were his agent or Deshaun, what would be attractive to you and what would worry you?

Is there something that you would say, okay, I'm not going there. And is there something that maybe that's underrated that would attract you to a team? Yes, I say that first and foremost, he's leaving Houston because he just views it as just like institutional chaos. I think that's really the reason they're in this predicament. They've traded away so many good players. There was really no organizational structure. There was no GM.

The head coach was the GM. There was some kind of infighting amongst higher executive levels about who was in charge and who was making decisions. And I think he's just like, I'm too young, I'm too talented. I have too many things I want to accomplish. I can't be around this nonsense. So here he is forcing his way out, which is almost unheard of in today's NFL for a young star quarterback to be available, let alone publicly be asking for his trade. I think when you go down the line, the clearest fit as far as offensive head coach,

young-minded, offensive kind of innovative head coach, team built to win was just in the Super Bowl a year ago, is the 49ers. San Francisco, if they could somehow land him, I think they immediately go to the top of the list, at least in the NFC, and saying that they're the favor. I mean, we just saw what that team was able to do when they were healthy, the young defense that you're not really paying anybody much. I mean, to me, that's the team. Again, whether that's possible or not, I think that's obviously the number one fit. And again, with Kyle Shanahan and an offensive young-minded head coach, I think that's the dream, right?

That's what every young quarterback is looking for. But there's a couple issues I want to talk to you about. You know the game behind the game in the NFL. There's the game and then there's stuff that's going on that you've been around the league. You get it. So I theorize that the Rams have gone public with this Jared Goff stuff, McVehan Sneed, in harmony. And they've done it not because he's a bad kid, but because they did him a solid by signing him early. They're now trapped by his contract.

He's regressed. and they went to the agent and said, okay, let's redo the contract. And the agent said, no, we're not going to do it. So they're going to go, okay, then we're going to call out your client publicly. That's my gut feeling on what's happening. I can't think of anything else because by all accounts, Goff's a nice kid.

He almost never talks. He's like really, really quiet. What do you make of suddenly the Rams front office yesterday leaking it that we don't even know if he's going to be a starting quarterback next year? Yeah, I mean, there's something going on, right? I mean, most organizations that are fully committed to especially a young quarterback, they bend over backwards to publicly support and empower that player. You never, whether they behind the scenes feel a different way,

the public narrative from these organizations is always to do whatever we can to protect the confidence, protect the development of our most valuable asset. And in regards to Jared Gough, you touched on it earlier, the contract they're paying him throughout a little bit of a crossroads. It's in, when we were getting ready to play them in the wild, card round and he was injured and he had the surgery the prior week of the last week of the regular season and who was going to start was a Walt Wofford or with him. Internally, I know a lot of us thought that it almost gave the Rams a chance to make a move

that they thought allowed them to be better. I think Wofford's ability to run around and get out on the pocket. I remember we played him twice this year and watching golf. They do so much boots and naked. He's out on the perimeter, but he's not a runner. He's zero threat to really advance the ball at all as a runner. So teams don't really have to come up and defend him. They see everybody's staying back.

He's on the edge. He's running. But he's really no threat. And I think all of a sudden they put in the other kid. And he's running and dive in, converting third downs. All of a sudden now they're running their rollouts and their boots and they're naked. And now defenses are coming up to tackle him. Now guys are open downfield.

And I think McVeigh said to himself, this adds another element to our run. You know, this adds another element to this playoff run. And all of a sudden he starts again. us in the wild card round. He doesn't really make it out of the first quarter or so. And golf came in and played pretty well. He was healthy. So if he was good enough to be the backup and come in, there was something weird about him not starting that game. Yeah. I don't know. The whole thing just didn't sit right. And when Woffer took the first snap, we were like, hmm, you know, it was interesting. Yeah. No, your point is he was good

enough to play, and they essentially benched him. They just didn't make it public that they benched That's what you're saying. And again, I'm speculating, right? I always find it funny. Guys that are injured, he's in uniform and he's an emergency player. They do this a lot with injured offensive linemen, right? They keep him up as if he's in a uniform, at some point he could go in the game. It could be on the second play of the game.

If he's good enough to be the backup emergency and he's your guy, then he should be good enough to play. He ended up playing, you know, three quarters against us anyway. You know, it's interesting. the Aaron Rogers drama post game. You know, it's weird. It's an organization without an owner. That's the smallest market. Maybe Aaron doesn't really have a sounding board.

