The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 12/02/2019

Episode Date: December 2, 2019

Colin explains the one thing the Patriots need to do to become a Super Bowl favorite again. He says Freddie Kitchens wearing a shirt mocking an embarrassing incident for his team and the league is a special kind of dumb. He admits where he was right and wrong over the weekend. Plus, he talks with Fox Sports Radio's Doug Gottlieb about the mess in Cleveland and NFL Network's Jane Slater tells Colin that Jason Garrett may actually be back next season in Dallas. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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this is clivert taylor the fourth and on my podcast the clivert 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 this linebacker walks up to me he goes a ref my mom wants you to wave at her what Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Rhett, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Ms. Parker.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. 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 iHeart, Radio app by searching Herd.

This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Oh, it is a Monday, and we are packed. This is the herd, wherever you may be and however you may be listening. We're live in Los Angeles on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1. One hour from now, a great addition. Colin was right, Colin was wrong. We are absolutely packed. Joy Taylor is joining me.

You know, Monday after Thanksgiving, we got the Cowboys to talk about on Thursday. It is a jam show today. How was your Thanksgiving? It was great. How was yours? Mine was out west where it was cold. Yours was out east where it was really cold. Actually, it was nice.

It wasn't too windy. And the Steelers got to win. And the Dolphins got to win. And the Dolphins got to win. And the Dolphins got to win. You're going to be hard to tolerate Joy Taylor today. The Dolphids and the Steelers won. Let me talk about this.

So this morning, all my Lord. panic in New England. Super Bowl's over. Oh my God, it's over. Brady's shot. Really? Really? Let's see. First downs. New England had twice as many as Houston. Third down efficiency. New England was over 50%. They passed for 300 yards. They rushed for three times as many yards as the Texans and dominated time of possession. No. They just have a problem in New England. It's called Antonio Brown. If he's on the team today, they're favored to win the Super Bowl. Folks, football in America is changing. Kids are smart. I see it in California high school recruiting. The top 100 players in California next year, 30 or wide receivers, 10 or quarterbacks. Kids don't want to play running backs because they can't get a second contract. Kids want to be wide receivers because they'll sign you early for a third or a fourth contract.

And New England does one thing not very well. Wide receiver. That's why they had to go get Josh Gordon and had to roll. the dice on Antonio Brown. Houston does a lot of things wrong. But they got the quarterback right and the wide receiver right. I watch the Houston Texans on a weekly basis

get out-coached, out-schemed, out-smarted, and out-played. But Deshawn Watson rolls out, throws a flag football up in the air, you know, flag football play, they diagram, and one of their unbelievable wide receivers goes and catches it. Minnesota, Baltimore, San Francisco,

Kansas City, you know, Houston have done a really good job to stay ahead of the curve and pay for wide receivers and scout wide receivers and go get wide receivers. It allows you freebies. It allows you to get out-coached and outplayed and win.

New England does not have an ace on the pitching staff. Therefore, forcing Julian Edelman, who'd be a great number two, to be their number one. And Mohamed Sunou, who'd be a good number one, who'd be a great number three to be their number two. Ask yourself this if you think the season's over for New England. Are they good enough at head coach to win a Super Bowl? Yes.

Are they good enough on defense to win a Super Bowl? Yes. Are they good enough on special teams to win a Super Bowl? Yes. Are they good enough with their coordinators in their offensive line to win a Super Bowl? Yes. Are they good enough at running back to win the Super Bowl? Yes.

Are they good enough at quarterback to win the Super Bowl? Yes, they are. They did it last year. but they're not good enough at weapons, therefore forcing New England to have to be perfect. No penalties, 12 played drives, because they don't get any freebies over the top. And they've done everything well in New England for 20 years. But I have been banging on them. Joy is my witness.

Tuy is my witness. Goulet is my witness. I've been saying this for about five years on New England. They don't scout receiver well. They don't draft it well. They don't develop it very well. Julian Edelman was a college quarterback. That's classic New England.

We're not good at receiver. We'll find somebody who's not a receiver, make him a receiver, and Brady will make him great. It's not the end of anything. This organization does everything right, but we have a changing football world, and it's really changing on the outside in New England doesn't do that well.

And my gut feeling is they have a Hail Mary. The Hail Mary is Antonio Brown gets potentially cleared. They give him a second chance. chance and everything changes. Then you'd have to double Antonio. Edelman's a great two. Sinoos a remarkable three. And then Philip Dorset and the keel-Herry are terrific fours.

But now everybody's got to move up and it's just not good enough. You can out-coach triple the Texans rushing. Better on third down. More first downs. Better on more. Yes. But Deshaun watching flings it up a couple times. We got receivers.

We've figured that out and we win the game. That's the new NFL. You better not be lousy at wide receiver. And New England now may not be lousy, but they're not very good. Still a very good football team, as Tom Brady said afterwards. There's very high expectations. And the expectations for our team often are, you know, a very, very, very high level. And I understand that.

