The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Best of The Herd: 12/31/2019

Episode Date: December 31, 2019

Colin celebrates New Years Eve by giving sports athletes, teams and owners some well needed New Years Resolutions to benefit their upcoming futures! Ron Rivera is making a huge mistake by taking the open head coaching position with the Washington Redskins, Jason Garrett is much harder to fire than you think he is since nice people are tougher to let go than tough guys, and Instant Replay has made everything from jersey pulling to tackles look way worse and harder to judge. Plus, the last Herd Hierarchy of 2019!Guest: Bucky Brooks 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. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, 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 Sports Slice 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.

Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter.

Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart 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 to learn the hard way on the iha 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 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 iHeartreport. radio app by searching herd.

This is the best of the herd with Colin Cowher on Fox Sports Radio. Ah, it's a Tuesday, best show in a long time. This live in Los Angeles is the herd, wherever you may be. And however you may be listening, we are live on IHeart Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and FS1, our final herd hierarchy of the year coming up in one hour. We have all the playoff teams, two of them, I don't even think, are top 10 teams in the NFL. It's great to have you enjoy. Joy Taylor is joining me. This is a crazy day because we got coaches getting fired, coaches getting hired, people making interesting decisions. You and I

have moved around the country for a lot of jobs. You can be a really good person, Joy. You and I can be really talented, but if you choose the wrong job, it's very crucial. There are a lot of interesting reports out there today. There are. And I've met in my life people who were very good, but bad job choosers. And I want to start with this. I like Ron Rivera as a head coach. a lot. I think he's very, very good. I think he made a bad choice. He's a really good employee who made a really poor choice. He's going to coach the Washington Redskins. He's seeking power. It's a mistake. It feels like Chip Kelly to San Francisco, who I think can coach. Now, I think Ron's a much better NFL coach. The rule in the NFL, better the quarterback, better the

chances you survive. And Duane, I mean, Kyle Shanahan in the NFL is 19 and 5 with Jimmy Garapolo. he's 4 and 20 with every other quarterback. That's Kyle Shanahan, the best young coach in football. Belichick got fired in Cleveland, couldn't get the right coach. Pete Carroll fired twice, couldn't get the right quarterback. Excuse me, Belichick couldn't get the right quarterback. Dwayne Haskins is the fourth best quarterback in that division. He's the fourth best.

And if they use Alex Smith, he's the fourth healthiest. So Dwayne Haskins is not close to Carson-Wenz. I don't think he has nearly the upside of Daniel Jones. Daniel Jones had far more college starts, and I don't think he has the qualities of Dak Prescott. So that's 1 in 5 to 0 and 6 a year in division. I even know who Washington plays next year because the schedules are out. We just don't know when the games are.

They play the AFC North. So it'll be Dwayne Haskins against Big Ben on the road, Baker on the road, Lamar Jackson at home, Kyler Murray on the road, at Jimmy Garoppolo, Russell Wilson, Jared Goff at home, at Matt Stafford and Cam Newton at home. Lost, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, loss, quarterback deficit for all of them.

Ron Rivera's a good coach. But there are two things that matter in this league. Ownership stability, redskins are crazy town, and who's your quarterback? I got nothing against Dwayne Haskins. I think he's a franchise guy. But he's not close to ready. The word on him is he's not really a grinder,

sometimes just relies on his talent. He's not mobile in an increasingly mobile league at quarterback. He needs perfect pocket situations. And he just didn't have many college starts. So he's probably two to three years away of reps to getting it right. Ron Rivera, by the end of year two, Dan Snyder may sell that stock. That's Dan Snyder. So I see this all the time in the NFL.

Be careful of the job you take. And I tell young people in this business, Be careful of the show you take. Who's your producer? What is the time slot? Who is your boss? What is the owner? What's the stability like?

What's the timeline on it succeeding? So Ron's a great coach, but I think you're in big trouble. In the NFL this year, seven of the eight teams finishing last have the worst quarterback play. All right? Or the least talented quarterback. The only exception is the L.A. Chargers, and I can make an argument. this year for Philip Rivers, he was also the worst quarterback in his division.

You just cannot overcome in this league, impatient ownership, meddling ownership, and an average quarterback. You can't overcome it. Belichick couldn't. Pete Carroll couldn't twice. Kyle Shanahan can't. I mean, look at, we think Sean McVeigh's smart. The minute they've had offensive line trouble with the Rams and Goff, who's not overly athletic,

has to run for his life, the Rams are unwatchable. The minute they get protection, the Rams are good. It all comes down to basically guard, center guard protection for an immobile quarterback. So I think he just made a big mistake. You're going to go into that game against Philadelphia, Ron Rivera, for the next 10 years, if you were coaching there. And Carson Wentz, you have a major quarterback deficit. And I think Daniel Jones is way better than I thought. You may have four games a year.