He's a single guy. He's not married. You know, I mean, he's, you know, maybe this were his sounding board. But it did kind of create a little bit of a chaos where everybody had to clean it up for three or four days. How is Aaron viewed in the league? Like, I don't think, and we've seen this with certain stars,

some are passive aggressive. Michael Jordan was confrontational. LeBron early was a little more powerful. passive aggressive? Like, are there players in the NFL that say, yeah, Aaron's talented, but he does feel like a lot of work. I mean, it just felt like it was unnecessary commentary after a game that became kind of a mess. It was. And I think we've all been in those positions where you think back to things you said in the post game. And you're like, you know, I probably didn't need to cause that, you know, that storm on myself. I know how I view him. And this might differ

from other guys, but I love his whole moxie. I love his whole attitude. I don't need my quarterback to be how everyone else needs him to be. I think you can, they come in all shapes and sizes. They come in all different personalities. And I think his kind of chip on the shoulder kind of look out of the corner of his eye and give you kind of a smirk. And I think that's just him.

And I'm sure if you ask the guys on the Packers, they love it. I know if I was on his team like I would embrace that I think he is true to who he is he's not for everyone but I'm just not of the of the mind that every quarterback needs to fit this certain mold and always say the right thing do the right thing he wears his emotions on his sleeves he's not afraid to say things when he doesn't think things are right I love rogers I think his personality his demeanor his attitude on the field I love everything about him so listen I love rossil wilson that's why a tech you and told you go to Seattle.

But I have to be honest about it. I don't love their schemes. I think they run it too much. It's frustrating for me. There's been analytic people like Warren Sharp who have come out and been highly critical of the offense, which is far too run-centric. And the reality is Patrick Mahomes' nine losses in the NFL, Greg, you have to score 36 to beat him.

Okay? So that's the reality of the NFL now. You were in Seattle for a year. I don't want to put you on the spot, but did you sense some frustration from Russell? He's not the guy, he's not Aaron Rogers. He's going to say, go Hawks. I love my team. That's who he is.

But did you sense a little frustration? Yeah. Russ is the most consistent, dialed in at all times, never has an off moment, never has a lapse in concentration player, not just quarterback, player I've ever been around. I mean, it didn't matter if it was a Zoom call in April with a handful of guys learning. the offense or if it was the Friday practice before the playoff game. Like he he doesn't have anything other than on. So first and foremost, just to be around him and experience that firsthand was a huge treat

and was a huge, you know, kind of, it was a great experience for me as a player, especially at this stage in my career. I think as far as it goes to our offense, you know, when you look early on in the year, the defense was finding their way. They were kind of, we had some new pieces. We added Jamal. We had some really talented guys that were kind of trying to find. their mold. And I think as a team, the philosophy was we got to go out and try to score 40.

Right. So the brakes were off and we were just rolling and it was shots and it was attack. And we were in full court. It was like we were full court pressing from the opening tip. And that formula won some high, we won some high scoring games. We want some games there at the end and two minute drive. And that really seemed to be our energy. And then there was kind of like this shift where all of a sudden halfway through the season, the defense really started playing well, and they really started to find their groove. We got Jamal Adams back.

He was injured earlier in the year, and he obviously made a huge difference. And all of a sudden, now we didn't go into games, philosophically saying we need to score 40. So now we kind of, we reverted back to a little, that old mantra of our defense is really playing well this back half the season. Let's not put him in tough situations with turnovers.

Let's protect the ball. Let's run the ball. and really the magic that we had the first half the year, we kind of flipped our mindset. And yeah, I mean, at times we questioned it, but we continued to win. We won 12 games and, you know, winning, you know, justifies every decision.

But, you know, we just didn't have enough juice there down the stretch offensively. And it kind of reared its head there in the opening round of the playoffs. By the way, tell people at Fox, Greg Olson, Fox Sports analyst. He just retired a couple days ago a Sunday. So what are you going to be doing for us? Yeah, so this season, I've had some really cool opportunities, and a lot of them were through Fox to call games on my bye week a couple years ago. Me and Kevin Burkart called the game.

Last year, Kevin and I called five weeks of what turned out to be the only five weeks of the XFL schedule, and we got to work together. So I'm going to be joining a broadcast crew this season. A lot of those details are still kind of being flushed out through Fox, and it'll be announced as we get closer to the season. but I'll be full-time calling games every weekend. It's something I've really enjoyed doing. I love studying the game.