But at the same time, I think there's realistic expectations with our circumstances and incorporating different elements and players and injuries. And again, we're just trying to do the best that we can do. I think they're still in the Super Bowl picture, but can no longer be a favorite unless the Hail Mary to Antonio Brown develops. For the record, Brady went to the owner and put up a massive fight to keep A-B for a reason. He knew this would be the issue. They're good enough everywhere else, but get no freebies over the top now. Let's shift gears to Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

Tip of the cap to Mike Tomlin, coach of the year, maybe get my vote. Great organizations overcome obstacles, Steelers. Lousy organizations create obstacles, Cleveland. The NFL has always been about structure, and structure is boring. NBA's about stars, that's fun. International soccer's about stars, that's fun. Football's about structure. owner, GM, coach, quarterback, grownups, high IQ, totally focused, kind of boring.

The Cleveland Browns have been so chaotic for years, their structure, so inept, so mocked, so poorly thought of in the league that Freddie Kitchens gets a head coaching job. Freddie Kitchens was a position coach. For years and years, he was known as sort of a funny, likable Southern NFL position coach. Then, because he's over his skis, he was given the big boy job in the corner table, and he puffs his chest out,

and he just doesn't feel right. And so now Baker Mayfield, and I could hammer Baker all day today, but I will not. Because I've said from the beginning, Baker is not talented enough to overcome a below-average head coach or a general manager, John Dorsey,

who was run out of a better organization, Kansas City. Freddie Kitchens did something, and this really sums it up. I've always said this about crimes. I understand some crimes. I understand crimes of passion. You walk in, your wife's having an affair. You take a baseball bat to a guy, crime of passion. Your kid's starving.

You walk into a 7-Eleven. You grab a loaf of bread and peanut butter. Your son's crying at home. They're starving. It's a crime of desperation. Bank robbery is a special kind of dumb. You got to plan it. You got to call people.

You need help. It takes weeks. Nobody in the time goes, we're robbing a bank with security cameras. Not great. This is Freddie Kitchens. I understand coaches in the moment, big game, highly leveraged, a lot of pressure, make a play call, and you and I don't like it. I'll defend coaches on that. These games go fast.

The clock is running. 75,000 people. It's a playoff game. Millions on the line. I make a call on third down. I go for it and I make a bad call. you. But to put a t-shirt on knowing you are now mocking a violent event which embarrassed your franchise in the NFL and allow a fan to take a picture of it is a special kind of dumb.

That's what a position coach does or a rookie player does. That is not what an NFL head coach does. and he addressed it after the game and doubled down on it. I wore a t-shirt. I wore a jacket with it. My daughters wanted me to wear the shirt, and I'd wear it again. I'd put a jacket on, I covered it up, I took a picture with a fan. That was as simple as that, you know. T-shirt didn't cause us to give up 40-yard passes, and we were ready to play.

That's the only thing people need to be concerned about. We were ready to play. So you covered it up. So you knew it wasn't a great idea. When you put that t-shirt on, you covered it up. But my daughter thought it was a great idea. My son thought farting in public was funny at six. I'm not going to do what my son thinks or my daughter thinks.

I'm an adult, a head coach, a seven-figure NFL coach. And there was a violent act, regardless of whose fault, the NFL was embarrassed, your owner was embarrassed, your GM was embarrassed, the league was embarrassed. And you mock it, like Cleveland's done. all year looking in the rear view mirror on an event two weeks ago. Folks, Freddie Kitchens is what Cleveland ends up with. Pittsburgh ends up with Mike Tomlin, Bill Cower and Chuck Knoll. Great organizations have a job opening and the very best at everything rushes to sign up for it.

Cleveland has a job opening and Freddie Kitchens is the best candidate. great organizations, Pittsburgh Steelers, on a third or fourth string quarterback, overcome obstacles. Lousy organizations wearing a t-shirt to a game, lousy organizations create obstacles.

Ramon Foster of the Steelers couldn't believe when he saw the coach and the t-shirt. Did you feel it was disrespectful for a coach to be wearing something like that? I'll leave it up to you guys, but I know our coach would have never done anything like that. Why throw gas? When you do something like that, you throw your players in a long way. Again, there is good news for Cleveland.

The good news between the helmet incident and your coach not having the wherewithal to understand how serious it was and mock it, it gives Cleveland the ability now to fire Freddie Kitchens. GMs do not like to hire coaches and have to fire them within a year because it means the GM hired the wrong guy. And John Dorsey has got an ego. He does not want to fire Freddie Kitchens. So that loss yesterday, if Cleveland wins that game and wins the rest of the games and goes nine and seven, Freddie Kitchens is hard to fire because I hired him.