And I don't think Dax is super talent, but I think he has super leadership qualities, super durable, super tough, and wins a bunch of games. So I think it's a big mistake. And it's a bummer because I think Rivera is great, but he's seeking power here. He can be the GM, he can have personnel say, he can be the coach. Guess what?

Washington's got what, the number two pick in the draft? I would strongly think about drafting a quarterback. I would strongly think about it because your success in this league as a head coach is totally tied to it. Great coaches get fond of. The Andy Reed, Carol, Bill Belichick, they get whacked in this league because they can't overcome average or old or unathletic quarterback play. Speaking of that, Bucky Brooks, former player and scout was on speak for yourself yesterday. And I mean, we know Tom Brady is older, but he did win a Super Bowl last year.

But Bucke Brooks came out and said, it's Ova for New England and Brady. Look, man, I don't know why it's taking y'all so long to come around to the fact that It's over. It's over for the Patriots. It's over because their quarterback is the worst quarterback in the playoffs. Tom Brady. I can't go with you on that one, Bucky. He is the worst quarterback in the playoffs. In the playoffs, it's about quarterback play.

And when I look at the numbers, so provided, I mean, eight games under 60 completion percent 100 pass a rating, Tom Brady. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Fist bump, Bucky. It's over. Awesome. Okay. So, listen, Eli,

Philip Rivers and Tom Brady. When you're old and not very athletic, you die quickly. These pocket guys die fast. Philip Rivers was an MVP candidate last year. And this year, it's just bad. So you need these older guys, Eli, Philip Rivers, and Brady need great offensive lines

or they age really, really quickly. You can win some games as a pocket quarterback that's not athletic, but you feel like a back-to-the-basket center in the NBA. you can still end up with 15 points and nine rebounds, but man, the game is moving away from you. But beyond age and the unathletic nature of Brady's DNA, beyond that is something else that needs to be discussed.

The system offensively for New England and Tom is simply too rigid. That's why all these young receivers take years and years to work. Edelman took four. Muhammad Sanoe, smart veteran player, was a quarterback in high school, was able to figure out Kyle Shanahan's wildly intense and sophisticated offense in Atlanta. He goes to New England, and his quote last week is, I haven't really scratched the surface of what I can do here. I'm just getting adjusted.

There's so many things you can't teach. It's the difference between knowing and doing. and he played quarterback, and he's a veteran, and he's had multiple coordinators, and he's just scratching the surface, and he's bailing water. I've said this before. R rigid is a real thing. R rigid people age quickly. Rigid companies, rigid personality.

I'll give you an example. Bobby Knight went from genius to dinosaur. He's a very rigid guy because he wouldn't embrace the one and done. I mean, he went from legend, respected to Jurassic in two years. Mike Shashefsky, 72 still relevant. He embraced the one and done. He's not a rigid personality. He likes to learn.

He's curious. He was willing to embrace, although stubborn initially, Coach Kay said, I got to get into this one and done, or I'm going to be losing to one and done players. One's to the legend. One feels old. San Antonio Spurs, as brilliant as they are. The last two years in the NBA last in three-point attempts.

They're not relevant. Utah's better, Denver's better, Clippers better, Lakers better, Lakers better. They're not relevant. Boston better, Philadelphia better, Milwaukee better, Toronto better. They don't feel relevant. New England's system is too offensively complicated and rigid. and with more players than ever coming out of college in three years, not four, and not even redshirting. The great players in college now do not redshirt, demand to play earlier they'll transfer,

and they come out after a junior year. They're babies. They're 21 years old. You cannot be rigid. Tom Coughlin, smart, but feels like an old grumpy guy. And this morning Jacksonville retained everybody except Tom Coughlin. Coach stays, GM stays, quarterback stays. And I think New England, it's not just Tom's age.

It's not just his lack of athleticism. Rigid people age really quickly. And so to rigid cultures. They feel outdated overnight. And yes, New England won a Super Bowl. But the game is changing. They've got to lighten it up. It's got to be more wide receiver and skill people friendly.

And I do think it feels like Brady is a little bit of a lie. in these playoffs. I do not think that's crazy. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays at noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. 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 Hardway. 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.

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. Follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game.

This linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. A rep. My mama want you to wave at her. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Will Ferrell's Big Money Players and IHart Podcasts presents soccer moms. So I'm Leanne. Yeah. This is my best friend, Janet.