I love the preparation that goes into it during the week. It's very similar to my preparation as a player. So I'm looking forward to it. I obviously have a lot to learn. And as we all know, that line of work comes with its fair share of critics. And I'm ready for that. So I welcome the challenge. And I'm really excited to join the Fox Group.

I had a great time with you and Tony and everybody on Sunday before the championship rounds. It's just a great group to work with, and I'm looking forward to it. All right, buddy. Great having you on the team, man. All right. Always enjoy it, Colin.

We'll talk to you soon. One 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. So we have said, even though the Jets do not really have what I would want if I was Deshawn Watson.

You don't know if Solic can coach. They don't have any weapons. They have organizational chaos. They make way too much sense. They've got everything you need, the picks, the opening, the assets at quarterback to make this work. And I'll show an example. So Greg Olson agreed. You agree.

Joy, we all agree. San Francisco is the best place to go. So we're going to play quarterback dominoes. Here's how it could work if Deshaun had a choice. So Deshawn, they would be Super Bowl co-favorants with Kansas City if he went to San Francisco. Yeah. That would be if I was his agent, if I was Deshaun. That's the easy one.

There's no buts. Everything works. San Francisco does have a player or two they could trade. They have a surplus of talent, and they have the 12th pick. They'd give to Houston. Houston would also get many of their other picks so they could move that 12 pick up. But in this instance, they go with Deshawn Watson. Houston makes a deal.

So what does that mean? Jimmy Garoppolo's on the market. Garoppolo then goes to a place he's been. They won with him. They know him. San Francisco is unhappy with him. That's why they make the deal for Deshaun Watson. And so Garapolo goes to the Patriots, solving their quarterback dilemma.

So what happens after that? So then, number three, the Colts are a quarterback away from being a Super Bowl-worthy team. They may have misgivings about Matthew Stafford's inability to win. But Stafford, who's got the OK to look for work, would choose the Colts because he's smart enough to see, I can win a bunch of games here. And they have a great O line and a great GM and a great coach. So Stafford would agree with it. The Colts are not going to go young. They just drafted a rookie quarterback last year.

And this team's ready to win now. Why roll the dice on a rookie quarterback? They already have one in house, Jacob Eason. So they're going to go for the best available quarterback on the market now that Deshawn's off Garoppel's off. They go Stafford. What happens after that? Well, the Jets, they didn't get Deshawn Watson. They have the number two pick.

They take Zach Wilson. It's a fresh start. Robert Sala. Zach Wilson is very highly graded, I think higher than Donald out of college. So what does that do to Donald? Washington acquires Sam Darnold. Nothing against Alex Smith. Can't trust him physically.

This team, I believe, is ready to win now in that division with that defense and that coach. I think they go out and get Sam Darnold, and I think it's a great fit for Sam Darnold. Then, who's next? The Lions have a very good pick. They take Justin Fields, the best available young guy in their eyes, Midwest Kid, or, you know, he played for Ohio State, very popular choice. Dan Camel new coach wants a fresh start. Then it's Carolina next. They go get Tray Lance. he's probably not quite ready to play like Justin Fields. Well, that's perfect because they have Teddy Bridgewater who like Alex Smith, cerebral, steady, reliable, teaches him the tricks for a year,

then takes over and then Teddy backs him up. Then finally, the Texans. Oh, they're screwed. Like their coaching search, they don't have anything. So the point being is that's why the Jets offer nothing to Deshawn Watson. nothing stability weapons definite head coat it's why the Texans are going to try to do a deal with the Jets the Jets and the Texans the Jets could say listen we'll give you the number two pick so you get Zach Wilson we'll also give you Darnold and you can trade him in a year you can start him for a year

see you know what and then trade him and use Zach well it's perfect you can get the number two pick and Sam Darnold. You also get the Jets have nothing but first round picks and third round picks because of the Jamal Adams trade. So that's why the Jets is the one that makes sense or the Texans could be in, you think this thing's bad now. You may look up in five years and they're Detroit because they've won some divisions in the last five years.

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. Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th.

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

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waxing all about crack in the 80s. To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you for finishing that sentence. Yes.

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Deshaun is not the most elegant passer, but he's a remarkable athlete. If I said to you, you know, all these teams out there, is there an offense, a structure that he actually fits in? And maybe one, I mean, is there a play? Like we said San Francisco. Right. And I think to myself, but that is so run-centric and Kyle Shanahan likes to control things.