If I hire somebody, I don't want to fire him a year. later, or I'm acknowledging I whiffed. But John Dorsey can now go out and say between the helmet, lack of respect, between the t-shirt, you know what, I gave a young man a chance and he just wasn't right for the job. So there is a silver lining in this annual dumpster fire. Freddie Kitchens is officially a coach, unofficially fired by the Cleveland Browns. It'll be announced fairly soon. A week, four weeks, five weeks, they'll move on.

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. 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 middle.

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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. 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 Slica Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Clivert 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, 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, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Where's he at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. American soccer is about to explode.

The World Cup is coming. Ramos sending on to Ernie Stewart the chip. I'm Tad Ramos. I'm Tom Boke. On our podcast, Inside American Soccer, you'll get the real storylines. I'm not worried about Polisic. I'm not worried about Balagan.

I'm not worried about McKinney. My only concern is what happens in the back. The biggest decisions. If you're going to look at stats and numbers, he has no shot at making this World Cup team. And the truth about the U.S. national team. It wouldn't be a huge surprise if our team ends up in the quarterfinals

or potentially a great run into the semifinals. The World Cup is almost here. Experience it all with us. Listen, Inside American Soccer with Tom Bogart and Tabramos on the IHeart Radio app, podcast wherever you get your podcast. You know, you look at the box. I look at the box score.

First thing I do with football games. Dallas gets all sorts of yards. Yards and stats are not the problem. Because personnel's not the problem. Dallas had more first downs, 10 more than Buffalo. They were just as good on third down. More plays, better yards per play,

more passing yards, two for four in the red zone. Yards aren't the problem and stats aren't the problem. Why? because personnel and playmakers are not the problem for Dallas. When I was in college, I used to eat a lot of top ramen because it was really simple. Add hot water and stir. And I wasn't a chef.

I'm still not. And it was an easy solution to my hunger. Add hot water and stir. I like problems like that. One thing to do, maybe a second easy thing. Dallas has the best problem in the NFL. just to add the right head coach and stir. Everything else is fine.

Buffalo's got a great defense. Dallas had no problems moving the ball on maybe the second or third best defense in the NFL. Dallas, there are teams in this league. The New York Jets have a bad O line. Need a new number one receiver. Need a number one cornerback. Need an edge rusher. The head coach and the defensive coordinator hate each other,

and we're not sure if we like the owners. That's a bunch of problems. Cincinnati and Washington. I don't like the owner. I don't like the GM. I don't like the offensive lines. I don't like almost anything. Those are major problems.

You need a chef in that kitchen. Dallas, you've got all sorts of yards and stats and playmakers. You just got to get the right head coach. And we know three things. A, the Cowboys have the personnel. B, Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones draft very well. They're really an excellent drafting team. Excellent scouting department.

and C. Dallas pays. Jerry Jones does not get hand cramps. He writes big checks. And this is the kind of job where a very good coaching candidate in the NFL would look and go, man, you can walk right into that thing. I can walk right into that thing.

I can get players. I can win. I can win right now. And you got Lincoln Riley out there? I'll just throw out Urban Meyer. Everybody thinks Urban Meyer wants to coach college football again. I'm not sure he does. I think he'd probably take a fuller.

phone call from these guys. I think Lincoln Riley would take a phone call from these guys. Most NFL jobs, you need a chef to fix. You got to fix the O line. You got to fix your wide receivers. You don't have any of those problems. This is add hot water and stir. Let's just get the right coach in. I mean, Buffalo just outcoached them. That game was decided by three factors. One, a very clever trick play by Buffalo. Two, Cole Beasley. You think Buffalo was going to make a point and give Cole a chance to burn his old teammates? Dallas couldn't figure that out. You think you'd put more heat on Cole Beasley.

And three, some situational football, second half in the football game, some adjustments. It's all coaching stuff. So this is a great problem to have. The Jets have multiple problems. Cincinnati's got six. The Jets have four. Washington's got nine. Those are, you need Bobby,

flay. I could figure out the Cowboys, get the right coach. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. Doug Gottlieb, joining us, Joy Taylor, as well. Top of the hour, Colin Wright, Colin wrong. Let's start with Freddie Kitchens. I said, when you're a chaotic organization

and you have job openings, a lot of people are like, I'm not bringing my daughters and my kids cross-country, my wife doesn't want to live there. Cleveland's got a chaos problem where you have a job opening and you end up with Freddie Kitchens who would not have interviewed for a Baylor football job. I like Freddie Kitchens.

I know guys that know Freddie. They said he was a funny running back coach. People liked him. And then they give him the big job and he puffs his chest out and wants to be a head coach. And it's like, he's not a head coach. So in a way, could I not argue losing allows Dorsey to now fire him and Baker can have a real coach or a semblance of him? I don't think there's any question that he's the guy that takes the fall, right? Because John Dorsey made all these draft picks.