Hey. And we have been joined at the hips since high school. Absolutely. Now a redacted amount of years later, we're still joined at the hip. Just a little bit bigger hips, wider. This is a podcast we're recording. as we tailgate our youth soccer games in the back of my Honda Odyssey

with all the snacks and drinks sidebar why did you get hard seltzer instead of beer they had a bogo well then you got it do you want a white collar something here just what are y'all doing microphones are you making a rap album I would come on I would buy it

cuts through the defense like a hot knife through sponge cake that sounds delicious oh you're lucky I'm not a drug addict You're lucky I'm not an alcoholic. You're lucky I'm not a killer. I love this team and I'm really trying to be a figure in their lives that they can rely on. Oh.

Listen to soccer moms on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. There's an old truism in medicine. The doctors who get sued by patients are not the least competent doctors. No, quite the contrary. People will sue the doctor from Harvard or Princeton or Yale. But what people will not sue is the doctor they like, who makes them feel good, who has what they call a good bedside manner. They've done studies on this, insurance companies did, to protect their arses.

The doctors that get sued are the doctors that don't make you feel good about yourself. Don't make you feel secure. Nobody likes to go to a hospital. You want to feel comfortable. You want the nice doctor. And you'd never sue him, even if he, you know, cut off the wrong leg. That's why it's incredibly hard to fire marginally competent, nice people. It's easy to fire a talented jerk.

Jason Garrett's hard to fire. He's marginally competent. He's got three division titles. and the Cowboys have become USC football, a glamour job with a world-class human being as head coach. And with both, you can make arguments. Jason Garretz only had one losing season. And that was the year Tony Romo got hurt.

And with Clay Hilton, he's 40 and 22 at USC. He's got two-packed 12 South titles. Clay's the nicest guy I've ever met as a head coach in college. And Jason reportedly, don't know him, talk to him. is the nicest guy in the NFL and Jerry loves him. It's really hard. Both feel like family. With all the chaos at USC,

Clay Hilton's been there now for a decade. And with the Cowboys movements, Jason Garrett's been part of the family for 19 to 20 years. And with both, USC in Dallas this morning, let's fire the assistants. Let's fire the coordinators. Let's get rid of the special teams guy and the defensive coordinator.

Jason Garrett, by the way, has gone through three offensive coordinators and four defensive coordinators, and the NFC is pulling away from Dallas and the elite college football programs are pulling away from USC. Oklahoma's never been better. Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Ohio State, Clemson are just pulling away every recruiting season. Being nice matters. And I don't think Jason Garrett's unhireable. I think Clay Helton could coach. I don't think Dallas Cowboy Football or USC football is.

That's a lot of expectations and a lot of standards to meet. And I don't think they're the right guys for those jobs. Being nice and marginally competent buys you a lot of time. So the moral to the story this year, as you write your list of New Year's resolutions, be nicer. It'll get you another contract or three. Want more herd? The herd streams 24 hours a day, seven days a week within the IHeart radio app. Search herd to listen live or on demand whenever you'd like.

I want to talk about this. Ohio State Clemson, a lot of complaints about replay. Seattle, Seahawks and San Francisco, you know, a lot of complaints there should have been replayed, pass interference. So at the end of the game, Seattle throws the ball in the end zone. Jacob Hollister is mauled, it looks like, and there's no. No pass interference call, no replay, and here's Pete Carroll talking about it. Yeah, that was pass interference. I think that they could have looked at that again in more depth. If I'd had a time, I'd have called it just for that reason, just to give them time to make a choice.

So they're not rushed. And hopefully clear heads prevail and they can see it. But that's unfortunate. It was a big moment right there in the game. Let me say this. Ohio State Clemson, Seattle, San Francisco. On average in big games, and this is a guesstimate by me, there's about three butchered calls. About three times a game, you're like, God, it's awful. Let's say four. This was a

miss call. That's why I think in both college and the pros, you should be able to have four replays to each team. That's it. Each team gets two replay flags. And then the league with three minutes left, you can still have yours left, or the league with three minutes left, college football or pro, the league, the sport, can use what I call is the umbrella rule. That any egregious mistake, the league can step in and go, we're just going to review this. It's bad. Now, I do think all scoring plays should always be reviewed. That stays.

I would implement an umbrella rule for the last three minutes of any football game. Anything the sport, the head of officials thinks needs to be reviewed can. But outside of that, you. get to a team. That's it. I couldn't remember the last game I watched was seven bad calls or eight. There's about two to three that are butchered. Bad night, maybe four. You get two each, use them with discretion. We believe replay creates clarity. No, it just creates arguments because everything's exaggerated with replay. If you slow down the way I talked, you'd think I was having a stroke. but I tend to move my head this way when I talk.