Would that be the best place for him to run around and do Deshaun? What do you make of that? I mean, I think Sean Watson can play in structure. And in fact, I thought he had his best stretch of this season, Colin. And it might have been, I can't remember the exact weeks, but it was about a six-week period where he actually played more in structure than. moving around, and I thought that was his best stretch of this season by far. He certainly can play in structure, and I think that that's the goal. You and I both know that no coach rolls the ball

out and says, let's run around and see what happened today. Obviously, there have been times he's played not behind a great O line, although I think the O line got better. I think he's always walked a very fine line between playing within structure and leaving the pocket. prematurely. I think he walks that line. I think because he's so good playing off schedule that he can make plays and compensate for that at times. But I don't think he has a problem playing within structure if the structure works. All right, then San Francisco would work. You know, Matt Stafford's interesting. I read a story this morning. A third of the NFL is interested in Matt Stafford, and it's like 12 years for winning seasons. Now, I'm not saying it's ideal in Cleveland. But

Andrew Luck win 11 and 5, 11 and 5, 11 and 5 with no pro bowlers. Deshawn Watson's winning in chaos. Carson Wentz won a division with chaos. There is a point if Case Keenham could win that division, if Tribiskey could get to the playoffs twice, if Teddy Bridgewater can win, I do look at that and I think to myself, Greg, I've seen NBA guys who have, quote, talent and they can never win a playoff series. Like, what is it with Stafford? is it just incompetency above that he does he do something that is problematic toward winning more games

I don't think so at all and I think again it gets into that whole debate about the quarterback and the many many other variables that lead to winning I personally believe Matthew Stafford has special talents and I think we've seen his physical tools over the years I think we've seen his toughness and competitiveness over the years. So I really like Stafford based on tape study. That's all I'm responding to based on tape study. And I've heard he's a very smart player. So I think Matthew Stafford, see, to me,

and I don't know how you feel about this, Colin. We know the way NFL teams hoard draft choices, but if it's between drafting Wilson from BYU and trading for Matthew Stafford, I'm trading for Matthew Stafford in a heartbeat. Because I've seen him play at the NFL level at a really high level. I don't know about Wilson or Justin Fields.

I don't know what they're going to do in the NFL. Good stuff. All right. I want to ask you about this. Aaron Rogers, a lot of people were upset with Matt LaFleur. And then I said, listen, inside the 10-yard line, Green Bay was two for nine, one-for-seven going to Devante Adams. Aaron also had an opportunity to run. He didn't.

So when you looked at it, we can blame. Sure. We can, I mean, he got three interceptions from his defense in the second half, two times he was three and out. Right, right. So did Aaron, is Aaron culpable at all for the lost? How did he play? What did the film say, especially in the red zone or down inside the 10? Well, obviously they called pass plays and they threw it to Devante Adams, which they've done all year.

And people have said, boy, that's great. And then when it doesn't work in the NFC championship game, people say, well, that's a bad idea. So I guess which way do you want to have it? I mean, he threw it to Devante Adams on one that Adams normally would make that catch. So, you know, again, these are access to the result statements, as you know, Colin, and that's what we do. We talk about this after it happens, and because it doesn't happen, we say it's bad. But all year long, he's throwing the ball to Devante Adams in the red zone, and they've been very, very good in the red zone. This time, it didn't work.

So does that mean that it's Matt LaFloris? fault. I really struggle with that kind of analysis. And again, that play where everybody thought Rogers could walk in, we don't know that. And he obviously didn't think he could because he tried to make a very difficult throw. So I'll defer to Aaron Rogers on that. And his belief that he felt that that throw, which was difficult, had a more, a greater likelihood of succeeding than him running. But I think you can't say that, well, gee, they threw it to Devont Adams too much.

That's what they've done all year and they were successful doing it. You know, I had Tom House on the other day. He has been Tom Brady's personal throwing coach. And Tom's a wonderful guy. And he's had a lot of these guys. And I asked him, he had responded to me on social media when I said, I'm tired of hearing about Brady's arm being an issue. I think he threw.

Not at all. I thought his velocity against Green Bay was like at times too fast for Tyler Johnson. go back 10 years. I mean, obvious. I mean, it's really funny. I said if I didn't know who Tom Brady was and I watched him, I wouldn't think he's 43. I would just say, you know, there's a kind of a pocket quarterback guy. But you're watching him.