People say they have talent. He's not going anywhere. Baker Mayfield to this point, probably still gets another year. Oh, sure. with a new offensive coordinator, at least maybe a new head coach. And I think that's why people didn't want to take the job, not just the chaos in the organization and how it was a turnstile in terms of coaches and quarterbacks, but also Baker was so powerful this offseason that whoever came in,

if it didn't go right, was going to get fired. But the idea, and like I get it, your kid, get hands you a t-shirt and says wear it, it's funny, it's kind of clever. And, you know, it's sort of galvanizing. But this is the Peter principle. I just got back from my alma mater, Oklahoma State. I'm a graduate of the Spears School of Business. And one of the things you study in business school is the Peter Principal,

which is when you're elevated above the level of your competency. Sure. And that's him, right? As a running back coach, great. Offensive coordinator, maybe even then, because he's a former quarterback at Alabama, sees a little differently, like, okay, but when you skip steps. Yes. And then, let's never forget, not only did he take on the head coaching job,

but he's also calling the plays. So he's performing a task that he's not really prepared for And then calling plays. And if you look around the league, a lot of these, you're Kellyn Moore with the Cowboys, some of his play calling. It's the first time doing it.

It's learning on the, even when you've been in an NFL quarterback guitar. Can you imagine Kellyn Moore being a head coach? No. The Cowboys, no. No, he just couldn't do it. Yes. And by the-

It's a big, big job. There's a lot of fires. And then you have the OBJ stuff and the Baker stuff and the Miles Garrett stuff. And this is the stuff you handle when you're a head coach, not an offense quarter. Jimmy Johnson, the former cowboy coach, told me this weekend, he goes, the best coaches in this league are walk around coaches, where you kind of walk around and you say, don't do that, do that. He goes, Sean Payton is one of the only guys that literally calls plays.

He's on one side of the football and they win. And he said, but most of the great coaches, he goes, you know, Pete Carroll, Belichick, kind of walk around, fix that, fix that. And he goes, Freddie Kitchens, right now, forget walk around. He's just walking into the offensive room glaring at it and not being able to run the team to your point. little over his skis, making it up as he goes. And then, of course, on the other side, you have Mike Tomlin, who you and I have discussed, you know, there's a reason he's never had a losing season.

Ever. And the reports out of locker room was, he picked up the marker and made some adjustments at the half and said, we're going to do this, this, and this. And with a guy who is a four-string quarterback in camp, ends up, you know, beating the Cleveland Browns without his running back, without his center. I mean, it's a great.

It's a remarkable story. And yes, that's organizational. And a lot of people question, you know, what did Mike Tomlin do? He's a walk-around sort of guy. But when push comes to shove in a moment where you try and find out, does this guy actually know what he's talking about? He does, whereas Freddie Kitchens can't control that thing.

You know, I mean, look, is it his fault that OBJ went out? No. Is it his fault? Some of the other issues are playing without Miles Garrett? Yes and no. But most penalized team in the league. And they're underachieving even now with a schedule that should be manageable. We all knew the first started the schedule was easy,

but you predicted it would turn around. round, think of the games in which they've lost, the Broncos game they shouldn't have lost, and how they looked in the second half speaks to coaching. Okay, New England, and my argument is pitching staffs need an ace. Rich Hill for the Dodgers is a great four, an okay three. He's a bad two. Is that if you had Antonio Brown in New England, then Edelman's a great two, and Mohamed Sanu's a terrific three, but you don't have that now.

So everybody moves up, and it's a pop gun offense. But I do think all the other elements of this team are good enough, win a Super Bowl, but they can't in 2019 with zero tight end and zero deep threat. So your proposal as you go and re-sign Antonio Brown if he's cleared by the league? If he's cleared,

Tom Brady fought for him. I mean, let's be honest about this league. We make a lot of decisions based on do you have the talent? I get it and it does make sense. You have to have somebody where the safety has to double over the top. Otherwise, no one's going to get open. And last year they had the ability

to run the football, which they don't have nearly as much. One reason is Gronk, who as well respected as Gronk is as a pass catcher, didn't get the respect he deserved as a guy who could block. Like all these other great past, George Kittle, like not really a blocker. Unbelievable talent, not a blocker.

You kind of go around the league and all these great pass catching tight ends. Most of them aren't blockers. Gronk was, so he could hit you in both. And then they would hit you if they had the mismatch on Gronk or if they only put one guy on Edelman, those two could beat you. And they survived in the playoffs.

and survived in the Super Bowl. I am going to fall for the banana and the tailpipe, right? Like, everybody, I am falling for it. I do think they look, they don't look like they have the offense. I agree. Now, keep in mind, they'd have to beat the Chiefs who will see them against this week. They'd have to beat the Ravens, who we saw them against.