Every small tug in a jersey feels like impediment. Every slap by a cornerback running a four or five looks like a massive piece of violence against a receiver. The NFL figured this out. They started taking away catches because replay made even solid catches look like they were juggled because the ball moves within your arm. And the NFL finally said, you know what? The replay makes all catches look like. on catches. So you can move the ball when you have it because it does come unjured.

Replay exaggerates everything. Any hit looks like a car wreck. Most aren't. Any catch looks juggle. Any small tug looks worse. And in America, we like to argue. We like to argue about politics. We like to argue about sports. We once had a six-week argument about an internet dress, gold or blue. That's what we do. do. But I do think we think replay creates clarity, but never forget, it exaggerates. And I think we would all admit college or pro, there's about three bad calls a game, let's say four. Each team gets two flags to take away the egregious, then the sport, college or pro, has the right in the last three minutes, not four minutes or five. In the last three,

because a well-coached team has saved their timeouts. So if you don't have the ball with three minutes left, you got a timeout, maybe a second, and the two-minute warning. If you can't get the ball back, that's a you problem. You didn't save your time-outs. You have a culpability too, not just the replay officials, not just the system. So my umbrella rule has always been give you a little more than two minutes, give you about three minutes, and if you've saved your timeouts and the call's bad,

call a couple timeouts, get the ball back, two-minute warning. But we're all caught up in this stuff. Listen, that Ohio State Clemson, when Trevor Lawrence got hit in the head, it looked like a marginal penalty. You know, you watch it in replay, and it looks like he got earhold, and literally they're throwing everybody out of the stadium.

Replay didn't do Ohio State any favors. Now, I still thought in the moment I thought penalty, but God, it looked way worse with replay. And I think it's just creating more debates and more arguments, and it's tearing at the fabric of two sports I love, college and pro football, where we think there's agendas, we think it's terribly officiated. These sports are brilliantly officiated. But your coach isn't perfect, and your players aren't perfect.

And the refs are human too, and they're not perfect either. Use replay with discretion. Rarely. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. On Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeard Radio, Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field

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

Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines,

as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, learn the hard way. Open your free, our heart radio app. Search learn the hard way 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. 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 Podcast, 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. 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 with 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the I Heart 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 defining 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 would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball.

After 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 balls. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, here we go, Herd Hierarchy. This is our last of this year.

As we go into the playoffs, there are 12 teams in the playoffs. Two of them aren't even good enough. I think or have a lower ceiling or I don't trust in the playoffs in my top 10. So here we go. Heard hierarchy. Time is now. Let's go. The top 10 NFL teams, according to college, number 10.

Okay, they may be an injury-riddled stage coach, but Philadelphia has a ton of playoff experience. Doug Peterson has been unbelievable in December and January games. They've won four straight and since week 14 during the streak. Their rush defense is top five. They're scoring defenses top five. And I trust this team in big games. They've got a ceiling. Deshawn Jackson, I said it during the year.

The minute he left, they can't beat you over the top. They can only win one way, which is really. why I don't think they can win a Super Bowl. But toughness, experience, coaching, Carson Wentz. I think there's just a Philadelphia, the city. There is an innate toughness with them, mental toughness,

physical toughness, Eagles at 10. Number nine. Tennessee's interesting. Tennessee's not going to win the Super Bowl either. But offensively, they've won seven of their last 10. Marcus Marriota's gone. Ryan Tannihill is in. and since he's become starter,

they're averaging 6.9 yards of play. That is number one in the NFL. They've got a deep receiver, a slot receiver, a good tight end, a power runner, a quarterback that can move or throw. They're a very dangerous offense. I don't trust the back end of their defense. I think there's limitations.

They always disappoint us in big spots. But when you're number one in the NFL in yards per play, that's a vagus number, that means at any time you can be out-coached and out-played and pop the big play and get back in it, Tennessee at 9. Number 8. An inch ahead of them based just on experience, and they'll be playing at home, New England.

I think New England beats Tennessee tight. Listen, they did finish number one in the NFL in points allowed, 14 a game, and in total defense, they finished number one, 275 yards allowed a game, and turnover differential. So they're smart, they're experienced, they're at home, and for a game that works.

They are simply not dynamic enough offensively, in my opinion to win at Kansas City or at Baltimore. Number seven. Minnesota. Again, a lower ceiling team, but they did end the season. One of the top six rushing teams. I really like their defense.

They're fourth in the NFL and takeaways. And that becomes big in the playoffs. You can win a couple of games when you take the ball away. Because you're going to get out coached. You're going to have a bad series. But can you make up for it with a pick, with a hit, with a fumble, with a sack, their top five in sacks? A ceiling team whose roster I love.

of Minnesota at number seven. Number six. Green Bay, an inch above them. And I mean, it's an inch. They've won five straight. Here's my knock on them. They've only got 13 takeaways all season. So they're not a physical team. They're a finesse team.