You're watching him Sunday. What did you see? Oh, I didn't think Brady played real well by any means. But if you're just talking about his physical traits, I don't think there's a drop off in his traits at all. And actually, that game started out with them converting three third and longs on the first series of the game and that in some way set the tone for the game. But there's nothing wrong with his arm. Brady is about repetitive mechanics.

He's always been about that. And see, quarterbacks that don't move and there's this belief now that the Tom Brady's of the world, there won't be many of those guys coming into the NFL that you need to have second reaction off schedule ability. But here's the difference. And it's funny, we started with Deshawn Watson. And he's a great player. That's not my point.

Now we're just talking about quarterback play is Deshaun Watson will leave throws on the field because he leaves the pocket too early. He'll compensate at times and camouflage for that because he can then make outsider structure plays. Brady stays in the pocket and therefore gets to throws and makes throws that Deshaun Watson won't get to. So now you have to decide what do you view as more important or maybe it's one is. isn't as important. It's just the way it is. But quarterbacks like Brady, they stay in the pocket and they deliver the football because he's not looking to run. He doesn't have that parachute.

So when I watch the bills in Kansas City, you give me the answer to the question. It was, were the bills to Josh Allen dependent, or is the Kansas City Chiefs defense really, really underrated? Because Buffalo was on the bad side of a 38 to 6 run. run in that football. Yeah. Well, I think that there's a couple of things about Steve Spagnolo's defense that it's overlooked because of Patrick Mahomes. Number one, they're a high pressure defense. They blitz a lot.

Number two, they play more man coverage than people think, and they play it well with corners that not a lot of people know about. Ward on one side, Breeland on the other, they don't match up. They've gotten a really good year from the rookie Sneed. So they play a lot more man coverage than people think. But they're also very multiple with their coverage concepts. And they play a lot of zone concepts. And Tehran Matthew is the reason they can do all that because he's so good.

So what you saw was really sticky to use Tony Romo's word, sticky man coverage. And Josh Allen didn't miss some throws in this game. There were a couple of times where they got him too. They baited him into some throws where they showed something pre-snap and then the skies in late movement, and that's tough. It's tough for every quarterback. But they're high pressure defense, and I'm sure Spags believes he can be high pressure

because his feeling is, so what if I give one up? My guy's going to put up 35. Who cares? I mean, that's so true. Yeah, I mean, really. Yeah. All right. Your big play is some Patrick Mahomes, and we always want to see that.

Well, we're going to do a little tutorial here, Colin, of an RPO because we've reached the point where every time there's a fake handoff in the backfield in the shotgun, the announcer tells it's an RPO and that's not the case. So let's take a look at the Tyree Kills' 71-yard play from that game, the AFC Championship game against Buffalo. And here it is. And obviously, this was a killer for Buffalo. It's a six-yard pass, and it becomes a 71-yard gain because of Hill's dynamic run-after catchability. But this was a true RPO. And the way you can tell that is with the offensive line. Look at the offensive line, the right side of their line and the back Williams. The right side of their line, starting with the

offensive center, they're going to run block. And you can see that clearly. They are run blocking. And Williams clearly in the backfield makes it look like he's taking a sweep to that side. So there you get the run part of the RPO. Now, when you switch to the other side of the offensive line, the left tackle and the left guard. What they do, Colin, is they pass protect. So you get one side run blocking, you get the other side pass protecting. So now that's the RPO concept. So it's not just that there's a fake handoff in the backfield. So now what we'll do is we'll switch angles. Okay. And now you're going to see Mahomes obviously in the gun. Now the past part of this, besides the past protection, is Tyree Kill and

the slot is going to run a quick slant. So how does Patrick Mahomes decide what he's going to do? He reads the linebacker Tremaine Edmonds, who's right in front of him in his vision. And as he takes the snap and he sees Edmonds immediately move to his left, he knows that the passing lane to Hill on the slant is there. So that is a true run pass option with the offensive line both run blocking and pass protecting. Patrick Mahomes reading the Mike linebacker who tells him where to throw the football. All got smarter. Good stuff, Greg Kossal.

We will talk soon, Greg. Thanks again on a Thursday. All right, Colin. Appreciate it. Thanks. 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

Acapella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

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

I don't care what you're 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 Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations

with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeard 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. On the Look Back at it podcast. From 1979,

that was a big moment for me. 84's big to me. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick you here, 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. It 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. This is an IHeart podcast.

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