But the second time around, you would think they'd be able to make Lamar Jackson more of a thrower. And the weather in Baltimore or New England couldn't be particularly good. and yes, they won this week, but it wasn't like Lamar's offense was the reason that they won. That was a team win in Baltimore. So do I think they're completely washed up? No, but I think they have major offensive problems.

But let's not forget, when Antonio Brown was there, every day there was a new story. Okay? It's not just one thing. And it wasn't just that he, you know, sent DMs about, you know, this one woman or this one massage therapist or this one, you know, trainer who trained him. It was every single day there was something.

The day he signed there, there was a story that came out. And the Patriots had to be ticked because they were probably asking, is there anything that's going to come out? And he said, nah, nothing I know about. And of course, lawsuit, story, direct message. It was just too much. And now I don't think the tweeting about wanting to play for the Patriots does him any good. I don't either.

So you're right. But when you consider what the owner went through in the offseason, I think that's a major factor as whether the league wants. that to happen. I don't think they have the weaponry this year, and I don't think that you can score enough with Kansas City, and I'm not convinced that they can score enough with Baltimore to get to another Super Bowl.

Let's talk college football. We've got about three minutes. I want to give you the floor. Jim Harbaugh's got nine wins. If they win a bowl, it'll be 10. That would be the fourth year out of five. He's won 10 games. Are we judging him because he can't beat a superior football program in Ohio State?

Are we judging him just on that when the reality? is he's going to win 10 games again this year. It's a little bit of both, right? Ohio State's fired a coach because he couldn't beat Michigan, right? That has happened. But we have to remember that unlike Ohio State, they share the state with Michigan State, and they've essentially eviscerated that program during his time there. That's what's changed is they once again became big brother in the state.

Yeah, Michigan State can no longer recruit. Jim gets all the good players. Right. And there's fewer players in Michigan. There's more in Ohio. you're fighting Michigan State and Ohio State for the players in Michigan as well as now going to Florida and going to Texas. I don't think people understand have a healthy respect for what he inherited.

There was infighting. There was, you know, a couple of athletic director changes. They had to modernize the strength and conditioning program, and he's made them a consistent winner. Does he have to beat Ohio State? Yes. Yes, he absolutely does. And this was supposed to be the year.

And turns out Ohio State might be better than they've ever been. But like Michigan fans, because they've won more games than anybody in the history of football, think they invented football. He won one national championship in the history in the modern era of football. One. And by the way, didn't they split that year? Right?

Yeah. There's that the Charles Woodson year? Yeah. Yeah. They split that year. I was in college. That's how long ago it was. So, like, with respect to Michigan fans

who think you're Michigan, you're supposed to, should you beat Ohio State? Yes. Mac Brown couldn't beat Bob Stoops the first four or five years that Bob Stubes was at Oklahoma. Because Oklahoma is a better program than Texas. Yes. And eventually. I do think that Michigan fixes this thing.

And I would have thought Shea Patterson's last year it would happen. But the idea of selling Harbaugh because he can't beat arguably the best football program in the country, it to me is laughable considering where you were and how the program's trajectory continues. By the way, Cowboys are going to have a job opening. It does appear. Harbaugh probably, you know, Michigan wants to fire Harbaugh. He may get a call from Jerry. Is there a magic elixir?

I'll use that again for the Cowboys. No, because, remember, could define the coach? Yes, but you're Lincoln Riley. Do you want your owner having press conferences in the locker room when you're king at Oklahoma? Remember, college football coaches are making $6, $7, $8 million now. Yes, they are. And they have better players than the other team 90% of the time. At Oklahoma, yes.

Yes, 90% of the time. You know, there's like Texas and whoever they play out of conference and the college football playoff. That's it. Other than that, you got better players than everybody else. Why would you go to the Cowboys? The perfect idea of what is wrong with the Cowboys is Cole Beasley should have been on the Cowboys. Instead, he gets $29 million, 4 years to walk,

and he is one of the big reasons the bills beat him. Yes, they have the glamour players, but it's those gritty players. It's those guys that make plays on third down. Their special teams is a disaster. Their defense doesn't get a big stop. Their offense, Laxay Cole Beasley. I think they're all glitz and glamour, but I think the idea of going out and hiring Urban Meyer,

Does he want? It's a fair. Jimmy Johnson couldn't do it, and Bill Parcells couldn't do it. 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. Every Monday I have big strong opinions. I call myself out, though. A lot of times I whiff and I need to be held accountable, where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong.

Where Colin was right? We have said since training camp and since the draft, the Patriots, Why don't you draft a tight end? Now they don't have one. Why did you let Josh Gordon go? He's good enough to make an occasional over-the-top play. Use him as a decoy. Belichick has left Tom Brady with a pitching staff with no ace.