And if they fall behind, they don't have the physical, I don't think they're athletic enough to go and just take the ball away from you. But they do have Aaron Rogers. They don't make any mistakes. but I'll tell you what's troubling. During their five-game winning streak, Aaron Rogers is completing 57% of his throws, 85 pass-for rating.

Outside of Devonthe Adams, he doesn't trust any of these receivers, and they're not built to play from behind. You always think Aaron Rogers is built to play from behind. I don't think this Green Bay offense is. I don't think they adjust terribly well. Their bottom half of the NFL and second half scoring, they've got to play a certain way to win,

and that's with a lead. that's why I had Green Bay at only six. Number five. Seattle, I think Seattle would beat Green Bay anywhere. Listen, they're 10 and two in one possession games. That's Russell, Wilson, and Pete Carroll. They are so good. And be honest, if it wasn't for a call or lack of,

they could have been 11 and 2 in one possession games. Playoffs are about one possession games. Now, they've lost three of four. They're not as deep at running back. But again, Russell Wilson this year was magic. I'll just say it out. It's like it's college numbers that we're. Wisconsin. 31 touchdowns, five picks. That's what he did at Wisconsin. 106 passer rating,

three rushing touchdowns. And they are a great road team. They are the best road team in the NFL, including New England. I think, I don't have the number in front of me. I think their last 21 or 22 road games in the Eastern Times zone, they're like 17 and 4. Nobody travels like Seattle. They just go on the road, do their thing. Russell Wilson takes over, and it doesn't matter where they're playing. home or away, they're great. Number four. Kansas City. They've won six straight.

They're healthier. I think the key to this is not just Mahomes. And by the way, these next four teams are really, really, really close. Their defense during their winning streak, only averaging 11.5 points per game surrendering. That's it. Their defense is actually the story. Frank Clark's playing well. They went and got Frank Clark from Seattle, didn't do much in the first half of the season,

doing stuff now. Honey, Badger, they're playing very, very good defensive football during their winning streak, 10 interceptions. They struggled with that at times last year. So it's not, we know Mahomes is great. We know Patrick had a terrific year, but they're hot, they're healthy, and their defense can now get the ball back to Patrick Mahomes. Number three.

The New Orleans Saints. Again, inches not feet separating these. I think the Superdome's a little better home field than Arrowhead. I think smart plus talented is hard to be. If they had home field advantage, maybe I'd have them a slot higher. Breeze is making no mistakes. They never turn the ball over. They rarely get penalized.

They have a lot of takeaways. The only concern I have about New Orleans is when they go on the road, it reminds me of the old Utah Jazz with Stockton and Malone. When you're that dominant at home, there's a culture to it. There's a comfort to it. I'm not sure I trust them in San Francisco going on the road. and they did lose to San Francisco. That's why I have them at three.

Number two. I've got the Niners at number two. It's pretty obvious. Jimmy G., though not spectacular, has been very good in big spots. It's a tough division. They want it. Jimmy G. this year, 27 touchdowns, 13 picks. Again, he's been very good when they've needed him.

They're also second in rushing and points a game. And we all know why they're only second in rushing. The one thing I like about San Francisco, They can beat you a lot of ways. They can overwhelm you with their defensive front. They can pound the ball and play keepaway. Jimmy G. can throw it to Kittle in Emmanuel Sanders. Any team that can win multiple ways is capable of winning a Super Bowl,

and I think the Niners end up representing the NFC in Miami at the Super Bowl. Number one. Against the Baltimore Ravens. They're at home. They're hot. They're incredibly healthy. They're healthier than San Francisco. and they beat San Francisco.

They're the number one rushing team dating back, you know, like a decade. They're really doing everything right. And I've said it from beginning. It feels like the Cam Newton Carolina Panthers of 2015. They had this unique quarterback talent. The league's kind of trying to figure out how to do it. That kid, Camra Lamar, is having an amazing year playing with confidence. The team was energized, playing at home, and very healthy.

And you woke up and Cam was. in the Super Bowl, and I think Lamar's going to end up in the Super Bowl. The difference is I think Lamar's a much more accurate thrower of the football, and I also think he is so absolutely focused on all the right stuff. I always had an issue with Cam and that. So I have Baltimore as my number one team. There you go. 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. Well, we call it best for last. You know, it's New Year's resolution time. I've always been pretty good at stopping things, not necessarily energized enough to do new things, like learn a language or something that I don't have sometimes the patience or the ability to just stop my life and learn something new. But I'm good at stopping stuff.