It's a pop-gun offense. All the components of a Super Bowl team are here. But we said this during the draft. Use those picks. Go up and get a tight end. They're the worst tight-end offense right now in the NFL. They've lived on it. They've dined on it for a decade.

They didn't address it, so they can't attack the middle of the field. All of their problems you could see before the draft. You could see them last year. You could see him coming. Why they let Josh Gordon go, I'll never know. Seattle immediately picked him up and he's immediately paid dividends. This was all very predictable with their offense. Where Colin was raw.

Blazing five stunk, one and four. Raiders imploded. Kyler Murray, worst game as a pro. On the year, I'm at 51%. For the record, I've never, ever had a losing record in Blazing 5. So the pressure is on me this week. I've always been in the 55, 56% region, so the pressure is overwhelmingly on me, and I stunk this weekend, did not get it done.

Where Colin was right? We said when John Dorsey hired Freddie Kitchens, we said he's hiring somebody he can control. He's got a big ego, and this is what happened. Freddie Kitchens doesn't have the gravitas, doesn't have the maturity, doesn't have the experience, this was an incredibly and then they acquired OBJ who's mostly been fine this year but this was really predictable

is that a general manager there's an old saying in business A's higher A's and B's higher C's. John Dorsey got run out of Kansas City and wanted to control his head coach and instead he get to head coach that's really at best a coordinator at best

a coordinator where Colin was wrong. Tomlin, coach of the year, would certainly be a legitimate vote. Devlin Hodges, by the way, the 2018 Alabama duck calling champion. I'm not joking. He was the world's best duck caller at 13 years old. He's called Duck Hodges. Fourth string quarterback in camp, yet they win.

They're on a third string running back, Benny Snell. Juju Smith-Schuster doesn't play. Marquis Pouncey, their center doesn't play. They're an injury-riddled mess. on a fourth string quarterback, and I've been highly critical of Tomlin through the years being too emotional and not detail-oriented,

but they are in the wild card race. I mean, we give Sean Payton credit because he won with a backup. This is a fourth stringer in camp in a division with Baltimore. And the talented Browns, Mike Tomlin, this is as good a job as he has ever done,

never at a losing season. Got my respect. Man, he's been great. where Colin was right? We said this when they were winless. We said the Miami Dolphins are a well-coached lousy team, and people don't think that's possible. It is.

This team was down two touchdowns late, came back in one. That doesn't happen for a team that's almost tanking. Miami's got a couple of nice wide receivers, but this is a team that gets every ounce out of their talent. Brian Flores there had the best trick play I've seen all year. they have three first rounders. And we said this. There's a difference between being Cincinnati bad and Miami bad.

Miami's got the right coach and a direction and a plan. And them coming back to win that game just proves a point that we try to make. You can be bad and very well coached. Just have personnel limitations. And I think they'll solve most of those limitations next year in the draft and free agency. where Colin was wrong. I jumped on the Raiders too fast. A couple of weeks ago, I had the Raiders,

I think above Kansas City at number nine in the herd hierarchy, and the staff said, don't do that, you're going to regret it, don't do that. Since then, they have been outscored 74 to 12. And their defense is bad. They need more weapons. And they're a year away. They do have some offensive talent, I like.

And I love their running backs, but it's hard to feed the running backs when you're down by 28. Running backs become really irrelevant when you're down by four touchdown. Downs. Derek Carr did not look comfortable yesterday. And listen, it's one of those things where I was so wrong on the Raiders that I over-extended my opinion on the Raiders. And right now, they're a developing franchise.

I mean, they're still in the wild card race. But Buffalo is a wild-card team. The Raiders think they are. But if you look at Buffalo and you look at Oakland, wild-card team should be good enough to win a game. Oakland's not good enough to win a playoff game. And I was on him too quick. Where Colin was right? The Brooklyn Nets are now six and three without Kyrie Irving and four and eight with him.

By the way, the Celtics this year are better significantly without him. The Celtics last year were 12 and 3 in games without Kyrie. He's a problem. He's always hurt. He's selfish. He's not a great teammate. A lot of diva. And at times, the earth is flat.

He's a little awry. odd. This week, he went on a rambling Instagram rant about how people boo him, and I'm more than just a player, and of course you are. I'm more than just a sportscaster, but people tune in to hear my sports opinions, and people pay tickets to watch you be a basketball player. We all know we're more than just what we do for a living. I'll say it again, Kevin Durant bailed on Steph Curry for Kyrie Irving. I've been watching the NBA for 40 years. You'll get a guy in the lead. This happens all the time. There's always a couple guys in the league. They're great individual players, they're not good teammates. That's okay. I mean, you ever go to the YMCA and you