Stop eating, stop doing bad habits. So we thought, what about these 2020 sports New Year's resolution? All right. First on the resolutions list. Baker Mayfield. More football, fewer commercials. Let your play make you a star, and then you can amplify it with really cool marketing.

But when you do the commercials before you're a star, you make yourself a target and you get mocked. Baker, just tell Progressive, I'm going to take a year off, win a few games, or these commercials will make you look like a big, joke. The Los Angeles Rams. Be more honest like honest Abe. You're moving into a new stadium. Be honest about Todd Gurley. Stop deflecting. The coach says, I just, I'm an idiot. That's why I don't play him. He's either healthy or hurt. 20 carries one week, six the next. 13 one half to the next.

Be honest to the fans. Be honest to us. And most of all, be honest to yourself. That's the most important thing. Okay, draft another running back. Eat salary for a year. But be honest about the Todd Gurley situation. How about fans? Stop blaming the refs. It's not the refs fault.

You had 13 penalties. Hey, Seattle, you had to delay a game that took the ball from the one to the six. That's not the refs fault. That's an inexcusable coaching and offensive play calling fault. Ohio State, Clemson averaged almost eight yards of play. You had two interceptions. You had a whiff and a block punt. And you threw a pick in the last play of the game and your quarterback had nine seconds to throw.

Stop blaming the refs and replay. Let the church say amen. Jerry Jones. Your New Year's resolution is meet new people. Not just people who are former cowboys. Six former players of the Cowboys. are on the coaching staff. Hire from outside the family.

This has been something I've seen my entire life. When you hire family, it's hard to fire family. And frankly, the Cowboys are a global brand. Shouldn't you have global job searches, not hiring people down the street? I agree. How about Antonio Brown? New Year's resolution, less social media.

I don't want to hear about your relationships when they're good or when they're bad. I don't care what you young athletes had for lunch. I don't care where you party. I don't care who you date. Now, if you want to be funny or do charitable stuff, I'll even be okay with political opinions. Keep out of the personal stuff. We don't need to know everything about you.

I mean, I do like food pictures. Hey, listen, I take mountain people. pictures. Yeah, or workout videos. We're very into workout videos. Hey. I want to make sure you're working out. When I'm, uh, these pipe, these Alaska pipelines I got, believe me. I like to show them to the company. Bron James. You're the athlete of the decade. You're the king. Share the spotlight a little more. I mean, when Anthony Davis and Kevin Hart have that run in on the sideline, it's funny. You don't need to rush over and be part of it. Let Anthony Davis and Kevin Hart have their little funny moment. There's no reason for you to rush over and be part of it. Just like LeBron, just like

let somebody else occasionally have the funny line or be in the spotlight. We got another five years of you scoring points. You're going to beat Kareem and become the all-time leading score. Share the spotlight a little more. Yeah, he got to let them have that moment. Adam Silver. I like you, Adam Silver, and I love the NBA. But try embracing college basketball. I know Zion. because he played at Duke. If he went from high school to the G League, wouldn't know who the heck he is. The NFL embraces college football,

and so when Baker and Sam and Reggie Bush and Tebow come to the league, they've been marketed for years. Stop trying to destroy college basketball. It's free marketing. You ever seen how many people watch March Madness? More than your playoffs! College basketball's got its faults. I admit, but it's not much of a saccharacterious.

for any young basketball star for nine months to go to Kentucky, be treated like gold, and then be marketed so we can get a huge shoe deal. They don't get paid in college, but college gets you a bigger shoe deal on your rookie contract. College isn't about making money. It's about showing you how to make it. Duke made Zion a lot of money. All right. Finally, Lane Kiffin.

Don't change a thing. be cocky, be ridiculous, be annoying, make fun of other coaches on Twitter. There is nothing you should change. People can say what they want about Lane Kiffin. I am here to tell America. College football is way more fun when you got Dennis the Menace coaching Ole Miss and making fun of Lane, making fun in Nick Sabin, and poking dabble Sweeney and driving people crazy.

He is the gift that keeps on giving. And you cannot tell me that when he coaches against Sabin for the next two years, you don't even have to like college football. You'll want to watch that game. He will get me to a TV. There's got to be a villain. Lane's a villain. I love villains.

Villains are the best part of the story. I think you should do a headshot like that, though. The fact that Lane Kiffin did that shot is why I like him. It's, I would want to play with. There's nothing like it. There's nothing like. him in college football. Agreed. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd weekdays in noon Eastern, 9 a.m. Pacific.

Bucky Brooks, lighting people up. Drafted. Second round draft pick. Former Scout built the Panthers in the Seattle. Seahawks, one of my favorite guests just every yesterday was just fireworks around here. We needed the local police department fire people to cool the place down. Before we get to that, you have great relationships. I saw something yesterday and I saw your buddy Alonzo Highsmith. all over the internet. He's going to Miami

and I'm like, wait, he's in Cleveland. And my first thought was, uh-oh, I just saw a story that came down five minutes ago that John Dorsey could be fired. So Alonzo's very respected. I know you have- Great personnel, man. Really, down in the U, he is a legend down there. So it would be a

terrific opportunity. More college teams are using this NFL front office model where they're having a legitimate GM type come in and help them with recruiting. Because Zoe is so respected as an evaluator, because he's basically legendary at the U. It would be a great fit if they bring him in.

Okay, so I'm John Dorsey, the GM. Word is he could get fired today, may retain the job, but my takeaway on him has always been. You reached on the quarterback, you reached on the coach, and you traded your second-best offensive lineman. Those are your three big decisions, and you whiffed on him. That's what you get judged on, right? Yeah, you get judged on that.

I would say this. John Dorsey is an excellent and excellent evaluator. people will talk about the personality and does he get along with people in the office. I will say, like, having been in Green Bay when he was there as a scout, having been around him and basically call him a friend, look, I think he understands how to build a team. There's no denying on paper that Cleveland Browns have a ton of talent. I will say that for whatever reason, the pieces of the puzzle didn't necessarily fit. but if he does stay, if he is given an opportunity to kind of fix what's missing with the team, I think this team can't compete at a high level.

But from a cultural standpoint, there is something going on in Cleveland that has to be addressed. And if it's a new head coach, whoever that new head coach is coming in, he has to be a leader. I think the most important thing that he has to be able to do is to lead the group, give them a vision, and get them to carry it. out. When you hear Jarvis Landry talk about we need leadership, just leadership. It's official. It just happened. Okay, here we go. Breaking news. John Dorsey's out. Wow. Couldn't come to an agreement on his future. So Baker Mayfield's got a new GM and a new, well, and a new coach. So Dorsey is out officially. Wow. Now, when you talk about the quarterback,

all bets are off now. What does that mean? Well, all bets are off. So now your coach has already been fired and now the guy who picked you has been fired. So whoever comes in is not going to be as invested in Baker. In Baker. So it's a wake up call for Baker Mayfield because now it is basically a prove it year. It is when he comes back as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, whatever he puts on the field, whatever he puts on tape in 2020, that is going to be his resume. If he doesn't play well, they're going to look to move on.

And so everybody has to perk up. All intents are up now. Because when you get rid of the coach and the GM, it's a new direction. It's a new direction of the franchise. And it also tells me that whoever's coming in as a head coach is going to have the power to reshape the entire operation. I don't know who's out there to do that, but it's a major move for the Cleveland Brown. All right. So Baker Mayfield's two allies because they hired Freddie Kitchen because he was Baker's guy.

He's gone. And the general manager who drafted him is gone. So as Bucky is saying, there's no loyalty to Baker. Baker now. That nonsense? It won't be. There won't be any loyalty towards him. There won't be anyone who is as invested in Baker's growth and progress than John Dorsey. So now it's a scary proposition because from this point forward, Baker would have to get what he earns. And so we're not saying that he can't do it, but he's definitely not a made man anymore. He's not protected. By the way, if I, I'm dead serious on this. If I was given,

you know, what about Eric Mangini for that job? What about you? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, Eric, Gene, he already had the job. He can't go back. He can't go back to Cleveland. He can't go back to Cleveland. His house? I will say this. I will say this.

Mike McCarthy is the perfect guy for the job. GM, too? Well, I don't know about GM, but maybe bringing his own personnel guy. Here's why I would say this. The coach who takes over this team, I don't think it can be a learning curve. It can't be your first job. You can't try and figure out how do I manage all this. It needs to be an experienced guy who has dealt with it.

I don't know if there's a better coach. out there with a resume, Mike McCarthy. Mike McCarthy is not only won games like, look, behind Belichick and Mike Tomlin in terms of winning percentage during that span. But when you look at what he's been able to do with quarterbacks, Aaron Rogers, you think he can't come into the room and Baker Mayfield is talking about, oh, I don't need a coach, I can fix it, no, no, no. I've dealt with better.

I've coached better. Here's how we're doing it going forward. You need to have someone who has pelts on the wall who can not only handle the quarterback, but can handle the strong personalities. I think Mike McCarthy could do the job. Let's go to the Dallas Cowboys, Urban Meyer. I've known Urban for years. He's a college coach.