watch a guy and you're like, oh my God, he's great. Nobody can stand him. Kyrie's difficult. He does not make teams better. LeBron made him. He bailed on LeBron, and that's what you got. Where Colin was wrong. I predicted Bama and Clemson would play for a national title, and that's not going to happen. Bama can't stop anybody. They couldn't stop Auburn in their freshman quarterback. They couldn't stop LSU. Last three times they faced Clemson. They can't stop them. I still think it's a great program, but they've lost too many great assistance. They've lost too many players early. This is what happened to Pete Carroll at USC, Mac Brown at Texas. Alabama doesn't scare anybody. Next year's offense is not going to be nearly as dynamic at running

back, quarterback, or wide receiver. You just can't keep losing great assistance like Kirby Smart, who then goes to a rival and starts out recruiting you. They're not as good. They don't have as many good players. They'll still win 10 games next year, but they're not a national chance. They played two good teams this year. They lost to both and couldn't stop either. That's who they are. I was wrong. Where Colin was right. Nick Foles got benched. Of course he did. He's Nick Foles. Listen, he hit lightning in a bottle on an unbelievable Philadelphia roster for a year and a half. But now he's a four-year $88 million backup, and that is the worst quarterback contract. You think Kirk Cousins contract's a problem? This morning, it looks like a deal.

This is a bad quarterback contract. First three drives, he had turnovers. He's never been overly athletic. He's got a good arm, not great. He's a backup who hit lightning in a bottle. By the way, Tim Tebow won seven straight games. Mark Sanchez got to an AFC championship a couple of times. He's not an elite quarterback.

He's not a $20 million quarterback. He's a good kid who was going to retire a couple of years ago until he hit it in Philadelphia with great offensive coaches. And now he's back to being, you know, Nick Foles. where Colin was wrong. I predicted Gus Malzahn would be fired, probably mid-season at Auburn, and he just beat Nick Sabin for the third time in his career.

Gus Malzahn has been, especially at home, a big pain in the butt for Nick. He outsmarted him on that final play of the game when he put a punter in, and Nick was trying to rush people in. He's clever offensively. They recruit the heck out of the state and the region. They've got a ton of NFL guys.

And listen, it's not easy when Alabama and Nick Sabin or in your state. So they're not as good as Alabama, but I didn't think he could withstand this year. They beat the Oregon Ducks early. I thought that would be a problem. They beat Alabama. They may have had the toughest schedule.

They beat Texas A&M. I was wrong. I thought he was going to get rolled. I predicted it. And I missed on that one. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the I-Hard Radio app.

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, or 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 Hardway and listen now. 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. SportsClyce brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsClyce 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.

What's up, guys? This is CliverTaylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. 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? Quarterback on office blue 42.

Hey, ref, 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. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds.

Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid.

He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass, get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball.

So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We watched the Cowboys lose, and the way they lost, it's the second straight weekend, first with Belichick, then Sean McDermott. Whereas an observer, even a casual observer, it did feel like Jason Garrett got a little out-coached, out-detailed. And we're going to bring in somebody we absolutely love. She's a reporter for the NFL network. She's been living in Dallas for years and covering the Cowboys via the Coward Global Satellite Network. Jane Slater, at Slater NFL. All right, let's start with this.

Does, I mean, Jerry started this, Jane, about a month ago. He started bringing up Belichick and bringing up coaches. Does Jason Garrett have anyone in his corner today that's fighting for him, Jane? His team. And I think that's the most important group of men that he needs there at the Star and Frisco. We've been talking about this since after the Packers' loss and again, after the Rams loss, I was told that Jerry was beside himself and infuriated. That's when essentially it came out.

that Jason was not going to get that extension. He was getting the one year to play this one out. And I think Jerry is frustrated. I think that I would not be surprised if, you know, they've got a list of guys they're interested in and bringing in here next year, given the expectations for this team and them not meeting those expectations. You know, you and I have talked about this. They haven't had significant injuries to their starters.

In other words, they haven't lost their quarterback, a running back, or a player that you could point to like Ron Rivera, who doesn't have Cam Newton say this is why our record looks like this. And then they've gone and they've played teams where they've caught great, the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay, Detroit. And he's just, if you want to put a finger and assign blame somewhere, you have to look at coaching this year. So, you know, I joked in the past, you and I talked about this this summer,

that I didn't think that he was on the hot seat. I've always thought that that seat was lukewarm. It's definitely hot this year. But I think the most important thing for Jason Garrett is you got Jerry once again in his corner talking about. it. After the game, we were all sort of incredulous about that on Thanksgiving. But more importantly, he's got the team. The team has never said that they don't buy into him, that they don't believe in him. Yet still, when his back was against the wall, he was coaching for a job

on Thanksgiving. The team did not show up in that game when they played the Buffalo Bills. So it's going to be interesting to keep an eye on this call. It's kind of a long-winded answer for you, but he does have the support of his football team still. I would say this. Jerry had, if not perplexing and interesting reaction to it. He was very emotional. And we thought, I remember watching Jerry walked down the hallway after the game and thought, oh, he's ticked off. And yet he got very emotional. You were there with Jerry. He was almost fully supportive. Were you surprised by Jerry post game after the Buffalo loss? Absolutely. All of us were quite frankly. We stood, I was right in front of Jerry when he came out of the locker room and talked to us for roughly 28

minutes and we asked him every single way possible. You know, you essentially threw your coach under the bus this whole week. You didn't walk off your comments after the Patriots lost. You went on radio on Tuesday and then good morning football and NFL network on Wednesday. And you made it very clear you wanted to, quote, win some damn football games. Well, they didn't win a damn football game. And then he went on to say with tears in his eyes that he believes in the group of men in that locker room.