Like Pete Carroll, Pete Carroll had NFL experience, went to college, then back to the NFL. Urban's got all college experience. I think he's very learned, very smart. Do you think it's a gamble? Because Urban has now, according to Jane Slater, your network, NFL network, interviewed with Dallas. We know he's a great personnel guy.

We saw Ohio State play the other night. Those are all his players. We know he can coach. We know he's got CEO leadership skills. He teaches a leadership class at Ohio State. But is it a risk because Urban, unlike Pete Carroll, has no history in the NFL? No. If Jerry Jones really wants to take the Dallas Cowboys to the next level,

Urban Meyer is the guy who should be the coach. And the reason why I say this is, look, Justin being around him here, he exudes what a CEO, a leader, a head coach should be. His confidence. The resume speaks for it. every place that he has been, he has won. The turnaround has been immediate. He understands that the head coach, it's not about the schematics.

It's about the leadership standpoint. And I love the fact that when you looked at him in college, he didn't coach offensive defense. He under the special teams. He understands how to manage people. He understands how to manage the coaching staff. And this team is just lacking the extra stuff, the direction. I just believe in a four or five year window, he would

maximize what the Dallas Cowboys could be and should be in the National Football League. How about that? Ron Rivera took the Washington job. He's got the fourth best quarterback in his division. Kyle Shanahan is 16 and 4 with Garapolo,

4 and 20 without him. Belichick fired, couldn't get the right coach. Pete Carroll fired twice, couldn't get the right quarterback. I said Belichick coach, right quarterback. You cannot win with a third or fourth best quarterback in a division. Well, hold on now.

We're talking about a rookie quarterback and Duane Haskins. And the pop that we also saw from Jared Gough when people thought about he was a bust. A lot of it is coaching. I think the main thing when you're talking about Dwayne Haskins, because I think you've had Urban, and you talked to Urban Meyer about Dwayne Haskins and he talked about the special qualities that he's ass.

I think when you have Dwayne Haskins, it's important that the offensive coordinator can build the offense around his strengths. He's a classic pocket passer. He needs to play in a vertical passing game that is complemented, with a dominant running attack. When I look at the Washington Redskins

and I look at how Ron Rivera built the Carolina Panthers, very, very similar. Cam had running ability, but in the end, it was dominant run game, a physical smash-mouth running attack. Defense led the way. And then you have the quarterback that can make plays. If he builds it in that light,

I think they can win games in Washington. All right, fair enough. So you're okay with it. I'm okay with Dwayne Haskins, absolutely. I don't know enough about him. I hear he's not a grinder. I know he didn't. Now look, everybody that plays that position,

you have to make a decision. Do I want to be a celebrity or do I want to be a dominant and elite NFL quarterback? If you want to be an elite quarterback, that means you've got to bypass some of the other stuff, some of the endorsements, some of the celebrity stuff, to do all the dirty work. And so that's a decision that he will have to make. And that will be a conversation that I'm sure Ron Rivera will have

with Dwayne Haskins very early in the tenure. Who do you want to be? What do you want to accomplish? Because if you really want to win the ring, you have to be a guy that is the first one in, last one out. Yeah, because the reputation now is that's not the case. And look, and so sometimes that can change. But look, he has to understand new coach in town. You've got to step up your game if you can be the franchise quarterback.

By the way, Vicks Synex nasal spray starts within minutes, works up to 12 hours. Bucky Brooks, final question. I trust your personnel abilities. You played, you scouted at a high level. what you're out on Brady. Give me two things you see as a talent evaluator that are just not about his receivers. His accuracy has changed.

He's missing more layups than we've ever seen him. Missing more layups. The second thing, pressure didn't use to affect Brady and his production. In fact, when you blitz Brady, you paid for it. Oh, that was the rep forever. This year, we're seeing the pressure, the blitz, that coming after him affects him more than,

it ever has. Some of that is on the receivers, but a lot of it is really on him. Now, in saying that, can he have a magical performance? Yes, but can he sustain it over a three or four game run to win a Super Bowl? No, the New England Pages have revealed who they are. By the way they play down the stretch, this is a team that they have to do everything to get explosive plays. We've seen more trick plays, gadgets, anything to deliver these chunk plays because they can't manufacture it in their normal offense. And so it's just very, very tough for them. So the magic number to me, whenever the Patriots play, 24.

If they get to 24 points, they win. If the other team gets to 24 points, the other team is going to win. This offense just doesn't generate enough plays. And Tom Brady is responsible for some of that. It's not all on him, but he's responsible for a lot of it. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. and nobody's telling you exactly what happened.

That's where 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 SportsSlic 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. 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 I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hardway 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 not to be played with. And just because you have the capability

that does not mean that you need to. Listen to learn the hard way on the AHA radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

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

What? Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.