And I reminded him that that team. needed to play for their coach and they didn't. And he continued to say that, you know, this is a team he believes can go ahead and win out the rest of the month and then make a run into playoffs. And then I reminded him again, well, you guys are 0 and 5 against winning teams. Where's that,

where's the confidence coming from? I truly believe this, Colin, you know, he talks very endearingly about his time as an Arkansas football player. And I feel like he was in the locker room. He felt the emotions of that locker room. And if he could have put on a helmet and run through a wall with them, he would have. But I think he got caught up in the moment. And I think he felt like he was a part of this team and the best way to support that team was to support their coach very publicly. And he

did that. You're hearing discussions now. We kind of joke that the franchise tag is like the engagement ring of the NFL. I love you, sort of. You know, I don't want you to leave me. Kirk Cousins, by the way, had a nine and seven year, Jane. He got to the playoffs. He was statistically very impressive. And Washington said, no, no, no, no, no, we need to see. more of this. I'm hearing people that I trust say, that could be in for a franchise tag. A, do you believe that? And B, how would that land in the cowboy locker room, in your opinion? Well, right before I came on air, I reached out to one of my sources and asked them just that. And I was told it is looking like it's going in the direction of a franchise tag, which I think is

fascinating. You know, we were talking about this a few months ago. Dax team came to the Cowboys and said they wanted $40 million. Dax agent went on record and said that they disagreed with that report, that that was false. You know, you and I had talked about it was a way to get them somewhere to the $33, $35 million range. And Jerry has repeatedly said, while he praises Dak Prescott, he knows he's an important part of this football team. They've got a lot of other guys that they've got to consider and they can't break up the

roster to pay one guy. Now, I think he's, in Jerry's mind, he's thinking, well, with this, you know, the CBA, and of course they're going to have more room with money here in another year that maybe they can pay DAC what he feels that he deserves. But I'm getting the sense and I was literally told via text that it's looking like it's going in the franchise tag direction. And I don't think it's a disrespect towards DAC. They want DAC, but DAC doesn't want to give him a hometown discount either. And I don't, while I think that it would be frustrating for DAC, he feels like, you know, think of everything he's done the last four years in Dallas. I mean, he's done everything you could possibly ask him to do.

And there's a reason that he was in part of the MVP conversation. Look what he's been able to win in spite of here in Dallas this season. He's the type of guy that I will say, I don't think he's going to look at it from a disrespect standpoint. I don't think it's going to create problems in the locker room. He's just one of those guys that seems to be able to focus on the task at hand. And that's just be the best quarterback he can be for the football team. But yeah, I'm a little shocked that the conversations have had been that. direction. NFL networks, Jane Slater. One more question. If there is a replacement for Jerry,

Lincoln Riley is the obvious North Star. He's really the guy they want. But Oklahoma's a terrific college job. He's a young coach. He certainly could stay there for another seven, eight years and then become a coach. I work with a guy named Urban Meyer. I mean, Urban Meyer's the best candidate in the world not coaching right now. Is there, would it be an NFL move, a college move, about a it left, Jane. What do you hear? Because I mean, this is all over Dallas papers and Dallas Radio besides Lincoln Riley. Is there anybody else Cowboy fans want? The Cowboys and the fans wanted Sean Payton and then Sean Peyton when he got himself an extension in New Orleans. So I think it is, it's a tricky situation for him. And I think honestly, that's why they've held

on to Jason as, you know, we've kind of talked about the Sephora. He's the devil that they know. I would honestly, Colin, not be surprised that if this team did win out the rest of the season and got themselves in the playoffs, that we're talking Jason Garrett again next year. That's just, that's how Dallas operates. But Lincoln, obviously, the coach that's the hot idea right now because of the way they courted Jerry's grandson when he was going off to college. And as much as I don't love the idea of bringing in a college guy and expecting him to make an immediate impact here in Dallas, you know, they did do it with a guy like Jimmy Johnson.

and in Barry Switzer, so... Who knows? 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 SportsSlice comes in. I'm Timbo, and 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 SportsSlaise,

on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. 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. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor?

It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to. Listen and learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Clivert 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 with 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast.

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